Cave Creek, Arizona is located in the Sonoran Desert and near the foothills of the Phoenix Mountains. This unique habitat makes it home to a diverse range of bird species. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Cave Creek area throughout the year. Many are residents, while others only pass through the area as they migrate. The most commonly spotted birds in Cave Creek include various raptors, songbirds, waterfowl, and desert birds that are well-adapted to the hot, arid climate.
Raptors
As a desert location adjacent to mountains and riparian areas, Cave Creek provides good habitat for raptors. Raptors frequently observed include the red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, great horned owl, barn owl, and Harris’s hawk. The tall saguaros dotting the landscape provide excellent nesting sites for red-tailed hawks, the most widespread and common raptor in the area. Other raptors like prairie falcons, golden eagles, and turkey vultures can also be spotted soaring overhead.
Red-tailed Hawk
The red-tailed hawk is one of the most ubiquitous raptors in Cave Creek. They are year-round residents and breed in the area. These hawks can be identified by their trademark rusty red tails. They are adept hunters and feed mainly on small mammals and reptiles. Red-tailed hawks build large stick nests in saguaros, trees, or on cliffs. From December to July, watch for these large nests to spot breeding pairs.
American Kestrel
American kestrels are North America’s smallest falcon. About the size of a mourning dove, these colorful raptors have blue-grey wings and reddish-brown backs with a distinct black teardrop shape near their eyes. Although small, kestrels are fierce predators. They can often be seen perched on wires or poles waiting to ambush insects, small rodents, and reptiles in open fields. Kestrels are cavity nesters who nest in natural holes or bird boxes from March to August.
Great Horned Owl
The large, powerful great horned owl is a year-round resident of the Cave Creek desert. They have prominent ear tufts, reddish faces, and mottled brown plumage perfect for camouflage. Mostly nocturnal hunters, great horned owls prey on rabbits, quail, rats, and snakes. Their low, booming hoots are a familiar nighttime sound from December to July during breeding season. Great horned owls nest in abandoned hawk, crow, or squirrel nests.
Songbirds
The deserts and riparian woodlands around Cave Creek support a variety of songbird species. Some of the most noticeable species include Gambel’s quail, mourning doves, white-winged doves, greater roadrunners, Gila woodpeckers, cactus wrens, curve-billed thrashers, and sparrows. Many smaller songbirds only pass through during spring and fall migration.
Gambel’s Quail
The plump, chicken-like Gambel’s quail is a common year-round resident in Cave Creek. They travel in coveys and make a distinctive, nasal “ka-kaa” call. Their plumage features scaled underparts with a black belly patch. Gambel’s quail forage on the ground for seeds, buds, leaves, and insects. They nest on the ground from April to June. Quail coveys can often be spotted crossing roads or scattered near sources of food and water.
Mourning Dove
Mourning doves are graceful light gray birds with long tapered tails and wings marked by black spots. Their mournful cooing gives them their name. Mourning doves can be found year-round in Cave Creek perched on telephone wires, foraging on the ground, or flying with a distinctive stiff-winged flight. They mainly eat seeds and lay two white eggs in a simple platform nest of twigs.
Cactus Wren
The cactus wren is the largest wren in North America and Cave Creek’s state bird. Mostly found in arid areas with saguaros, they are non-migratory birds who nest in cholla and saguaro cavities. Cactus wrens have white-streaked brown plumage and a long white eyebrow stripe. Their loud, bubbling song carries far across the desert. Watch for cactus wrens hopping along spiny cacti or low to the ground hunting for insects.
Waterfowl
The riparian area along Cave Creek supports a seasonal variety of ducks, geese, and other waterfowl. Migration brings birds like cinnamon teal, ruddy ducks, northern shovelers, and American wigeons from September to April. Cave Creek Regional Park even has a marsh area managed to provide habitat for waterfowl.
Cinnamon Teal
Beautiful cinnamon teal visit Cave Creek wetlands during winter and migration. Drakes are unmistakable with their vibrant red eyes, rusty bodies, and bold black-and-white head pattern. They dabble in shallow water to find aquatic invertebrates and seeds from aquatic plants. Watch for these ducks in flooded fields or marshy areas of Cave Creek from September to April.
Ruddy Duck
Male ruddy ducks are hard to miss. During breeding season they have gleaming blue bills, chestnut bodies, and a bold black-and-white cap. Females are brownish-grey. Ruddy ducks are compact divers who swim low in the water and upend to feed on aquatic plants and invertebrates. Cave Creek Park wetlands often host wintering flocks of ruddies from October to March.
Desert Birds
Cave Creek’s Sonoran Desert location means many species here are uniquely adapted to hot, arid conditions. Hallmarks of a true desert bird include an ability to survive without drinking water, light plumage to reflect heat, and wings designed for efficient flight and dispersal. Some desert species like roadrunners, thrashers, and doves are year-round residents, while others only stop by during migration.
Greater Roadrunner
This long-tailed, quail-like bird stays year-round in Cave Creek. Roadrunners can outrun a human, kill rattlesnakes, and thrive in hot, dry conditions. They have blue patches behind their eyes and make a soft cooing vocalization when breeding. Roadrunners eat insects, small reptiles, rodents, and berries. Watch for them running across roads or perched on fences scanning for prey.
Verdin
The tiny verdin with its yellow head and gray body is a year-round Cave Creek resident. They build elaborate hanging nests in trees and large shrubs, breeding February to June. To survive the heat, verdins spread saliva on their bodies for evaporative cooling. They mainly eat insects and spiders captured on branches and leaves.
Phainopepla
The male phainopepla is a distinctive all-black songbird except for prominent red eyes and a crest that looks slick with brilliant white or yellow tips. Females are gray with a crest. Phainopeplas breed in desert washes from March to May, eating mistletoe berries and insects. They are frequent spring and fall migrants to Cave Creek.
Notable Seasonal Birds
While Cave Creek has many year-round resident bird species, spring and fall migration bring a myriad of migratory birds passing through or stopping to rest and refuel. Migration peaks from March to May in spring and August to October in fall. Cave Creek Regional Park is a noted hotspot to observe migratory songbirds.
Warblers
Dozens of species of colorful warblers can be spotted in Cave Creek on migration. Some notable ones include Townsend’s warbler, orange-crowned warbler, Lucy’s warbler, yellow warbler, and Wilson’s warbler. Oaks, cottonwoods, and other trees in riparian areas provide habitat for tired, hungry migrants to rest and feed on insects.
Hummingbirds
Cave Creek’s flowers draw migrating hummingbirds like black-chinned, rufous, broad-tailed, and calliope hummingbirds. They can be observed visiting nectar feeders or feeding on agave and ocotillo blossoms. Rufous and broad-tailed hummingbirds nest in higher elevation woodlands near Cave Creek during summer before migrating south.
Flycatchers
Several species of insect-eating flycatchers stop by Cave Creek on migration, often resting conspicuously on exposed perches. Notable migrants include willow flycatcher, grey flycatcher, pacific-slope flycatcher, ash-throated flycatcher, and western kingbird. Their presence is revealed by calls like “fitz-bew” or frantic wing snapping as they dive after flying insects.
Rare Birds
Cave Creek birders also keep their eye out for rare and unusual species that sometimes get spotted passing through. Vagrant birds often appear after major storms or when pushed off course during migration. Some especially rare sightings in Cave Creek include zone-tailed hawk, painted bunting, varied bunting, rose-breasted grosbeak, mountain plover, and tropical kingbird.
Zone-tailed Hawk
This unique raptor has plumage marked like a turkey vulture but the flight silhouette of a hawk. Zone-tailed hawks are rare in Arizona but are sometimes reported around Cave Creek likely as a vagrant pushed east in fall migration. They specialize on hunting reptiles and amphibians in southwestern deserts.
Painted Bunting
Male painted buntings are one of the most brilliantly colored birds in North America with hues of red, green, purple, and blue. They occasionally end up as spring vagrants in the Cave Creek area when migrating north from Mexico. Painted buntings favor seeds, buds, and some insects in thickets and woodland edges.
Mountain Plover
The mountain plover is a declining shorebird of the western Great Plains. In late winter, a few sometimes wander southwest into the desert around Cave Creek. They are brown, white, and black birds that blend into dirt as they feed on insects disturbed by grazing animals. Watch for them in flat, open habitats like agricultural fields.
Best Birding Locations
The diverse habitat around Cave Creek provides many options for birding. Here are some notable hotspots to observe birds:
- Cave Creek Regional Park – Riparian woodlands and mesquite support over 200 species. Trails like Basin, Hasenyager, and Maricopa provide access.
- Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area – This large tract of desert includes riparian areas along Cave Creek with birds like vermilion flycatchers and summer tanagers.
- Carefree Desert Gardens – Gardens and fountains on this property attract birds like orioles, hummers, and finches.
- Lake Pleasant Regional Park – Large lake northwest of Cave Creek has waterfowl and shorebirds like eared grebes and American avocets.
- Seven Springs Recreational Area – Small ponds and riparian habitat support migrating waterfowl and Neotropical migrants.
- Horseshoe Reservoir – Created wetlands provide seasonal habitat for herons, egrets, and cormorants.
Best Times to Go Birding
While birds can be found year-round, certain times of day and seasons are most favorable:
- Early morning – Best for catching birds actively feeding.
- Late afternoon – Another period of activity before evening roosting.
- Spring migration – Peak numbers of migrants from March to May.
- Monsoon season – Rains from July-September create bloom periods that attract hummingbirds, orioles, and others.
Tips for Birding in Cave Creek
Use these tips to make the most of a birding trip to Cave Creek:
- Pack binoculars and bird field guides.
- Wear neutral colors to blend into habitat.
- Walk slowly and pause frequently.
- Listen for distinctive bird songs and calls.
- Be patient and watch foliage carefully for movement.
- Look high in trees, on wires, and close to the ground.
- Take advantage of local knowledge by going with experienced birders from Audubon groups.
Conclusion
With such a diversity of habitats from riparian areas to desert, Cave Creek is a rewarding location to go birding in Arizona. Over 300 species have been recorded here throughout the year. While out looking for birds, also keep an eye out for other wildlife like deer, javelina, coyotes, tortoises, and lizards that share the landscape. Let the variety of birds you find inspire you to explore more of this beautiful region of Arizona.
