Suburban Animals of Silicon Valley

Critters you have a good chance of encountering in your backyard, while on a walk in the neighborhood park, in a strip mall parking lot, or in a golf course water trap. I've put ID & location tips in the Notes section for most species.

Western Toad ¹
Anaxyrus boreas

Arboreal Salamander ²
Aneides lugubris

Northern Alligator Lizard ³
Elgaria coerulea

Southern Alligator Lizard ⁴
Elgaria multicarinata

Western Fence Lizard ⁵
Sceloporus occidentalis

Red-eared Slider ⁶
Trachemys scripta elegans

Nuttall's Woodpecker ⁷
Picoides nuttallii

Northern Flicker ⁸
Colaptes auratus

Mitred Parakeet ⁹
Aratinga mitrata

Pigeon ¹⁰
Columba livia

Band-tailed Pigeon ¹¹
Patagioenas fasciata

Mourning Dove ¹²
Zenaida macroura

American Coot ¹³
Fulica americana

Killdeer ¹⁴
Charadrius vociferus

Great Egret ⁷
Ardea alba

Snowy Egret ¹⁵
Egretta thula

Great Blue Heron ¹⁶
Ardea herodias

Anna's Hummingbird ¹⁷
Calypte anna

Mallard ¹⁸
Anas platyrhynchos

Domesticated Duck ¹⁹
Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

Canada Goose ²⁰
Branta canadensis

Red-tailed Hawk ²¹
Buteo jamaicensis

Turkey Vulture ²²
Cathartes aura

Barn Swallow ²³
Hirundo rustica

European Starling ²⁴
Sturnus vulgaris

Brewer's Blackbird ²⁵
Euphagus cyanocephalus

Oak Titmouse ²⁶
Baeolophus inornatus

Chestnut-backed Chickadee ²⁷
Poecile rufescens

Yellow-rumped Warbler ²⁸
Setophaga coronata

Golden-crowned Sparrow ²⁹
Zonotrichia atricapilla

White-crowned Sparrow ³⁰
Zonotrichia leucophrys

House Sparrow ²⁵
Passer domesticus

Bewick's Wren ³¹
Thryomanes bewickii

American Robin ¹²
Turdus migratorius

Western Bluebird ³²
Sialia mexicana

Black Phoebe ³³
Sayornis nigricans

Dark-eyed Junco ³⁴
Junco hyemalis

Spotted Towhee ²¹
Pipilo maculatus

California Towhee ³⁵
Melozone crissalis

Northern Mockingbird ³⁶
Mimus polyglottos

Bushtit ³⁷
Psaltriparus minimus

Common Raven ³⁸
Corvus corax

American Crow ³⁹
Corvus brachyrhynchos

Western Scrub Jay ⁴⁰
Aphelocoma californica

Steller's Jay ⁴¹
Cyanocitta stelleri

Lesser Goldfinch ⁴²
Spinus psaltria

House Finch ⁴³
Haemorhous mexicanus

Common Raccoon ⁴⁴
Procyon lotor

Striped Skunk ⁴⁵
Mephitis mephitis

Virginia Opossum ⁴⁶
Didelphis virginiana

Botta's Pocket Gopher ⁴⁷
Thomomys bottae

Brown Rat ⁴⁸
Rattus norvegicus

Black Rat ⁴⁹
Rattus rattus

Eastern Grey Squirrel ⁵⁰
Sciurus carolinensis

Fox Squirrel ⁵¹
Sciurus niger

California Ground Squirrel ⁵²
Otospermophilus beecheyi

Milky Slug ⁵³
Deroceras reticulatum

Yellow Cellar Slug ⁵⁴
Limacus flavus

Garden Snail ⁵⁵
Helix aspersa

Cross Orbweaver ⁵⁶
Araneus diadematus

Woodlouse Spider ⁵⁷
Dysdera crocata

Tobacco Hornworm ⁵⁸
Manduca sexta

Gray Hairstreak ⁵⁹
Strymon melinus

Cabbage White ⁶⁰
Pieris rapae

Fiery Skipper ⁶¹
Hylephila phyleus

Honeybee ⁶²
Apis mellifera

California Carpenter Bee ⁶³
Xylocopa californica

Valley Carpenter Bee ⁶⁴
Xylocopa sonorina

Argentine Ant ⁶⁵
Linepithema humile

European Paper Wasp ⁶⁶
Polistes dominula

May Beetles ⁶⁷
Phyllophaga

Common Earwig ⁶⁸
Forficula auricularia

Black Soldier Fly ⁶⁹
Hermetia illucens

Common Pill-bug ⁷⁰
Armadillidium vulgare

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Suburban Animals of Silicon Valley

Western Toad 1 Anaxyrus boreas

Arboreal Salamander 2 Aneides lugubris

Northern Alligator Lizard 3 Elgaria coerulea

Southern Alligator Lizard 4 Elgaria multicarinata

Western Fence Lizard 5 Sceloporus occidentalis

Red-eared Slider 6 Trachemys scripta elegans

Nuttall's Woodpecker 7 Picoides nuttallii

Northern Flicker 8 Colaptes auratus

Mitred Parakeet 9 Aratinga mitrata

Pigeon 10 Columba livia

Band-tailed Pigeon 11 Patagioenas fasciata

Mourning Dove 12 Zenaida macroura

American Coot 13 Fulica americana

Killdeer 14 Charadrius vociferus

Great Egret 7 Ardea alba

Snowy Egret 15 Egretta thula

Great Blue Heron 16 Ardea herodias

Anna's Hummingbird 17 Calypte anna

Mallard 18 Anas platyrhynchos

Domesticated Duck 19 Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

Canada Goose 20 Branta canadensis

Red-tailed Hawk 21 Buteo jamaicensis

Turkey Vulture 22 Cathartes aura

Barn Swallow 23 Hirundo rustica

European Starling 24 Sturnus vulgaris

Brewer's Blackbird 25 Euphagus cyanocephalus

Oak Titmouse 26 Baeolophus inornatus

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 27 Poecile rufescens

Yellow-rumped Warbler 28 Setophaga coronata

Golden-crowned Sparrow 29 Zonotrichia atricapilla

White-crowned Sparrow 30 Zonotrichia leucophrys

House Sparrow 25 Passer domesticus

Bewick's Wren 31 Thryomanes bewickii

American Robin 12 Turdus migratorius

Western Bluebird 32 Sialia mexicana

Black Phoebe 33 Sayornis nigricans

Dark-eyed Junco 34 Junco hyemalis

Spotted Towhee 21 Pipilo maculatus

California Towhee 35 Melozone crissalis

Northern Mockingbird 36 Mimus polyglottos

Bushtit 37 Psaltriparus minimus

Common Raven 38 Corvus corax

American Crow 39 Corvus brachyrhynchos

Western Scrub Jay 40 Aphelocoma californica

Steller's Jay 41 Cyanocitta stelleri

Lesser Goldfinch 42 Spinus psaltria

House Finch 43 Haemorhous mexicanus

Common Raccoon 44 Procyon lotor

Striped Skunk 45 Mephitis mephitis

Virginia Opossum 46 Didelphis virginiana

Botta's Pocket Gopher 47 Thomomys bottae

Brown Rat 48 Rattus norvegicus

Black Rat 49 Rattus rattus

Eastern Grey Squirrel 50 Sciurus carolinensis

Fox Squirrel 51 Sciurus niger

California Ground Squirrel 52 Otospermophilus beecheyi

Milky Slug 53 Deroceras reticulatum

Yellow Cellar Slug 54 Limacus flavus

Garden Snail 55 Helix aspersa

Cross Orbweaver 56 Araneus diadematus

Woodlouse Spider 57 Dysdera crocata

Tobacco Hornworm 58 Manduca sexta

Gray Hairstreak 59 Strymon melinus

Cabbage White 60 Pieris rapae

Fiery Skipper 61 Hylephila phyleus

Honeybee 62 Apis mellifera

California Carpenter Bee 63 Xylocopa californica

Valley Carpenter Bee 64 Xylocopa sonorina

Argentine Ant 65 Linepithema humile

European Paper Wasp 66 Polistes dominula

May Beetles 67 Phyllophaga

Common Earwig 68 Forficula auricularia

Black Soldier Fly 69 Hermetia illucens

Common Pill-bug 70 Armadillidium vulgare