Wind Cave Birds

Yellow-breasted chats are vocal visitors to the park each summer and can be heard singing at night.

NPS Photo

Due to a blend of prairie and forest ecosystems, Wind Cave is home to many different species of birds. Over 100 species make the park their permanent home, with many more passing through the area during spring and fall migration. This makes the park a bird watching hotspot.

A printable bird list is available at the bottom of the page.

Northern flickers in Wind Cave have head markings of eastern birds but the wing and tail coloring of western birds.

NPS Photo / N. Lewis

East Meets West

The Black Hills are centrally located in the United States, so this means that birds typically seen on either the east or west sides of the country can also be found here. If you are from the west coast, the eastern bluebird or red-headed woodpecker might be an unusual sight. However, if you are visiting from the east coast, the black-billed magpie or golden eagle might stand out.

This meeting of east and west is well represented by the northern flicker, a woodpecker found across much of the US and Canada. These colorful birds look different on different sides of the US. On the west side of the country, males have a red “mustache stripe” and red wing and tail feathers. On the east side of the country, males have a black mustache stripe and yellow wing and tail feathers. At Wind Cave, male northern flickers usually have the black mustache stripe of an eastern bird but the orange or red feathers of a western bird.

The cryptic plumage of the sharp-tailed grouse allows them to blend in with their surroundings.

NPS Photo

From the Prairie...

Much of the park’s 33,000 acres are made up of prairie. The rolling grasslands of Wind Cave are a mix of both eastern tallgrass and western shortgrass prairie. Upon closer inspection, many birds make a living among the waving grasses. Western meadowlarks are a common sight and sound in the summer as they sing from tall perches. Both eastern and mountain bluebirds are often seen catching insects near fence lines. Ground birds like wild turkeys or the elusive sharp-tailed grouse may be seen wandering through the grass in flocks.

Colonies of prairie dogs provide food and habitat for many of the park’s birds. Prairie dogs are one of the favorite foods of several birds of prey including golden eagles and red-tailed hawks. Scavengers like turkey vultures and magpies often visit prairie dog towns to feed on dead prairie dogs. Burrowing owls return to the park each year and use prairie dog burrows to raise their chicks. These tiny owls blend in well with their four-legged neighbors.

Great horned owls vary in color from gray to brown and cinnamon.

NPS Photo / Neal Herbert

To the Forest...

The ponderosa pine forests that define the Black Hills provide habitat for birds that would not normally be found in the prairie. Owls like the great horned owl, long-eared owl, and northern saw-whet owl make their nests in trees and hunt for prey at night. Sometimes called “flying flames,” brightly colored western tanagers stay for the summer and feed on insects and fruit. Cedar waxwings are a common sight throughout the year.

The forest is also a haven for woodpeckers like the red-headed woodpecker and hairy woodpecker. If you are lucky, you may catch a glimpse of the black-backed woodpecker. Most of these birds are found in Canada but a small isolated population exists in the Black Hills.

House wrens are tiny summer visitors.

NPS Photo / Larry Putnam

...And Everywhere in Between

The areas around the Elk Mountain Campground and visitor center have more shrubs and underbrush than most other areas of the park. This attracts songbirds in large numbers. Many species of warbler including the common yellowthroat, yellow warbler, and the very vocal yellow-breasted chat are seen each year. Wrens and colorful orioles often make an appearance near the visitor center as well.

Wind Cave lacks large bodies of water, so water birds are fairly uncommon. However, during wet years, a seasonal pond near the intersection of Highway 385 and the southern end of the visitor center road may be sustained for days, weeks, or even months. When present, this pond becomes a welcome rest stop for waterfowl and migrating birds like ducks and geese.

By preserving and managing habitats within the park, Wind Cave National Park works to maintain this highly diverse bird community.

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Species attribute definitions

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