Birding at Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park offers a wide range of birds for birders to discover and enjoy. From year-round desert specialists to migrators that only spend part of the year here to transients that pass through the park between their summer and winter habitats, it is possible to find many types of birds throughout the year. Some popular birding locations include the Oasis of Mara, Cottonwood Spring, and Barker Dam. If visiting in the summer, be aware that some water sources may be closed to avoid stressing wildlife. Check the park website or speak with a ranger at a visitor center for up to date information. Some of the more common year-round resident bird species include the greater roadrunner, phainopepla, mockingbird, verdin, cactus wren, rock wren, mourning dove, Le Conte’s thrasher, and Gambel’s quail. Resident birds of prey include the red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, Cooper’s hawk, and prairie falcon. In winter, you may see the white-crowned sparrow, dark-eyed junco, sage sparrow, cedar waxwing, American robin, and hermit thrush. These birds will remain in the park into March. At about the time the wintering species leave, other species will begin to arrive for the spring and summer nesting season. This group includes species such as Bendire’s thrasher, ash-throated flycatcher, western kingbird, Scott’s oriole, northern oriole, and western bluebird. Some of the many transients that pass through the park on their way between their winter and summer ranges include brightly colored warblers such as Wilson’s, black-throated gray, Nashville, MacGillivray’s, yellow, yellow-rumped (a species also here in winter), and orange-crowned. Other transients are black-headed grosbeaks, western tanagers, indigo buntings, and lazuli buntings. In addition to songbirds, the park hosts a migration of birds of prey including sharp-shinned hawks, rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, osprey, and Swainson’s hawks. For more information on birding in Joshua Tree National Park click here.