Kern National Wildlife Refuge
Pacific Southwest Region

 

Birds of the Kern National Wildlife Refuge

This 11,249-acre refuge restores a small segment of extremely valuable waterfowl habitat and plays an important role in the success of avifauna using the Pacific Flyway.

Birding is best on the refuge October through March. Migrating and wintering species provide the greatest numbers and variety of birds. Refuge ponds are usually dry between May and August, mostly to control disease vectors that arise in the heat of the summer. The summer months can be extremely dusty, hot, and dry. Although this results in fewer opportunities to observe wildlife, birding can still prove rewarding.   

The seasons and status of the 226 species listed are coded as follows.

Season Designations

Sp - Spring, March to May
S - Summer, June to August
F - Fall, September to November
W - Winter, December to February

Abundance Symbols

a - abundant species
c - common, certain to be seen in proper habitat
u - uncommon, present but not certain to be seen
o - occasionally seen
r - rarely seen
x - accidental, outside of normal species range
(I)  - species introduced to the region by man

* - species known to nest here

Recent water banking in southern valley has helped a resurgence of nesting White-faced Ibis as is apparent by this juvenile found at the refuge. Photo courtesy Steve Laymon.

WATERFOWL                            

 Sp  S F W
___ Fulvous Whistling-Duck                       x x x x
___ Greater White-Fronted Goose                  o - o o
___ Snow Goose                                   o - o o
___ Ross' Goose                                 - - r r
___ Brant                                        x - - x
___ Cackling Goose                                 - - - -
___ Canada Goose                                 u r u u
___ Tundra Swan                                  - - - r
___ Wood Duck                                    u - u u
___ Gadwall*                   a c a a
___ Eurasian Wigeon      x - - x
___ American Wigeon* a o a a
___ Mallard*      c c a a
___ Blue-winged Teal*          o o o o
___ Cinnamon Teal*              a c o c
___ Northern Shoveler*        a u a a
___ Northern Pintail*           a c a a
___ Green-winged Teal*                           c c a a
___ Canvasback*                            o r o o
___ Redhead*                               u o u u
___ Ring-necked Duck                     u r u c
___ Greater Scaup                      x - x x
___ Lesser Scaup                        - o o o
___ Bufflehead                     u - u u
___ Common Goldeneye                  r - r r
___ Barrow's Goldeneye                  - - - x
___ Hooded Merganser               - - r r
___ Common Merganser            o - o o
___ Red-breasted Merganser       x - - -
___ Ruddy Duck*   c c c c

GALLINACEOUS BIRDS  

 Sp  S  F  W 
___ Ring-necked Pheasant (I) *                   a a a a
___ Scaled Quail (I)       x - - -
___ California Quail        r r r r

GREBES

 Sp  S F W
___ Pied-billed Grebe* c  c  c c
___ Horned Grebe x - x r
___ Eared Grebe* c o c c
___ Western Grebe*  o o o u
___ Clark's Grebe* o o o u

PELICANS AND CORMORANTS

 Sp  S F W
___ American White Pelican  o  r  o o
___ Double-crested Cormorant  u o u u

BITTERNS, HERONS AND EGRETS

 Sp  S F W
___ American Bittern*                u  r  u o
___ Least Bittern                  o r r o
___ Great Blue Heron*        c c c c
___ Great Egret   c u c u
___ Snowy Egret*           c c u u
___ Cattle Egret*         u u u u
___ Green Heron  u u u u
___ Black-crowned Night-Heron*  c c c c
IBIS AND SPOONBILLS                             Sp  S F W
___ White-faced Ibis*  c c  u o
VULTURES  Sp  S F W
___ Turkey Vulture o o  o r
OSPREY, KITES, EAGLES AND HAWKS  Sp  S  F  W 
___ Osprey r - r r
___ White-tailed Kite* c c c o
___ Bald Eagle r - - r
___ Northern Harrier* a c a a
___ Sharp-shinned Hawk c c c c
___ Cooper's Hawk u u u u
___ Red-shouldered Hawk c - u c
___ Swainson's Hawk r - r -
___ Red-tailed Hawk* c u a a
___ Ferruginous Hawk o - o o
___ Rough-legged Hawk r - r r
___ Golden Eagle o r o o
FALCONS   Sp  S  F  W 
___ American Kestrel*          c c c c
___ Merlin                  r - r r
___ Peregrine Falcon     o o o o
___ Prairie Falcon        o o o o
RAILS       Sp  S  F  W 
___ Virginia Rail*                              u u u u
___ Sora*                                   o u c c
___ Common Moorhen*                          u r c c
___ American Coot*                           a o a a
CRANES Sp  S  F  W 
___ Sandhill Crane   r - r r
PLOVERS    Sp  S  F  W 
___ Black-bellied Plover                u - u o
___ Snowy Plover                         o - - -
___ Semipalmated Plover                 o - o o
___ Killdeer*                          a a a a
___ Mountain Plover                            o - u u
STILTS AND AVOCETS Sp  S  F  W 
___ Black-necked Stilt*                      a a c c
___ American Avocet*       a a a r
SHOREBIRDS  Sp  S  F  W 
___ Greater Yellowlegs             c - c c
___ Lesser Yellowlegs                   o - o o
___ Solitary Sandpiper                     r - - -
___ Willet                                o - o o
___ Wandering Tattler                   - - x -
___ Spotted Sandpiper                    u - o o
___ Whimbrel                           o - o -
___ Long-billed Curlew                 u o u c
___ Marbled Godwit                       o - o -
___ Ruddy Turnstone                        r - - -
___ Red Knot                             - r r -
___ Semipalmated Sandpiper                   x - - -
___ Western Sandpiper                       a o a o
___ Least Sandpiper                        c o a c
___ Baird's Sandpiper - - u -
___ Pectoral Sandpiper                    - - o -
___ Sharp-tailed Sandpiper                  x - - -
___ Dunlin                                  c - u o
___ Stilt Sandpiper       x - r -
___ Ruff     x  
___ Short-billed Dowitcher                    u o u o
___ Long-billed Dowitcher a  c  a  a 
SNIPE        
___ Wilson's Snipe                     c o c c
PHALAROPES           
___ Wilson's Phalarope                      u o u -
___ Red-necked Phalarope     u - u -
GULLS AND TERNS        
___ Bonaparte's Gull                    o o - -
___ Ring-billed Gull                     o c c c
___ California Gull                 c o o c
___ Herring Gull                  r r r r
___ Caspian Tern*                       o o o o
___ Common Tern                     - - r -
___ Forster's Tern               c c u u
___ Least Tern                          - x - -
___ Black Tern    r  r  -  - 
DOVES         
___ Rock Pigeon (I)                        o o o o
___ Mourning Dove*               c a a a
___ Common Ground Dove               - x - -
CUCKOOS          
___ Greater Roadrunner* c c c c
OWLS         
___ Barn Owl*                           c c c c
___ Western Screech-Owl                 o o o o
___ Great Horned Owl*                  u u u u
___ Burrowing Owl*                      c c c c
___ Long-eared Owl*     - o - -
___ Short-eared Owl* u  u  o  o 
GOATSUCKERS            
___ Lesser Nighthawk                  c c o -
___ Common Poorwill             - u - -
SWIFTS          
___ Vaux's Swift                       o - o -
HUMMINGBIRDS            
___ Black-chinned Hummingbird u c u -
___ Anna's Hummingbird*                       c c c c
___ Costa's Hummingbird          - - - r
___ Calliope Hummingbird           x - - -
___ Rufous Hummingbird           o - o -
KINGFISHERS        
___ Belted Kingfisher           u - u u
WOODPECKERS           
___ Acorn Woodpecker                          o o o -
___ Nuttall's Woodpecker*                     o - o o
___ Downy Woodpecker                         - - u u
___ Northern Flicker             c o c c
FLYCATCHERS          
___ Olive-sided Flycatcher                  o o - -
___ Western Wood-Pewee                         c - u -
___ Willow Flycatcher                        - o - -
___ Hammond's Flycatcher                    u - o -
___ Gray Flycatcher                        r - r -
___ Dusky Flycatcher                      o - - -
___ Pacific Slope Flycatcher                u - u -
___ Black Phoebe*                             u u c c
___ Eastern Phoebe                           - x - -
___ Say's Phoebe                           u o u u
___ Vermilion Flycatcher                 x - x x
___ Ash-throated Flycatcher           u - u -
___ Western Kingbird*                    c c o -
SHRIKES         
___ Loggerhead Shrike*      a a c c
VIREOS           
___ Cassin's Vireo           u - u -
___ Warbling Vireo                     u - u -
___ Red-eyed Vireo                     x      
JAYS, MAGPIES AND CROWS          
___ Clark's Nutcracker         - - x -
___ American Crow*                     o o o o
___ Common Raven *                 c c c c
LARKS         
___ Horned Lark*                        c c c c
SWALLOWS          
___ Tree Swallow                         c u a o
___ Violet-green Swallow                 u - u -
___ Northern Rough-winged Swallow         u - u -
___ Bank Swallow                          o o - -
___ Cliff Swallow*              a a o -
___ Barn Swallow*                     c c u -
Chickadees and Titmice        
___ Oak Titmouse - x - -
Bushtits        
___ Bushtit r r r -
Creepers        
___ Brown Creeper - - - r
WRENS         
___ Rock Wren                       - - r r
___ Bewick's Wren *                 - - o o
___ House Wren *                       o - o o
___ Marsh Wren*          a a a a
KINGLETS, BLUEBIRDS AND THRUSHES  Sp  S  F  W 
___ Golden-crowned Kinglet                   - - o o
___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  u - u u
___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher              - - o -
___ Western Bluebird                  - - o o
___ Swainson's Thrush                          o - - -
___ Hermit Thrush                          u - u u
___ American Robin                 u - u u
___ Varied Thrush                   o - o o
MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS Sp  S  F  W 
___ Northern Mockingbird*                     u u u u
___ Sage Thrasher     o - o o
___ California Thrasher                           o o o o
Starlings Sp  S  F  W 
___ European Starling* u u u u
WAGTAILS AND PIPITS            Sp  S  F  W 
___ American Pipit                                       u - c c
WAXWINGS        
___ Bohemian Waxwing           - - - x
___ Cedar Waxwing                              u - u o
WARBLERS          
___ Orange-crowned Warbler               u - u -
___ Nashville Warbler                     o - o -
___ Yellow Warbler                        c - c c
___ Yellow-rumped Warbler             c - c -
___ Black-throated Gray Warbler         u - u -
___ Townsend's Warbler      &