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Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Birds

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Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Birds U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Birds Introduction Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge consists of sandy beach backed by a series of low dunes. During the summer our beaches become a nesting area for various species including the American oystercatcher, least terns, black skimmers, and the threatened piping plover. Chincoteague NWR is one of the country’s top five shorebird migration staging areas east of the Rocky Mountains. Behind the dunes, shrub habitat extends north and south gradually merging into an upland forest community. The shrub habitat and upland forest support landbirds and game birds including the northern flicker, eastern towhee, and northern bobwhite. Bill Thompson/USFWS Least sandpiper Leaving the forest for the west edge Most birds are migratory, therefore, of the island, the landscape falls away their seasonal occurrence is coded as Sp S F W to expansive salt marshes that border follows: Ducks, Geese, & Swans the Chincoteague Bay. Secretive marsh ___Greater White-fronted Goose r birds including the clapper rail and Season ___Greater Snow Goose c r c c green heron are outstanding marvels of Sp spring March – May ___Ross’s Goose r r u the salt marsh. S summer June – August ___Brant c r c c F fall September – November ___Cackling Goose u u Another facet of the refuge is the W winter December – February ___Canada Goose* c c a c fresh-water impoundments. More ___Mute Swan* o o o o than 2,600 acres of shallow freshwater * Birds known to nest on or near the ___Tundra Swan c c c moist soil impoundments are managed refuge ___Wood Duck* u u u r to provide wetland vegetation and Italics indicate threatened/ ___Gadwall* c o c c mudflats as year round foraging areas endangered species ___Eurasian Wigeon r r and cover for varieties of waterfowl, ___American Wigeon c r c c shorebirds, and other waterbirds Relative Abundance ___American Black Duck* c c c c during migrations. Along with roadside Relative abundance indicates how ___Mallard* c c c a ditches, impoundments provide resting, frequently you might see a bird in its ___Blue-winged Teal* c u c o feeding, and brood-rearing habitat for favored habitat. ___Northern Shoveler c o c c wading birds such as great blue herons ___Northern Pintail c r c c and snowy egrets. a abundant: a species which is very ___Green-winged Teal c o c c numerous ___Canvasback r This brochure lists 277 birds that have c common: likely to be seen or heard ___Redhead r been identified on the refuge since 2008 in suitable habitat ___Ring-necked Duck u and is in accordance with the Seventh u uncommon: present, but not certain ___Greater Scaup r r American Ornithologists’ Union to be seen ___Lesser Scaup r u Checklist. o occasional: seen only a few times ___Common Eider r during a season ___White-winged Scoter u u c r rare: may be present but not every year Sp S F W ___Yellow-crowned Night-Heron* r u r ___White Ibis* u c u u ___Glossy Ibis* c a o u ___White-faced Ibis r r Vultures, Hawks & Falcons ___Black Vulture* o o o o ___Turkey Vulture* c c c c ___Osprey* c c c r ___Bald Eagle* o o c c ___Northern Harrier* u r c c ___Sharp-shinned Hawk o o u c ___Cooper’s Hawk o o o ___Red-shouldered Hawk o o u ___Red-tailed Hawk* o o o c ___American Kestrel o r o o ___Merlin u r o u ___Peregrine Falcon u u o u Rails & Cranes ___Clapper Rail* o u o o ___King Rail r r r r ___Virginia Rail* r r r r ___Sora r r Steve Hillebrand/USFWS ___Common Gallinule r Steve Hillebrand/USFWS Great egret ___American Coot o u o Bald eagle Plovers & Sandpipers Sp S F W ___Black-bellied Plover c c c c Sp S F W ___Surf Scoter o o o ___American Golden-Plover r r ___Ring-billed Gull c u c a ___Black Scoter u u c ___Wilson’s Plover* r ___Herring Gull* c c c a ___Long-tailed Duck o ___Semipalmated Plover c a c r ___Lesser Black-backed Gull u u u o ___Bufflehead c o c c ___Piping Plover* o o o ___Great Black-backed Gull* c c c c ___Common Goldeneye o o ___Killdeer* o o u u ___Least Tern* c r ___Hooded Merganser o u o ___American Oystercatcher* c c c o ___Gull-billed Tern* o o r r ___Common Merganser r r ___Black-necked Stilt* o u ___Caspian Tern* r o c Bill Thompson/USFWS ___Red-breasted Merganser u r o c ___American Avocet o u o o ___Black Tern u r ___Ruddy Duck u r o c ___Spotted Sandpiper u u o ___Royal Tern* u c c Turkey & Quail ___Solitary Sandpiper o o ___Sandwich Tern* u o ___Wild Turkey* o o o o ___Greater Yellowlegs c c c c ___Common Tern* o c o ___Northern Bobwhite* u c o o ___Willet* c c c c ___Forster’s Tern* a a a u Loons & Grebes ___Lesser Yellowlegs c u u u ___Black Skimmer* u c o ___Red-throated Loon c u c ___Whimbrel u u o ___Dovekie r r ___Common Loon c r c c ___Black-tailed Godwit r r ___Razorbill r ___Pied-billed Grebe u u c ___Hudsonian Godwit r o Doves, Cuckoos, Owls, Swifts & Hummingbirds ___Horned Grebe u r u c ___Marbled Godwit u u u u ___Rock Pigeon o o o o ___Red-necked Grebe r ___Ruddy Turnstone o c o o ___Mourning Dove* c c c c Shearwaters & Storm-Petrels ___Red Knot r o r r ___Yellow-billed Cuckoo* r o o ___Cory’s Shearwater r r r ___Sanderling u c o o ___Black-billed Cuckoo* r u r r ___Sooty Shearwater r r ___Semipalmated Sandpiper a c u ___Northern Saw-whet Owl o o ___Wilson’s Storm-Petrel r r ___Western Sandpiper o r o o ___Barn Owl* r r r r Gannet, Pelicans & Cormorants ___Least Sandpiper c c u ___Eastern Screech-Owl* o o o o ___Northern Gannet c o o u ___White-rumped Sandpiper o o r ___Great Horned Owl* o o o o ___American White Pelican r r r r ___Baird’s Sandpiper r r ___Snowy Owl r ___Brown Pelican* u c o u ___Pectoral Sandpiper o o u ___Barred Owl* o o o o ___Double-crested Cormorant* a a a u ___Dunlin c o u c ___Long-eared Owl r ___Great Cormorant r r r r ___Stilt Sandpiper r o ___Short-eared Owl o Bitterns, Herons & Ibises ___Buff-breasted Sandpiper r r ___Common Nighthawk o ___American Bittern o o o ___Ruff r r ___Chuck-will’s-widow* o o ___Least Bittern* r r ___Short-billed Dowitcher u c u u ___Chimney Swift* o r ___Great Blue Heron* a c a a ___Long-billed Dowitcher r r r o ___Ruby-throated Hummingbird* r o r ___Great Egret* a a a a ___Wilson’s Snipe r r r u ___Belted Kingfisher* c r c c ___Snowy Egret* c a a u ___American Woodcock* r Woodpeckers & Flycatchers ___Little Blue Heron* c c c u ___Wilson’s Phalarope r r ___Red-headed Woodpecker* r o r ___Tricolored Heron* c c c o ___Red-necked Phalarope r ___Red-bellied Woodpecker* o o o o ___Cattle Egret* o c c Gulls, Terns & Auks ___Yellow-bellied Sapsucker r o o ___White Egret sp. r r ___Bonaparte’s Gull r r u ___Downy Woodpecker* r o r r ___Green Heron* o a c ___Black-headed Gull o o ___Hairy Woodpecker r r r r ___Black-crowned Night-Heron* o o o o ___Laughing Gull* a a c r ___Northern Flicker* o o c o Sp S F W ___Yellow-throated Warbler r r r ___Boat-tailed Grackle* c a u o ___Pileated Woodpecker* o o c o ___Pine Warbler* o o o o ___Brown-headed Cowbird* u o r r ___Olive-sided Flycatcher r ___Prairie Warbler* r r r r ___Orchard Oriole* r o r ___Eastern Wood-Pewee* u u o ___Palm Warbler r o r ___Baltimore Oriole r r r ___Acadian Flycatcher* r r ___Bay-breasted Warbler r ___Purple Finch r r ___Eastern Phoebe* r o o r ___Blackpoll Warbler r r ___House Finch* o o o o ___Great Crested Flycatcher* u o o ___Black-and-white Warbler r o ___Pine Siskin r r ___Eastern Kingbird* u o o ___American Redstart r o ___American Goldfinch* o c o o Vireos ___Prothonotary Warbler r r r r ___House Sparrow r o r r ___White-eyed Vireo* r o r ___Worm-eating Warbler r ___Yellow-throated Vireo r r r ___Ovenbird* r o r Accidental Species ___Blue-headed Vireo r r ___Northern Waterthrush r These additional 21 species have been seen ___Philadelphia Vireo r ___Louisiana Waterthrush r only once or twice on the refuge: ___Red-eyed Vireo* o o o ___Common Yellowthroat* o o o r Eared Grebe Jays, Crows, Larks & Swallows ___Hooded Warbler r Black-bellied Whistling-Duck ___Blue Jay* o o u o ___Wilson’s Warbler r Greater White-fronted Goose ___American Crow* u u u u ___Canada Warbler r King Eider ___Fish Crow* u c o o ___Yellow-breasted Chat* r o o White-cheeked Pintail ___Horned Lark * r r r r Tanagers, Sparrows & Allies Little Egret ___Purple Martin* o o r ___Scarlet Tanager r r r Great Shearwater ___Tree Swallow * c c u r ___Summer Tanager* r o o Rough-legged Hawk ___N. Rough-winged Swallow r r r ___Eastern Towhee* o o o o Black Rail ___Bank Swallow r r ___American Tree Sparrow r Purple Gallinule ___Barn Swallow c a r ___Chipping Sparrow* o o o r Curlew Sandpiper Chickadees, Nuthatches & Wrens ___Clay-colored Sparrow r Red Phalarope ___Carolina Chickadee* o o o o ___Field Sparrow* r o o r Iceland Gull ___Tufted Titmouse o o r r ___Lark Sparrow r Eastern whip-poor will ___Red-breasted Nuthatch r u o ___Savannah Sparrow o r o o Willow Flycatcher ___White-breasted Nuthatch o o o o ___Grasshopper Sparrow r r Western Kingbird ___Brown-headed Nuthatch* u u u u ___Nelson’s Sparrow r r Warbling Vireo ___Brown Creeper o o o o ___Saltmarsh Sparrow* r o o r Cave Swallow ___Carolina Wren* o o o o ___Seaside Sparrow* o o o o Golden-winged Warbler ___House Wren* u u u u ___Fox Sparrow o o o Vesper Sparrow ___Winter Wren o ___Song Sparrow* o o o c Dickcissel ___Sedge Wren r r ___Lincoln’s Sparrow r r ___Marsh Wren r r r ___Swamp Sparrow o o u Notes Kinglets, Thrushes & Thrashers ___White-throated Sparrow o o c Location _____________________________ ___Golden-crowned Kinglet r o ___White-crowned Sparrow r r Date _______Time ____________________ ___Ruby-crowned Kinglet r r ___Dark-eyed Junco r r o o Observers____________________________ ___Blue-gray Gnatcatcher*
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