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Wildlife Notes

Long-billed curlew

Long-Billed Curlews

Long-billed curlews are one of the 13 shorebird species known to nest in North Dakota. Learn more about these neat little birds here.

Bluegill under water

Bluegill Spawn

Bluegill spawn late May and June when water temperatures near 22 C (71.6F). Large males build nests in colonies where they spawn and protect eggs. Some smaller males will mimic females to fertilize eggs instead of nest building and defense.

White-tailed doe (left), mule deer doe (right)

North Dakota Deer Species

North Dakota is home to two deer species, whitetail and mule deer. Learn more about their similarities and differences in this video.

River otter caught on trailcam

River Otters in North Dakota

River otters can be found in certain river corridors in North Dakota. Learn more about this species in this short video.

Rattlesnake

Prairie Rattlesnakes

Contrary to popular rumor, there are prairie rattlesnakes east of the Missouri River in North Dakota. Learn about one population in this video.

Yucca moth

Yucca Moths

Did you know that yucca moths are the yucca plant's only pollinator? Learn more here!

Wild turkey

Wild Turkey in North Dakota

Wild turkey, a popular upland game species in North Dakota, are not native to the state. Learn more in this Wildlife Notes post.

Ten-Petal Blazing Star

Ten-Petal Blazing Star

If you want to see one of the state’s most impressive wildflowers in full bloom, you need to know not only where to look, but when.

Weasel with white winter coat

Winter Camouflage

Did you know that North Dakota's two hare (white-tailed jackrabbits and snowshoe hares) and three weasel (long-tailed, short-tailed and least) species turn white in the winter.

Moose with bad case of winter ticks

Winter Ticks and Moose

Stories about ghost moose are being told with increased frequency across the southern portion of moose range in North America. Winter ticks are the cause.

Killdeer chicks

Newly Hatched Killdeer Chicks

Newly hatched killdeer chicks, while not the most graceful of creatures, are arguably one of the most adorable. These chicks were filmed in a gravel area right outside of one of the Department's offices.

Bison in badlands

Bison in North Dakota

Watch this short video for some facts on bison in North Dakota.

Eastern kingbird

Eastern Kingbird and Chitin Pellets

Eastern kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus), which can be found across North Dakota in the summer, feed primarily on insects during the breeding season. Like owls and some other birds, eastern kingbirds regurgitate pellets of indigestible prey parts, in this case insect chitin. Here is a series of photographs demonstrating this behavior (because we knew everyone would appreciate this visual to start your day out right!)

Tick waving front legs looking for dinner

Ticks

Ticks sit on the tips of vegetation with legs outstretched waiting for dinner to wander by. Learn more about one of North Dakota's least favorite insects here.

Black terns displaying fish flight courting

Black Tern Fish Flight

Black terns (Chlidonias niger) can be found across North Dakota during their breeding season. These birds do a courtship display called a Fish Flight. During a Fish Flight a male tern will catch and carry a fish or other larger food item in an attempt to attract a female. If he finds an interested female, he’ll feed her the item.
Coot chick with pare t

American Coots in North Dakota

American coots are a fairly common water bird in North Dakota. Check out this short video to learn more.

Richardson's ground squirrel

North Dakota Ground Squirrels

So is that ground squirrel you see in the North Dakota countryside a Flickertail or a Franklin's?

Plains spadefoot held in hand

Plains Spadefoot

The plains spadefoot (Spea bombifrons) is the most easily recognized toad in North Dakota. Its skin is smooth like that of a frog, and it has a distinct vertical pupil like that of a cat. Its color varies from a light cream, to gray or brown, and may have small orange spots.

Whooping cranes flying

Whooping Crane Migration

The whooping cranes that make their way through North Dakota each spring are part of a population of about 500 birds that are on their way from their wintering grounds at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas to their nesting grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, a distance of about 2,500 miles.

Channel catfish

Catfish Taste Receptors

Channel catfish are aptly nicknamed swimming tongues. Find out why in this Wildlife News post

Elk bugling

Elk Bugling

Department Upland Game Management Supervisor Jesse Kolar took this awesome video of a bull elk bugling in the badlands (Fall 2019).

Canada geese sitting in bald eagle nest

Canada Geese and Tree Nests

Did you know that Canada geese will sometimes appropriate old nests of tree nesting birds like eagles? How do the goslings get down from these nests? Find out here. 

Northern Hawk Owl in tree

Northern Hawk Owl

The northern hawk owl is a unique looking creature that can occasionally be found in North Dakota in the winter. 

Monarch butterfly crawling up leaf

Mimicry in the Wild

Is it a monarch butterfly or a viceroy? Viceroy, along with many other species, use mimicry to aide survival. Find out more in this post.

Pike with leopard coloration

Leopard Pike?

What is a leopard pike? Find out here!

American Bittern head from underneath

American Bittern Eyes

Did you know that the eyes on an American Bittern are set in their face so they can easily focus downward? Bittern eat a wide variety of prey like fish, insects, small reptiles and mammals which they use stalking behaviors to capture. 

White-faced ibis

Wading Birds in North Dakota

Many species of wading birds migrate through North Dakota. Some even breed here. Learn more in this short video.

Bigmouth buffalo (left), smallmouth buffalo (right)

Bigmouth and Smallmouth Buffalo

Bigmouth buffalo and smallmouth buffalo are members of the sucker family and both native to the Missouri River System in North Dakota.