Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 800 Seal Beach Blvd., Bldg. 226Seal Beach, CA 90740 Telephone: (562) 598-1024 Seal Beach U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge http://www.fws.gov Refuge Information 1-800-344-WILD Birdlist Front cover photo: Black Necked Stilt © Gary Meredith September 2007 "The Coming and going of the birds is more or less a mystery and a surprise. We go out in the morning, and no thrush or vireo is to be heard; we go out again, and every tree and grove is musical; yet again, and all is silent. Who saw them come? who saw them depart?" -John Burroughs, "Wake Robbin" Introduction Bird List Key

Seal Beach Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge Key to c - Common - species seen on NWR (NWR) was established in 1972 Habitats nearly every visit at the proper "to provide for the conservation, season, usually in good protection, and propagation of native numbers. ( >10 per day) species of fish and wildlife, including u - Uncommon - Present, but not migratory birds, that are threatened certain to be seen. with extinction.” Located within Naval ( <10 per day) Weapons Station Seal Beach, the o - Occasional - species not seen refuge is one of many successful on most visits, even at the partnerships for conserving wildlife proper season, but small between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife numbers can be expected Service and the U.S. Navy. It serves nearly every year with as a critical stopover for birds repeated searching. migrating along the Pacific Flyway r - Rare - species seen only and provides protection for resident sporadically, not annually birds that have endured a great deal of * - Species breeds or probably habitat loss within southern California breeds regularly. as well as the local area. (*) - Species breeds sporadically or bred formerly. The refuge is designated a “Globally x - Accidental or unusual Important Bird Area” by the American occurrence. Bird Conservancy and during winter - Found on neighboring lands of months has one of the highest Seal Beach Naval Weapons concentrations of raptors anywhere Station and not on Refuge. in the U.S.. More than 200 species of birds can be found within the refuge The Current breeding status of and on adjoining Navy lands including many species is uncertain, requiring the endangered light-footed clapper ongoing surveys. rail, CA least tern, CA brown pelican, and Belding’s Savannah Sparrow. Seasons Sp - Spring, March through May S - Summer, June through August F - Fall, September through October W - Winter, November through February

Light-footed Clapper Rail California Least Terns © Shari Erickson Ken Morris/USFWS Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W

Loons Bitterns,Herons, and Egrets Pacific Loon r American Bittern r r o Red-throated Loon r Great Blue Heron* c c c c Common Loon r r r Great Egret c c c c Snowy Egret c c c c Grebes Little Blue Heron x x Pied-billed Grebe c r c c Cattle Egret r r r Eared Grebe u u c Tricolored Heron x x Horned Grebe u Reddish Egret x x x Red-necked Grebe x Green Heron r r Western Grebe c u c Black- crowned Night-Heron u u u u Clark's Grebe r r u Ibis Pelicans White-faced Ibis r r r o White Pelican u Brown Pelican c o c c Vulture Turkey Vulture u u u u Cormorants Double-crested Cormorant u o c c Waterfowl Brandt's Cormorant r r Mute Swan x x x Pelagic Cormorant r r Tundra Swan x Ross' Goose o Snow Goose o Canada Goose c c Cackling Goose o o White- fronted Goose o Brant u r u u Mallard * c c c c Northern Pintail u c Green- winged Teal u u Gadwall * r r r r Eurasian Wigeon r American Wigeon c c Redhead o Canvasback o Northern Shoveler c c Blue- winged Teal u u Cinnamon Teal u u Ring- necked Duck r Snowy Egret Lesser Scaup c c © Tim Anderson Greater Scaup r r Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W

Waterfowl (cont.) Rails Long- tailed Duck x x Clapper Rail * u u u u Surf Scoter u u Virginia Rail x Common Goldeneye r r Sora r r r Bufflehead u u American Coot u c c Hooded Merganser r r r Red- breasted Merganser u u Plovers Common Merganser x x Black-bellied Plover c u c c Ruddy Duck u u c Pacific Golden-Plover r o o Snowy Plover r r Raptors Mountain Plover r Osprey u r u u Semipalmated Plover u u u White- tailed Kite r r r Killdeer* c u c c Bald Eagle r Northern Harrier o r o u Oystercatchers Sharp- shinned Hawk r r r Black Oystercatcher r r r Cooper's Hawk o r o o Red- shouldered Hawk x x Stilts Swainson's Hawk x Black- necked Stilt * u u r o Red- tailed Hawk * c u c c American Avocet * u r u u Ferruginous Hawk r Shorebirds Golden Eagle r Greater Yellowlegs u u u American Kestrel * u r u u Lesser Yellowlegs r r x Merlin r o Willet c c c c Peregrine Falcon o r o o Wandering Tattler r r Prairie Falcon r Spotted Sandpiper r r Whimbrel o o u Long- billed Curlew u r u c Light-footed Clapper Rail Marbled Godwit c o c c © Tim Anderson Ruddy Turnstone u u u

Black Bellied Plover © Gary Meredith Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W

Shorebirds (cont.) Terns Black Turnstone r Caspian Tern u u u u Surfbird r Royal Tern r u u Red Knot o o o Elegant Tern c o r Pectoral Sandpiper r Common Tern x Western Sandpiper c o c c Forster's Tern * c c c c Least Sandpiper c o c c Least Tern * c c Baird's Sandpiper x Black Tern x x Dunlin u u c Black Skimmer * u o u o Stilt Sandpiper x Sanderling r Pigeons, Doves Ruff x Rock Pigeon u u u u Short- billed Dowitcher c o c c Mourning Dove * c c c c Long- billed Dowitcher u r u u Spotted Dove r x Common Snipe o Common Ground-dove x Wilson's Phalrope o o Owls Red- necked Phalarope o o Barn Owl * u u u u Red Phalarope x Great- horned Owl * o o o o Short- eared Owl o Gulls Burrowing Owl * o o o o Bonaparte's Gull r Heerman's Gull r Goatsuckers Ring- billed Gull c u c c Lesser Nighthawk x x California Gull u u c Herring Gull r Swifts Western Gull u o u c White- throated Swift r r Glaucous- winged Gull o Glaucous Gull x Hummingbirds Black-chinned Hummingbird x Anna's Hummingbird * o o o o Costa's Hummingbird x Rufous Hummingbird x Allen's Hummingbird r r

Kingfisher Belted Kingfisher u u u

Woodpecker Red-breasted Sapsucker x Downy Woodpecker x Northern Flicker o Least Tern ©Tim Anderson Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W

Flycatchers Bluebirds, Thrushes Western Wood-Pewee r Western Bluebird * r Hammond's Flycatcher r Mountain Bluebird x Pacific Slope Flycatcher r Hermit Thrush r r Black Phoebe * o o o o American Robin x x Say's Phoebe * o r o u Ash- throated Flycatcher o Mimics Western Kingbird * o o Northern Mockingbird * u u u u Cassin's Kingbird r u u Sage Thrasher r r

Lark Waxwings Horned Lark* u u u u Cedar Waxwing x x

Swallows Shrike * Violet-green Swallow r Loggerhead Shrike* r r r r Northern Rough-winged Swallow o r Cliff Swallow * c c r Starling Barn Swallow * c c r r European Starling * c c c c Tree Swallow o Vireo Pipit Warbling Vireo r American Pipit o o o u Warblers Corvids Orange- crowned Warbler r r Western Scrub-Jay x Nashville Warbler r American Crow u u u u Yellow Warbler r Common Raven* o o o o Yellow- rumped Warbler o o u Black- throated Gray Warbler r Bushtit Townsend's Warbler r Bushtit* o o o o Hermit Warbler r

Wrens Rock Wren r r Belding's Savannah Sparrow Bewick's Wren x ©Tim Anderson House Wren r r Marsh Wren o o u

Kinglet, Gnatcatcher Ruby- crowned Kinglet r r Blue- gray Gnatcatcher r r Common Name Sp S F W Common Name Sp S F W

Warblers (cont.) Common Yellowthroat * o o u Wilson's Warbler r Finches House Finch * c c c c Tanagers American Goldfinch u u u u Western Tanager r Lesser Goldfinch o o o

Grosbeaks Weavers Black- headed Grosbeak r House Sparrow * o o o o Blue Grosbeak o r Orange Bishop u u u u Lazuli Bunting x

Towhees, Sparrows Green- tailed Towhee x Notes: ______Spotted Towhee r r California Towhee x x ______Chipping Sparrow r Lark Sparrow r ______Lincoln Sparrow o Savannah Sparrow o o u ______Savannah Sparrow (Belding's) * c c c c Savannah Sparrow (Large-billed) o u ______Nelson's Sharp- tailed Spar. r o Fox Sparrow x ______Song Sparrow * o o o o White- crowned Sparrow u u c Golden- crowned Sparrow r ______Lapland Longspur x House Sparrow u u u u ______

Icterids ______Red- winged Blackbird * c c o u Tricolored Blackbird x ______Western Meadowlark * u u u u Yellow- headed Blackbird x x Brewer's Blackbird r r ______Brown- headed Cowbird r r Bullock's Oriole r ______Hooded Oriole * r r ______

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