U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service J.N.”Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Bird Checklist Sanibel-Captiva Islands and Surrounding Areas Welcome to the J.N. How To Use Your Checklist The bird checklist includes 245 species and is designed to “Ding” Darling National be informative and simple to use. Symbols which appear in this checklist represent the following:

Wildlife Refuge. The Seasonal Appearance F...... Fall (September-November) 6,400 acres of the Refuge W ...... Winter (December-February) Sp...... Spring (March- May) contain a variety of S...... Summer (June- August) subtropical habitats, Seasonal Abundance a abundant (a very common species most likely to be seen) including the upland c common (likely to be seen in suitable habitat) u uncommon (usually present but not certain to be seen) ridges and freshwater o occasional (seen only a few times during a season) r rare or accidental (seen only a very few times during swales of the Island’s the past ten years)

The abundance designations shown above are for the interior ecosystem, Refuge, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, the surrounding waters of the Gulf, estuaries, and area beaches (including mangrove forests, and the Sanibel Causeway and Bunche Beach). Some species will be more or less common in different habitats, and tide levels will influence the number of shorebirds and the seagrass beds of its wading birds to be found. You may want to estuarine mangrove check the birds you are able to find and identify. fringes. Resident and If you should find an unlisted migratory birds depend species, please let us know at Refuge Headquarters. on these various habitats We will appreciate your help in updating our for their existence. records.

Mangrove Cuckoo Cameron Michael F W Sp S F W Sp S Waterfowl Wading Birds Black-bellied Whistling-Duck r r r r American Flamingo r r r r Snow Goose r Wood Stork u c u u Muscovy Duck r r r r American Bittern r o r Wood Duck r r r r Least Bittern r r r r Gadwall r r r Great Blue Heron c a c c American Wigeon r r r Great Egret a a a a Mallard r Snowy Egret c a a c Mottled Duck a a a a Little Blue Heron c a a c Blue-winged Teal c c c Tricolored Heron c a a c Northern Shoveler r r Reddish Egret c c c c Northern Pintail r r Cattle Egret u c u u Green-winged Teal r r Green Heron c c c c Redhead r Black-crowned Night-Heron u u u u Ring-necked Duck r r Yellow-crowned Night-Heron c c c c Lesser Scaup r r White Ibis a a a c Black Scoter r r Glossy Ibis r r r r Bufflehead r Roseate Spoonbill c c c c Hooded Merganser r u r Common Merganser r Vultures, Kites, Hawks, and Falcons Red-breasted Merganser o c c Black Vulture u u u o Ruddy Duck r Turkey Vulture c c c u Osprey a a a a Loons and Grebes Swallow-tailed Kite o u u Common Loon o u u Northern Harrier o o o Pied-billed Grebe c a c r Sharp-shinned Hawk o o o Horned Grebe u Cooper’s Hawk o o o r Bald Eagle c c c u Frigatebirds and Gannets Red-shouldered Hawk c c c c Magnificent Frigatebird u o c c Broad-winged Hawk o Northern Gannet r r Short-tailed Hawk o o o o Red-tailed Hawk r r r r Cormorants and Anhingas American Kestrel c c c r Double-crested Cormorant a a a a Merlin u u u Anhinga a a a a Peregrine Falcon u u u Pelicans Rails, Gallinules, and Coots American White Pelican u a c r Clapper Rail r o o Brown Pelican a a a a King Rail r r Virginia Rail r r Limpkins Sora r u o Limpkin r r r r Common Gallinule c c c o American Coot c c c r Cranes Sandhill Crane r r r r F W Sp S F W Sp S Shorebirds Razorbills Black-bellied Plover a a a u Razorbill r Snowy Plover u u u u Wilson’s Plover u u u u Pigeons and Doves Semipalmated Plover c c c u Rock Pigeon r r r r Piping Plover u u o White-crowned Pigeon r r r r Killdeer c c c c Eurasian Collared-Dove c c c c American Oystercatcher u u u o White-winged Dove o o o o Black-necked Stilt c c Mourning Dove a a a a American Avocet r r r Common Ground-Dove c c c c Spotted Sandpiper c c c r Solitary Sandpiper r Cuckoos and Anis Greater Yellowlegs u c c Yellow-billed Cuckoo o u r Lesser Yellowlegs u c u Mangrove Cuckoo o r o o Willet a a a u Black-billed Cuckoo r Whimbrel r r r Smooth-billed Ani r r r Long-billed Curlew o o o o Marbled Godwit u c u u Owls Ruddy Turnstone c c c u Barn Owl r r r r Red Knot u c c Eastern Screech-Owl c c c c Sanderling a a a a Great Horned Owl o o o o Semipalmated Sandpiper r r Barred Owl r r r r Western Sandpiper c c c r Least Sandpiper c c c r Goatsuckers White-rumped Sandpiper r r Common Nighthawk o o o Pectoral Sandpiper r r Chuck-will’s-widow o u u Dunlin c a c r Eastern Whip-poor-will r r Stilt Sandpiper r r r Short-billed Dowitcher a a a c Swifts Long-billed Dowitcher r r r Chimney Swift u c u Wilson’s Snipe r o o Hummingbirds Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers Ruby-throated Hummingbird r r r r Bonaparte’s Gull r r r Laughing Gull a a a a Kingfishers Ring-billed Gull c a c r Belted Kingfisher c c c r Herring Gull c c c r Lesser Black-backed Gull r o r Woodpeckers Great Black-backed Gull r o r Red-bellied Woodpecker a a a a Least Tern u u c Yellow-bellied Sapsucker o o o Gull-billed Tern r r Downy Woodpecker o o o o Caspian Tern r r r r Hairy Woodpecker r r r r Black Tern r r Northern Flicker r r r r Common Tern r Pileated Woodpecker c c c c Forster’s Tern c c c r Royal Tern c a c c Sandwich Tern c c c o Black Skimmer a a a c F W Sp S F W Sp S Flycatchers Thrushes Eastern Wood-Pewee r r Eastern Bluebird r r r r Acadian Flycatcher r r Veery r r Least Flycatcher r r Gray-cheeked Thrush r r Eastern Phoebe u c u Swainson’s Thrush r o Great Crested Flycatcher c c c c Hermit Thrush r r r Western Kingbird r Wood Thrush r r Eastern Kingbird r o American Robin r o o Gray Kingbird r u u Scissor-tailed Flycatcher r r Catbirds, Mockingbirds, and Thrashers Gray Catbird c a a Shrikes Northern Mockingbird c c c u Loggerhead Shrike u u u u Brown Thrasher o o o o Vireos Starlings White-eyed Vireo c c c c European Starling c c c c Yellow-throated Vireo r r Blue-headed Vireo u u u Pipits Red-eyed Vireo o u r American Pipit r r r Black-whiskered Vireo r o Waxwings Jays and Crows Cedar Waxwing r u u Blue Jay c c c c American Crow r r r r Warblers Fish Crow a a a a Ovenbird o o o Worm-eating Warbler r r Swallows Louisiana Waterthrush r r Northern Rough-winged Swallow u u r Northern Waterthrush r r Purple Martin o u u Blue-winged Warbler r r Tree Swallow c a a r Golden-winged Warbler r Bank Swallow r Black-and-white Warbler u u u o Barn Swallow u u o Prothonotary Warbler r r r Cliff Swallow r r Swainson’s Warbler r r Tennessee Warbler r Titmice Orange-crowned Warbler r Tufted Titmouse r r r r Nashville Warbler r Kentucky Warbler r Wrens Common Yellowthroat u c u o House Wren r o o Hooded Warbler r o Sedge Wren r American Redstart o r o Marsh Wren r r o Cape May Warbler r o Carolina Wren c c c c Cerulean Warbler r Northern Parula o o c c Gnatcatchers and Kinglets Magnolia Warbler o Blue-gray Gnatcatcher c a c o Bay-breasted Warbler r r Ruby-crowned Kinglet r r r Blackburnian Warbler r Yellow Warbler r Chestnut-sided Warbler r t

F W Sp S Birding Information

Blackpoll Warbler r u Favorite area birding sites are the J.N. “Ding” Black-throated Blue Warbler r o Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Wildlife Drive, Palm Warbler u c c Bailey Tract, Indigo Trail, Calusa Shell Mound Pine Warbler r r r r Trail, and Tarpon Bay); the Sanibel-Captiva Yellow-rumped Warbler c a c Conservation Foundation properties (including Yellow-throated Warbler u u u o Sanibel Gardens); Gulf beaches; the Lighthouse Prairie Warbler u u c c area; the Causeway islands; Blind Pass; and Bunche Beach. Black-throated Green Warbler r r o Towhees and Sparrows Eastern Towhee r r r r Birding Ethics Bachman’s Sparrow r r r r Chipping Sparrow r r r When visiting public or private lands, it is Savannah Sparrow r r r important that you practice and promote ethical behavior while viewing and photographing wildlife. Grasshopper Sparrow r r r Although you may not think your individual Lincoln’s Sparrow r actions are harmful to wildlife, the cumulative Swamp Sparrow r o u effect of individual actions can jeopardize wildlife’s Tanagers ability to survive. Summer Tanager r r o r • Do not disturb nesting, feeding, or resting birds Scarlet Tanager r o and other wildlife. Cardinals and Grosbeaks • When photographing birds, do not “push” too Northern Cardinal a a a a close or “linger” too long. Rose-breasted Grosbeak r o • Do not use recorded calls or make other alarming Blue Grosbeak r u noises on the Refuge. Buntings, Dickcissels, and Finches • Do not feed wildlife on the Refuge. Indigo Bunting o r u • Do not litter. Many birds and other wildlife die Painted Bunting r r r after becoming entangled in fishing lines, 6-pack Dickcissel r rings and other trash, or when they mistake House Finch r r r r garbage, especially plastic, for food. American Goldfinch r r r Blackbirds, Grackles, and Orioles Bobolink r r Red-winged Blackbird o o o o Eastern Meadowlark r r r Common Grackle a a a a Boat-tailed Grackle c c c c Shiny Cowbird r r Brown-headed Cowbird o o o o Orchard Oriole r o Baltimore Oriole o r o Old World Sparrows Roseate Spoonbill

House Sparrow r r r r Kliewer Wayne J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge 1 Wildlife Drive Sanibel, Florida 33957 www.fws.gov/dingdarling 239-472-1100

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling

December 2013

ade Pos scan me! g M sib in le t B in r y : P

Cover photograph of Osprey with Spotted Seatrout by Al Hoffacker