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Birds of the Nebraska Shortgrass Prairie

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Birds of the Nebraska Shortgrass Prairie Shortgrass Prairie Region Bird Viewing Tips Red Crossbill 1. Stay quiet and calm. Loxia curvirostra 2. Be discreet — wear muted Size: L: 5.5 - 7.9 in., WS: 11 in. clothing and limit fragrances. Description: Stocky finch with distinct crossed bill, darker 3. Use your ears! Listen for bird songs wings and males red, females and calls. yellow-green. 4. Use binoculars to get a closer Diet: Seeds, mainly conifer Habitat: Coniferous forest look, always keep a respectful Viewing: Year-round, sporadic distance from wildlife. The shortgrass prairie region includes 5. Be patient. 6. Go to where the habitat is — visit House Finch the southwestern corner and Panhandle of state parks and other public lands. Haemorhous mexicanus Nebraska. This area is made up of short to Size: L: 5.0 - 5.5 in., WS: 8.0 - 9.8 in. 7. Do your homework — learn what Birds of the Description: Strong cone beak, mixed grass prairie and the Pine Ridge. The species of birds live in the area. buffy brown with darker streaks, shortgrass prairie is the driest and warmest males have red through head and chest. of the Great Plains grasslands. Nebraska Diet: Seeds This region receives an average of 12 - Habitat: Rural to urban Beaks as Tools Viewing: Year-round, statewide 17 inches of rainfall annually and consists of buffalo grass and blue grama. The Pine Shortgrass Pygmy Nuthatch Ridge is found in northwestern Nebraska Sitta pygmaea Size: L: 3.5 - 4.3 in., WS: 7.75 in. and is dominated by ponderosa pine. More Description: Small body with than 300 species of migratory and resident Prairie larger thin bill, light under, slate above with brown cap. birds can be found in the shortgrass prairie Diet: Insects, some seeds region, as well as a variety of mammals, Habitat: Ponderosa pine forest Viewing: Year-round, Panhandle plants, reptiles, insects and other species. Identification American Goldfinch Guide Spinus tristis Size: L: 4.3 - 5.0 in., WS: 7.5 - 8.7 in. Description: Small finch with gray to orange beak and white wing bars. Males yellow and black, females tan. Diet: Seeds Habitat: Rural to urban Viewing: Year-round, statewide OutdoorNebraska.org Burrowing Owl Turkey Vulture Mountain Bluebird Spotted Towhee Athene cunicularia Cathartes aura Sialia currucoides Pipilo maculatus Size: L: 7.5 - 9.8 in., WS: 21.6 in. Size: L: 25 - 32 in., WS: 67 - 70 in. Size: L: 3.0 - 7.9 in., WS: 11 - 14.2 in. Size: L: 6.7 - 8.3 in., WS: 11 in. Description: Brown back with Description: Bare red head, dark Description: Males are bright Description: Large sparrow with white spots, lighter chest with feathers, under-wings are two- sky blue, lighter below. Females black head, back and tail. White brown spots, white throat and toned with “fingered” tips. are gray/brown with some blue spots on wings and tail tips. Rusty eyebrows, yellow eyes and bill. Diet: Small animals Diet: Carrion on wings. Both have round sides and white belly. Habitat: Grasslands, associated Habitat: Open areas, rural to bellies and thin beaks. Diet: Insects, grain, and berries with prairie dog towns urban Diet: Insects Habitat: Brush, rural to urban Viewing: Year-round, statewide Viewing: Summer, statewide Habitat: Open woodland Viewing: Summer, Panhandle; except SW corner Viewing: Spring-fall, Panhandle winter, southeast American Kestrel American Avocet Western Kingbird Western Meadowlark Falco sparverius Recurvirostra americana Tyrannus verticalis Sturnella neglecta Size: L: 8.7 - 12.2 in., WS: 20 - 24 in. Size: L: 17.0 - 18.5 in., WS: 28.4 in. Size: L: 8.0 - 9.4 in., WS: 15 - 16 in. Size: L: 6.3 - 10.2 in., WS: 22 - 24 in. Description: Pale spotted front, Description: Breeding males have Description: Gray head, yellow Description: Robin sized with rusty spotted back, black band rusty head/neck, pale gray/white belly, white throat and chest, short tail, flat head, long bill, above tail, and black mustache. through body, black on wings and black tail with white outer brown back, yellow front, and back, long blue-gray legs, long Males have slate blue wings. feathers. black V on chest. Diet: Carnivore, mostly insects black upturned bill. Diet: Insects Habitat: Open areas Diet: Aquatic invertebrates Habitat: Open grass/shrubland Diet: Insects Viewing: Year-round, Panhandle Habitat: Wetlands Viewing: Summer, statewide Habitat: Grasslands Viewing: Spring-fall, statewide Viewing: Year-round, statewide Red-tailed Hawk Gadwall Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Black-billed Magpie Buteo jamaicensis Mareca strepera Polioptila caerulea Pica hudsonia Size: L: 18 - 22 in., WS: 45 - 52.4 in. Size: L: 18.0 - 22.4 in., WS: 33 in. Size: L: 4.0 - 4.3 in., WS: 6.3 in. Size: L: 18 - 24 in., WS: 22 - 24 in. Description: Large raptor known Description: Mottled brown, Description: Small and round Description: Black with iridescent for rusty red tail. Plumage can Males with more gray and a bird with pale blue-gray back, on wings and tail. White on wing vary widely, but generally dark black patch on tail. Females have white under, dark tail with white tips, back, and belly. Long tail. orange around edge of bill. brown above and light below. Diet: Aquatic plants and insects outer feathers. Diet: Carrion, berries, insects, Diet: Carnivore, mainly small Habitat: Wetlands, plains Diet: Insects and grain Habitat: Fields to woodlands Viewing: Summer in SW Habitat: Woodland Habitat: Various, rural to urban Viewing: Year-round, statewide Panhandle, spring/fall statewide Viewing: Spring-fall, east or west, Viewing: Year-round, western not central two-thirds Ferruginous Hawk Blue-winged Teal Yellow Warbler Northern Flicker Buteo regalis Spatula discors Setophage petechia Colaptes auratus Size: L: 22 - 27 in., WS: 52.4 - 66 in. Size: L: 14 - 16 in., WS: 22 - 24.4 in. Size: L: 4.7 - 5.0 in., WS: 6.3 - 7.9 in. Size: L: 11 - 12 in., WS: 16.5 - 20 in. Description: Large raptor, broad Description: Small, mottled-brown Description: Small bright yellow Description: Gray/brown all over, wings with pointed tips, light to duck with wing-patch of powder bird with a large black eye. Males black stripes on back, black spots dark morphs, rusty legs. blue, white, and green. Males have red streaking on chest. and bib on front, long strong bill. Diet: Carnivore, small animals have white crescent behind bill. Diet: Insects Diet: Insects Diet: Aquatic plants and insects Habitat: Open woodland Habitat: Rural to urban, open Habitat: Grass to shrubland Habitat: Vegetated wetlands Viewing: Spring-fall, woodland, parks, field edges Viewing: Spring-summer, Viewing: Summer, statewide statewide Viewing: Year-round, statewide Panhandle; winter southeast 11/19ds 2018-76936.
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