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KodiakBirds |
Birds at Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Alaska. Published by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Kodiak
National Wildlife
Refuge and the
Kodiak Archipelago
Birds
Kodiak National
Wildlife Refuge was
established in 1941
to preserve and protect
the pristine habitat of
the brown bear and
Introduction
Kodiak is the largest island in the
Gulf of Alaska. A thirty mile span
of notoriously treacherous ocean,
Shelikof Strait, separates the island
from the Alaska mainland.
Spruce forest blankets lowlands in
the eastern third of the archipelago,
while to the west, tundra prevails. A
backbone of mountains rising to over
4,000 feet runs the length of Kodiak
Island. Over 1,000 miles of coastline
borders the Kodiak Refuge alone.
In winter the archipelago is
important to sea ducks and other
aquatic migratory birds whose
Emperor Geese
©Michael Quinton
other wildlife. The
Refuge comprises
more than two-thirds
of Kodiak Island and
a small portion of
Afognak Island.
combined populations number well
over a million birds. A wide variety
of upland and marine habitats, and
temperatures moderated by the Gulf
of Alaska, give Kodiak the greatest
diversity of wintering birds in
the State.
Summer brings nesting birds from
land and sea. Bank Swallows arrive
from South America and puffins fly
in from deep North Pacific waters.
Many nesting species are year-round
residents. While Kodiak is not in
a major migratory bird pathway,
a good variety of migrants can be
seen in small numbers.
This checklist contains 247 species
that have been recorded in the
archipelago. Most of these have
also been found on the Refuge.
A
Abundance
Codes
Bird names in
italics represent
birds recorded on
Kodiak National
Wildlife Refuge
Abundant, species is very
numerous in all proper habitat;
the region regularly hosts great
numbers of the species; sighting
likelihood excellent.
C Common, species occurs
regularly in most proper habitat;
sighting likelihood good.
u
Uncommon, species usually
present in relatively small
numbers, or higher numbers
unevenly distributed; sighting
likelihood fair.
R
Rare, species occurs regularly in
the region but in very small
numbers; sighting likelihood
fair to poor.
+ Species has been recorded
no more than a few times in
a season; usually occurs
singly; sighting
likelihood
very poor.
•
nesting confirmed in archipelago
___ divides families
Sp
S
F
W
Seasons
Spring, March-May
Summer, June-August
Fall, September-November
Winter, December -February
Common Name
Sp S F W
_____ Greater White-fronted Goose U + R
_____ Emperor Goose
c + u c
_____ Snow Goose
+ + +
_____ Brant
c r + +
_____ Cackling Goose
u r r +
_____ Canada Goose•
u u u u
_____ Trumpeter Swan
r + r +
_____ Tundra Swan•
u u u r
_____ Wood Duck
+
_____ Gadwall•
c u c c
_____ Eurasian Wigeon
u + r r
_____ American Wigeon•
c c c u
_____ Mallard•
a c a a
_____ Eastern Spot-billed Duck +
_____ Blue-winged Teal
++
_____ Cinnamon Teal
++
_____ Northern Shoveler
c r r +
_____ Northern Pintail•
a c u u
_____ Green-winged Teal•
c c c u
Common Name
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Red_____
breasted
Mergansers _____
©Rich MacIntosh _____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Canvasback
r r r
Redhead
r + r r
Ring-necked Duck
r + r r
Tufted Duck
r + + r
Greater Scaup•
a c a a
Lesser Scaup•
u r u u
Steller’s Eider
c + u c
Spectacled Eider
+ +
King Eider
c r u c
Common Eider•
u u u u
Harlequin Duck•
cccc
Surf Scoter
c u c c
White-winged Scoter
a c a a
Black Scoter•
a u a a
Long-tailed Duck
a r a a
Bufflehead
c+cc
Common Goldeneye
u r u u
Barrow’s Goldeneye•
c u c c
Smew
+ +
Hooded Merganser
++++
Common Merganser•
cccc
Red-breasted Merganser• c c c c
Willow Ptarmigan•
cccc
Rock Ptarmigan•
cccc
Red-throated Loon•
u u u r
Pacific Loon
r + c u
Common Loon•
cccc
Yellow-billed Loon
r + r r
Pied-billed Grebe +
Horned Grebe
c r c c
Red-necked Grebe•
u r u u
Laysan Albatross
u u u +
Black-footed Albatross
ccc+
Short-tailed Albatross
+ r r +
Northern Fulmar
a a a c
Mottled Petrel
u u u
Pink-footed Shearwater
+++
Flesh-footed Shearwater
++
Buller’s Shearwater
+ r r
Sooty Shearwater
a a c r
Short-tailed Shearwater
a a c r
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel• c c c u
Leach’s Storm-Petrel•
u u u
Sp S F W
Double-crested Cormorant• u u u u
Red-faced Cormorant•
u u u r
Pelagic Cormorant•
cccc
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
r + r r
++
Areas Included
Most of the Refuge
boundary follows the
mean high tide line,
largely excluding
marine waters and
offshore islets, as well
as land surrounding
the villages of Larsen
Bay, Karluk, Akhiok,
and Old Harbor.
For the purposes of
this list, the Kodiak
Archipelago includes
all islands from
Tugidak Island to
Shuyak Island and
marine waters from
the middle of Shelikof
Strait extending
eastward to the
continental shelf.
Common Name
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Osprey
+++
Bald Eagle•
cccc
Steller’s Sea-Eagle +
Northern Harrier
u r u r
Sharp-shinned Hawk
r u u r
Northern Goshawk•
u u u u
Red-tailed Hawk
+
Rough-legged Hawk•
u u u +
Golden Eagle•
u u u u
American Kestrel
++++
Merlin•
r u u r
Gyrfalcon•
r r r r
Peregrine Falcon•
u r u u
American Coot + +
Sandhill Crane
+++
Sp S F W
_____ Black-bellied Plover
u u u
_____ American Golden-Plover
+ +
_____ Pacific Golden-Plover
u r u
_____ Lesser Sand-Plover +
_____ Semipalmated Plover•
ccR
_____
Killdeer
+ +
_____
Black
Oystercatcher•
c
ccc
_____ Spotted Sandpiper•
r u r
_____ Solitary Sandpiper•
r
_____ Gray-tailed Tattler
+
_____ Wandering Tattler
c c u
_____ Greater Yellowlegs•
u c u
_____ Common Greenshank +
_____ Lesser Yellowlegs
r c r
_____ Upland Sandpiper +
_____ Whimbrel
u r r
Greater
+++
Yellowlegs _____ Bristle-thighed Curlew
©Milo Burcham
_____ Black-tailed Godwit +
_____ Hudsonian Godwit
++
_____ Bar-tailed Godwit
r + + +
_____ Marbled Godwit
r +
_____ Ruddy Turnstone
r r r
_____ Black Turnstone
u u u u
_____ Surfbird•
u u u u
_____ Red Knot
+++
_____ Sanderling
r r r +
_____ Semipalmated Sandpiper
+ r +
_____ Western Sandpiper
u c u
_____ Temminck’s Stint +
_____ Least Sandpiper•
c c r
_____ Baird’s Sandpiper
u r
_____ Pectoral Sandpiper
r u u
_____ Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
+ u +
_____ Rock Sandpiper•
c u c c
Common Name
Sp S F W
_____ Dunlin
u r u u
_____ Curlew Sandpiper +
_____ Stilt Sandpiper
r +
_____ Buff-breasted Sandpiper
r r
_____ Ruff
+++
_____ Short-billed Dowitcher•
u u r
_____ Long-billed Dowitcher
+ + r +
_____ Wilson’s Snipe•
c c c r
_____ Wilson’s Phalarope +
_____ Red-necked Phalarope•
u a u
_____
Red
Phalarope
u u u
_____ Black-legged Kittiwake•
a a a u
_____ Red-legged Kittiwake
++++
_____ Sabine’s Gull
u u u
_____ Bonaparte’s Gull
u u u +
_____ Black-headed Gull
++
_____ Franklin’s Gull
++
_____ Black-tailed Gull +
_____ Mew Gull•
c c a a
_____ Ring-billed Gull
+++
_____ Western Gull
+
_____ California Gull
+++
_____ Herring Gull
u r u r
_____ Iceland Gull
(inc. Thayer’s Gull)
r r r
_____ Lesser Black-backed Gull + +
_____ Slaty-backed Gull
+ + r +
_____ Glaucous-winged Gull•
a a a a
_____ Glaucous Gull
u + u u
_____ Great Black-backed Gull
+ +
_____ Aleutian Tern•
u u +
_____ Caspian Tern +
c c r
_____ Arctic Tern•
_____ South Polar Skua + +
_____ Pomarine Jaeger
u c c
_____ Parasitic Jaeger•
u c c
u u u
_____ Long-tailed Jaeger•
_____ Dovekie +
_____ Common Murre•
c c a a
_____ Thick-billed Murre•
r r r r
_____ Pigeon Guillemot•
cccc
Marbled
_____
Long-billed
Murrelet
+
Murrelet
Marbled Murrelet•
cccc
©Rich MacIntosh _____
_____ Kittlitz’s Murrelet•
r u r r
_____ Ancient Murrelet•
r u u r
_____ Cassin’s Auklet
r u u +
_____ Parakeet Auklet•
r r r +
_____ Least Auklet
++++
_____ Crested Auklet
++ c c
_____ Rhinoceros Auklet•
r u r r
Common Name
Sp S F W
_____ Horned Puffin•
c c c r
_____
Tufted
Puffin•
a a a r
_____ Mourning Dove + +
_____ Snowy Owl
++++
_____ Northern Hawk Owl•
r r r r
_____ Great Gray Owl +
_____ Short-eared Owl•
u u u r
_____ Boreal Owl•
u u u u
_____
Northern
Saw-whet
Owl
+
_____ Common Nighthawk +
_____ Costa’s Hummingbird + +
+ r r
_____ Rufous Hummingbird
_____
Belted
Kingfisher•
cccc
_____ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker +
_____ Red-breasted Sapsucker
++++
_____ Downy Woodpecker•
u u u u
_____ Hairy Woodpecker + + +
_____ American Three-toed
Woodpecker•
u u u u
_____ Northern Flicker +
_____ Olive-sided Flycatcher
+ +
_____ Say’s Phoebe +
_____ Eastern Kingbird +
u u u u
_____ Northern Shrike•
_____ Black-billed Magpie•
cccc
_____ Northwestern Crow•
cccc
_____
Common
Raven•
cccc
+ + +
_____ Horned Lark
_____ Tree Swallow•
c c r
_____ Violet-green Swallow•
c c r
_____ Bank Swallow•
u c r
_____ Cliff Swallow
r +
_____
Barn
Swallow
+ r
Winter
_____ Black-capped Chickadee• c c c c
Wren
©Steve Heinl
_____ Red-breasted Nuthatch•
cccc
_____ Brown Creeper•
u u u u
_____ Winter Wren•
cccc
_____ American Dipper•
cccc
_____ Golden-crowned Kinglet• c c c c
_____ Ruby-crowned Kinglet
r + r r
_____ Mountain Bluebird +
_____ Gray-cheeked Thrush•
r c +
_____ Swainson’s Thrush +
_____ Hermit Thrush•
a a c +
Common Name
Sp S F W
_____ American Robin
r r r r
c c c u
_____ Varied Thrush•
_____ European Starling
r r r
_____ Eastern Yellow Wagtail +
_____ American Pipit•
c c c r
_____ Bohemian Waxwing
+ r r
_____ Cedar Waxwing
+ r +
_____ Orange-crowned Warbler• c c r +
_____ Yellow Warbler•
U a u
_____ Yellow-rumped Warbler•
C c r +
_____
Townsend’s
Warbler
+++
Yellow
_____
Palm
Warbler
+
Warbler
©Ashok Khosla
_____ Blackpoll Warbler +
_____ Wilson’s Warbler•
C a u +
_____ American Tree Sparrow
u u u
_____ Savannah Sparrow•
a a c +
_____ Fox Sparrow•
a a c r
_____ Song Sparrow•
u u u u
_____ Lincoln’s Sparrow
+ + r r
_____ White-throated Sparrow + +
_____ Harris’s Sparrow
+ + +
_____ White-crowned Sparrow
r + r r
_____ Golden-crowned Sparrow• a a c r
_____ Dark-eyed Junco
u + u u
_____ Lapland Longspur•
a a c +
_____ Rustic Bunting +
_____ Snow Bunting•
u u u u
+ +
_____ McKay’s Bunting
_____ Black-headed Grosbeak +
_____ Red-winged Blackbird +
r r r
_____ Rusty Blackbird
_____ Brambling
+ + +
_____ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch• u u u u
_____ Pine Grosbeak•
cccc
_____ Red Crossbill•
u u u u
_____ White-winged Crossbill•
u u u u
_____ Common Redpoll•
cccc
_____ Hoary Redpoll
+ +
_____ Pine Siskin•
cccc
Golden-crowned
Sparrow
©Rich MacIntosh
Phylogenetic sequence and
English names of species follow
Check-list of North American Birds
(AOU 1998) and supplements.
You Can Help
Your bird observations can play
an important role in keeping
this checklist up to date. Please
submit trip lists or individual
records, including detailed notes or
photographs for unusual species to:
Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge
1390 Buskin River Road
Kodiak, AK 99615
1 888/408 3514 or 907/487 2600
kodiak@fws.gov
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
http://fws.gov
1 800/344 WILD
December 2009
Compiled by Richard MacIntosh
Arctic Tern
©Ashok Khosla