Birds | Plant Communities
Upland Birds
In the context of Batiquitos Lagoon, upland birds are all birds that are not directly associated with open water and intertidal habitats. The upland birds you are most likely to see are assorted upland birds, gulls, and raptors.
Phoebe
Assorted Upland Birds
Upland birds primarily are found in the upland habitat of Batiquitos Lagoon; they do not tend to use the lagoon's open water or intertidal habitats. While in the upland habitat, you might see one or more of the upland species of swallows, Bullock's oriole, western kingbird, warblers, and black-headed grosbeak. Both large birds, such as raptors, and small birds, such as songbirds, can be found in upland habitat.
Raptors
Species in the raptor guild are diurnal (active during the day) birds of prey that have sharp, hooked bills and strong, curved talons. Raptors have a wide range of physical characteristics and vary widely in how they look for and capture food. Batiquitos Lagoon provides habitat for several resident and migratory raptor species, including the peregrine falcon, American kestrel, red-tailed hawk, white-tailed kite, and turkey vulture.
- Peregrine falcons are streamlined raptors with long pointed wings and narrow tails. These physical traits make for very aerodynamic and fast flyers. Peregrine falcons feed on other birds, which they catch in the air. The falcons can reach speeds up to 175 miles per hour!
- American kestrels feed on small mammals, reptiles, and insects, which they capture on the ground or in the air. The American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. Kestrels sometimes hover before pouncing on their food.
- Red-tailed hawks belong to a group of hawks called buteos, which are soaring hawks with large broad wings and tail. Buteos circle overhead and dive to the ground for their food of small mammals. Look for red-tailed hawks perched on telephone poles or fence lines or circling overhead.
- White-tailed kites are agile flyers with long pointed wings and tails. Kites hover over the ground and suddenly drop from the air to capture their food of small mammals and insects.
- Turkey vultures are large birds with broad wings used to soar in wide circles in search of food. Turkey vultures have a very sensitive sense of smell, which they use to locate carrion (dead, decaying matter). They also have a v-shaped wing pattern in flight and often appear to be tipping unsteadily from side to side.>
Gulls
Species in the gull guild have webbed feet, long pointed wings, and stout hooked bills. They are large birds that frequent the shores of coastal or inland waters but also are found at other inland locations. Many gull species are migratory and travel great distances between their nesting and wintering grounds. Gulls are primarily scavengers and feed by picking at food floating in the water or on the shoreline. Gulls often collect shellfish, which they carry into the air and drop on rocks or roadways to break open. Some gull species take several years to reach maturity and go through various plumage stages.
Species in the gull guild at Batiquitos Lagoon vary throughout the year but include three common gulls.
- The California gull is a 4-year gull, which means it takes 4 years for it to reach breeding age. It winters in the lagoon and breeds on the plains of central Canada and portions of the intermountain west. The adult California gull has two small spots, one red and one blue, on its bill.
- The ring-billed gull is a 3-year gull (see first bullet above). When it reaches breeding age, the ring-billed gull has a distinctive black ring near the tip of its bill. The ring-billed gull winters in the lagoon and breeds in the northern United States and southern Canada.
- The Bonaparte's gull is a 2-year gull (see first bullet above). During the breeding season, it has a black hood, but in the winter it has no hood, only a dark spot behind the eyes. The Bonaparte's gull winters in the lagoon and breeds in northern Canada.
