Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge 1661 West JPG Niblo Road Madison, in 47250 812/273 0783 Big Oaks

Home , Acadian flycatcher, Varied thrush

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge 1661 West JPG Niblo Road Madison, IN 47250 812/273 0783 Big Oaks

TTY users may reach Big Oaks through National Wildlife Refuge the Federal Information Relay System at 1-800/877 8339 Bird Checklist http:www.fws.gov/midwest/bigoaks U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 1 1 800/344 WILD www.fws.gov

Blue Grosbeak, ©Ron Austing Printed February 2012 “I came to Big Oaks to see the Henslow’s Sparrow and add it to my life list. I knew it was here because Big Oaks is a Globally Important Bird Area, since so many Henslow’s nest here.”

Henslow’s Sparrow, ©Ron Austing Welcome to Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge! Established in 2000, Big Oaks National are listed as a species of special Wildlife Refuge is approximately management concern for the Fish 50,000 acres of diverse habitat. There and Wildlife Service. These included are over 6,000 acres of wetlands, the red-headed woodpecker, northern large blocks of forest habitat and vast flicker, acadian flycatcher, wood grasslands. Each of these unique areas thrush, blue-winged warbler, prairie is ideal habitat for a variety of birds. warbler, cerulean warbler, Kentucky For example, cerulean warblers may be warbler, field sparrow, grasshopper found nesting in the tops of the tallest sparrow, Henslow’s sparrow, eastern trees; Henslow’s sparrows will be seen meadowlark, and orchard oriole. singing in the grasslands and wood Yellow-throated ducks are often spotted paddling in the Hooded Species names and order are in Warbler, Merganser, ©Ron Austing ponded areas of the wetlands. accordance with the most recent ©Ron Austing American Ornithologists Union With over 120 species of birds nesting Checklist as amended. at Big Oaks and 200+ species of birds migrating through the refuge, Tools for Birding the opportunity to see a number of For your convenience, binoculars and birds is great. In addition to bird bird field guides are available for check watching on public use days, the out at the refuge office. refuge offers birding during several organized trips and participates in the This list was compiled with the help National Audubon Society’s annual of the refuge staff and members of Northern Parula, Christmas Bird Count (CBC). Golden the Big Oaks Conservation Society. ©Ron Austing eagles, bald eagles, short-eared Big Oaks offers special thanks to owls, and LeConte’s sparrows have George Terlinden for overseeing the been highlights of previous counts. grant for the printing of the brochure, Birding groups are encouraged to Great Blue the purchase of the binoculars and schedule tours with the refuge office Heron, field guides, and his persistence and to enjoy specialized visits to different ©Ron Austing expertise in creating this list. habitats available on the refuge during migration or the summer breeding Seasons period. Sp...... Spring...... March-May S...... Summer...... June-August A breeding bird survey is conducted F...... Fall...... September - November on the refuge periodically to sample W...... Winter...... December - February overall bird diversity. A total of 107 point counts are proportionately Relative Abundance distributed among major habitat types a.... abundant...... very numerous Scarlet Tanager, along routes of travel on the refuge. c..... common...... likely to be seen or heard in suitable ©Ron Austing The road-side survey was chosen ...... habitat because of the prevalence of closed u.... uncommon...... present, but not certain to be seen areas (no access areas) throughout o.... occasional...... seen only a few times during a season the refuge. These routes are the r..... rare...... may be present, but not every year basis for long-term monitoring of *.... Indicates birds known to nest, or have nested, on the bird populations on Big Oaks NWR...... refuge The refuge has also monitored over 1,200 bird nests of 41 species during extensive research on grassland and forest bird breeding ecology. Several of the species observed Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W Swans, Geese, & Ducks Bitterns & Herons Snow Goose...... r American Bittern...... o o Ross’s Goose...... r Least Bittern...... o o *Canada Goose...... c c c c *Great Blue Heron...... c c c u Mute Swan...... r r Great Egret...... u o u Trumpeter Swan...... r Snowy Egret...... r r r Tundra Swan...... r r r Little Blue Heron...... r r r *Wood Duck...... a a a c Cattle Egret...... r r Gadwall...... u u r *Green Heron...... c c u American Wigeon...... u u o Black-crowned Night-Heron ...... r r r American Black Duck...... u u o *Yellow-crowned Night-Heron...... u u u *Mallard...... c u c c *Blue-winged Teal...... c u c o Vultures, Hawks, & Falcons Northern Shoveler...... u u o *Black Vulture...... c c c o Northern Pintail...... o o r *Turkey Vulture...... c c c o Green-winged Teal...... u c u Osprey...... u u Ring-necked Duck...... c c u Bald Eagle...... o o o o Greater Scaup...... o o u *Northern Harrier...... u r c c Lesser Scaup...... o o u *Sharp-shinned Hawk...... u u u u Long-tailed Duck...... r *Cooper’s Hawk...... u u u u Bufflehead...... u u u Northern Goshawk...... r r r Common Goldeneye...... o o o *Red-shouldered Hawk...... c c c c *Hooded Merganser...... u o c o Broad-winged Hawk...... o r o Common Merganser...... o o o *Red-tailed Hawk...... c c c c Red-breasted Merganser...... o o Rough-legged Hawk...... u Ruddy Duck...... u u o Golden Eagle...... o o o *American Kestrel...... c c c c Grouse, Quail, & Turkey Merlin...... o o r *Northern Bobwhite...... c c c c Peregrine Falcon...... o o o Ring-necked Pheasant...... r r r r *Ruffed Grouse...... u u u u Rails & Coots *Wild Turkey...... c c c c Yellow Rail...... r r Black Rail...... r r r Loons *King Rail...... r r r Common Loon...... o r o o Virginia Rail...... u u *Sora...... u u u Grebes American Coot...... u o u *Pied-billed Grebe...... c u c o Horned Grebe...... o o Cranes Sandhill Crane...... r r r Cormorants Double-crested Cormorant...... c o c r Plovers & Sandpipers *Killdeer...... c c c o Spotted Sandpiper...... u o u Solitary Sandpiper...... u u Greater Yellowlegs...... u u Lesser Yellowlegs...... u u Marbled Godwit...... r r Dunlin...... r r Common Snipe...... u u *American Woodcock...... c u u o Northern Harrier, ©Ron Austing Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W Gulls & Terns Ring-billed Gull...... r

Pigeons & Doves *Rock Pigeon...... o o o o *Mourning Dove...... c c c c

Cuckoos *Yellow-billed Cuckoo...... u c c *Black-billed Cuckoo...... u u u

Owls Barn Owl...... r r r r *Eastern Screech-Owl...... c c c c *Great Horned Owl...... c c c c *Barred Owl...... c c c c Long-eared Owl...... o o *Short-eared Owl...... o r r o Northern Saw-whet Owl...... r u o

Goatsuckers *Common Nighthawk...... u o u *Chuck-will’s-widow...... r r *Whip-poor-will...... u c u

Swifts *Chimney Swift...... c c c

Hummingbirds *Ruby-throated Hummingbird...... c c c

Kingfishers *Belted Kingfisher...... c c c u

Woodpeckers *Red-headed Woodpecker...... c c c c *Red-bellied Woodpecker...... c c c c Yellow-bellied Sapsucker...... u u u *Downy Woodpecker...... c c c c *Hairy Woodpecker...... c c c c *Northern Flicker...... c c c c *Pileated Woodpecker...... c c c c

Flycatchers Olive-sided Flycatcher...... r r *Eastern Wood-Pewee...... c c c Yellow-bellied Flycatcher...... u u *Acadian Flycatcher...... c c c Alder Flycatcher...... r *Willow Flycatcher...... u c u Least Flycatcher...... u r u *Eastern Phoebe...... c c c Pileated Woodpecker, ©Ron Austing SpSp SS FF WW Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W *Great Crested Flycatcher...... c c c Kinglets & Gnatcatchers *Eastern Kingbird...... c c c Golden-crowned Kinglet...... u c c Ruby-crowned Kinglet...... u u r Shrikes *Blue-gray Gnatcatcher...... c c c *Loggerhead Shrike...... r r r Northern Shrike...... r Thrushes *Eastern Bluebird...... c c c c Vireos Veery...... u u *White-eyed Vireo...... c c c Gray-cheeked Thrush...... u u *Bell’s Vireo...... r r Swainson’s Thrush...... c c *Yellow-throated Vireo...... c c c Hermit Thrush...... c c o Blue-headed Vireo...... u o *Wood Thrush...... c c c *Warbling Vireo...... c c c *American Robin...... a a a c Philadelphia Vireo...... u u *Red-eyed Vireo...... c c c Mockingbirds & Thrashers *Gray Catbird...... c c c Crows & Jays *Northern Mockingbird...... c c c u *Blue Jay...... a a a a *Brown Thrasher...... c c c r *American Crow...... a a a a Starlings, Pipits & Waxwings Larks *European Starling...... c c c c *Horned Lark...... u u u u American Pipit...... o o *Cedar Waxwing...... c c c c Swallows *Purple Martin...... c c c Wood Warblers *Tree Swallow...... c c c *Blue-winged Warbler...... c c c *Northern Rough-winged Swallow....u u u Golden-winged Warbler...... r r *Bank Swallow...... o o o Tennessee Warbler...... c c Cliff Swallow...... r r r Orange-crowned Warbler...... o o *Barn Swallow...... c c c Nashville Warbler...... c c *Northern Parula...... c c c Chickadees & Titmice *Yellow Warbler...... u u u *Carolina Chickadee...... a a a a Chestnut-sided Warbler...... c r c Black-capped Chickadee...... r Magnolia Warbler...... c c *Tufted Titmouse...... a a a a Cape May Warbler...... u u Black-throated Blue Warbler...... u u Nuthatches Yellow-rumped Warbler...... c c u Red-breasted Nuthatch...... u u u Black-throated Green Warbler...... c r c *White-breasted Nuthatch...... c c c c Blackburnian Warbler...... u u *Yellow-throated Warbler...... c c u Creepers *Pine Warbler...... u u Brown Creeper...... u u u *Prairie Warbler...... c c u Palm Warbler...... c c Wrens Bay-breasted Warbler...... u c *Carolina Wren...... c c c c Blackpoll Warbler...... c c *House Wren...... c c u r *Cerulean Warbler...... c c u Winter Wren...... r r r *Black-and-white Warbler...... c r c *Sedge Wren...... u u u *American Redstart...... c r u Marsh Wren...... r r *Prothonotary Warbler...... u u u *Worm-eating Warbler...... o o o *Ovenbird...... c c c Northern Waterthrush...... r r Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W *Louisiana Waterthrush...... u u u Finches *Kentucky Warbler...... c c c Purple Finch...... u u u Connecticut Warbler...... o o *House Finch...... u u u u Mourning Warbler...... o o White-winged Crossbill...... r *Common Yellowthroat...... c c c Common Redpoll...... r *Hooded Warbler...... o o o Pine Siskin...... r Wilson’s Warbler...... u u *American Goldfinch...... c c c c Canada Warbler...... o o Evening Grosbeak...... r r *Yellow-breasted Chat...... c c c Old World Sparrows Sparrows *House Sparrow...... u u u u *Eastern Towhee...... c c c c American Tree Sparrow...... c c c *Chipping Sparrow...... c c c Clay-colored Sparrow...... r r *Field Sparrow...... c c c u Vesper Sparrow...... u o u o Extremely Rare or Incidentals Lark Sparrow...... r r r White Ibis Varied Thrush *Savannah Sparrow...... c o c r Glossy Ibis Swainson’s Warbler *Grasshopper Sparrow...... u u o Mississippi Kite Bachman’s Sparrow *Henslow’s Sparrow...... c c u Whooping Crane Nelson’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Sparrow...... r r r Willet Red Crossbill Fox Sparrow...... c c c *Song Sparrow...... c c c c Lincoln’s Sparrow...... u u r Swamp Sparrow...... c c c White-throated Sparrow...... c c c White-crowned Sparrow...... c c c Dark-eyed Junco...... c c c Lapland Longspur...... r Snow Bunting...... r

Tanagers *Summer Tanager...... c c u *Scarlet Tanager...... c c u

Cardinals & Grosbeaks *Northern Cardinal...... a a a a Rose-breasted Grosbeak...... c o c *Blue Grosbeak...... c c u *Indigo Bunting...... a a a *Dickcissel...... o o o

Blackbirds & Orioles Bobolink...... o r r *Red-winged Blackbird...... a a a u *Eastern Meadowlark...... a a a u Rusty Blackbird...... o o o Brewer’s Blackbird...... r r *Common Grackle...... a a a u *Brown-headed Cowbird...... a a c u *Orchard Oriole...... c c c *Baltimore Oriole...... c c c Kentucky Warbler, ©Ron Austing Please Report Unusual Sightings Sighting Notes If you see an unlisted or rare species, please send a detailed e-mail, including sighting notes, to: Date: [email protected], or bring your field notes into the refuge office. Time: Observers: If you found an injured bird, or other wildlife, please contact the Big Oaks NWR office at (812) 273-0783.

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