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Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition 2009) by Paul Johnsgard Papers in the Biological Sciences

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Birds of the Great Plains (Revised Edition 2009) by Paul Johnsgard Papers in the Biological Sciences University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Birds of the Great Plains (Revised edition 2009) by Paul Johnsgard Papers in the Biological Sciences 2009 Birds of the Great Plains: Frontmatter, Contents, Preface, Introduction Paul A. Johnsgard University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscibirdsgreatplains Part of the Ornithology Commons Johnsgard, Paul A., "Birds of the Great Plains: Frontmatter, Contents, Preface, Introduction" (2009). Birds of the Great Plains (Revised edition 2009) by Paul Johnsgard. 5. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscibirdsgreatplains/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Papers in the Biological Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Birds of the Great Plains (Revised edition 2009) by Paul Johnsgard by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. REVISED EDITION This book is the first to describe systematically all of the species of birds known to have bred or to breed at present in the Great Plains, a major ecological unit that encompasses all or part of part of eleven states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Although the original Great Plains ecosystem—the grassland biome—has been greatly altered by modem agriculture, remnants still exist in national and state parks, grasslands, and refuges, as well as in ru- ral cemeteries, railroad rights-of-way, and small nature reserves. These areas support populations of nearly all the original and introduced birdlife—approx- imately 320 species—of the Great Plains. Emphasizing breeding status, or abundance, and distribution, the book is intended to serve as a predictive guide to birds that are likely to breed in a given locality; to aid in the location and identification of nests; to provide a nucleus of information on the species’ ecology and behavior, particularly as it relates to breeding; and to furnish detailed information about the distribu- tion of each species. The individual species accounts discuss breeding status by states or regions of the Great Plains; typical breeding habitat; nest loca- tion and description; clutch size and incubation period; time of breeding; and breeding biology (for example, displays and calls, territoriality, division of la- bor, and fledging period). Range maps are included for all of the non-extinct species (more than 300), and an appendix lists public-access bird-finding ar- eas (primarily state and federal sanctuaries) where most of the species can be observed. In addition, for most of those areas, a list of all the species known to breed within their boundaries is presented as an aid to readers in determin- ing where to go to see particular species. The text is supplemented by an introduction providing contextual informa- tion on Great Plains geology, geography, climate, and ecology as they relate to the birdlife, and by an extensive bibliography and guide to further reading. There are thirty color photographs as well as drawings of representative spe- cies of each of the 53 families included in the book. This “Revised Edition” (2009) contains new range maps for many species, a new essay “Three Decades of Change in Great Plains Birds,” and an updated bibliography of breeding bird surveys and state, regional, national, and spe- cies references. BIRDS OF THE GREAT PLAINS Birds of the Great Plains Breeding Species and Their Distribution New Expanded Edition Paul A. Johnsgard University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries Lincoln, Nebraska 2009 Copyright © 1979 by the University of Nebraska Press. Revised edition and electronic version copyright © 2009 Paul A. Johnsgard. For Sarah, who wants to be an ornithologist CONTENTS List of Illustrations xvii List of Tables xviii Preface xix Introduction xxiii Three Decades of Change in Great Plains Birds: A 2009 Supplement to The Birds of the Great Plains: Breeding Species and Their Distribution xlix Family Gaviidae (Loons) Common Loon 3 Family Podicipedidae (Grebes) Red-necked Grebe 7 Horned Grebe 8 Eared Grebe 8 Western Grebe 10 Pied-billed Grebe 11 Family Pelecanidae (Pelicans) White Pelican (American White Pelican) 15 Family Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants) Double-crested Cormorant 19 Family Anhingidae (Anhingas) Anhinga 23 Family Ardeidae (Herons and Bitterns) Great Blue Heron 27 Northern Green Heron 28 Little Blue Heron 29 Cattle Egret 30 Great Egret (Common Egret) 31 Snowy Egret 32 Tricolored Heron (Louisiana Heron) 33 Black-crowned Night Heron 34 Yellow-crowned Night Heron 35 Least Bittern 36 American Bittern 37 Family Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills) White-faced Ibis 41 Family Anatidae (Swans, Geese, and Ducks) Trumpeter Swan 45 Canada Goose 46 Fulvous Whistling Duck (Fulvous Tree Duck) 47 Common Mallard 48 Mottled Mallard (Mottled Duck) 49 Black Duck (American Black Duck) 50 Gadwall 51 Northern Pintail (Common Pintail) 52 Green-winged Teal 53 Blue-winged Teal 54 Cinnamon Teal 55 American Wigeon (Baldpate) 56 Northern Shoveler 57 Wood Duck 58 Redhead 59 Ring-necked Duck 60 Canvasback 61 Lesser Scaup 62 Common Goldeneye 63 Bufflehead 64 White-winged Scoter 65 Ruddy Duck 66 Hooded Merganser 67 Common Merganser 69 Family Cathartidae (American Vultures) Turkey Vulture 73 Black Vulture 74 Family Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Harriers) White-tailed Kite 77 Swallow-tailed Kite 78 Mississippi Kite 79 Goshawk 80 Sharp-shinned Hawk 81 Cooper Hawk 82 Red-tailed Hawk 83 Red-shouldered Hawk 84 Broad-winged Hawk 85 Swainson Hawk 86 Ferruginous Hawk 87 Harris Hawk 88 Golden Eagle 89 Bald Eagle 91 Marsh Hawk 92 Family Pandionidae (Ospreys) Osprey 97 Family Falconidae (Caracaras and Falcons) Prairie Falcon 101 Peregrine Falcon 102 Merlin (Pigeon Hawk) 103 American Kestrel (Sparrow Hawk) 104 Family Tetraonidae (Grouse and Ptarmigan) Blue Grouse 109 Spruce Grouse 110 Ruffed Grouse III Pinnated Grouse (Greater and Lesser Prairie Chickens) 112 Sharp-tailed Grouse 113 Sage Grouse 114 Family Phasianidae (Quails, Pheasants, and Partridges) Bobwhite 119 Scaled Quail 120 Ring-necked Pheasant 121 Gray Partridge 122 Family Meleagrididae (Turkeys) Wild Turkey 125 Family Gruidae (Cranes) Whooping Crane 129 Greater Sandhill Crane 129 Family Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) King Rail 133 Virginia Rail 134 Sora 135 Yellow Rail 136 Black Rail 137 Purple Gallinule 138 Common Gallinule (Moorhen) 139 American Coot 140 Family Charadriidae (Plovers, Turnstones, and Surtbirds) Piping Plover 145 Snowy Plover 146 Killdeer 147 Mountain Plover 148 Family Scolopacidae (Woodcocks, Snipes, and Sandpipers) American Woodcock 153 Common Snipe (Wilson Snipe) 154 Long-billed Curlew 155 Upland Sandpiper (Upland Plover) 156 Spotted Sandpiper 157 Willet 158 Marbled Godwit 160 Family Recurvirostridae (Avocets and Stilts) American Avocet 163 Black-necked Stilt 164 Family Phalaropodidae (Phalaropes) Wilson Phalarope 169 Family Laridae (Gulls and Terns) California Gull 173 Ring-billed Gull 174 Franklin Gull 175 Forster Tern 176 Common Tern 177 Least Tern (Little Tern) 178 Caspian Tern 179 Black Tern 180 Family Columbidae (Pigeons and Doves) Rock Dove (Domestic Pigeon) 185 Mourning Dove 186 Family Cuculidae (Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis) Yellow -billed Cuckoo 189 Black-billed Cuckoo 190 Roadrunner 191 Family Tytonidae (Barn Owls) Bam Owl 195 Family Strigidae (Typical Owls) Screech Owl 199 Great Horned Owl 200 Burrowing Owl 201 Barred Owl 202 Great Gray Owl 203 Long-eared Owl 204 Short-eared Owl 205 Saw-whet Owl 206 Family Caprimulgidae (Goatsuckers) Chuck-will's-widow 211 Whip-poor-will 212 Poor-will 213 Common Nighthawk 214 Family Apodidae (Swifts) Chimney Swift 217 White-throated Swift 218 Family Trochilidae (Hummingbirds) Ruby-throated Hummingbird 221 Broad-tailed Hummingbird 222 Family Alcedinidae (Kingfishers) Belted Kingfisher 227 Family Picidae (Woodpeckers) Common Flicker (Yellow-shafted and Red-shafted Flickers) 231 Pileated Woodpecker 232 Red-bellied Woodpecker 233 Golden -fronted Woodpecker 234 Red-headed Woodpecker 235 Lewis Woodpecker 236 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 237 Hairy Woodpecker 238 Downy Woodpecker 239 Ladder-backed Woodpecker 240 Red-cockaded Woodpecker 241 Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker 242 Northern Three-toed Woodpecker 243 Family Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers) Eastern Kingbird 247 Western Kingbird 248 Cassin Kingbird 249 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 250 Great Crested Flycatcher (Crested Flycatcher) 251 Ash-throated Flycatcher 252 Eastern Phoebe 253 Say Phoebe 254 Acadian Flycatcher 255 Willow Flycatcher (Traill Flycatcher) 256 Least Fl ycatcher 257 Dusky Flycatcher 258 Western Flycatcher 259 Eastern Wood Pewee 260 Western Wood Pewee 261 Olive-sided Flycatcher 262 Vermilion Flycatcher 263 Family Alaudidae (Larks) Homed Lark 267 Family Hirundinidae (Swallows) Violet-green Swallow 271 Tree Swallow 271 Bank Swallow 273 Rough-winged Swallow 274 Bam Swallow 275 Cliff Swallow 276 Purple Martin 277 Family Corvidae (Jays, Magpies, and Crows) Gray Jay (Canada Jay) 281 Blue Jay 282 Steller Jay 283 Scrub Jay 283 Black-billed Magpie 285 Common Raven 286 White-necked Raven 287 American Crow (Common Crow) 288 Fish Crow 289 Pinyon Jay 290 Family Paridae (Titmice, Verdins, and Bushtits) Black-capped Chickadee 293 Carolina Chickadee 294 Boreal Chickadee (Brown-capped Chickadee) 295 Tufted Titmouse 296 Black-crested Titmouse 297 Plain Titmouse 298 Verdin 299 Bushtit 300 Family Sittidae (Nuthatches)
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