Birds

This resource is based on the following source: National Park Service. 1990. A checklist of the birds of Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.

For additional information on the projected future populations of birds in the park, read Birds and Climate Change: Chickasaw National Recreation Area

 

Although small in size, (less than 10,000 acres), Chickasaw National Recreation Area plays host to a remarkable number of birds. The east-west ecotone (where the hardwood forests meet the grasslands) the overlap of north and south, and the proximity to the central flyways provide more types of birds than are found in some larger areas.

Over 160 of the birds on this list have actually been sighted in the area. The rest are likely present at one time or another during the year but either haven't been sighted yet or the sightings haven't been reported. If visitors spot a unique or interesting bird, please let park staff know. These sightings help keep Chickasaw's species lists up-to-date.

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Abundance
a - Abundant: likely to be seen in large numbers in proper season and habitat
c - Common: frequently seen in small numbers in proper season and habitat
u - Uncommon: may be seen regularly in small numbers in proper season and habitat
o - Occasional: seen irregularly in small numbers, even in proper habitat
r - Rare: present irregularly in a portion of its habitat, seldom seen

Seasonal Occurrence
SR - Summer resident
PR - Permanent resident
WV - Winter visitor
M - Migrant

Habitat
This listing is for habitat where bird is most commonly found. If no habitat is listed, the bird is of widespread occurrence.

W - Water areas: lakes, ponds, streams, marshes
F - Forest: riparian and upland woods
B - Brush: forest edge, thickets, fencerows
P - Prairie: grasslands, pastures, cultivated fields
R - Riparian: deciduous vegetation along streams

 

Geese and Ducks	Occurrence	Habitat
Tundra Swan	rWV	W
White-fronted goose	rWV	W
Snow goose	cWV	W
Canada goose	cPR	W
Mallard	cPR	W
Pintail	cPR	W
Gadwall	cWV	W
American wigeon	cWV	W
Northern shoveler	cWV	W
Blue-winged teal	cPR	W
Green-winged teal	cWV	W
Cinnamon teal	oM	W
Wood duck	cPR	W
Redhead	cWV	W
American black duck	rWV	W
Canvasback	cWV	W
Lesser scaup	cWV	W
Common goldeneye	cWV	W
Bufflehead	cWV	W
Ruddy duck	cPR	W
Ring-necked duck	cWV	W
Red-breasted merganser	rWV	W
Hooded merganser	oWV	W
Common merganser	cWV	W

Vultures	Occurrence	Habitat
Black Vulture	oPR
Turkey Vulture	aPR

Hawks, Eagles, and Falcons	Occurrence	Habitat
Mississippi kite	cSR	FP
Goshawk	rWV	F
Cooper's hawk	oPR	F
Sharp-shinned hawk	cWV	FB
Northern harrier	cPR	P
Broad-winged hawk	cSR	F
Rough-legged hawk	cWV	P
Red-tailed hawk	cPR
Red-shouldered hawk	cPR	F
Swainson's hawk	cSR	P
Harris' hawk	rWV	P
Golden eagle	oPR
Bald eagle	uPR	WR
Osprey	uM	W
Peregrine falcon	rWV	FPW
Prairie falcon	uPR	P
American kestral	cPR	FBP
Merlin	rWV	FR

Turkey and Quail	Occurrence	Habitat
Northern bobwhite	cPR	FBP
Wild Turkey	cPR	FBP

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	Occurrence	Habitat
Great egret	cSR	W
Cattle egret	aSR	P
Great blue heron	aPR	W
Little blue heron	cSR	W
Green heron	aSR	W
Yellow-crowned night-heron	cSR	W
Black-crowned night-heron	cSR	W
Louisiana heron	rM	W
American bittern	uSR	W
Least bittern	uSR	W

Ibis	Occurrence	Habitat
White-faced ibis	uM	W

Cranes	Occurrence	Habitat
Sandhill crane	uWV	WP
Whooping crane	rM	WP

Coots and Rails	Occurrence	Habitat
American coot	aPR	W
King rail	rSR	W
Virginia rail	rSR	W
Sora	cSR	W
Purple gallinule	rSR	W
Common moorhen	uSR	W

Loons	Occurrence	Habitat
Common loon	uWV	W

Pelicans, Cormorants, and Anhinga	Occurrence	Habitat
White pelican	cM	W
Double-crested cormorant	cPR	W
Anhinga	rSR	W

Grebes	Occurrence	Habitat
Pied-billed grebe	cPR	W
Horned grebe	uWV	W
Eared grebe	cWV	W

Shorebirds	Occurrence	Habitat
Killdeer	cPR	PW
American woodcock	uPR	FW
Common snipe	cWV	W
Black-bellied plover	uM	PW
Lesser-golden plover	uM	PW
Semipalmated plover	cM	W
Wilson's phalarope	cM	W
Stilt sandpiper	cM	W
Pectoral sandpiper	cM	W
Baird's sandpiper	cM	W
Least sandpiper	cWV	W
White-rumped sandpiper	cM	W
Solitary sandpiper	cM	W
Spotted sandpiper	cSR	W
Semipalmated sandpiper	cM	W
Western sandpiper	cM	W
Long-billed dowitcher	cM	W
Greater yellowlegs	cM	W
Lesser yellowlegs	cM	W
Hudsonian godwit	uM	W
Marbled godwit	uM	W
American avocet	uM	W
Willet	uM	W
Dunlin	uM	W

Gulls and Terns	Occurrence	Habitat
Franklin's gull	cM	W
Ring-billed gull	cWV	W
Caspian tern	uM	W
Forster's tern	cM	W
Least tern	uM	W
Black tern	cM	W

Pigeons and Doves	Occurrence	Habitat
Mourning dove	cPR	FPB
Rock dove	cPR

Kingfishers	Occurrence	Habitat
Belted kingfisher	cPR	W

Owls	Occurrence	Habitat
Barn owl	uPR	F
Eastern screech owl	cPR	F
Great horned owl	cPR	FP
Barred owl	cPR	F
Long-eared owl	rPR	F
Short-eared owl	uWV	P

Cuckoos and Roadrunners	Occurrence	Habitat
Black-billed cuckoo	rSR	F
Yellow-billed cuckoo	cSR	FB
Greater Roadrunner	cPR	PBF

Goatsuckers	Occurrence	Habitat
Chuck-will's-widow	cSR	F
Common poorwill	uSR	PB
Common nighthawk	cSR

Swifts	Occurrence	Habitat
Chimney swift	cSR

Hummingbirds	Occurrence	Habitat
Ruby-throated hummingbird	cSR
Black-chinned hummingbird	rSR	B

Woodpeckers	Occurrrence	Habitat
Red-headed woodpecker	cPR	F
Red-bellied woodpecker	cPR	F
Yellow-bellied woodpecker	uWV	F
Ladder-backed woodpecker	uPR	FB
Hairy woodpecker	cPR	FB
Downy woodpecker	cPR	FB
Flicker	cPR	F
Pileated woodpecker	uPR	F

Flycatchers	Occurrence	Habitat
Scissor-tailed flycatcher	cSR	PB
Great-crested flycatcher	cSR	F
Acadian flycatcher	cSR	FW
Least flycatcher	cM	F
Olive-sided flycatcher	uM	F
Eastern kingbird	cSR	WFB
Western kingbird	cSR	PB
Eastern phoebe	cPR	FW
Eastern wood pewee	cSR	F

Larks	Occurrence	Habitat
Horned lark	cPR	P

Swallows	Occurrence	Habitat
Bank swallow	uSR	W
Barn swallow	cSR	WP
Tree swallow	uM	WP
Cliff swallow	cSR	WP
Rough-winged swallow	cSR	W
Purple martin	aSR	PW

Jays and Crows	Occurrence	Habitat
Blue jay	cPR
American crow	cPR

Chickadees and Titmice	Occurrence	Habitat
Carolina chickadee	aPR	FB
Tufted titmouse	aPR	FB

Nuthatches and Creepers	Occurrence	Habitat
White-breasted nuthatch	cPR	F
Red-breasted nuthatch	uWV	F
Brown creeper	cWV	F

Wrens	Occurrence	Habitat
House wren	cPR	FW
Carolina wren	cPR	F
Winter wren	uWV	FW
Bewick's wren	cPR	F
Rock wren	cPR	B
Sedge wren	uWV	WP
Marsh wren	uWV	W

Mockingbirds, Catbirds, and Thrashers	Occurrence	Habitat
Mockingbird	cPR	FB
Gray catbird	cSR	F
Brown thrasher	cPR	FB
Sage thrasher	uWV	B

Thrushes and Bluebirds	Occurrence	Habitat
American Robin	cPR	FB
Wood thrush	uSR	WF
Swainson's thrush	cM	F
Gray-cheeked thrush	uM	F
Hermit thrush	uWV	F
Townsend's solitaire	uWV	F
Veery	rM	F
Eastern bluebird	cPR	FB

Pipits	Occurrence	Habitat
American pipit	cWV	WP
Sprague's pipit	cWV	WP

Gnatcatchers and Kinglets	Occurrence	Habitat
Blue-grey gnatcatcher	cSR	F
Golden-crowned kinglet	uWV	F
Ruby-crowned kinglet	cWV	F

Waxwings	Occurrence	Habitat
Cedar waxwing	cWV	FB

Shrikes	Occurrence	Habitat
Loggerhead shrike	cPR	PB

Starlings	Occurrence	Habitat
European starling	cPR

Vireos	Occurrence	Habitat
Black-capped vireo	rSR	B
White-eyed vireo	cSR	FB
Solitary vireo	uM	F
Bell's vireo	cSR	B
Red-eyed vireo	cSR	F
Warbling vireo	cSR	F

Warblers	Occurrence	Habitat
Black-and-white warbler	cSR	F
Prothonotary warbler	cSR	WF
Nashville warbler	cM	F
Northern parula	cSR	F
Yellow warbler	cSR	F
Yellow-rumped warbler	cWV	F
Yellow-throated warbler	uSR	F
Blackpoll warbler	uM	F
Chesnut-sided warbler	uM	F
Orange-crowned warbler	cWV	F
Tennessee warbler	cM	F
Black-throated green warbler	uM	F
Wilson's warbler	cM	W
Worm-eating warbler	rSR	RW
Prairie warbler	cSR	F
Hooded warbler	uSR	RWB
Canada warbler	rM	F
Kentucky warbler	cSR	WF
American redstart	uSR	F
Ovenbird	uSR	F
Northern waterthrush	uM	WF
Louisianna waterthrush	cSR	WF
Common yellowthroat	cSR	W
Yellow-breasted chat	cSR	WFB

Blackbirds and Orioles	Occurrence	Habitat
Bobolink	uM	P
Red-winged blackbird	cPR	WB
Yellow-headed blackbird	uSR	WPB
Rusty blackbird	uWV	FW
Brewer's blackbird	cWV	FW
Great-tailed grackle	cPR	FW
Common grackle	cPR	FW
Brown-headed cowbird	cPR	FBP
Eastern meadowlark	cPR	PB
Western meadowlark	cPR	PB
Orchard oriole	cSR	F
Northern oriole	cSR	F

Tanagers	Occurrence	Habitat
Summer tanager	cSR	F
Scarlet tanager	uSR	F

Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings, and Towhees	Occurrence	Habitat
Cardinal	cPR	FB
Rose-breasted grosbeak	uSR	F
Blue grosbeak	cSR	FB
Indigo bunting	cSR	F
Painted bunting	cSR	FB
Dicksissel	cSR	BP
Rufous-sided towhee	cWV	FB

Finches and Siskins	Occurrence	Habitat
Purple finch	cWV	FB
Pine siskin	cWV	FB
American goldfinch	cPR	FB

Sparrows	Occurrence	Habitat
American tree sparrow	cWV	F
Chipping sparrow	cPR	F
Clay-colored sparrow	cM	B
Field sparrow	cPR	BP
Vesper sparrow	cWV	BP
Lark sparrow	cSR	BP
Savannah sparrow	cWV	BP
Grasshopper sparrow	cSR	BP
LeConte's sparrow	cWV	BP
Sharp-tailed sparrow	rM	W
Fox sparrow	uWV	F
Song sparrow	cWV	FBW
Lincoln's sparrow	cWV	FB
Swamp sparrow	uWV	WF
White-throated sparrow	uWV	FB
White-crowned sparrow	cWV	FB
Harris' sparrow	cWV	FB
Dark-eyed junco	cWV	FB
McCown's longspur	uWV	P
Lapland longspur	cWV	P
Chestnet-collared longspur	cWV	P
Rufous-sided sparrow	cPR	B

Weaver Finches	Occurrence	Habitat
House sparrow	cPR