Bill Williams River

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Birds Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge Birding at Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge Created in 1941 as part of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge encompasses approximately 6,000 acres along the Bill Williams and Lower Colorado Rivers. The four major areas of the refuge include the open waters of an arm of Lake Havasu, the Delta Marsh, riparian woodlands along the Bill Williams River, and surrounding upland deserts with dramatic cliffs. The refuge contains the largest remaining nativevegetation dominated riparian forest along the Lower Colorado River and the only one that is still flood re-generated. Due to the location of the refuge and its rich habitat diversity, it is an important breeding, wintering, and migratory stopover point for birds, as well as providing habitat for many other wildlife species. The 353 bird species are listed in accordance with the 7th edition A.O.U. checklist and the 2012 supplement. If you should find an unlisted or rare species during your visit, please contact the Refuge staff and provide a description on the form on the last page. Seasonal status and abundance categories are to be considered as guides and should not be viewed as hard seasonal dates because birds and migration are dynamic and do not follow the calendar definitions of spring and fall. Summer status indicated for many nonbreeding species of shorebirds, terns, flycatchers, vireos, swallows, warblers, tanagers, and grosbeaks actually refers to early fall migration, which begins in July and August for these groups. As landscapes change due to human activities and natural processes, species populations and distributions must change as well. Over time, species may become locally absent (extirpated), restored, newly arrived, endangered, or even extinct. Some have always been rare on the Lower Colorado River. On the Bill Williams River NWR, species once common but now absent or rare include Vermilion flycatcher. wood storks, wood ducks, and vermillion flycatchers. Species that have recently arrived include Eurasian collared doves, indigo buntings, and northern cardinals. Many riparian obligate species that have declined in most areas of the southwest due to habitat changes remain common on the Bill Williams River where their habitat has been restored. We manage habitat to help recover endangered species as well as declining species including many riparian forest birds such as the yellow-billed cuckoo and summer tanager. Data for this list are based on Rosenberg, K.V., R.D. Ohmart. W.C. Hunter and B.W. Anderson, 1991, Birds of the Lower Colorado River. University of Arizona Press; Corman, T. E. and C. Wise-Gervais (eds), Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas, 2005. University New Mexico Press., Audubon Christmas Bird Count http:// birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count; ebird http://ebird.org/content/ebird/; and refuge records. How to use your checklist Symbols used in this list are as follows: Occurrence Sp - Spring - period of spring migration (depending on species) from mid- February to early June. S - Summer - June to August. F - Fall - period of fall migration (depending on species) from mid-July to November. W - Winter - December to February. Abundance A - Abundant. A very numerous species. C - Common. Certain to be seen in suitable habitats. U - Uncommon. Present, not certain to be seen. O - Occasional. Seen few times during a season. R - Rare. Seen at intervals of 2 to 5 years. X - Accidental. Fewer than 3 records; vagrants outside their usual range. * Confirmed nester. ** Possible nester. Italicized bird names indicate threatened or endangered species. Sp S F W Ducks, Geese and Swans Gr. White-fronted Goose u r Snow Goose u u Ross’s Goose r r Brant x Canada Goose u u u Trumpeter Swan x Tundra Swan x x Wood Duck (*historical) r r r r Gadwall u x u u Eurasian Wigeon x American Wigeon u x c u Mallard * c c c c Blue-winged Teal u o u o Cinnamon Teal * u o u o Northern Shoveler u o u u Northern Pintail u o u u Green-winged Teal u o u u Canvasback u u c Redhead u r u u Ring-necked Duck c c c Greater Scaup c u c Lesser Scaup u u u Surf Scoter o o o White-winged Scoter o r r o Black Scoter x x x Long-tailed Duck x x x Bufflehead u u c Common Goldeneye c c c Barrow’s Goldeneye u u u Hooded Merganser r r Common Merganser c u c Red-breasted Merganser u u u Ruddy Duck c u c c New World Quail Gambel’s Quail * c c c c Loons Red-throated Loon x x x Pacific Loon o x o o Common Loon u o u Yellow-billed Loon x x x Western grebe with chick. Sp S F W Grebes Pied-billed Grebe * c c c c Horned Grebe o o u Red-necked Grebe x x Eared Grebe u o u u Western Grebe * c c c c Clark’s Grebe * c c c c Storks Wood Stork (historical) c c c c Frigatebirds Magnificent Frigatebird x x Boobys Blue-footed Booby x Brown Booby x Cormorants Neotropic Cormorant r r r r Double-cr. Cormorant * c c c c Pelicans American White Pelican o x o r Brown Pelican x r r r Herons, Bitterns, and Allies American Bittern ** x x x r Least Bittern * u u u o Great Blue Heron * c c c c Great Egret * c c c c Snowy Egret * u u u c Little Blue Heron x x Reddish Egret x Cattle Egret x x x r Green Heron * u u u u Black-cr. Night-Heron * u u u u Ibis and Spoonbills White-faced Ibis o r o r Roseate Spoonbill (historical) x Vultures Turkey Vulture * c c c u California Condor x Bald eagle nesting. Sp S F W Hawks, Kites, Eagles and Allies Osprey r r r o Mississippi Kite x Bald Eagle * r r r u Northern Harrier u u u Sharp-shinned Hawk u u u Cooper’s Hawk * u o u u Common Black-Hawk ** r r r Harris’s Hawk x x Red-shouldered Hawk x x Broad-winged Hawk x x Swainson’s Hawk r x Zone-tailed Hawk ** r r Red-tailed Hawk * c c c c Ferruginous Hawk x x Rough-legged Hawk x Golden Eagle x x x Rails, Gallinules and Coots Black Rail * u u o o Clapper Rail * u u u u Virginia Rail * u u u u Sora u r u u Common Gallinule * c c c u American Coot * c c a a Cranes Sandhill Crane x x x Plovers Black-bellied Plover r Snowy Plover x x Killdeer * u u u Stilts and Avocets Black-necked Stilt x x o American Avocet x x o x Sandpipers, Phalaropes and Allies Spotted Sandpiper r x r r Solitary Sandpiper x r Greater Yellowlegs r x Willet x x r Lesser Yellowlegs x x Upland Sandpiper x Whimbrel x x Long-billed Curlew x x x Marbled Godwit x Ruddy Turnstone x Red Knot x Sanderling x Western Sandpiper x x r x Least Sandpiper x x o x Pectoral Sandpiper x Costa’s hummingbird. Sp S F W Sandpipers, Phalaropes and Allies, cont. Dunlin x Short-billed Dowitcher x Long-billed Dowitcher x x Wilson’s Snipe r x r Wilson’s Phalarope x r Red-necked Phalarope x x Red Phalarope x Gulls, Terns and Skimmers Black-legged Kittiwake x Bonaparte’s Gull r r Franklin’s Gull x x Heermann’s Gull x Mew Gull x x Ring-billed Gull c r c c Western Gull x x California Gull r r r Herring Gull r r Thayer’s Gull x Least Tern x x Caspian Tern o r o r Black Tern u u Common Tern o Arctic Tern x Forster’s Tern x x u x Black Skimmer x Jaegers Pomarine Jaeger x x Parasitic Jaeger x Long-tailed Jaeger x Pigeons and Doves Rock Pigeon u u u Band-tailed Pigeon x Eurasian Collared-Dove u x u u White-winged Dove * c c x x Mourning Dove * c c c u Inca Dove * x x Common Ground-Dove * x x x x Cuckoos and Roadrunners Yellow-billed Cuckoo * x u o Greater Roadrunner * c c c c Barn Owls Barn Owl r x x Typical Owls Flammulated Owl x Western Screech-Owl * u u u u Great Horned Owl * u u u u Elf Owl * u u Burrowing Owl x x x Long-eared Owl x r x x Northern Saw-whet Owl x Sp S F W Goatsuckers Lesser Nighthawk * c c c Common Nighthawk x Common Poorwill u u r r Swifts Vaux’s Swift r r White-throated Swift * c c c c Hummingbirds Black-ch’d Hummingbird * u u u Anna’s Hummingbird * c o c c Costa’s Hummingbird * c o o c Broad-tailed Hummingbird x Rufous Hummingbird r x Calliope Hummingbird x Broad-billed Hummingbird x x Kingfishers Belted Kingfisher u x u u Woodpeckers Lewis’s Woodpecker x Acorn Woodpecker x x Gila Woodpecker * c c c c Williamson’s Sapsucker x Yellow-bellied Sapsucker x Red-naped Sapsucker u u u Red-breasted Sapsucker x x Ladder-bac. Woodpecker *c c c c Northern Flicker c c c Gilded Flicker * u u u u Falcons and Allies Crested Caracara x American Kestrel * u u u u Merlin r r r Peregrine Falcon * o o r r Prairie Falcon * r r r r Typical Flycatchers Olive-sided Flycatcher r x Greater Pewee x Western Wood-Pewee c r r Willow Flycatcher * o o r Sp S F W Typical Flycatchers, continued Hammond’s Flycatcher u r r Gray Flycatcher o o o Dusky Flycatcher r x x Pacific-slope Flycatcher **c x u x Black Phoebe * c c c c Eastern Phoebe x x x Say’s Phoebe * c u c c Vermilion Flycatcher * o o o o Ash-throated Flycatcher *c c u u Nutting’s Flycatcher x x Brown-crested Flycatcher * u u x Tropical Kingbird x x Cassin’s Kingbird x x Thick-billed Kingbird x Western Kingbird * u u Scissor-tailed Flycatcher x Shrikes Loggerhead Shrike * u u u u Vireos Bell’s Vireo * c c o Gray Vireo x Yellow-throated Vireo x x Plumbeous Vireo r o r Cassin’s Vireo u ? u x Hutton’s Vireo x x x Warbling Vireo o ? o x Red-eyed Vireo x Crows and Jays Pinyon Jay x x Steller’s Jay x Western Scrub-Jay ** o r o o Clark’s Nutcracker x American Crow x r Common Raven * c c c c Larks Horned Lark ** x r Phainopepla. Sp S F W Swallows Purple Martin r r Tree Swallow a x c u Violet-green Swallow * c u o o No. Rough-wi. Swallow * c c c c Bank Swallow u u Cliff Swallow * c c o x Cave Swallow x Barn Swallow o o x Chickadees and Titmice Mountain Chickadee x x Bridled Titmouse x x Verdins Verdin * c c c c Bushtits Bushtit x x Nuthatches Red-breasted Nuthatch x x White-breasted Nuthatch x x Creepers Brown Creeper x x r Wrens Rock Wren * c c c c Canyon Wren * c c c c House Wren u u u Pacific Wren x Winter/Pacific x Marsh Wren * c c c c Bewick’s Wren * c c c c Cactus Wren * u u u u Gnatcatchers Blue-gray Gnatcatcher o o o Black-tailed Gnatcatcher *c c c c Kinglets Golden-crowned Kinglet r x o Ruby-crowned Kinglet a a a Thrushes Western Bluebird o x o Mountain Bluebird r Townsend’s Solitaire x x r Swainson’s Thrush u Hermit Thrush x x u American Robin u x u u Varied Thrush x x Mockingbirds and Thrashers Gray Catbird x x Northern Mockingbird * c c c c Sage Thrasher x x o Brown Thrasher x Bendire’s Thrasher * x x x Curve-billed Thrasher x x r r Crissal Thrasher * u u u u Le Conte’s Thrasher x x Starlings European Starling ** r x r Pipits American Pipit o o u Waxwings Cedar Waxwing x x r r Silky-flycatchers Phainopepla * a x o a Longspurs McCown’s Longspur x Sp S F W Wood-warblers Ovenbird x x Worm-eating Warbler x Louisiana Waterthrush x Northern Waterthrush x x Golden-winged Warbler x Blue-winged Warbler x Black-and-white Warbler x r Prothonotary Warbler x Tennessee Warbler x Orange-crowned Warbler c x c c Lucy’s Warbler * c c u Nashville Warbler u u Virginia’s Warbler x MacGillivray’s Warbler o x o Common Yellowthroat * c a u u Hooded Warbler x x x American Redstart x x x Northern Parula x x x Magnolia Warbler x x Bay-breasted Warbler x Yellow Warbler * c c o r Chestnut-sided Warbler x Black-thr. Blue Warbler x x Yellow-rumped Warbler a a Prairie Warbler x Black-thr. Gray Warbler u r r Townsend’s Warbler u u Hermit Warbler r x r Black-thr. Green Warbler x x Wilson’s Warbler c x u x Red-faced Warbler x Painted Redstart x x Yellow-breasted Chat * c a x Towhees, Sparrows and Allies Green-tailed Towhee u r r Spotted Towhee r r u Canyon Towhee x x x Abert’s Towhee * a a a a Chipping Sparrow o o o Clay-colored Sparrow x Brewer’s Sparrow c r c u Vesper Sparrow x x r Lark Sparrow x x x r Black-throated Sparrow * c c c c Sage Sparrow x r Savannah Sparrow o x o o Grasshopper Sparrow x x x Fox Sparrow x x x Song Sparrow * a a a a Lincoln’s Sparrow c c c Swamp Sparrow x x x White-throated Sparrow x x x White-crowned Sparrow c c c Golden-crowned Sparrow r Dark-eyed Junco r r o Sp S F W Tanagers, Cardinals, Grosbeaks and Buntings Hepatic Tanager x x Summer Tanager * c c u x Western Tanager u u u Northern Cardinal * r r r r Rose-breasted Grosbeak r r x Black-headed Grosbeak c u c Blue Grosbeak * c c c Lazuli Bunting c x c Indigo Bunting * r u r Varied Bunting x Painted Bunting x x Blackbirds Bobolink x Red-winged Blackbird * c c c c Eastern Meadowlark x Western Meadowlark * r x r o Yellow-headed Blackbird *u u u r Rusty Blackbird x x x Brewer’s Blackbird x o Great-tailed Grackle * a a a a Bronzed Cowbird ** x x Brown-headed Cowbird * c c r r Orchard Oriole x Hooded Oriole * o o x Bullock’s Oriole * u u r Scott’s Oriole x x Finches and Allies Purple Finch x Cassin’s Finch x House Finch * a c c c Red Crossbill x Pine Siskin r x r Lesser Goldfinch * c c c u Lawrence’s Goldfinch* r x x x American Goldfinch x x x o Evening Grosbeak x Old World Sparrows House Sparrow * r r o For Further Information Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge 60911 Highway 95 North Parker, AZ 85344 928/667-4144 928/667-3402 Fax Visit us on our social media websites U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service www.fws.gov/southwest/ For Refuge Information 1 800/344-9453 (WILD) For relay service, please dial 711 All images © John West September 2012