Birds of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center
The five-county Fergus Falls Wetland Management District, located in western Minnesota, is in an area where freshwater prairie wetlands and the associated northern tallgrass prairie join to form a zone of transition with the northern hardwood forest. This blend of habitats provides for an impressive diversity of bird species.
While many of the birds listed will be found at the Center only for a day or two during migration, or are not commonly seen, the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center is the place to be for sparrows, such as the hard to identify Grasshopper and LeConte's Sparrows. The Center also provides information about birding hot-spots within the Wetland Management District and surrounding areas.
The Prairie Wetlands Learning Center also is at the southern end of the Pine to Prairie Birding Trail - a 200 mile, 43-site trail that provides opportunities to see over 275 species of birds. Brochures about the trail are available at the Center.
This list contains 293 bird species that have been observed within the District. It includes all common, as well as rare and accidental species that are not normally expected to occur here.
| Fergus Falls Wetland Management District Bird Checklist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Herons | Waterfowl | Hawks | Rails | Shorebirds | Gulls | Owls. |
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| Common Name | S | s | F | W |
| Loons | Legend | |||
| Common Loon * | c | c | c | r |
| Grebes | Legend | |||
| Pied-billed Grebe * | c | c | c | r |
| Horned Grebe | c | u | ||
| Red-necked Grebe * | c | c | u | |
| Eared Grebe * | u | u | u | ac |
| Western Grebe * | c | u | c | |
| Pelicans | Legend | |||
| American White Pelican | a | c | c | |
| Cormorants | Legend | |||
| Double-crested Cormorant * | a | a | a | |
| Herons and Bitterns | Legend | |||
| American Bittern * | u | u | u | |
| Least Bittern * | r | r | r | |
| Great Blue Heron * | c | c | c | r |
| Great Egret * | c | c | c | |
| Snowy Egret | u | u | u | |
| Little Blue Heron | ac | |||
| Cattle Egret * | u | r | r | |
| Green Heron * | c | c | u | |
| Black-crowned Night Heron * | c | c | u | |
| Yellow-crowned Night Heron | ac | |||
| Ibises | Legend | |||
| White-faced Ibis | ac | |||
| Vultures | Legend | |||
| Turkey Vulture * | u | u | u | |
| Swans, Geese, and Ducks | Legend | |||
| Greater White-fronted Goose | u | r | ||
| Snow Goose | c | u | u | |
| Ross's Goose | ac | |||
| Canada Goose * | a | a | a | a |
| Brant | ac | |||
| Mute Swan | ac | |||
| Trumpeter Swan * | u | r | c | c |
| Tundra Swan | a | u | a | ac |
| Wood Duck * | c | c | c | u |
| Gadwall * | c | u | c | u |
| American Wigeon * | c | r | c | |
| American Black Duck | r | r | r | |
| Mallard * | a | a | a | a |
| Blue-winged Teal * | a | c | c | |
| Cinnamon Teal | r | |||
| Northern Shoveler * | c | c | c | |
| Northern Pintail * | c | u | u | ac |
| Green-winged Teal * | c | u | c | ac |
| Canvasback * | c | u | c | r |
| Redhead * | c | c | c | r |
| Ring-necked Duck * | a | c | c | r |
| Greater Scaup | u | u | ||
| Lesser Scaup * | a | c | r | |
| Harlequin Duck | ac | |||
| Surf Scoter | ac | ac | ||
| White-winged Scoter | u | u | ||
| Black Scoter | ac | ac | ||
| Long-tail Duck | ac | |||
| Bufflehead | c | c | u | |
| Common Goldeneye * | a | c | c | |
| Hooded Merganser * | c | u | c | r |
| Common Merganser | c | c | r | |
| Red-breasted Merganser | u | r | ||
| Ruddy Duck * | c | c | c | r |
| Hawks and Eagles | Legend | |||
| Osprey * | u | u | u | |
| Bald Eagle * | c | c | c | u |
| Northern Harrier * | c | u | c | r |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk * | u | c | r | |
| Cooper's Hawk * | u | c | u | u |
| Northern Goshawk | r | r | r | |
| Red-shouldered Hawk * | u | u | u | ac |
| Broad-winged Hawk * | u | u | u | |
| Swainson's Hawk | u | r | u | |
| Red-tailed Hawk * | c | c | c | u |
| Rough-legged Hawk | u | u | r | |
| Golden Eagle | r | r | r | |
| Falcons | Legend | |||
| American Kestrel * | c | c | c | r |
| Merlin | u | u | r | |
| Gyrfalcon | r | r | r | |
| Peregrine Falcon | r | r | ||
| Prairie Falcon | r | u | r | |
| Upland Game Birds | Legend | |||
| Gray Partridge * | u | u | u | u |
| Ring-necked Pheasant * | c | c | c | u |
| Ruffed Grouse * | u | u | u | u |
| Greater Prairie Chicken * | c | u | c | c |
| Wild Turkey * | u | u | u | u |
| Rails and Coots | Legend | |||
| Yellow Rail * | r | r | ||
| Virginia Rail * | u | u | u | |
| Sora * | c | c | c | |
| Common Moorhen | r | r | ||
| American Coot * | a | a | a | u |
| Cranes | Legend | |||
| Sandhill Crane * | c | r | u | |
| Shorebirds | Legend | |||
| Black-bellied Plover | u | u | ||
| American Golden Plover | u | u | ||
| Semipalmated Plover | u | u | ||
| Killdeer * | c | c | c | |
| American Avocet | r | r | ||
| Greater Yellowlegs | c | c | ||
| Lesser Yellowlegs | c | c | ||
| Solitary Sandpiper | u | u | ||
| Willet | r | r | ||
| Spotted Sandpiper * | c | c | c | |
| Upland Sandpiper * | u | u | r | |
| Whimbrel | ac | |||
| Hudsonian Godwit | u | u | ||
| Marbled Godwit * | c | u | u | |
| Ruddy Turnstone | u | u | ||
| Sanderling | u | u | ||
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | c | c | ||
| Western Sandpiper | ac | |||
| Least Sandpiper | c | c | ||
| White-rumped Sandpiper | u | u | ||
| Baird's Sandpiper | u | u | ||
| Pectoral Sandpiper | c | c | ||
| Dunlin | c | u | ||
| Stilt Sandpiper | u | u | ||
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper | r | |||
| Short-billed Dowitcher | c | c | ||
| Long-billed Dowitcher | u | u | ||
| Common Snipe * | c | c | c | ac |
| American Woodcock * | u | u | u | |
| Wilson's Phalarope * | c | u | c | |
| Red-necked Phalarope | u | u | ||
| Long-billed Curlew | ac | |||
| Gulls and Terns | Legend | |||
| Laughing Gull | ac | |||
| Franklin's Gull | a | u | a | |
| Bonaparte's Gull | c | r | c | |
| Ring-billed Gull | a | c | a | |
| Herring Gull | u | r | u | |
| Glaucous Gull | ac | ac | ||
| Sabine's Gull | ac | |||
| Black-legged Kittiwake | ac | |||
| Caspian Tern | u | r | u | |
| Common Tern | r | r | ||
| Forster's Tern * | c | c | c | |
| Black Tern * | c | c | c | |
| Doves | Legend | |||
| Rock Dove * | a | a | a | a |
| Mourning Dove * | c | c | a | r |
| Cuckoos and Roadrunners | Legend | |||
| Black-billed Cuckoo * | u | u | u | |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo * | r | r | r | |
| Owls | Legend | |||
| Eastern Screech Owl * | r | r | r | r |
| Great Horned Owl * | c | c | c | c |
| Snowy Owl | u | u | u | |
| Northern Hawk Owl | ac | |||
| Barred Owl * | u | u | u | u |
| Great Gray Owl | ac | |||
| Long-eared Owl | r | r | r | r |
| Short-eared Owl * | u | u | u | r |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl * | r | r | r | |
| Nighthawks and Nightjars | Legend | |||
| Common Nighthawk | c | c | c | |
| Whip-poor-will | r | r | ||
| Swifts | Legend | |||
| Chimney Swift * | c | c | c | |
| Hummingbirds | Legend | |||
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird * | c | c | c | |
| Kingfishers | Legend | |||
| Belted Kingfisher * | c | c | c | r |
| Woodpeckers | Legend | |||
| Red-Headed Woodpecker * | u | u | u | |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker * | u | u | u | u |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker * | c | c | c | |
| Downy Woodpecker * | c | c | c | c |
| Hairy Woodpecker * | c | c | c | c |
| Northern Flicker * | c | c | c | r |
| Pileated Woodpecker * | u | u | u | u |
| Flycatchers | Legend | |||
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | u | u | ||
| Eastern Wood Pewee * | u | u | u | |
| Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | r | |||
| Alder Flycatcher * | u | u | u | |
| Willow Flycatcher * | u | u | u | |
| Least Flycatcher * | c | c | c | |
| Eastern Phoebe * | c | c | c | |
| Great Crested Flycatcher * | c | c | c | |
| Western Kingbird * | u | u | u | |
| Eastern Kingbird * | c | c | c | |
| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | ac | ac | ac | |
| Shrikes | Legend | |||
| Loggerhead Shrike | r | r | r | |
| Northern Shrike * | u | u | u | |
| Vireos | Legend | |||
| Yellow-throated Vireo * | u | u | u | |
| Blue-headed Vireo | u | u | ||
| Warbling Vireo * | c | c | c | |
| Philadelphia Vireo | r | r | ||
| Red-eyed Vireo * | c | c | c | |
| Jays, Magpies and Crows | Legend | |||
| Gray Jay | ac | |||
| Blue Jay * | c | c | c | c |
| Black-billed Magpie | r | r | r | |
| American Crow * | a | c | a | c |
| Common Raven | u | u | ||
| Larks | Legend | |||
| Horned Lark * | a | a | a | r |
| Swallows | Legend | |||
| Purple Martin * | c | c | c | |
| Tree Swallow * | a | a | a | |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow * | c | c | c | |
| Bank Swallow * | c | c | c | |
| Cliff Swallow * | a | a | a | |
| Barn Swallow * | a | a | a | |
| Chickadees and Titmice | Legend | |||
| Black-capped Chickadee * | c | c | c | c |
| Boreal Chickadee | ac | |||
| Nuthatches | Legend | |||
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | u | u | u | |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | c | c | c | c |
| Creepers | Legend | |||
| Brown Creeper * | u | r | u | u |
| Wrens | Legend | |||
| House Wren * | c | c | c | |
| Winter Wren | r | r | ac | |
| Sedge Wren * | c | c | c | |
| Marsh Wren * | c | c | c | |
| Carolina Wren | ac | |||
| Kinglets, Bluebirds, and Thrushes | Legend | |||
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | c | c | r | |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | c | c | ||
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher * | u | u | u | |
| Eastern Bluebird * | c | c | c | |
| Townsend's Solitaire | r | r | r | |
| Veery * | c | c | u | |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | u | u | ||
| Swainson's Thrush | c | c | ||
| Hermit Thrush | u | u | r | |
| Wood Thrush * | r | |||
| American Robin * | a | a | a | u |
| Varied Thrush | ac | ac | ||
| Mimics | Legend | |||
| Gray Catbird * | c | c | c | |
| Northern Mockingbird | r | |||
| Brown Thrasher * | c | c | c | ac |
| Starlings | Legend | |||
| European Starling * | a | a | a | c |
| Pipits | Legend | |||
| American Pipit | u | u | ||
| Waxwings | Legend | |||
| Bohemian Waxwing | u | u | u | |
| Cedar Waxwing * | c | c | c | u |
| Warblers | Legend | |||
| Blue-winged Warbler | r | r | ||
| Golden-winged Warbler * | u | u | u | |
| Tennessee Warbler | a | c | ||
| Orange-crowned Warbler | c | c | ||
| Nashville Warbler * | c | c | ||
| Northern Parula | u | r | ||
| Yellow Warbler * | c | c | c | |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler * | c | c | ||
| Magnolia Warbler | c | c | ||
| Cape May Warbler | u | u | ||
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | ac | |||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | a | a | ac | |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | u | u | ||
| Blackburnian Warbler * | u | u | ||
| Pine Warbler | r | |||
| Palm Warbler | a | a | ||
| Bay-breasted Warbler | r | r | ||
| Blackpoll Warbler | c | c | ||
| Cerulean Warbler * | r | r | ||
| Black-and-white Warbler * | c | c | ||
| American Redstart * | c | c | c | |
| Prothonotary Warbler | ac | |||
| Ovenbird * | c | c | c | |
| Northern Waterthrush | u | u | ||
| Kentucky Warbler | u | |||
| Connecticut Warbler | u | |||
| Mourning Warbler * | u | r | ||
| Common Yellowthroat * | a | a | c | |
| Wilson's Warbler | u | u | ||
| Canada Warbler | u | u | ||
| Tanagers | Legend | |||
| Summer Tanager | ac | |||
| Scarlet Tanager * | u | u | u | |
| Sparrows, Buntings, and Grosbeaks | Legend | |||
| Spotted Towhee | r | |||
| Eastern Towhee * | r | r | ac | |
| American Tree Sparrow | c | c | u | |
| Chipping Sparrow * | c | c | c | |
| Clay-colored Sparrow * | c | c | c | |
| Field Sparrow * | u | u | u | |
| Vesper Sparrow * | c | c | c | |
| Lark Sparrow * | r | r | r | |
| Savannah Sparrow * | c | a | c | |
| Grasshopper Sparrow * | u | u | u | |
| Henslow's Sparrow * | r | r | ||
| Le Conte's Sparrow * | c | c | c | |
| Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow * | r | r | ||
| Fox Sparrow | c | u | ||
| Song Sparrow * | c | c | c | u |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | u | u | ||
| Swamp Sparrow * | c | c | c | |
| White-throated Sparrow | a | a | u | |
| Harris' Sparrow | c | c | u | |
| White-crowned Sparrow | u | u | ||
| Dark-eyed Junco | a | a | c | |
| Lapland Longspur | c | c | r | |
| Smith's Longspur | r | u | ||
| Snow Bunting | c | c | c | |
| Northern Cardinal * | r | r | r | r |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak * | c | c | c | |
| Blue Grosbeak | ac | |||
| Indigo Bunting * | c | c | c | |
| Dickcissel * | u | u | r | |
| Blackbirds and Orioles | Legend | |||
| Bobolink * | c | c | c | |
| Red-winged Blackbird * | a | a | a | r |
| Eastern Meadowlark * | r | r | ||
| Western Meadowlark * | c | c | c | r |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird * | a | a | a | r |
| Rusty Blackbird | c | c | r | |
| Brewer's Blackbird * | c | c | c | |
| Common Grackle * | a | a | a | r |
| Brown-headed Cowbird * | c | c | c | |
| Orchard Oriole * | u | u | u | |
| Baltimore Oriole * | c | c | c | |
| Finches | Legend | |||
| Pine Grosbeak | r | u | u | |
| Purple Finch * | u | r | u | u |
| House Finch * | c | c | c | c |
| Red Crossbill | u | u | u | u |
| White-winged Crossbill | u | u | u | u |
| Common Redpoll | c | c | c | |
| Hoary Redpoll | r | r | r | |
| Pine Siskin | c | r | c | c |
| American Goldfinch * | c | c | c | u |
| Evening Grosbeak | u | r | u | |
| Old World Sparrows | Legend | |||
| House Sparrow * | a | a | a | a |
Last updated:
December 3, 2008
