Who's at my feeder?

Backyard birds by state

Backyard birds of Arizona

The birds that visit feeders in Arizona, when they come and what they eat – counted from 23.1 million bird sightings reported across Arizona from 2019 to 2024.

  • 43year-round residents
  • 2winter visitors
  • 7summer visitors
Mourning Dove – the most common of the backyard birds in Arizona
Photo Timothy Lindsey / iNaturalist, CC BY

All year

Year-round backyard birds in Arizona

These birds are reported in every season. Most of them will use a seed or suet feeder in any month.

  1. Mourning Dove, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Mourning Dove

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: millet, cracked corn, sunflower

    Photo: Timothy Lindsey / iNaturalist, CC BY

  2. House Finch, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    House Finch

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: black oil sunflower, nyjer

    Photo: MostlyDross / iNaturalist, CC BY

  3. Gila Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Gila Woodpecker

    Everyday visitor · most common in December

    Eats: suet, fruit, nectar

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  4. Lesser Goldfinch, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Lesser Goldfinch

    Everyday visitor · most common in August

    Eats: nyjer, sunflower hearts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  5. Verdin, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Verdin

    Regular visitor · most common in December

    Eats: sugar water, insects

    Photo: MarvalPhotography19 / iNaturalist, CC BY

  6. Anna's Hummingbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Anna's Hummingbird

    Regular visitor · most common in February

    Eats: sugar water (1:4)

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  7. Curve-billed Thrasher, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Curve-billed Thrasher

    Regular visitor · most common in October

    Eats: seed on the ground, mealworms

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  8. White-winged Dove, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    White-winged Dove

    Everyday visitor · most common in July

    Eats: sunflower, millet

    Photo: MarvalPhotography19 / iNaturalist, CC BY

  9. Abert's Towhee, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Abert's Towhee

    Regular visitor · most common in December

    Eats: millet, seed on the ground

    Photo: Julio Cesar Ruiz García / iNaturalist, CC BY

  10. Gambel's Quail, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Gambel's Quail

    Regular visitor · most common in April

    Eats: millet, seed on the ground

    Photo: Annika Lindqvist / iNaturalist, CC BY

  11. House Sparrow, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    House Sparrow

    Regular visitor · most common in February

    Eats: millet, cracked corn

    Photo: Esteban Poveda / iNaturalist, CC BY

  12. Great-tailed Grackle, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Great-tailed Grackle

    Regular visitor · most common in November

    Eats: seeds, grain, fruit

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

Oct – Apr

Winter birds of Arizona

They arrive from the north in autumn and leave again in spring. Millet and sunflower hearts on a tray or on the ground bring most of them in.

  1. White-crowned Sparrow, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    White-crowned Sparrow

    Everyday visitor · most common in November

    Eats: millet, sunflower hearts

    Photo: Mike Baird / iNaturalist, CC BY

  2. Yellow-rumped Warbler, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Yellow-rumped Warbler

    Everyday visitor · most common in November

    Eats: suet, mealworms

    Photo: Willem Span / iNaturalist, CC BY

Apr – Sep

Summer visitors

These birds spend spring and summer in Arizona and winter further south.

  1. Black-chinned Hummingbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Black-chinned Hummingbird

    Regular visitor · most common in August

    Eats: nectar (sugar water)

    Photo: Shiva Shenoy / iNaturalist, CC BY

  2. Black-headed Grosbeak, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Black-headed Grosbeak

    Regular visitor · most common in May

    Eats: black oil sunflower, fruit

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  3. Brown-headed Cowbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Brown-headed Cowbird

    Regular visitor · most common in June

    Eats: millet, cracked corn

    Photo: cello caruso-turiello / iNaturalist, CC BY

  4. Broad-tailed Hummingbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Broad-tailed Hummingbird

    Occasional visitor · most common in August

    Eats: nectar

    Photo: Matt Felperin / iNaturalist, CC BY

  5. Hooded Oriole, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Hooded Oriole

    Occasional visitor · most common in July

    Eats: sugar water, fruit, seeds

    Photo: Guy Babineau / iNaturalist, CC BY

  6. Rufous Hummingbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Rufous Hummingbird

    Occasional visitor · most common in August

    Eats: nectar

    Photo: highsinger / iNaturalist, CC BY

  7. Bullock's Oriole, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Bullock's Oriole

    Occasional visitor · most common in May

    Eats: sugar water, fruit, grape jelly

    Photo: Millie Basden / iNaturalist, CC BY

Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers in Arizona

5 woodpecker species are reported regularly in Arizona. Gila Woodpecker and Ladder-backed Woodpecker are the ones most often seen. All of them come for suet – a suet cage with a tail-prop panel also works for the larger species.

Which suet to use and when →

  1. Gila Woodpecker2.4%
  2. Ladder-backed Woodpecker1.2%
  3. Northern Flicker0.9%
  4. Acorn Woodpecker0.9%
  5. Hairy Woodpecker0.2%
  1. Gila Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Gila Woodpecker

    Everyday visitor · most common in December

    Eats: suet, fruit, nectar

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  2. Ladder-backed Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Ladder-backed Woodpecker

    Regular visitor · most common in December

    Eats:

    Photo: John Rosford / iNaturalist, CC BY

  3. Northern Flicker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Northern Flicker

    Regular visitor · most common in October

    Eats: suet, peanuts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  4. Acorn Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Acorn Woodpecker

    Regular visitor · most common in August

    Eats:

    Photo: Dmitry Mozzherin / iNaturalist, CC BY

  5. Hairy Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Hairy Woodpecker

    Occasional visitor · most common in June

    Eats: suet, peanuts, sunflower

    Photo: Blake Ross / iNaturalist, CC BY

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds in Arizona: all year

The Anna's hummingbird is the main hummingbird in Arizona – and it stays all year. Sightings peak in February, but you can see it at a feeder in any month.

Keep a nectar feeder up through the winter; on frosty nights bring it in or use a heated feeder so the nectar does not freeze.

Also reported: broad-billed hummingbird, black-chinned hummingbird, Costa's hummingbird.

Nectar: one part white sugar to four parts water, no red dye. Hummingbird feeders compared →

Anna's Hummingbird sightings per month in Arizona, darkest in the peak month.

Identification

Red birds in Arizona

Northern Cardinal – the male is red all over with a black face; the female is tan with red on wings, tail and crest.
House Finch – males have a red head, breast and rump over brown streaks; common at seed feeders all year.
Pyrrhuloxia – the desert cousin of the cardinal: grey with red face, crest and breast, and a yellow bill.

Bird calendar

The year at the feeder in Arizona

One row per bird, darkest in its strongest month.

BirdJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Gila Woodpecker
Lesser Goldfinch
Verdin
Anna's Hummingbird
Curve-billed Thrasher
White-winged Dove
Abert's Towhee
White-crowned Sparrow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Gambel's Quail
House Sparrow
Great-tailed Grackle
Northern Mockingbird
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Northern Cardinal
Eurasian Collared-Dove

Want the list for your own garden? Enter your ZIP code – the birds within 30 km, month by month.

Questions

Backyard birds in Arizona: questions

What is the most common backyard bird in Arizona?

The mourning dove. It makes up about 3.0% of all bird sightings reported in Arizona, and it stays all year.

What birds are in Arizona in winter?

Besides year-round residents such as the mourning dove, house finch, Gila woodpecker, winter brings white-crowned sparrow, yellow-rumped warbler.

What woodpeckers live in Arizona?

5 species are reported regularly: Gila woodpecker, ladder-backed woodpecker, northern flicker, acorn woodpecker, hairy woodpecker.

When do hummingbirds leave Arizona?

In Arizona the Anna's hummingbird stays all year.

More states

Backyard birds in other states