Meowth “loves shiny coins” and is faintly yellow, so it’s been matched with the two most popular goldfinch species. The Lesser Goldfinch is a common backyard presence, and its plumage varies quite a bit between sexes and ages (an adult male is shown below, more variations can be found through the link). The American Goldfinch can be found year-round in most of the country, but on the West Coast it only appears during Winter.

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An easy one, the Mallard is the prototypical duck. While writing this I discovered a fun duck fact: only female mallards give the standard “quack” we all associate with ducks. The males give only a quieter, rasping sound. Meanwhile, the Wood Duck is less common, but can still be found year-round.

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These fighting monkeys were Red exclusives, so they’re paired with two East Coast endemics. The Gray Catbird got its name for its distinctive, “mew” call, while the Brown Thrasher isn’t shy to sing a few bars itself. Both species are relatives of mockingbirds, and accordingly are prodigious imitators of other species’ calls.

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Sadly (for California birders), these Tanagers are usually only seen on the East Coast, and even then only in summer. The Summer Tanager has occasionally been spotted in Southern California, while the Scarlet Tanager doesn’t like to fly west of the Mississippi.

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The Poliwag family are ocean dwellers, so they’ve been matched with everyone’s favorite beach rat, the seagull. To the frustration of birders everywhere, there are over a dozen species of gulls in the US, and each species has varying plumage based on maturity and breeding season. The Ring-Billed Gull, California Gull and Herring Gull can all be found on California beaches, along with another half dozen of their close relatives.

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