Featured Critter – Bullsnake
The bullsnake, also known as a gopher snake, is often mistaken for a rattlesnake due to its appearance and the …
animals
Featured Critter – Western Box Turtle
There are two different subspecies of western box turtles in many parts of New Mexico — the ornate and the …
Featured Critter – Hernandez’s Short-horned Lizard
The Hernandez’s short-horned lizard is a squat and oval-shaped reptile that is often mistakenly called a horny toad. Its primary …
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Featured Critter – Canyon Towhee
Canyon towhees are large brown sparrows with a reddish cap. They have long tails and chunky bodies. Like other towhees, …
Featured Critter – Woodhouse’s Toad
A Woodhouse’s toad looks like a typical toad — stout overall with a dry, dark-green/brown patterned skin and numerous warts …
Featured Critter – North American Beaver
North American Beavers are well adapted for survival in water with a waterproof outer coat of glossy, reddish-brown fur and …
Featured Critter – Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Garter snakes are the most common snakes in North America with the Western terrestrial the most common in the local …
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Featured Critter – Pine Siskin
Pine Siskins are small streaky brown birds that resemble sparrows but are related to the goldfinches. They are distinguished by …
Featured Critter – Spotted Towhee
The Spotted Towhee is a year round resident in the area. It is a large brightly colored member of the sparrow family. Males have black upperparts and wings with white spots, rust-colored sides, and a white belly. Females look the same except that the black is replaced by gray or brown. Spotted Towhees are ground feeders and are known for hopping from one spot to another in the undercover. In fact, they are often first noticed by the sound of their scratching and rummaging in leaf litter.
For more information on this interesting bird, see its Featured Critter Guide.