Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
Midwest Region

Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge Bird List

You will find 277 species of birds listed.� The bird list follows the 45th American Ornithologists� Union Checklist.

Key to table:

 

* = indicates nesting on the refuge has recently occurred

! = State endangered species

# = State threatened species

a = abundant: a common species which is very numerous

c = common: certain to be seen or heard in suitable habitat, not in large numbers

u = uncommon: present but not always seen

o = occasional: seen only a few times during the season

r = rare: seen every 2 to 5 years

i = incidental:  seen only once OR seen every 5 years or more

Spring = March � May

Summer = June � August

Fall = September � November

Winter = December � February

Species

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Swans, Geese, and Ducks

       

Greater White-fronted Goose

o

i

o

-

Snow Goose

u

-

u

r

Ross�s Goose

r

-

r

r

Cackling Goose

o

-

o

r

Canada Goose*

a

c

a

c

Mute Swan

o

r

o

o

Trumpeter Swan

r

r

r

r

Tundra Swan

c

r

c

o

Wood Duck*

c

c

c

r

Gadwall

c

o

c

-

American Wigeon

c

o

c

r

American Black Duck

c

r

c

u

Mallard*

a

c

a

c

Blue-winged Teal*

c

c

c

-

Northern Shoveler*

c

o

c

r

Northern Pintail

c

r

c

r

Green-winged Teal

c

o

c

r

Canvasback

u

r

u

-

Redhead*

u

o

u

-

Ring-necked Duck

c

r

c

-

Greater Scaup

o

-

o

-

Lesser Scaup

c

r

c

-

Surf Scoter

i

-

-

-

White-winged Scoter

-

-

i

-

Black Scoter

-

-

i

-

Long-tailed Duck

r

-

-

-

Bufflehead

u

-

u

-

Common Goldeneye

r

-

r

r

Hooded Merganser*

c

u

u

r

Common Merganser

c

r

a

c

Red-breasted Merganser

r

-

r

-

Ruddy Duck

c

o

c

-

Grouse and Turkeys

       

Ring-necked Pheasant*

c

c

c

c

Ruffed Grouse

r

r

r

r

Wild Turkey*

c

c

c

c

Quail

       

Northern Bobwhite

r

r

r

-

Loons

       

Common Loon#

i

-

-

-

Grebes

       

Pied-billed Grebe*

c

c

c

-

Horned Grefe

o

-

r

-

Eared Grebe

r

-

-

-

Pelicans

       

American White Pelican

o

o

r

-

Cormorants

       

Double-crested Cormorant

c

r

c

r

Herons and Bitterns

       

American Bittern*

u

u

u

-

Least Bittern*#

u

u

u

-

Great Blue Heron*

c

c

c

o

Great Egret

u

c

c

-

Snowy Egret

r

r

-

-

Little Blue Heron

i

-

-

-

Cattle Egret

r

r

r

-

Green Heron*

u

c

u

-

Black-crowned Night Heron

u

c

u

-

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

-

i

-

-

Ibises

       

White Ibis

-

-

i

-

Glossy Ibis

r

r

r

-

Vultures

       

Turkey Vulture*

c

c

c

-

Hawks and Eagles

       

Osprey#

r

r

r

-

Bald Eagle*#

c

u

u

c

Northern Harrier

r

o

u

u

Sharp-shinned Hawk

o

-

o

r

Cooper�s Hawk*

u

o

u

u

Northern Goshawk

-

-

r

r

Red-shouldered Hawk

r

-

r

r

Broad-winged Hawk

r

-

r

-

Red-tailed Hawk*

c

c

c

c

Rough-legged Hawk

o

-

o

u

Golden Eagle

r

-

-

r

Falcons

       

American Kestrel

o

o

o

u

Merlin#

r

-

o

-

Gyrafalcon

-

-

i

-

Peregrine Falcon!

o

-

o

-

Rails and Coots

       

Yellow Rail

-

-

i

-

King Rail*!

r

r

r

-

Virginia Rail*

c

u

u

-

Sora*

c

u

u

-

Common Moorhen*

u

u

u

-

American Coot*

c

c

c

-

Cranes

       

Sandhill Crane*

u

o

u

r

Plovers

       

Black-bellied Plover

o

r

o

-

American Golden Plover

o

r

o

-

Semipalmated Plover

u

o

u

-

Killdeer*

c

c

c

r

Avocet and Stilts

       

Black-necked Stilt

-

i

-

-

American Avocet

r

r

r

-

Sandpipers

       

Greater Yellowlegs

c

c

c

-

Lesser Yellowlegs

c

c

c

-

Solitary Sandpiper

o

u

u

-

Willet

i

-

-

-

Spotted Sandpiper*

c

c

c

-

Upland Sandpiper

r

r

r

-

Whimbrel

i

-

-

-

Hudsonian Godwit

r

r

r

-

Marbled Godwit

r

-

-

-

Ruddy Turnstone

r

r

r

-

Red Knot

r

r

r

-

Sanderling

-

-

r

-

Semipalmated Sandpiper

u

u

u

-

Western Sandpiper

i

i

-

-

Least Sandpiper

u

u

u

-

White-rumped Sandpiper

o

o

o

-

Baird�s Sandpiper

r

-

o

-

Pectoral Sandpiper

u

u

u

-

Dunlin

c

o

u

-

Curlew Sandpiper

i

-

-

-

Stilt Sandpiper

o

u

u

-

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

-

-

r

-

Ruff

i

-

-

-

Short-billed Dowitcher

u

u

u

-

Long-billed Dowitcher

-

-

u

-

Wilson�s Snipe

u

-

u

-

American Woodcock*

u

u

u

-

Wilson�s Phalarope*

o

r

o

-

Red-necked Phalarope

r

-

r

-

Gulls and Terns

       

Laughing Gull

i

i

-

-

Franklin�s Gull

i

-

i

i

Little Gull

i

-

-

-

Bonaparte�s Gull

o

-

u

o

Ring-billed Gull

c

u

a

o

Herring Gull

u

o

c

u

Iceland Gull

-

-

-

r

Lesser Black-backed Gull

-

-

-

r

Glaucous Gull

-

-

-

r

Great� Black-backed Gull

-

-

-

r

Caspian Tern#

u

u

u

-

Common Tern#

o

-

o

-

Forster�s Tern

o

-

o

-

Black Tern*

o

o

o

-

Pigeons and Doves

       

Rock Pigeon

o

o

o

o

Mourning Dove

c

c

a

c

Cuckoos

       

Black-billed Cuckoo*

o

o

o

-

Yellow-billed Cuckoo*

o

u

o

-

Barn Owls

       

Barn Owl

-

i

-

-

Owls

       

Eastern Screech Owl*

u

u

u

u

Great Horned Owl*

u

u

u

u

Snowy Owl

r

-

-

r

Barred Owl*

u

u

u

u

Long-eared Owl#

-

-

-

i

Short-eared Owl!

o

-

u

u

Nightjars

       

Common Nighthawk

o

-

o

-

Whip-poor-will

r

-

-

-

Swifts

       

Chimney Swift

c

o

c

-

Hummingbirds

       

Ruby-throated Hummingbird*

u

u

u

-

Kingfishers

       

Belted Kingfisher*

c

c

c

r

Woodpeckers

       

Red-headed Woodpecker

o

r

o

-

Red-bellied Woodpecker*

c

c

c

c

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

u

-

u

-

Downy Woodpecker*

c

c

c

c

Hairy Woodpecker*

u

u

u

u

Northern Flicker*

c

c

c

o

Pileated Woodpecker*

u

u

u

u

Flycatchers

       

Olive-sided Flycatcher

r

-

-

-

Eastern Wood Pewee*

c

c

u

-

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

r

-

-

-

Acadian Flycatcher

-

i

-

-

Alder Flycatcher

r

-

-

-

Willow Flycatcher*

c

c

o

-

Least Flycatcher*

u

u

o

-

Eastern Phoebe*

u

u

u

-

Great Crested Flycatcher*

c

c

u

-

Eastern Kingbird*

u

u

u

-

Shrikes

       

Northern Shrike

r

-

-

o

Vireos

       

Yellow-throated Vireo*

u

u

o

-

Blue-headed Vireo

o

-

r

-

Warbling Vireo*

c

c

u

-

Philadelphia Vireo

r

-

r

-

Red-eyed Vireo*

u

u

u

-

Crows and Jays

       

Blue Jay*

c

c

c

c

American Crow*

c

c

c

c

Larks

       

Horned Lark*

c

c

c

c

Swallows

       

Purple Martin

o

r

r

-

Tree Swallow*

a

c

a

-

Northern Rough-winged Swallow*

c

u

c

-

Bank Swallow

c

o

c

-

Cliff Swallow

u

o

u

-

Barn Swallow*

c

u

c

-

Chickadees and Titmice

       

Black-capped Chickadee*

c

c

c

c

Tufted Titmouse*

c

c

c

c

Nuthatches

       

Red-breasted Nuthatch

r

-

r

r

White-breasted Nuthatch*

c

c

c

c

Creepers

       

Brown Creeper*

c

c

c

c

Wrens

       

Carolina Wren

i

-

-

-

House Wren*

u

u

u

-

Winter Wren

u

-

u

-

Sedge Wren*

c

c

u

-

Marsh Wren*

c

c

u

-

Kinglets and Gnatcatchers

       

Golden-crowned Kinglet

u

-

u

r

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

u

-

u

-

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher*

c

c

u

-

Thrushes

       

Eastern Bluebird*

u

o

u

-

Veery

o

r

r

-

Gray-cheeked Thrush

o

-

o

-

Swainson�s Thrush

u

-