One of the greatest pleasures of birding is bearing witness to the kaleidoscope of colors in the subjects: the iridescent amethyst of a Costa's hummingbird's gorget, the azure of a blue grosbeak's head and torso, the chartreuse of a green-tailed towhee's wing and tail feathers, and the all-encompassing scarlet of a summer tanager. While enjoying this pastime in the idyllic outdoors of Arizona, you're bound to see an equally vibrant range of hues in the abundant wildflowers and butterflies that populate the landscape, and to a lesser and more subtle degree, in the reptile population.
Lizards and snakes are usually best known for the intricate patterns in their scales of their skin, the most famous of which might be in the aptly named diamondback rattlesnake. These designs are often unique enough to identify specific individuals. However reptiles are also quite colorful, as seen in the red stripes of some king snakes and the pinkish orange of Gila monsters. But I've unscientifically decided that the most colorful reptile in Arizona is the common collared lizard.
I've only seen this species twice in my life, and fortunately had my camera with me both times. The first time was off a dusty road above Perkinsville, where I had pulled my SUV over to admire a view of the distant red cliffs of Sedona. More recently I saw one off forest trail 317 near my Prescott home, atop a rock at a vista looking toward Thumb Butte Mountain, the area's renowned landmark.
The common collared lizard is also known as the Eastern collared lizard and lives in dry areas of the south-central United States, in a range that spans from the Ozarks in the East to southern California in the West. Like in birds, the males are more colorful than the females, but both appear to have yellow heads and turquoise bodies, with their namesake stripes around their necks. Their many scales are arrayed in patterns of spots in various hues of these colors.
Not large animals, the collared lizards I've encountered were probably no more than a foot long, nose to tail. Quiet and still, they seem to have been noticed only by chance as I was peering at scenery beyond them. Maybe brilliant lizards are attracted to the same natural beauty as humans? It's probably more the heat the sun provides these cold-blooded animals in these open spaces. But what a colorful addition they are to Mother Nature's majestic landscape.
Lizards and snakes are usually best known for the intricate patterns in their scales of their skin, the most famous of which might be in the aptly named diamondback rattlesnake. These designs are often unique enough to identify specific individuals. However reptiles are also quite colorful, as seen in the red stripes of some king snakes and the pinkish orange of Gila monsters. But I've unscientifically decided that the most colorful reptile in Arizona is the common collared lizard.
I've only seen this species twice in my life, and fortunately had my camera with me both times. The first time was off a dusty road above Perkinsville, where I had pulled my SUV over to admire a view of the distant red cliffs of Sedona. More recently I saw one off forest trail 317 near my Prescott home, atop a rock at a vista looking toward Thumb Butte Mountain, the area's renowned landmark.
The common collared lizard is also known as the Eastern collared lizard and lives in dry areas of the south-central United States, in a range that spans from the Ozarks in the East to southern California in the West. Like in birds, the males are more colorful than the females, but both appear to have yellow heads and turquoise bodies, with their namesake stripes around their necks. Their many scales are arrayed in patterns of spots in various hues of these colors.
Not large animals, the collared lizards I've encountered were probably no more than a foot long, nose to tail. Quiet and still, they seem to have been noticed only by chance as I was peering at scenery beyond them. Maybe brilliant lizards are attracted to the same natural beauty as humans? It's probably more the heat the sun provides these cold-blooded animals in these open spaces. But what a colorful addition they are to Mother Nature's majestic landscape.
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| Common collared lizard on Trail 317 in Prescott, Arizona. |
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| Common collared lizard on Trail 317 in Prescott, Arizona. |
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| Common collared lizard on Trail 317 in Prescott, Arizona. |
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| Common collared lizard on trail 317 in Prescott, Arizona. |
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| Common collared lizard on trail 317 in Prescott, Arizona. |
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