Phone: 660-856-3323 |
Bird List
The refuge's 10,795 acres comprise a wide variety of habitat types. Silver Lake is a permanent body of water covering 3,000 acres. An additional 3,500 acres are wetlands in which water levels are manipulated to produce natural waterfowl foods.
To supplement natural foods, about 1,000 acres of land are farmed for corn, milo, clover, wheat, and soybeans. Bottomland forests, abandoned fields in various stages of succession, and a native prairie provide other types of wildlife habitat. This diversity of habitat supports a large variety of birds.
This bird list contains 241 species which have been recorded on the refuge. Another fourteen birds, listed under Accidentals, have been reported but are not normally expected to be present.
| Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge Bird Checklist | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legend:
a = Abundant - Common species that is numerous |
S=Spring (Mar - May) |
|||
| Herons | Waterfowl | Hawks | Rails | Shorebirds | Gulls | Owls | Woodpeckers. Flycatchers | Swallows | Wrens | Thrushes | Warblers | Sparrows | Finches | Bottom |
||||
| Common Name | S | s | F | W |
| Loons | Legend | |||
| Common Loon | r | u | ||
| Grebes | Legend | |||
| Pied-billed Grebe | c | o | c | |
| Horned Grebe | o | o | ||
| Eared Grebe | r | r | ||
| Western Grebe | r | r | ||
| Pelicans | Legend | |||
| American White Pelican | c | u | a | |
| Cormorants | Legend | |||
| Double-crested Cormorant | u | o | o | |
| Herons and Bitterns | Legend | |||
| American Bittern | u | u | u | |
| Least Bittern | r | u | r | |
| Great Blue Heron * | c | a | c | u |
| Great Egret | c | c | c | |
| Snowy Egret | o | o | r | |
| Little Blue Heron | r | o | o | |
| Cattle Egret | o | o | o | |
| Green Heron * | o | o | o | |
| Black-crowned Night Heron | u | u | o | |
| Yellow-crowned Night Heron * | o | o | r | |
| Swans, Geese, and Ducks | Legend | |||
| Tundra Swan | r | r | r | |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | r | o | c | |
| Snow Goose | r | r | c | a |
| Ross's Goose | r | o | ||
| Canada Goose | a | u | a | a |
| Wood Duck * | u | c | c | o |
| Green-winged Teal | c | o | c | u |
| American Black Duck | r | r | r | |
| Mallard * | o | u | c | a |
| Northern Pintail | c | o | a | c |
| Blue-winged Teal | c | u | a | o |
| Cinnamon Teal | r | r | r | |
| Northern Shoveler | c | o | a | o |
| Gadwall | c | c | u | |
| American Wigeon | u | c | u | |
| Canvasback | u | r | o | |
| Redhead | o | o | u | |
| Ring-necked Duck | c | r | u | c |
| Lesser Scaup | c | o | c | |
| Common Goldeneye | u | u | u | |
| Bufflehead | o | o | o | |
| Hooded Merganser | o | u | u | o |
| Common Merganser | o | u | u | |
| Red-breasted Merganser | o | r | r | |
| Ruddy Duck | c | r | o | o |
| Vultures | Legend | |||
| Turkey Vulture | c | c | c | |
| Hawks and Eagles | Legend | |||
| Osprey | r | r | r | |
| Bald Eagle | o | r | c | c |
| Northern Harrier * | c | o | c | c |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | u | o | u | u |
| Cooper's Hawk | o | u | o | o |
| Northern Goshawk | r | r | ||
| Red-shouldered Hawk | u | u | u | u |
| Broad-winged Hawk | o | c | ||
| Swainson's Hawk | r | r | r | |
| Red-tailed Hawk * | c | c | c | c |
| Rough-legged Hawk | o | u | u | |
| Golden Eagle | r | r | r | |
| Falcons | Legend | |||
| American Kestrel * | c | u | c | c |
| Merlin | o | o | r | |
| Peregrine Falcon (E) | u | u | r | |
| Upland Game Birds | Legend | |||
| Ring-necked Pheasant | u | u | u | u |
| Wild Turkey * | u | u | u | u |
| Northern Bobwhite * | c | c | c | c |
| Rails and Coots | Legend | |||
| King Rail * | r | r | ||
| Virginia Rail | u | r | r | |
| Sora | u | r | c | |
| American Coot | a | u | a | r |
| Common Moorhen | r | r | r | |
| Cranes | Legend | |||
| Sandhill Crane | r | r | r | |
| Shorebirds | Legend | |||
| Black-bellied Plover | u | r | o | |
| American Golden Plover | c | r | c | |
| Semipalmated Plover | c | u | o | |
| Piping Plover | r | r | ||
| Killdeer * | c | c | c | o |
| American Avocet | r | r | r | |
| Greater Yellowlegs | c | u | c | |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | a | c | a | |
| Solitary Sandpiper | u | c | o | |
| Willet | c | r | u | |
| Spotted Sandpiper * | c | u | u | |
| Upland Sandpiper * | o | o | o | |
| Whimbrel | o | r | r | |
| Hudsonian Godwit | u | o | ||
| Marbled Godwit | r | r | ||
| Ruddy Turnstone | u | o | ||
| Red Knot | o | o | ||
| Sanderling | u | u | o | |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | c | u | c | |
| Western Sandpiper | r | u | ||
| Least Sandpiper | c | u | c | |
| Baird's Sandpiper | u | r | u | |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | a | c | a | |
| Dunlin | o | c | ||
| Stilt Sandpiper | u | o | c | |
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper | o | r | o | |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | c | u | c | |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | c | u | c | |
| Common Snipe | c | u | c | r |
| American Woodcock | o | u | u | r |
| Wilson's Phalarope | u | r | u | |
| Red-necked Phalarope | r | r | ||
| Gulls and Terns | Legend | |||
| Franklin's Gull | c | u | c | r |
| Bonaparte's Gull | o | r | c | r |
| Ring-billed Gull | c | c | c | o |
| Herring Gull | r | r | o | o |
| Caspian Tern | u | r | u | r |
| Common Tern | o | o | o | |
| Forster's Tern | u | o | c | |
| Least Tern | o | u | o | |
| Black Tern | c | c | u | |
| Doves | Legend | |||
| Rock Dove * | o | c | c | o |
| Mourning Dove * | c | a | c | o |
| Cuckoos and Roadrunners | Legend | |||
| Black-billed Cuckoo | u | u | u | |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo * | c | c | o | |
| Owls | Legend | |||
| Common Barn Owl | r | r | r | r |
| Eastern Screech Owl * | u | u | u | u |
| Great Horned Owl * | c | c | c | c |
| Snowy Owl | r | |||
| Barred Owl * | c | c | c | c |
| Short-eared Owl | o | r | o | o |
| Long-eared Owl | r | r | r | o |
| Nighthawks and Nightjars | Legend | |||
| Common Nighthawk * | u | u | u | |
| Whip-poor-will * | u | u | u | |
| Swifts | Legend | |||
| Chimney Swift * | u | o | u | |
| Hummingbirds | Legend | |||
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | u | c | c | |
| Kingfishers | Legend | |||
| Belted Kingfisher * | u | c | o | o |
| Woodpeckers | Legend | |||
| Red-Headed Woodpecker * | c | c | c | o |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker * | c | c | c | c |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | o | r | o | r |
| Downy Woodpecker * | c | c | c | c |
| Hairy Woodpecker * | u | u | u | u |
| Northern Flicker * | c | c | c | c |
| Pileated Woodpecker * | u | u | u | u |
| Flycatchers | Legend | |||
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | o | r | u | |
| Eastern Wood Pewee * | u | c | u | |
| Acadian Flycatcher | u | u | r | |
| Willow Flycatcher | u | u | r | |
| Eastern Phoebe * | c | c | c | |
| Great Crested Flycatcher * | u | c | o | |
| Western Kingbird | r | r | ||
| Eastern Kingbird * | c | c | c | |
| Larks | Legend | |||
| Horned Lark * | c | c | u | u |
| Swallows | Legend | |||
| Purple Martin | o | o | r | |
| Tree Swallow * | c | c | c | |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | c | c | a | |
| Bank Swallow | c | c | c | |
| Cliff Swallow | u | o | u | |
| Barn Swallow * | c | c | c | |
| Jays, Magpies and Crows | Legend | |||
| Blue Jay * | c | c | c | c |
| American Crow * | c | c | a | c |
| Chickadees and Titmice | Legend | |||
| Black-capped Chickadee * | c | c | c | c |
| Tufted Titmouse * | c | c | c | c |
| Nuthatches | Legend | |||
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | r | r | o | |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | u | u | u | u |
| Creepers | Legend | |||
| Brown Creeper | u | u | u | |
| Wrens | Legend | |||
| Carolina Wren | r | r | r | r |
| House Wren * | c | c | c | |
| Winter Wren | r | |||
| Sedge Wren * | o | c | o | |
| Marsh Wren | o | o | u | |
| Kinglets, Bluebirds, and Thrushes | Legend | |||
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | c | c | u | |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | u | u | u | |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher * | u | u | r | |
| Eastern Bluebird * | c | u | c | r |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | o | |||
| Swainson's Thrush | u | r | u | |
| Hermit Thrush | u | u | ||
| Wood Thrush * | u | o | u | |
| American Robin * | c | c | c | o |
| Mimics | Legend | |||
| Gray Catbird * | c | c | c | |
| Northern Mockingbird * | u | u | u | r |
| Brown Thrasher * | c | c | c | |
| Pipits | Legend | |||
| American Pipit | u | u | ||
| Waxwings | Legend | |||
| Cedar Waxwing | c | u | c | u |
| Shrikes | Legend | |||
| Loggerhead Shrike * | u | u | u | u |
| Starlings | Legend | |||
| European Starling * | c | c | c | c |
| Vireos | Legend | |||
| White-eyed Vireo | r | r | r | |
| Bell's Vireo * | u | u | u | |
| Solitary Vireo | o | o | ||
| Yellow-throated Vireo | u | u | r | |
| Warbling Vireo * | c | c | u | |
| Red-eyed Vireo * | c | c | c | |
| Warblers | Legend | |||
| Blue-winged Warbler | u | r | u | |
| Tennessee Warbler | u | u | ||
| Nashville Warbler | u | u | ||
| Northern Parula | u | u | r | |
| Yellow Warbler * | u | u | r | |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | u | u | ||
| Magnolia Warbler | u | u | ||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | c | c | o | |
| Blackburnian Warbler | u | u | ||
| Blackpoll Warbler | u | o | ||
| Black-and-white Warbler | u | u | ||
| American Redstart * | c | u | c | |
| Prothonotary Warbler | u | r | r | |
| Ovenbird | u | r | u | |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | u | r | u | |
| Kentucky Warbler | r | |||
| Mourning Warbler | u | r | ||
| Common Yellowthroat | c | c | c | |
| Wilson's Warbler | u | u | ||
| Yellow-breasted Chat | o | o | ||
| Tanagers | Legend | |||
| Summer Tanager | o | o | o | |
| Sparrows, Buntings, and Grosbeaks | Legend | |||
| Northern Cardinal * | c | c | c | c |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak * | u | u | u | |
| Indigo Bunting * | c | c | c | |
| Dickcissel * | a | a | c | |
| Rufous-sided Towhee * | c | c | c | |
| American Tree Sparrow | u | u | c | |
| Chipping Sparrow * | u | u | u | |
| Field Sparrow * | u | u | u | r |
| Vesper Sparrow | u | r | u | |
| Lark Sparrow | u | o | r | |
| Savannah Sparrow | c | r | c | |
| Grasshopper Sparrow * | c | u | c | |
| Le Conte's Sparrow | o | o | ||
| Sharp-tailed Sparrow | r | r | ||
| Fox Sparrow | u | u | r | |
| Song Sparrow * | c | c | c | u |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | o | o | r | |
| Swamp Sparrow | u | o | u | u |
| White-throated Sparrow | c | c | u | |
| White-crowned Sparrow | u | u | u | |
| Harris' Sparrow | o | o | r | |
| Dark-eyed Junco | u | u | c | |
| Lapland Longspur | u | u | o | |
| Snow Bunting | r | |||
| Blackbirds and Orioles | Legend | |||
| Bobolink | u | r | u | |
| Red-winged Blackbird * | a | a | a | c |
| Eastern Meadowlark * | c | c | c | c |
| Western Meadowlark | r | r | r | r |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | r | r | ||
| Rusty Blackbird | u | u | o | |
| Brewer's Blackbird | o | o | ||
| Common Grackle * | a | c | a | c |
| Brown-headed Cowbird * | c | c | c | u |
| Orchard Oriole * | c | c | o | |
| Baltimore Oriole * | c | c | o | |
| Finches | Legend | |||
| Purple Finch | c | c | u | |
| Pine Siskin | r | r | r | |
| Common Redpoll | r | r | r | |
| American Goldfinch * | c | c | c | c |
| Old World Sparrows | Legend | |||
House Sparrow *  |
c |
c |
c |
c |
| Accidental Birds | Legend | |||
Tricolored Heron |
Ferruginous Hawk |
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