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Iowa Bird Checklist - 419 Species

Current through 5/11/2008

Status codes are as follow:
R - Regular = seen every year or nearly every year, at least 8 of last 10 years (305 species).
C - Casual = seen many years but not all, at least 3 and less than 9 of last 10 years (24 species).
A - Accidental = seen once to several times, but less than 4 of last 10 years (86 species).
X - Extirpated = Gone from Iowa (2 species).
E - Extinct = Gone forever (2 species).
Please document any occurrence of a casual or accidental species.

Click on the species name for a popup photo and description, courtesy of eNature.com.  For a quick look at the counties where a species has been recorded, click on the map icon.

Counties Common Name Scientific Name Status
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis C
Bean Goose Anser fabalis A
Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons R
Snow Goose Anser caerulescens R
Ross's Goose Anser rossii R
Brant Branta bernicla C
Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii R
Canada Goose Branta canadensis R
Mute Swan Cygnus olor R
Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator R
Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus R
Wood Duck Aix sponsa R
Gadwall Anas strepera R
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope A
American Wigeon Anas americana R
American Black Duck Anas rubripes R
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos R
Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula A
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors R
Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera R
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata R
Northern Pintail Anas acuta R
Garganey Anas querquedula A
Green-winged Teal Anas crecca R
Canvasback Aythya valisineria R
Redhead Aythya americana R
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris R
Greater Scaup Aythya marila R
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis R
King Eider Somateria spectabilis A
Common Eider Somateria mollissima A
Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus A
Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata R
White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca R
Black Scoter Melanitta nigra R
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis R
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola R
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula R
Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica A
Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus R
Common Merganser Mergus merganser R
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator R
Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis R
Gray Partridge Perdix perdix R
Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus R
Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus R
Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus X
Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido R
Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo R
Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus R
Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata R
Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica R
Common Loon Gavia immer R
Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii A
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps R
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus R
Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena R
Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis R
Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis R
Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii C
American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos R
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis A
Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus A
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus R
Anhinga Anhinga anhinga A
Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens A
American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus R
Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis R
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias R
Great Egret Ardea alba R
Snowy Egret Egretta thula R
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea R
Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor A
Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens A
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis R
Green Heron Butorides virescens R
Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax R
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea R
White Ibis Eudocimus albus A
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus A
White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi R
Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja A
Wood Stork Mycteria americana A
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus A
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura R
Osprey Pandion haliaetus R
Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus A
Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis R
Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus R
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus R
Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus R
Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii R
Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis R
Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus R
Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus R
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni R
Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis R
Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis R
Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus R
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos R
Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway A
American Kestrel Falco sparverius R
Merlin Falco columbarius R
Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus A
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus R
Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus R
Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis R
Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis A
King Rail Rallus elegans C
Virginia Rail Rallus limicola R
Sora Porzana carolina R
Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica A
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus R
American Coot Fulica americana R
Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis R
Whooping Crane Grus americana A
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola R
American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica R
Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus C
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus R
Piping Plover Charadrius melodus R
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus R
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus R
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana R
Spotted Sandpiper Tringa macularia R
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria R
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca R
Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus R
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes R
Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda R
Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis X
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus C
Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus A
Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica R
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa R
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres R
Red Knot Calidris canutus R
Sanderling Calidris alba R
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla R
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri R
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla R
White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis R
Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii R
Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos R
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata A
Dunlin Calidris alpina R
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea A
Stilt Sandpiper Micropalama himantopus R
Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis R
Ruff Philomachus pugnax C
Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus R
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus R
Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata R
American Woodcock Scolopax minor R
Wilson's Phalarope Steganopus tricolor R
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus R
Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius C
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla C
Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan R
Little Gull Larus minutus C
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus R
Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia R
Mew Gull Larus canus C
Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris A
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis R
California Gull Larus californicus C
Herring Gull Larus argentatus R
Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri R
Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides C
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus R
Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus A
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus R
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus C
Sabine's Gull Xema sabini R
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla C
Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea A
Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea A
Least Tern Sterna antillarum R
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia R
Common Tern Sterna hirundo R
Black Tern Chlidonias niger R
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea A
Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri R
Royal Tern Sterna maxima A
Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus A
Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus A
Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus A
Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia A
Long-billed Murrelet Brachyramphus perdix A
Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus A
Rock Pigeon Columba livia R
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto R
White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica C
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura R
Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius E
Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina A
Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis E
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus R
Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus R
Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris A
Barn Owl Tyto alba R
Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio R
Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus R
Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus R
Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula A
Burrowing Owl Speotyto cunicularia C
Barred Owl Strix varia R
Great Gray Owl Strix nebulosa A
Long-eared Owl Asio otus R
Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus R