Birds of North Dakota Field Checklist, Part I

• Ab - ABUNDANT; a species that occurs in very large numbers and is easily observed.
• C - COMMON; a species that occurs in large numbers.
• F - FAIRLY COMMON; a species that occurs in moderate numbers.
• U - UNCOMMON; a species that occurs in low numbers.
• R - RARE; a species that occurs yearly somewhere in the state, but in very low numbers.
• O - OCCASIONAL; a rare species that occurs at intervals of 3 - 5 years.
• Ac - ACCIDENTAL; a species that is not expected to occur again or that occurs very infrequently. This classification includes species that have occurred in the state three or fewer times.
• E - EXTIRPATED; a species that formerly occurred naturally in the state.
• * - Breeds in North Dakota
• (i) - Inferred nesting species.

Red-throated loon

Ac

*Common loon

U

U

U

FAMILY PODICIPEDIDAE

*Pied-billed grebe

F

F

F

*Horned Grebe

F

F

F

*Red-necked grebe

U

F

U

*Eared grebe

C

C

C

*Western grebe

F

C

U

*Clark’s grebe

U

U

U

FAMILY PELECANIDAE

*American white pelican

U

C

U

Brown pelican

Ac

FAMILY PHALACROCORACIDAE

*Double-crested cormorant

F

F

F

FAMILY ARDEIDAE

*American bittern

F

F

F

*Least bittern

R

R

R

*Great blue heron

F

F

F

Great egret

R

R

U

Snowy egret

O

O

O

*Little blue heron

O

O

O

*Tricolored heron

O

O

O

*Cattle egret

R

R

R

*Green-backed heron

R

R

R

*Black-crowned night-heron

F

C

F

Yellow-crowned night-heron

O

O

FAMILY THRESKIORNITHIDAE

White ibis

Ac

*White-faced ibis

O

O

O

FAMILY CICONIIDAE

Wood stork

Ac

FAMILY ANATIDAE

Fulvous whistling-duck

Ac

Ac

*Tundra swan

C

C

*Trumpeter swan

E

Ac

Greater white-fronted goose

F

F

*Snow goose

Ab

O

Ab

R

Ross’ goose

R

R

Brant

O

O

*Canada goose

Ab

F

Ab

R

*Wood duck

U

F

F

*Green-winged teal

F

U

C

*American black duck

R

R

U

R

*Mallard

Ab

C

Ab

U

*Northern pintail

Ab

C

Ab

O

*Blue-winged teal

Ab

Ab

Ab

*Cinnamon teal

R

R

R

*Northern shoveler

C

C

C

*Gadwall

C

C

C

O

Eurasian wigeon

Ac

Ac

*American wigeon

C

U

C

R

*Canvasback

F

F

C

O

*Redhead

C

C

C

O

*Ring-necked duck

U

F

F

Greater scaup

R

U

*Lesser scaup

Ab

U

Ab

O

Common eider

Ac

Ac

Harlequin duck

Ac

Oldsquaw

R

R

O

Black scoter

R

R

Surf scoter

R

R

O

*White-winged scoter

R

E

E

*Common goldeneye

U

R

U

R

Barrow’s goldeneye

O

*Bufflehead

F

R

F

O

*Hooded merganser

U

F

U

*Common merganser

F

E

F

U

Red-breasted merganser

R

R

*Ruddy duck

C

C

C

FAMILY CATHARTIDAE

*Turkey Vulture

U

F

U

FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE

Subfamily Pandion

*Osprey

R

R

R

Subfamily Accipitrinae

American swallow-tailed kite

Ac

*Bald Eagle

U

R

U

R

*Northern harrier

C

F

C

R

*Sharp-shinned hawk

F

U

F

O

*Cooper’s hawk

U

U

U

O

*Northern goshawk

R

O

R

R

Red-shouldered hawk

O

O

O

*Broad-winged hawk

U

F

U

*Swainson’s hawk

C

C

C

*Red-tailed hawk

C

F

C

R

*Ferruginous hawk

F

C

F

Rough-legged hawk

F

F

R

*Golden eagle

F

F

F

F

FAMILY FALCONIDAE

*American kestrel

C

F

C

R

*Merlin

U

R

U

R

*Peregrine falcon

R

O

R

O

Gyrfalcon

O

O

O

*Prairie falcon

U

U

F

R

FAMILY PHASIANIDAE

Subfamily Phasianinae

*Gray partridge

C

C

C

C

*Ring-necked pheasant

C

C

C

C

Subfamily Tetraoninae

Willow ptarmigan

Ac

*Ruffed grouse

F

F

F

F

*Sage grouse

F

F

F

F

*Greater prairie-chicken

U

U

U

U

*Sharp-tailed grouse

C

C

C

C

Subfamily Meleagridinae

*Wild turkey

F

F

F

F

FAMILY RALLIDAE

*Yellow rail

R

R

R

(i)King rail

O

O

O

*Virginia rail

F

F

F

*Sora

C

C

C

*American coot

Ab

Ab

Ab

FAMILY GRUIDAE

*Sandhill crane

F

R

Ab

*Whooping crane

R

E

R

FAMILY CHARADRIIDAE

Black-bellied plover

U

U

Lesser golden plover

F

U

Semipalmated plover

F

F

*Piping plover

U

U

U

*Killdeer

C

C

C

Ac

*Mountain plover

E

E

E

FAMILY RECURVIROSTRIDAE

Black-necked stilt

O

O

*American avocet

C

C

C

FAMILY SCOLOPACIDAE

Subfamily Scolopacinae

Greater yellowlegs

F

F

Lesser yellowlegs

C

C

Solitary sandpiper

U

U

*Willet

F

F

U

*Spotted sandpiper

U

U

U

*Upland sandpiper

F

F

F

Eskimo curlew

E

E

Whimbrel

O

O

*Long-billed curlew

R

U

R

Hudsonian godwit

F

R

*Marbled godwit

F

F

U

Ruddy turnstone

U

R

Red knot

R

R

Sanderling

U

U

Semipalmated sandpiper

Ab

Ab

Western sandpiper

O

R

Least sandpiper

C

C

White-rumped sandpiper

Ab

R

Baird’s sandpiper

C

F

Pectoral sandpiper

C

F

Dunlin

U

U

Curlew sandpiper

Ac

Stilt sandpiper

F

C

Buff-breasted sandpiper

R

R

Ruff

Ac

Ac

Short-billed dowitcher

U

U

Long-billed dowitcher

C

C

*Common snipe

C

U

C

Ac

*American woodcock

R

R

R

Subfamily Phalaropinae

*Wilson’s phalarope

C

C

C

Red-necked phalarope

Ab

Ab

Red phalarope

O

O

O

FAMILY LARIDAE

Subfamily Stercorainae

Parasitic jaeger

Ac

Long-tailed jaeger

Ac

Ac

South polar skua

Ac

Subfamily Larinae

*Franklin’s gull

Ab

C

Ab

Bonaparte’s gull

F

F

*Ring-billed gull

C

C

C

R

*California gull

F

F

F

O

Herring gull

F

F

U

Thayer’s gull

O

O

O

Glaucous gull

R

U

R

Black-legged kittiwake

O

O

Sabine’s gull

O

Subfamily Sterninae

*Caspian tern

O

O

O

*Common tern

U

F

U

*Forster’s tern

U

F

U

*Least tern

R

R

R

*Black tern

C

C

Ab

FAMILY COLUMBIDAE

*Rock dove

C

C

C

C

*Mourning dove

Ab

C

Ab

R

FAMILY CUCULIDAE

*Black-billed cuckoo

F

F

U

*Yellow-billed cuckoo

R

R

R

FAMILY TYTONIDAE

*Common barn-owl

O

O

O

FAMILY STRIGIDAE

*Eastern screech-owl

U

U

U

U

*Great horned owl

F

F

F

F

Snowy owl

R

U

R

Northern hawk owl

O

O

O

*Burrowing owl

U

F

U

(i)Barred owl

R

R

R

R

Great gray owl

O

O

*Long-eared owl

R

U

R

R

*Short-eared owl

F

F

F

U

Boreal owl

O

O

(i)Northern saw-whet owl

R

O

R

R

FAMILY CAPRIMULGIDAE

Subfamily Chordelinae

*Common nighthawk

C

U

C

Subfamily Caprimulginae

(i)Poor-will

U

F

R

(i)Whip-poor-will

R

R

FAMILY APODIDAE

*Chimney swift

C

F

F

FAMILY TROCHILIDAE

*Ruby-throated hummingbird

U

F

F

FAMILY ALCEDINIDAE

*Belted kingfisher

F

F

F

R

FAMILY PICIDAE

Lewis’ woodpecker

Ac

Ac

*Red-headed woodpecker

F

F

F

*Red-bellied woodpecker

R

O

R

R

*Yellow-bellied sapsucker

U

F

U

*Downy woodpecker

F

F

F

F

*Hairy woodpecker

F

F

F

F

Black-backed woodpecker

O

O

*Northern flicker

C

C

C

R

*Pileated woodpecker

U

U

U

U

FAMILY TYRANNIDAE

Subfamily Fluvicolinae

Olive-sided flycatcher

U

U

(i)Western wood-pewee

U

U

U

*Eastern wood-pewee

C

C

C

Yellow-bellied flycatcher

U

U

*Alder flycatcher

R

R

R

*Willow flycatcher

F

F

F

*Least flycatcher

C

C

C

*Eastern phoebe

U

U

U

*Say’s phoebe

U

U

U

Subfamily Tyranninae

*Great crested flycatcher

F

F

F

*Western kingbird

C

C

Ab

*Eastern kingbird

C

C

Ab

Scissor-tailed flycatcher

Ac

Ac