Birds of Bon Secour NWR

Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge was established by legislative act in 1980 to protect and preserve rapidly vanishing coastal barrier habitat. The maritime forests, coastal marsh, beaches and open waters of the refuge provide essential habitat for an amazing diversity of birds. The refuge's strategic location along the flyway of millions of spring and fall migrants, combined with the habitat provided, makes Bon Secour one of the most important refuges in the refuge system.
Symbols in this list are defined as:
Sp	Spring			March - May
Su	Summer			June - August
F	Fall			Sept - Nov
W	Winter			Dec - Feb
Abundance
A	Abundant			A common species which is very numerous
C	Common			Certain to be seen in suitable habitats
U	Uncommon			Present, but not certain to be seen
O	Occasional			Seen only a few times during a season
R	Rare			Seen at intervals of 2 - 5 years
X	Vagrant			Less than 10 valid records
+	Not Recorded			on refuge, but may occur due to local records
*	Nests Locally
Species Sp Su F W Loons Red-throated Loon + r Arctic/Pacific Loon + x Common Loon u r u a Grebes Pied-billed Grebe* u o u u Horned Grebe u u c Red-necked Grebe + Eared Grebe r + r Western Grebe + + Shearwaters, Petrels Wilson's Storm-petrel + x + Cory's Shearwater + + Greater Shearwater + x Sooty Shearwater + x Manx Shearwater + Audubon's Shearwater + + Tropicbirds White-tailed Tropicbird + Boobies and Gannets Masked Booby + r x + Brown Booby x r Northern Gannet u r u c Pelicans and Allies American White Pelican o r o o Brown Pelican* a c a a Double-crested Cormorant a c a a Olivaceous Cormorant x Great Cormorant x Anhinga* u o u r Magnificent Frigatebird u u u r Herons, Egrets and Allies American Bittern u u u Least Bittern* u u u r Great Blue Heron* a a a a Great Egret* c c c c Snowy Egret* a c a a Little Blue Heron* u c c o Tricolored Heron* c c c c Reddish Egret* u u u u Cattle Egret* a c c u Green Heron* c c c o Black-crowned Night-Heron* u u u u Yellow-crowned Night-Heron* c c c r Ibises, Spoonbill, Stork Glossy Ibis* o o o White Ibis* u o u o White-faced Ibis* + o + Roseate Spoonbill + + Wood Stork + o + Waterfowl Fulvous Whistling-Duck x x Tundra Swan + White-Fronted Goose o o Snow Goose o u o Canada Goose o o o Wood Duck* u u u u Green-winged Teal u u u American Black Duck + + Mottled Duck* r r r r Mallard* o o o u White-cheeked Pintail + + Northern Pintail u a a Blue-winged Teal a a c Northern Shoveler u u u Gadwall u u c American Wigeon o o u Canvasback o u Redhead o u Ring-necked Duck o u u Greater Scaup u u Lesser Scaup u u c Harlequin Duck x Long-tailed Duck o u Black Scoter o u Surf Scoter o o White-winged Scoter r Common Goldeneye o u Bufflehead u u Hooded Merganser o o u Common Merganser r r Red-breasted Merganser c o c a Ruddy Duck u u u Vultures, Hawks and Allies Black Vulture* u o u u Turkey Vulture* u o u u Osprey* c c c o American Swallow-tailed Kite* u r White-tailed Kite x x Mississippi Kite* u o u Bald Eagle* o r r o Northern Harrier c u c Sharp-shinned Hawk u c u Cooper's Hawk* u o c u Red-shouldered Hawk* u o c u Broad-winged Hawk* c o a + Short-tailed Hawk + Swainson's Hawk x + Red-tailed Hawk* c o c c Ferruginous Hawk + Rough-legged Hawk + x x Golden Eagle x x American Kestrel c c a Merlin o u o Peregrine Falcon u u o Gallinaceous Birds Wild Turkey* + + + + Northern Bobwhite* u u u u Rails, Gallinules, Coots and Cranes Yellow Rail + + Black Rail x x Clapper Rail* c c c c King Rail* u o u u Virginia Rail u u u Sora c o c c Purple Gallinule* u o u + Common Moorhen* c c c u American Coot* c + c a Sandhill Crane r r Plovers Black-bellied Plover c u c c American Golden Plover u u Snowy Plover* o o o o Wilson's Plover* u u u Semipalmated Plover u c c Piping Plover u u u Killdeer* a a a a Mountain Plover* + + Oystercatchers American Oystercatcher* u u u u Stilts & Avocets Black-necked Stilt* u u + American Avocet u u o Sandpipers, Phalaropes & Allies Greater Yellowlegs u u c u Lesser Yellowlegs u u u u Solitary Sandpiper u o u + Willet* c c c c Spotted Sandpiper c u c o Upland Sandpiper c o c Whimbrel u u r Long-billed Curlew x x x x Hudsonian Godwit x + Marbled Godwit r r x Ruddy Turnstone u u u Red Knot u o u u Sanderling a u a a Semipalmated Sandpiper u u u Western Sandpiper u u u u Least Sandpiper u u u u White-rumped Sandpiper o o o Baird's Sandpiper r r r Pectoral Sandpiper u o c Dunlin c c c Curlew Sandpiper + + Stilt Sandpiper o o o + Buff-breasted Sandpiper o r u Short-billed Dowitcher c o c c Long-billed Dowitcher u o u u Common Snipe c o c c American Woodcock* u + u u Wilson's Phalarope r o Red-necked Phalarope + + + Red Phalarope + + + Skuas, Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Pomarine Jaeger o o o Parasitic Jaeger o o o Long-tailed Jaeger + Laughing Gull* a a a c Franklin's Gull r r + Bonaparte's Gull u r c Ring-billed Gull c o c a Herring Gull* u o u c Iceland Gull x Lesser Black-backed Gull x x x Glaucous Gull x + x Great Black-backed Gull + + x Black-legged Kittiwake x Sabine's Gull x + x Gull-billed Tern* u u u x Caspian Tern* u o u u Royal Tern* c u c c Sandwich Tern* u u c u Roseate Tern x + Common Tern* c o c o Forster's Tern c u c a Least Tern* c u c + Bridled Tern + + + Sooty Tern + + + Black Tern c a a r Black Skimmer* c u c c Brown Noddy + Pigeons & Doves Rock Dove* u u u u Band-tailed Pigeon + White-winged Dove o o r Mourning Dove* c c c c Common Ground-Dove* u u u u Cuckoos Black-billed Cuckoo u u Yellow-billed Cuckoo c u c Groove-billed Ani x x Owls Barn Owl* u u u u Eastern Screech-Owl* u u c c Great Horned Owl* c c c c Snowy Owl + Burrowing Owl r r r Barred Owl* o o o u Long-eared Owl x + Short-eared Owl r r						Species Sp Su F W Goatsuckers Lesser Nighthawk x + Common Nighthawk* c c a Chuck-will's-widow* c c c x Whip-poor-will u u o Swifts, Hummingbirds Chimney Swift* c u c Ruby-throated Hummingbird* c u c Black-chinned Hummingbird + + Rufous Hummingbird x x x Kingfishers Belted Kingfisher* c c c c Woodpeckers Red-headed Woodpecker* c u c u Red-bellied Woodpecker* c c c c Yellow-bellied Sapsucker c c c Downy Woodpecker* c c c c Hairy Woodpecker* o o o o Red-cockaded Woodpecker* + + + x Northern Flicker* c o c c Pileated Woodpecker* c u c c Flycatchers Olive-sided Flycatcher r + r Eastern Wood-Pewee* u o u Yellow-bellied Flycatcher o o Acadian Flycatcher* u o u Alder Flycatcher x x + Willow Flycatcher x + x Least Flycatcher u u Eastern Phoebe c c c Say's Phoebe x Vermilion Flycatcher x x x Ash-throated Flycatcher r r Great Crested Flycatcher* c c c Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher* x Tropical/Couch's Kingbird x Western Kingbird u r c r Eastern Kingbird* a u a Gray Kingbird* u u u Scissor-tailed Flycatcher u x u r Fork-tailed Flycatcher x Martins & Swallows Purple Martin* a a c Tree Swallow a r c c Northern Rough-winged Swallow* u o u r Bank Swallow c u c Cliff Swallow* u o u Cave Swallow r Barn Swallow* a u a r Jays & Crows Blue Jay* c u a c American Crow + + + + Fish Crow* c c c c Chickadees & Titmice Carolina Chickadee* c c c c Tufted Titmouse* c c c c Nuthatches Red-breasted Nuthatch r r r White-breasted Nuthatch* + + + + Brown-headed Nuthatch* c c c c Creepers Brown Creeper r r u Wrens Rock Wren + + Carolina Wren* c c c c Bewick's Wren r r r House Wren c a c Winter Wren r r r Sedge Wren c c c Marsh Wren* c u c c Kinglets & Gnatcatchers Golden-crowned Kinglet o o u Ruby-crowned Kinglet c c a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher* a o a c Bluebirds, Thrushes & Robins Northern Wheatear x Eastern Bluebird* u u u u Veery u u Gray-cheecked Thrush u u Swainson's Thrush c c Hermit Thrust u u c Wood Thrush* c u c American Robin* c r c a Thrashers Gray Catbird a a c Northern Mockingbird* a a a a Sage Thrasher x Brown Thrasher* c c c c Pipits American Pipit c c c Sprague's Pipit + + x Waxwings Cedar Waxwing c c c Starlings European Starling* a a a a Shrikes Loggerhead Shrike* c u c c Vireos White-eyed Vireo* a c a u Bell's Vireo + x Solitary Vireo u u u Yellow-throated Vireo* u u u + Warbling Vireo r r Philadelphia Vireo u u Red-eyed Vireo* a u Black-whiskered Vireo o x Warblers Bachman's Warbler + Blue-winged Warbler u u Golden-winged Warbler u u Tennessee Warbler u c Orange-crowned Warbler u u u Nashville Warbler o o Northern Parula* a u a x Yellow Warbler u c Chestnut-sided Warbler u u Magnolia Warbler u c Cape May Warbler u r Black-throated Blue Warbler o o Yellow-rumped Warbler c c a Black-throated Gray Warbler + r Black-throated Green Warbler u c + Blackburnian Warbler u u Yellow-throated Warbler* c u c o Pine Warbler* c c c c Prairie Warbler* u u u Palm Warbler u c u Bay-breasted Warbler u u Blackpoll Warbler u + Cerulean Warbler u r u Black-and-white Warbler* a a American Redstart* c a Prothonotary Warbler* c u c Worm-eating Warbler u u Swainson's Warbler* o o o Ovenbird c u c Northern Waterthrush u c x Louisiana Waterthrush u u u Kentucky Warbler* c o c Connecticut Warbler + + Mourning Warbler + r Common Yellowthroat* a u a a Hooded Warbler* a u u Wilson's Warbler o u x Canada Warbler u u u Yellow-breasted Chat u u u x Tanagers Summer Tanager* a a Scarlet Tanager a a Western Tanager + x x New World Finches Northern Cardinal* a a a a Rose-breasted Grosbeak c c + Black-headed Grosbeak x x x Blue Grosbeak c u c o Indigo Bunting* a u a x Painted Bunting* u o u Dickcissel u c o Sparrows Green-tailed Towhee + + Rufous-sided Towhee* a a a a Bachman's Sparrow* o + o + American Tree Sparrow x Chipping Sparrow u o c u Clay-colored Sparrow o o o Field Sparrow* u o u u Vesper Sparrow u c u Lark Sparrow o u o Lark Bunting x Savannah Sparrow c c a Grasshopper Sparrow o o o Henslow's Sparrow + + + Le conte's Sparrow o o o Sharp-tailed Sparrow u u u Seaside Sparrow* u u u u Fox Sparrow o o o Song Sparrow c c c Lincoln's Sparrow o o o Swamp Sparrow c c c White-throated Sparrow c + c a White-crowned Sparrow u u u Harris' Sparrow o o o Dark-eyed Junco o o o Lapland Longspur + Smith's Longspur + Blackbirds, Grackles, Cowbirds & Orioles Boblink c u Red-winged Blackbird* a c a a Eastern Meadowlark* a a a a Western Meadowlark x x x Yellow-headed Blackbird o o x Rusty Blackbird r r r Brewer's Blackbird r r r Boat-tailed Grackle* u u u u Common Grackle* c c c c Bronze Cowbird x Brown-headed Cowbird* c c c c Orchard Oriole* a u c x Northern Oriole u u Old World Finches Purple Finch o o u Pine Siskin o o o American Goldfinch* u o u c Evening Grosbeak + + Weaver Finch House Sparrow a a a a