Sandhills Region Bird Viewing Tips Lark Sparrow 1. Stay quiet and calm. Chondestes grammacus 2. Be discreet — wear muted Size: L: 6.0 - 7.6 in., WS: 11 in. Description: Chestnut and cream clothing and limit fragrances. head, streaked brown above, 3. Use your ears! Listen for bird songs pale below, black “mustache” and calls. and spot on chest, long tail with white corners. 4. Use binoculars to get a closer Diet: Seeds look, always keep a respectful Habitat: Grasslands Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide distance from wildlife. The Sandhills region in Nebraska contains 5. Be patient. Grasshopper Sparrow the largest area of stabilized grass covered 6. Go to where the habitat is — visit Ammodramus savannarum dunes in the western hemisphere. Of the state parks and other public lands. Size: L: 4.3 - 4.7 in., WS: 8.0 - 8.5 in. 13 million acres, over a million of these are 7. Do your homework — learn what Birds Description: Streaky sparrow with brown above, buff below, white wetlands. There are 1,600 Sandhill lakes, species of birds live in the area. eye ring, yellow lore, short tail. comprising around 80,000 surface acres of Diet: Insects water. These wetland areas are important Habitat: Grasslands of the Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl, providing much-needed habitat. This area Beaks as Tools also sits directly atop the Ogallala aquifer, for which the wetlands play an important role Nebraska Dark-eyed Junco in retaining and filtering the water. Junco hyemalis This area receives 17 - 23 inches of water Size: L: 5.5 - 6.3 in., WS: 7 - 9.8 in. Description: Variable, gray-brown annually. The sandy soil of the area makes Sandhills back, head and chest, white belly, farming difficult, so this area contains one dark eyes, pink bill, and white of the largest tracts of unplowed prairie in outer tail feathers. Diet: Seeds and insects North America. People primarily use the Habitat: Rural to urban Sandhills region for cattle grazing. With few Viewing: Fall-spring, statewide lights from buildings and infrastructure across the Sandhills, there is low light pollution, Identification making the area ideal for stargazing. Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus Guide Size: L: 8 - 9 in., WS: 11 - 12.6 in. Description: Songbird with a gray head/neck, hooked bill, white underside and wing-patch, black wing, tail and mask. Diet: Insects and small animals Habitat: Grasslands with scrub or hedgerows Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide; winter, SE corner OutdoorNebraska.org

Birds of Sandhills 2018.indd 1 8/13/2019 2:18:57 PM Greater Prairie-chicken Great Blue Heron Trumpeter Swan Swainson’s Hawk Tympanuchus cupido Ardea herodias Cygnus buccinator Buto swainsoni Size: L: 17 - 18 in., WS: 24 - 28 in. Size: L: 38 - 54 in., WS: 65.8 - 79 in. Size: L: 54 - 62 in., WS: 80 in. Size: L: 19 - 22 in., WS: 46 - 54 in. Description: Large grouse with Description: Tall with long legs Description: Large white bird Description: Brown/gray above, barred brown plumage, males have and neck, dagger-like bill, gray with long neck, black on legs white below, brown-red chest, orange air sacs on their neck used body, lighter face with black stripe and bill, extending onto face. dark beak and yellow legs. in display. above eye. Diet: Aquatic plants, some Diet: Mammals and insects Diet: Seeds and insects Diet: Fish, frogs, small birds insects/fish Habitat: Grasslands Habitat: Open grasslands Habitat: Wetlands Habitat: Open areas near Viewing: Spring/fall, statewide; Viewing: Year-round, central and Viewing: Sping/fall, statewide; shallow water summer, west limited southeast summer, northeast Viewing: Summer, northern Sandhills Sharp-tailed Grouse Long-billed Curlew Green-winged Teal Red-tailed Hawk Tympanuchus phasianellus Numenius americanus Anas carolinensis Buteo jamaicensis Size: L: 16 - 18.5 in., WS: 20 - 24 in. Size: L: 19.7 - 25.5 in., WS: 24 - 35 in. Size: L: 12 - 15 in., WS: 20.5 - 23 in. Size: L: 18 - 22 in., WS: 45 - 52.4 in. Description: Chicken-like bird, Description: Cinnamon colored Description: Small mottled brown Description: Large raptor known spotted white and brown with short plumage that is speckled brown, duck with green wing-patch and for their rusty red tail. Plumage pointed tail with white at base. long neck, long curved black bill white, vertical side stripe and rump can vary widely, but generally Diet: Plants and grains and legs. patch. Breeding males have cinnamon dark brown above and light below. Habitat: Open grasslands Diet: Worms, crabs, insects head with green streak on side. Diet: Carnivore, mainly small Viewing: Year-round, Sandhills Habitat: Wetlands and Diet: Seeds, some small fish Habitat: Fields to woodlands shortgrass prairie Habitat: Wetlands Viewing: Year-round, statewide Viewing: Summer, northwest Viewing: Spring/fall, statewide; summer, northeast Ring-necked Pheasant White-faced Ibis Eared Grebe Yellow-breasted Chat Phasianus colchicus Plegadis chihi Podiceps nigricollis Icteria virens Size: L: 20.0 - 27.6 in., WS: 20 - 24 in. Size: L: 18 - 22 in., WS: 37 in. Size: L: 11.8 - 14 in., WS: 20.5 - 21.6 in. Size: L: 7 in., WS: 9.8 in. Description: Buffy cinnamon with Description: Large maroon shore Description: Small gray and white Description: Olive/gray above, red face, green neck with white bird with dark green wings, long water bird, thin bill and red eyes, bright yellow chest and white ring at base, and long barred tail. legs, and long, downturned beak. males black and cinnamon in “spectacles”. Diet: Seeds, insects, fruit Diet: Aquatic invertebrates breeding. Diet: Insects Habitat: Agricultural land and Habitat: Wetlands Diet: Aquatic insects, shrimp, fish Habitat: Shrubland fallow fields Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide Habitat: Wetlands Viewing: Spring-fall, west Viewing: Year-round, statewide Viewing: Fall/spring, statewide; summer, western Sandhills

Killdeer American Avocet Western Grebe Western Meadowlark Charadrius vociferus Recurvirostra americana Aechmophorus occidentalis Sturnella neglecta Size: L: 8 - 11 in., WS: 18 - 19 in. Size: L: 17.0 - 18.5 in., WS: 28.4 in. Size: L: 21.6 - 29.5 in., WS: 31 - 34 in. Size: L: 6.3 - 10.2 in., WS: 22 - 24 in. Description: Brown shorebird with Description: Breeding males have Description: Black back and face, Description: Short tail, flat head, white belly, chin, and face markings, rusty head/neck, pale gray/white white neck and underside, long long bill, brown back, yellow front, two black chest bars and long legs. through body, black on wings and neck and thick bill. and black V on chest. Diet: Insects back, long blue-gray legs, long Diet: Fish Diet: Insects Habitat: Rural to urban black upturned bill. Habitat: Wetlands Habitat: Grasslands Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide Diet: Aquatic invertebrates Viewing: Fall/spring, statewide; Viewing: Year-round, statewide Habitat: Wetlands summer, western Sandhills Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide

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Birds of Sandhills 2018.indd 2 8/13/2019 2:19:10 PM