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

Great Blue Heron ¹⁵
Ardea herodias

Anna's Hummingbird ¹⁶
Calypte anna

Mallard ¹⁷
Anas platyrhynchos

Domesticated Duck ¹⁸
Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

Canada Goose ¹⁹
Branta canadensis

Red-tailed Hawk ²⁰
Buteo jamaicensis

Turkey Vulture ²¹
Cathartes aura

Barn Swallow ²²
Hirundo rustica

Brewer's Blackbird ²³
Euphagus cyanocephalus

Oak Titmouse ²⁴
Baeolophus inornatus

Chestnut-backed Chickadee ²⁵
Poecile rufescens

House Sparrow ²³
Passer domesticus

Bewick's Wren ²⁶
Thryomanes bewickii

American Robin ¹²
Turdus migratorius

Western Bluebird ²⁷
Sialia mexicana

Black Phoebe ²⁸
Sayornis nigricans

Dark-eyed Junco ²⁹
Junco hyemalis

Spotted Towhee ²⁰
Pipilo maculatus

California Towhee ³⁰
Melozone crissalis

Northern Mockingbird ³¹
Mimus polyglottos

Bushtit ³²
Psaltriparus minimus

Western Scrub Jay ³³
Aphelocoma californica

American Crow ³⁴
Corvus brachyrhynchos

Steller's Jay ³⁵
Cyanocitta stelleri

Lesser Goldfinch ³⁶
Spinus psaltria

House Finch ³⁷
Haemorhous mexicanus

Common Raccoon ³⁸
Procyon lotor

Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis

Virginia Opossum ³⁹
Didelphis virginiana

Botta's Pocket Gopher ⁴⁰
Thomomys bottae

Brown Rat ⁴¹
Rattus norvegicus

Black Rat ⁴²
Rattus rattus

Eastern Grey Squirrel ⁴³
Sciurus carolinensis

Fox Squirrel ⁴⁴
Sciurus niger

California Ground Squirrel ⁴⁵
Otospermophilus beecheyi

Milky Slug ⁴⁶
Deroceras reticulatum

Limacus flavus ⁴⁷

Garden Snail ⁴⁸
Helix aspersa

Cross Orbweaver ⁴⁹
Araneus diadematus

Woodlouse Spider ⁵⁰
Dysdera crocata

Tobacco Hornworm ⁵¹
Manduca sexta

Gray Hairstreak ⁵²
Strymon melinus

Cabbage White ⁵³
Pieris rapae

Fiery Skipper ⁵⁴
Hylephila phyleus

Honeybee ⁵⁵
Apis mellifera

California Carpenter Bee ⁵⁶
Xylocopa californica

Argentine Ant ⁵⁷
Linepithema humile

European Paper Wasp ⁵⁸
Polistes dominula

May Beetles ⁵⁹
Phyllophaga

Common Earwig ⁶⁰
Forficula auricularia

Black Soldier Fly ⁶¹
Hermetia illucens

Common Pill-bug ⁶²
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

Great Blue Heron 15 Ardea herodias

Anna's Hummingbird 16 Calypte anna

Mallard 17 Anas platyrhynchos

Domesticated Duck 18 Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

Canada Goose 19 Branta canadensis

Red-tailed Hawk 20 Buteo jamaicensis

Turkey Vulture 21 Cathartes aura

Barn Swallow 22 Hirundo rustica

Brewer's Blackbird 23 Euphagus cyanocephalus

Oak Titmouse 24 Baeolophus inornatus

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 25 Poecile rufescens

House Sparrow 23 Passer domesticus

Bewick's Wren 26 Thryomanes bewickii

American Robin 12 Turdus migratorius

Western Bluebird 27 Sialia mexicana

Black Phoebe 28 Sayornis nigricans

Dark-eyed Junco 29 Junco hyemalis

Spotted Towhee 20 Pipilo maculatus

California Towhee 30 Melozone crissalis

Northern Mockingbird 31 Mimus polyglottos

Bushtit 32 Psaltriparus minimus

Western Scrub Jay 33 Aphelocoma californica

American Crow 34 Corvus brachyrhynchos

Steller's Jay 35 Cyanocitta stelleri

Lesser Goldfinch 36 Spinus psaltria

House Finch 37 Haemorhous mexicanus

Common Raccoon 38 Procyon lotor

Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis

Virginia Opossum 39 Didelphis virginiana

Botta's Pocket Gopher 40 Thomomys bottae

Brown Rat 41 Rattus norvegicus

Black Rat 42 Rattus rattus

Eastern Grey Squirrel 43 Sciurus carolinensis

Fox Squirrel 44 Sciurus niger

California Ground Squirrel 45 Otospermophilus beecheyi

Milky Slug 46 Deroceras reticulatum

Limacus flavus 47

Garden Snail 48 Helix aspersa

Cross Orbweaver 49 Araneus diadematus

Woodlouse Spider 50 Dysdera crocata

Tobacco Hornworm 51 Manduca sexta

Gray Hairstreak 52 Strymon melinus

Cabbage White 53 Pieris rapae

Fiery Skipper 54 Hylephila phyleus

Honeybee 55 Apis mellifera

California Carpenter Bee 56 Xylocopa californica

Argentine Ant 57 Linepithema humile

European Paper Wasp 58 Polistes dominula

May Beetles 59 Phyllophaga

Common Earwig 60 Forficula auricularia

Black Soldier Fly 61 Hermetia illucens

Common Pill-bug 62 Armadillidium vulgare