Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Northeast Region
Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge BIRD CHECKLIST

Season Relative Abundance
Spring March-May a abundant a species which is very numerous
Summer June-August c common likely to be seen or heard in suitable
Fall September-November u uncommon present, but not certain to be seen 
Winter December-February
o occasional seen only a few times during a season
r rare may be present, but not every year
v accidental unusual occurrence
* *Birds known to nest on or near the refuge
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
 
LOONS  
  Common loon  
r
r
r
GREBES
  Pied-billed grebe  
o
o
o
o
CORMORANTS
  Double-crested cormorant  
r
r
r
BITTERNS, HERONS, EGRETS
  Great blue heron  
c
c
c
u
* Green heron  
u
u
o
* American bittern  
r
r
r
  Least bittern  
r
r
  Great egret  
r
r
IBISES
  White ibis
v
SWANS, GEESE and DUCKS
  Tundra swan  
r
v
r
r
* Canada goose  
c
c
c
c
  Snow goose  
r
r
r
  Ring-necked duck  
c
c
* Wood duck  
c
c
c
* American black duck  
u
u
u
u
* Mallard  
c
c
c
c
  Blue-winged teal  
u
u
u
  Northern pintail  
r
r
r
  Green-winged teal  
u
u
u
  Bufflehead  
u
u
u
  Hooded merganser  
u
u
u
  Common merganser  
u
u
u
  Red-breasted merganser  
  Gadwall  
u
u
u
  Canvasback  
r/v
r/v
r/v
  Redhead  
r
r
r
  Greater scaup  
r
r
r
  Lesser scaup  
r
r
r
  Common goleneye  
r
r
r
VULTURES
  Turkey vulture  
c
c
c
c
  Black vulture  
u
u
u
u
OSPREY, HAWKS and EAGLES
  Osprey  
o
o
o
o
  Bald eagle  
o
o
o
  Northern harrier  
c
u
c
* Sharp-shinned hawk  
u
r
* Cooper's hawk  
u
u
u
u
* Red-shouldered hawk  
u
u
u
u
* Red-tailed hawk  
u
u
u
u
* Broad-winged hawk  
u
  Rough-legged hawk  
r
u
* Northern goshawk  
r
  Golden eagle  
r
r
r
FALCONS
* American kestrel  
u
u
u
u
  Peregrine falcon  
r
r
  Merlin  
r
r
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS
* Ruffed grouse  
c
c
c
c
* Northern bobwhite  
r
r
* Wild turkey  
c
c
c
c
RAILS
* Virginia rail  
r
r
r
* Sora rail  
r
r
r
  Yellow rail  
v
PLOVERS
* Killdeer  
c
a
r
  Lesser golden plover  
r
r
  Semipalmated plover  
r
r
SANDPIPERS 
  Greater yellowlegs  
u
u
  Solitary sandpiper  
u
u
  Spotted sandpiper  
u
u
* Common snipe  
c
c
* American woodcock  
c
c
  Upland sandpiper  
v
v
  Semipalmated sandpiper  
r
r
  Pectoral sandpiper  
r
r
  Short-billed dowitcher  
r
r
GULLS and TERNS
  Ring-billed gull  
u
u
  Herring gull  
r
r
  Common tern  
r
r
  Bonaparte's Gull  
r
DOVES
* Mourning dove  
u
c
u
CUCKOOS
* Yellow-billed cuckoo  
r
o
* Black-billed cuckoo  
o
OWLS
* Eastern Screetch Owl  
r
r
r
r
  Barn owl  
r
  Short-eared owl  
r
r
  Long-eared owl  
r
r
r
r
* Barred owl  
u
u
u
u
* Saw-whet owl  
r
r
r
r
* Great horned owl  
u
u
u
u
NIGHTJARS
  Common Nighthawk  
r
SWIFTS
* Chimney swift  
c
c
HUMMINGBIRDS
* Ruby-throated hummingbird
o
u
o
KINGFISHERS
* Belted kingfisher  
c
c
c
u
WOODPECKERS
* Northern flicker  
c
c
c
c
  Yellow-bellied sapsucker  
r
r
r
* Downy woodpecker  
c
c
c
c
* Hairy woodpecker  
u
u
u
u
* Pileated woodpecker  
u
u
u
u
  Red-headed woodpecker  
r
r
r
r
  Red-bellied woodpecker  
u
r
r
r
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
* Eastern kingbird  
c
* Great crested flycatcher  
u
* Eastern wood peewee  
o
* Eastern phoebe  
c
* Acadian flycatcher  
r
  Olive-sided flycatcher  
r
* Alder flycatcher  
c
* Willow flycatcher  
u
* Least flycatcher  
c
LARKS
  Horned lark  
r
r
r
r
SWALLOWS
* Tree swallow  
a
* Barn swallow  
c
  Cliff swallow  
r
  N. Rough-winged swallow  
u
CROWS and JAYS
* Blue jay  
c
c
c
c
* American crow  
a
a
a
a
* Common raven  
c
c
c
c
TITMICE and CHICKADEES
* Black-capped chickadee  
a
a
a
a
* Tufted titmouse  
u
u
u
u
  Carolina chickadee  
v
v
v
v
NUTHATCHES
  Red-breasted nuthatch  
u
u
u
u
* White-breasted nuthatch  
c
c
c
c
CREEPERS
* Brown creeper  
u
u
u
u
WRENS
  Carolina wren  
u
u
u
u
* Winter wren  
u
u
u
u
* House wren  
u
c
  Sedge wren  
r
  Marsh wren  
r
KINGLETS
* Golden-crowned kinglet  
u
u
u
u
  Ruby-crowned kinglet  
u
u
  Blue-gray gnatcatcher  
U
u
THRUSHES
* Eastern bluebird  
c
c
c
c
* Wood Thrush  
u
o
r
* Veery  
u
* Hermit thrush  
c
u
r
  Swainson's thrush  
r
r
* American robin  
c
a
u
o
MIMIC THRUSHES
* Gray catbird  
c
a
u
* Brown thrasher  
u
c
  Northern mockingbird  
r
STARLINGS
* European starling  
a
a
a
a
PIPET
  American pipit  
v
WAXWINGS
* Cedar waxwing  
c/u
c/u
c/u
c/u
VIREOS
  Yellow-throated vireo  
* Red-eyed vireo  
c
a
u
* Blue-headed vireo  
c
c
u
  White-eyed vireo  
u
  Warbling vireo  
r
WOOD WARBLERS
* Golden-winged warbler  
r
r
* Blue-winged warbler  
r
r
  Black-and-white warbler  
u
r
* Black-throated blue warbler  
c
c
u
* Blackburnian warbler  
u
u
* Chestnut-sided warbler  
u
c
* Magnolia warbler  
c
c
* Yellow-rumped warbler  
c
r
c
c
* Black-throated green warbler  
c
a
* Yellow warbler  
c
c
* Ovenbird  
c
c
* Common yellowthroat  
a
a
* American redstart  
c
u
  Pine warbler  
u
u
* Northern waterthrush  
u
u
* Louisiana waterthrush  
r
r
  Tennessee warbler  
u
u
* Nashville warbler  
r
r
* Northern parula  
r
r
  Cape May warbler  
r
  Bay-breasted warbler  
r
r
  Blackpoll warbler  
r
r
  Worm-eating warbler  
r
* Cerulean warbler  
r
r
  Mourning warbler  
r
r
  Kentucky warbler  
r
r
  Yellow-breasted chat  
r
r
r
* Canada warber  
u
u
u
  Hooded warbler  
c
u
  Palm Warbler  
r
u
TANAGERS
* Scarlet tanager  
c
c
SPARROWS and TOWHEES
* Eastern towhee  
a
a
* Grasshopper sparrow  
u
u
* Vesper sparrow  
u
u
u
* Savannah sparrow  
c
c
* Song sparrow  
a
a
a
a
* Field sparrow  
c
c
u
r
* Chipping sparrow  
c
c
u
* Dark-eyed junco  
c
c
c
c
  White-throated sparrow  
c
c
c
  Fox sparrow  
u
u
u
* American Tree sparrow  
u
* Swamp sparrow  
u
u/c
  White-crowned sparrow  
r
r
r
* Clay-colored sparrow  
r
r
CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS and ALLIES
* Northern cardinal  
u
r
u
u
* Indigo bunting  
a
a
* Rose-breasted grosbeak  
c
u
BLACKBIRDS and ORIOLES
* Bobolink  
c
c
* Red-winged blackbird  
c
c
* Eastern meadowlark  
c
c
u
* Brown-headed cowbird  
c
c
* Common grackle  
c
c
c
c
* Northern oriole  
u
r
FINCHES
* American goldfinch  
a
a
a
a
  Red crossbill  
r
  Pine siskin  
r
r
u
  Evening grosbeak  
u
u
* Purple finch  
r
* House finch  
u
u
u
u
* House sparrow  
u
u
u
u
Last updated: June 12, 2009