Birds

Northwest Passage LTD/Devante

The St. Croix and Namekagon rivers serve as an "ecological corridor" supporting a superb richness of habitats for birds. Here are some reasons why.

Biological Communities Converge Here

Three major communities—the northern coniferous forest, the eastern deciduous forest, and pockets of prairie—overlap and intertwine along the Riverway. The topography and wet and dry riverine areas, plus relatively unbroken stretches of riverside forests, make this an important refuge for birds and other animals.

There are a large number of birds whose range ends within the Riverway.
For example, the prothonotary warbler's northern range extends to the St. Croix Falls dam but rarely is this bird seen north of there. Many warbler species typical of northern coniferous forests are seen on the Namekagon River but are rarely seen except during migration on the southern reaches of the St. Croix.

The North-South Orientation of the Riverway

Birds follow natural river landmarks during spring and fall migration. Riverside forests are good places for many species to replenish themselves on their way north or south. River bluffs provide warm air currents or thermals providing advantages for soaring migrants such as hawks, eagles, and vultures.

Neotropical species are the long distance migrants that spend Midwest winters in places south of the United States. Because of important connections between Costa Rican national parks on the Osa Peninsula and Upper Midwest national parks, including the Riverway, a "sister park" agreement exists to coordinate public awareness, education, and protection of these areas.

 

×

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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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.

×

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.

Select a Park:

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.