Three Most Common Birds

Here are the three most common birds currently seen on the Colorado River at Buckskin Mountain State Park.

American Coot

The American Coot is by far the most numerous of water fowl on the Lower Colorado River and possibly the whole West Coast.  They are not actually a duck, but a member of the Rail family.  They are easily identified by their black head and body with a white beak. Awkward on land, they spend most of their time on water in large flocks.

 

American Widgeon
 

 

American Widgeon males are easy to spot with their light colored forehead giving them a bald looking appearance.  A winter migrant to this area they spend a lot of their time following the coots and taking food from them. Although they are seen every day here at the park, their numbers are one tenth of the more numerous Coots.

 

Pied-billed Grebe

Pied-billed Grebes can be seen consistently every day but in small numbers of three to five and on their own.  They dive for their own food which is mostly crustaceans. Like the Coots they are year around residents.