Bird Checklist for Lacreek NWR
This bird checklist contains 281 species of birds which have been recorded on the refuge since 1969. The column on the left is provided to serve as a field checklist for recording species you observe at the refuge. Those species marked with an asterisk (*) nest or have nested on the refuge in the past.
Relative abundance of each species is defined by the following:
Abundance
| c = | Common | Present in large numbers due to abundance of habitat |
| u = | Uncommon | Present in small numbers due to scarcity of habitat |
| o = | Occasional | Only a few individuals seen during season; or absent some years |
| r = | Rare | Seen only once every 2-5 years |
| x = | Accidental | Few refuge records; out of normal range |
Season
| Sp = | Spring | March through May |
| Su = | Summer | June through August |
| F = | Fall | September through November |
| W = | Winter | December through February |
| ENGLISH NAME | ZOOLOGICAL NAME | Sp | Su | F | W |
| LOONS | |||||
| Common Loon | Gavia immer | x | |||
| GREBES | |||||
| Pied-billed Grebe* | Podilymbus podiceps | c | c | c | r |
| Horned Grebe | Podiceps auritus | o | r | o | |
| Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis | c | o | c | |
| Western Grebe* | Aechmophorus occidentals | c | o | c | |
| PELICANS | |||||
| American White Pelican* | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | c | c | c | |
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | x | |||
| CORMORANTS | |||||
| Double-crested Cormorant* | Phalacrocorax auritus | c | c | c | |
| HERONS and BITTERNS | |||||
| American Bittern* | Botaurus lentiginosus | c | c | c | |
| Least Bittern | Ixobrychus exilis | r | r | r | |
| Great Blue Heron* | Ardea herodias | c | c | c | o |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba | o | o | r | |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula | r | r | r | |
| Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea | r | r | ||
| Cattle Egret* | Bubulcus ibis | c | c | r | |
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens | o | o | r | |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron* | Nycticorax nycticorax | c | c | c | x |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Nyctanassa violaceus | r | r | ||
| IBISES and STORKS | |||||
| White Ibis | Eudocimus albus | x | |||
| White-faced Ibis* | Plegadis chihi | r | r | ||
| NEW WORLD VULTURES | |||||
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | u | o | u | |
| DUCKS, GEESE, and SWANS | |||||
| Greater White-fronted Goose | Anser albifrons | c | c | r | |
| Snow Goose | Chen caerulescens | c | r | c | o |
| Ross' Goose | Chen rossii | o | o | r | |
| Canada Goose* | Branta canadensis | c | c | c | c |
| Brant | Branta bernicla | x | |||
| Trumpeter Swan* | Cygnus buccinator | c | u | c | c |
| Tundra Swan | Cygnus columbianus | o | o | o | |
| Wood Duck* | Aix sponsa | c | o | c | r |
| Gadwall* | Anas strepera | c | u | c | r |
| Eurasian Wigeon | Anas penelope | x | |||
| American Wigeon* | Anas americana | c | o | c | r |
| American Black Duck | Anas rubripes | r | r | r | |
| Mallard* | Anas platyrhynchos | c | c | c | c |
| Blue-winged Teal* | Anas discors | c | c | c | |
| Cinnamon Teal | Anas cyanoptera | o | r | r | |
| Northern Shoveler* | Anas clypeata | c | u | c | r |
| Northern Pintail* | Anas acuta | c | u | c | r |
| Green-winged Teal* | Anas crecca | c | u | c | o |
| Canvasback* | Aythya valisineria | c | o | c | o |
| Redhead* | Aythya americana | c | o | c | r |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris | c | c | o | |
| Greater Scaup | Aythya marila | x | |||
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | c | o | c | o |
| White-winged Scoter | Melanitta fusca | r | |||
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola | c | o | c | o |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | c | c | u | |
| Barrow's Goldeneye | Bucephala islandica | x | |||
| Hooded Merganser | Mergus merganser | u | o | u | r |
| Common Merganser | Mergus merganser | u | u | u | |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator | r | |||
| Ruddy Duck* | Oxyura jamaicensis | c | o | c | r |
| HAWKS, KITES, and EAGLES | |||||
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | o | o | r | |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | c | r | c | c |
| Northern Harrier* | Circus cyaneus | c | c | c | u |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | u | u | o | |
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | u | u | o | |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | o | o | o | |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus | r | x | ||
| Broad-winged Hawk | Buteo platypterus | r | r | r | |
| Swainson's Hawk* | Buteo swainsoni | c | u | c | |
| Red-tailed Hawk* | Buteo jamaicensis | c | u | c | o |
| Ferruginous Hawk | Buteo regalis | o | r | o | u |
| Rough-legged Hawk | Buteo lagopus | c | r | c | c |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | o | u | u | o |
| FALCONS | |||||
| Crested Caracara | Caracara cheriway | x | |||
| American Kestrel* | Falco spawverius | c | c | c | u |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | u | r | u | o |
| Gyrfalcon | Falco rusticolus | x | r | ||
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | o | o | u | u |
| Prairie Falcon | Falco mexicanus | u | u | u | u |
| PHEASANTS, GROUSE, TURKEY, and QUAILS | |||||
| Gray Partridge | Perdix perdix | r | r | r | r |
| Ring-necked Pheasant* | Phasianus colchicus | c | c | c | c |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse* | Tympanuchus cupido | c | c | c | c |
| Wild Turkey* | Meleagris gallopavo | c | c | c | u |
| Northern Bobwhite | Colinus virginianus | r | r | r | r |
| RAILS, GALLINULES, and COOTS | |||||
| Yellow Rail | Coturnicops noveboracensis | r | r | ||
| Virginia Rail* | Rallus limicola | c | c | c | |
| Sora | Porzana carolina | c | c | c | |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | c | c | c | r |
| CRANES | |||||
| Sandhill Crane | Grus canadensis | r | r | ||
| Whooping Crane | Grus americana | r | r | ||
| PLOVERS | |||||
| Black-bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola | u | o | u | |
| American Golden-Plover | Pluvialis dominica | r | |||
| Semipalmated Plover | Charadrius semipalmatus | r | o | r | |
| Piping Plover | Charadrius melodus | r | r | ||
| Killdeer* | Charadrius vociferus | c | c | c | o |
| Mountain Plover | Charadrius montanus | x | |||
| STILTS and AVOCETS | |||||
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus | r | |||
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | c | c | c | |
| SANDPIPERS and PHALAROPES | |||||
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca | c | c | c | |
| Lesser Yellowlegs* | Tringa flavipes | c | c | c | |
| Solitary Sandpiper | Tringa solitaria | c | c | c | |
| Willet* | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus | c | c | c | |
| Spotted Sandpiper* | Actitis macularia | c | c | c | |
| Upland Sandpiper* | Bartramia longicauda | c | c | ||
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | r | r | ||
| Long-billed Curlew* | Numenius americanus | c | u | o | |
| Hudsonian Godwit | Limosa haemastica | o | o | ||
| Marbled Godwit* | Limosa fedoa | c | c | u | |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres | r | r | r | |
| Sanderling | Calidris alba | r | r | ||
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | Calidris pusilla | u | u | o | |
| Western Sandpiper | Calidris mauri | o | u | o | |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla | u | c | u | |
| White-rumped Sandpiper | Calidris fuscicollis | r | r | ||
| Baird's Sandpiper | Calidris bairdii | u | u | o | |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | Calidris melanotos | o | u | ||
| Stilt Sandpiper | Calidris himantopus | u | c | o | |
| Ruff | Philomachus pugnax | x | |||
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus griseus | o | o | ||
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | c | c | c | r |
| Common Snipe* | Gallinago gallinago | c | c | c | o |
| Wilson's Phalarope* | Phalaropus tricolor | c | c | u | |
| Red-necked Phalarope | Phalaropus lobatus | o | o | ||
| JAEGERS | |||||
| Long-tailed Jaeger | Stercorarius parasiticus | x | |||
| GULLS and TERNS | |||||
| Franklin's Gull | Larus pipixcan | c | u | u | |
| Bonaparte's Gull | Larus philadelphia | r | r | r | |
| Ring-billed Gull* | Larus delawarensis | c | c | c | o |
| California Gull | Larus delawarensis | x | |||
| Herring Gull | Larus argentatus | o | o | r | |
| Glaucous-winged Gull | Larus glaucescens | x | |||
| Sabine's Gull | Xema sabini | x | |||
| Caspian Tern | Sterna caspia | x | |||
| Common Tern | Sterna caspia | o | o | ||
| Forster's Tern* | Sterna forsteri | c | c | c | |
| Black Tern* | Chlidonias niger | c | c | o | |
| DOVES | |||||
| Rock Dove | Columbia livia | r | o | r | r |
| Mourning Dove* | Zenaida macroura | c | c | c | o |
| CUCKOOS | |||||
| Black-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus erythropthalmus | o | |||
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo* | Coccyzus americanus | u | |||
| OWLS | |||||
| Barn Owl* | Tyto alba | o | o | o | o |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | Otus asio | o | o | o | o |
| Great Horned Owl* | Bubo virginianus | c | c | c | c |
| Snowy Owl | Nyctea scandiaca | o | r | o | |
| Burrowing Owl* | Athene cunicularia | c | c | c | |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus | o | o | o | o |
| Short-eared Owl* | Asio flammeus | c | u | c | u |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus | x | |||
| GOATSUCKERS | |||||
| Common Nighthawk* | Chordeiles minor | u | u | o | |
| HUMMINGBIRDS | |||||
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Archilochus colubris | r | r | ||
| Rufous Hummingbird | Archilochus colubris | x | |||
| KINGFISHERS | |||||
| Belted Kingfisher* | Ceryle alcyon | c | c | c | o |
| WOODPECKERS and ALLIES | |||||
| Red-headed Woodpecker* | Melanerpes erythrocephalus | u | o | u | |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus varius | r | |||
| Downy Woodpecker* | Picoides pubescens | c | c | c | c |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | c | c | c | c |
| Northern Flicker* | Colaptes auratus | c | c | c | u |
| TYRANT FLYCATCHERS | |||||
| Westerm Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus | o | u | ||
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | Contopus virens | x | |||
| Willow Flycatcher* | Empidonax traillii | c | c | o | |
| Least Flycatcher* | Empidonax minimus | u | u | ||
| Eastern Phoebe | Sayornis phoebe | o | o | o | |
| Say's Phoebe | Sayornis saya | o | o | ||
| Great Crested Flycatcher* | Myiarchus crinitus | u | u | o | |
| Cassin's Kingbird | Tyrannus vociferans | x | |||
| Western Kingbird* | Tyrannus verticalis | c | c | ||
| Eastern Kingbird* | Tyrannus tyrannus | c | c | o | |
| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher* | Tyrannus forficatus | x | |||
| SHRIKES | |||||
| Loggerhead Shrike* | Lanius ludovicianus | c | c | c | r |
| Northern Shrike | Lauius excubitor | u | u | c | |
| VIREOS | |||||
| Bell's Vireo* | Vireo bellii | u | u | ||
| Yellow-throated Vireo | Vireo flavifrons | x | |||
| Plumbeous Vireo | Vireo plumbeus | x | |||
| Blue-headed Vireo | Vireo solitarius | x | |||
| Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus | c | u | ||
| Philadelphia Vireo | Vireo philadelphicus | x | |||
| Red-eyed Vireo | Vireo olivaceus | c | o | o | |
| JAYS, CROWS, and MAGPIES | |||||
| Blue Jay* | Cyanocitta cristata | u | o | o | |
| Pinyon Jay | Gymnorhinus cyanocephalis | x | |||
| Black-billed Magpie* | Pica hudsonia | o | r | o | o |
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | c | o | c | o |
| Common Raven | Corvus brachyrhynchos | x | x | ||
| LARKS | |||||
| Horned Lark* | Eremophila alpestris | c | c | c | c |
| SWALLOWS | |||||
| Purple Martin | Progne subis | o | o | ||
| Tree Swallow* | Tachycineta bicolor | o | o | ||
| Violet-green Swallow* | Tachycineta thalassina | r | |||
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | c | u | ||
| Bank Swallow | Riparia riparia | c | u | r | |
| Cliff Swallow* | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | c | c | o | |
| Barn Swallow* | Hirundo rustica | c | c | c | |
| CHICKADEES and TITMICE | |||||
| Black-capped Chickadee | Poecile atricapillus | c | u | c | c |
| NUTHATCHES | |||||
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta canadensis | o | r | o | o |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | o | o | ||
| CREEPERS | |||||
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | o | r | o | r |
| WRENS | |||||
| Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | r | |||
| House Wren* | Troglodytes aedon | c | c | c | |
| Sedge Wren* | Cistothorus platensis | r | r | ||
| Marsh Wren* | Cistothorus palustris | c | c | c | r |
| KINGLETS and GNATCATCHERS | |||||
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | Regulus satrapa | o | |||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | o | |||
| THRUSHES | |||||
| Eastern Bluebird | Sialia sialis | o | o | ||
| Mountain Bluebird | Sialia currucoides | o | o | ||
| Townsend's Solitaire | Myadestes townsendi | u | u | r | |
| Veery | Catharus fuscescens | o | o | ||
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | Catharus minimus | o | |||
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | u | r | u | |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | r | r | ||
| American Robin* | Turdus migratorius | c | c | c | u |
| MIMIC THRUSHES | |||||
| Gray Catbird* | Dumetella carolinensis | u | r | u | |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | r | |||
| Brown Thrasher* | Toxostoma rufum | c | c | c | r |
| Curve-billed Thrasher | Toxostoma rufum | x | |||
| STARLINGS | |||||
| European Starling* | Sturnus vulgaris | u | u | u | o |
| PIPITS | |||||
| American Pipit | Anthus rubescens | u | u | ||
| Sprague's Pipit | Anthus spragueii | r | r | ||
| WAXWINGS | |||||
| Bohemian Waxwing | Bombycilla garrulus | r | |||
| Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | u | o | u | |
| WOOD WARBLERS | |||||
| Tennessee Warbler | Vermivora peregrina | r | |||
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata | c | c | ||
| Virginia's Warbler | Vermivora virginiae | x | |||
| Northern Parula | Parula americana | r | |||
| Yellow Warbler* | Dendroica petechia | c | c | u | |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | Dendroica pensylvanica | r | |||
| Magnolia Warbler | Dendroica magnolia | o | x | ||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata | c | c | ||
| Black-throated Green Warbler | Dendroica virens | x | |||
| Townsend's Warbler | Dendroica townsendi | x | |||
| Palm Warbler | Dendroica palmarum | r | |||
| Blackpoll Warbler | Dendroica striata | u | r | ||
| Black-and-white Warbler | Mniotilta varia | u | o | u | |
| American Redstart | Setophaga ruticilla | u | r | o | |
| Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus | r | r | ||
| Northern Waterthrush | Seiurus noveboracensis | o | |||
| MacGillivray's Warbler | Oporornis tolmiei | x | |||
| Common Yellowthroat* | Geothlypis trichas | u | c | u | |
| Hooded Warbler | Wilsonia citrina | x | |||
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | c | c | ||
| Yellow-breasted Chat* | Icteria virens | u | o | o | |
| TANAGERS | |||||
| Scarlet Tanager | Piranga olivacea | r | r | ||
| Western Tanager | Piranga ludoviciana | x | |||
| SPARROWS and TOWHEES | |||||
| Eastern Towhee | Pipilo erythrophthalmus | c | r | c | |
| American Tree Sparrow | Spizella arborea | c | u | c | c |
| Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina | c | u | c | |
| Clay-colored Sparrow | Spizella pallida | c | c | ||
| Field Sparrow | Spizella pusilla | u | r | u | |
| Vesper Sparrow* | Pooecetes gramineus | c | c | ||
| Lark Sparrow* | Chondestes grammacus | u | o | ||
| Lark Bunting* | Calamospiza melanocorys | c | c | c | |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis | o | o | c | |
| Grasshopper Sparrow* | Ammodramus savannarum | c | c | c | |
| Le Conte's Sparrow | Ammodramus leconteii | r | r | ||
| Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow | Ammodramus nelsoni | x | |||
| Fox Sparrow | Passerelia iliaca | r | |||
| Song Sparrow* | Melospiza melodia | c | c | o | |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | c | c | ||
| Swamp Sparrow* | Melospiza georgiana | c | c | c | |
| White-throated Sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis | c | c | ||
| Harris' Sparrow | Zonotrichia querula | c | c | ||
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys | u | u | ||
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis | c | c | u | |
| McCown's Longspur | Calcarius mccownii | r | |||
| Lapland Longspur | Calcarius lapponicus | u | u | c | |
| Chestnut-collared Longspur | Calcarius ornatus | u | r | u | |
| Snow Bunting | Plectrophenax nivalis | o | o | ||
| CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, and ALLIES | |||||
| Northern Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis | r | |||
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus | o | o | ||
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus | u | u | ||
| Blue Grosbeak | Guiraca caerulea | u | o | ||
| Lazuli Bunting | Passerina amoena | o | |||
| Indigo Bunting* | Passerina cyanea | o | r | ||
| Dickcissel* | Spiza americana | o | u | o | |
| BLACKBIRDS and ORIOLES | |||||
| Bobolink* | Dolichonyx oryzivorus | u | u | o | |
| Red-winged Blackbird* | Agelaius phoeniceus | c | c | c | u |
| Eastern Meadowlark* | Stumella magna | c | c | c | |
| Western Meadowlark* | Stumella neglecta | c | c | c | o |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird* | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | c | c | c | r |
| Rusty Blackbird | Euphagus carolinus | r | |||
| Brewer's Blackbird* | Euphagus cyanocephalus | o | o | ||
| Common Grackle* | Quiscalus quiscula | c | c | c | o |
| Brown-headed Cowbird* | Molothrus ater | c | c | u | |
| Orchard Oriole* | Icterus spurius | u | c | ||
| Baltimore Oriole | Icterus galbula | u | u | ||
| FINCHES | |||||
| Black-Rosy Finch | Leucosticte atrata | r | |||
| Purple Finch | Carpodacus purpureus | u | u | ||
| Common Redpoll | Carduelis flammea | o | |||
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus | o | o | o | |
| American Goldfinch* | Carduelis tristis | c | c | c | u |
| Evening Grosbeak | Coccothraustes vespertinus | r | r | ||
| OLD WORLD SPARROW | |||||
| House Sparrow* | Passer domesticus | c | c | c | o |
| 368 | 321 | 287 | 175 | 278 | 132 |
Last updated:
June 18, 2008
