The American Kestrel is one of the most beautiful falcons in North America. Its feather patterns of blues, reds, grays, browns, and blacks make this small bird of prey a real eye-catcher! Apart from their good looks, American Kestrels are also swift fliers with astounding aerobatic abilities.

Blue-bellied rollers are well-established across a wide range in Africa and are in no current danger of extinction. Blue-bellied rollers are native to western and central Africa, from Senegal to southern Sudan. They live in wooded areas often on the edge of open or recently burned areas.

Black and brilliant yellow-orange flash across the sky when male Hooded Orioles dash through open woodlands and yards of the southwestern U.S. Following close behind are the pale yellow females. 

Sometimes called "palm-leaf orioles," these orioles "sew" their hanging nests onto the undersides of palm fronds. They often stay hidden while foraging, but their large, slender shape and nearly constant chatter usually give them away. Hooded Orioles also use hummingbird feeders, awkwardly bending or hanging upside down to drink.

Madera Canyon is a retreat for birds and human snow birds alike, with cooler weather, extensive trail systems and mountainous scenery.

A world-renowned spot for bird watching, Madera Canyon is the resting place for migrating species. The area also offers an extensive trail system for hikers that's easily accessible, and a retreat to those looking for cooler weather.

Looking for a place to get outdoors that offers easy and challenging trails? This is that place. On the northeast edge of Tucson, Sabino Canyon offers a variety of terrain including a paved path for the lighter option, or miles of rugged ground to explore.

Things To Do

During the rainy season, some trails will have you sloshing through creeks. But if you’re looking for something easy on the feet, there’s always the option of riding the narrated, educational tram tour, which affords visitors a close-up of the stunning canyon views.

Saguaro National Park is in southern Arizona. Its two sections are on either side of the city of Tucson. The park is named for the large saguaro cactus, native to its desert environment. In the western Tucson Mountain District, Signal Hill Trail leads to petroglyphs of the ancient Hohokam people. In the eastern Rincon Mountain District, Cactus Forest Drive is a loop road with striking views of the desert landscape.

The Reid Park Zoo, founded in 1967, is a 24-acre city-owned and operated non-profit zoo located within Reid Park in Tucson, Arizona. The zoo features more than 500 animals. It was unofficially established in 1965 by Gene Reid, the parks and recreation director at the time.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles of walking paths traversing 21 acres of desert landscape.

The Desert Museum is a fusion experience: zoo, botanical garden, art gallery & classes, natural history museum, and aquarium.

The Desert Museum is ranked on TripAdvisor.com as one of the Top 10 Museums in the country and the #1 Tucson attraction. Unlike most museums, about 85% of the experience is outdoors!

Opuntia, commonly called prickly pear, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae. Prickly pears are also known as tuna (fruit), sabra, nopal (paddle, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads, or nostle, from the Nahuatl word nōchtli for the fruit; or paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus, where, according to Theophrastus, an edible plant grew and could be propagated by rooting its leaves. The most common culinary species is the Indian fig opuntia (O. ficus-indica).

The broad-billed hummingbird is a small-sized hummingbird that resides in the southwestern United States and Mexico.