Neo-tropical Migratory Songbirds
Painted Bunting. Credit: Ronnie Maum, USFWS
Landbirds
The tremendous variety of habitat types found on Red River NWR supports an amazing diversity of landbirds. Many species of concern identified in various landscape-level bird conservation plans are found in habitats in all or a significant portion of their migration, nesting, and/or wintering seasons. Landbird abundance is dependent on habitat condition, weather, distribution, and amount of food and water.
Forest Birds
Despite being highly fragmented, hardwood forests of the Red River basin play an important role in providing resting and foraging habitat for migratory and nesting forest birds. Forest bird species found on Red River NWR include; cerulean warbler, worm-eating warbler, wood thrush, Kentucky warbler, Louisiana waterthrush, Chuck-will’s-widow, red-eyed vireo, Acadian flycatcher, American woodcock, eastern wood-pewee, yellow-billed cuckoo, blue-gray gnatcatcher, great crested flycatcher, sharp-shinned hawk and cooper’s hawk.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Credit: Ronnie Maum, USFWS
Riparian zone species include; Swainson’s warbler, prothonotary warbler, belted kingfisher and green heron.
Shrub-Scrub Birds
Red River NWR has an abundance of Shrub-scrub or early successional habitat due to the reforestation of over 7,000 acres of marginal farm and pasture lands. Shrub-scrub bird species found on Red River NWR include; prairie warbler, field sparrow, yellow-breasted chat, brown thrasher, northern bobwhite and orchard oriole.
Grassland Birds
Habitat loss is widely recognized as the primary reason that several grassland-dependent bird species have experienced major population declines. Grassland bird species found on Red River NWR include grasshopper sparrow, dickcissel and eastern meadowlark.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Credit: Ronnie Maum, USFWS
