Cibola

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Birds of Cibola National Wildlife Refuge Cibola National Wildlife Refuge is located along the lower Colorado River 20 miles south of Blythe, California. Approximately two-thirds of the refuge is in Arizona and onethird is in California and encompasses 18,555 acres. The refuge was established in 1964 to mitigate the loss of fish and wildlife habitat involved in the channelization projects along the Colorado River. The main portion of the refuge is alluvial river bottom with dense growths of salt cedar, mesquite, and arrowweed along with several hundred acres of revegetated cottonwood and willow habitat. Through this flows the Colorado River, in both a dredged channel and a portion of its original channel. The refuge also contains ~1,000 acres of farmland and 785 acres of desert foothills and ridges. The endangered Ridgway’s rail, the only freshwater form of clapper rail, is found in suitable marshes throughout the refuge. Cibola NWR is important as a wintering ground for the western (or Great Basin) subspecies of Canada goose and for Sandhill Cranes. This list of 287 species is in accordance with the seventh addition of the American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist of North American Birds, 7th edition (1998) and its supplements through July 2016. Those species marked with an asterisk (*) have nested on the refuge. Species that occur as accidental (marked with an “X”) may occur more regularly in areas surrounding the refuge, but most are true geographic rarities. Note that seasons vary from species to species; fall migration for some, such as shorebirds and flycatchers, is much earlier (mid-July to mid-September) compared to fall migration for other species, such as most waterfowl and sparrows (September to November). W Winter December—February Sp Spring March—May S Summer June—August F Fall September—November * Confirmed or probable breeder (39 sps). Federally Endangered or Threatened Species are listed in italics. A Abundant–A very numerous species. C Common–Likely to be seen or heard in suitable habitats. U Uncommon–Present, not certain to be seen. O Occasional–Seen only a few times during the season R Rare–Unexpected, seen at intervals of 2 to 5 years. X Accidental–Fewer than 3 records; vagrants outside their usual range. Breeding records from Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas and refuge records. Common Name Sp S F W Ducks, Geese, and Swans ___Fulvous Whistling-Duck X X ___Gr. White-fronted Goose U U ___Snow Goose C C ___Ross’s Goose U U ___Brant X ___Canada Goose O A A ___Tundra Swan O O ___Wood Duck U U ___Gadwall U C C ___Eurasian Wigeon O ___American Wigeon U C A ___*Mallard C U C A ___Blue-winged Teal O O ___*Cinnamon Teal C O C O ___Northern Shoveler C O C C ___Northern Pintail C O C A ___Green-winged Teal U U A A ___Canvasback U U U ___Redhead U O C O ___Ring-necked Duck U C C ___Greater Scaup R ___Lesser Scaup U C U ___Bufflehead O C C ___Common Goldeneye R U ___Barrow’s Goldeneye X ___Hooded Merganser O O O ___Common Merganser U U U ___Red-br. Merganser O R O O ___*Ruddy Duck C O C U New World Quail ___*Gambel’s Quail A A A A Grebes ___*Pied-billed Grebe C C C C ___Eared Grebe C C O ___*Western Grebe C C C C ___*Clark’s Grebe C C C C Pigeons and Doves ___Rock Pigeon O O O O ___Band-tailed Pigeon X ___Eurasian Collared-Dove C C C C ___Common Ground-Dove O O O O ___*White-winged Dove C A ___*Mourning Dove C A C U Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis ___*Yellow-billed Cuckoo U ___*Greater Roadrunner C C C C Goatsuckers ___*Lesser Nighthawk C C C ___Common Poorwill O O O Swifts ___Vaux’s Swift U U ___White-throated Swift U O O O Hummingbirds ___*Black-ch. Hummingbird U C C C ___*Anna’s Hummingbird O O O C ___*Costa’s Hummingbird C C ___Broad-tail. Hummingbird X ___Rufous Hummingbird U Rails, Gallinules, and Coots ___*Ridgway’s Rail C C C U ___Virginia Rail O O O Common Name Sp S F W ___*Sora C C C C ___*Common Moorhen C C C C ___*American Coot A A A A Cranes ___Sandhill Crane O C Stilts and Avocets ___*Black-necked Stilt C U C U ___American Avocet U R U R Plovers ___Black-bellied Plover R ___Snowy Plover O O R ___Semipalmated Plover O O ___*Killdeer A A C C Sandpipers, Phalaropes, and Allies ___Long-billed Curlew U U U U ___Marbled Godwit O O O ___Ruddy Turnstone X ___Stilt Sandpiper U U U ___Sanderling O O ___Dunlin O O O ___Least Sandpiper C U C C ___Pectoral Sandpiper O R ___Western Sandpiper C C C ___Long-billed Dowitcher U U C C ___Wilson’s Snipe U U C ___Spotted Sandpiper U U C C ___Solitary Sandpiper O O O ___Greater Yellowlegs U O U U ___Willet U O U ___Lesser Yellowlegs O U U ___Wilson’s Phalarope R O O O ___Red-necked Phalarope R O O ___Red Phalarope X Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers ___Sabine’s Gull X ___Bonaparte’s Gull O O ___Laughing Gull X ___Franklin’s Gull X X ___Heerman’s Gull X X ___Ring-billed Gull C O C C ___California Gull R O ___Herring Gull X ___Glaucous-winged Gull X ___Least Tern X ___Caspian Tern U U U ___Black Tern O O O ___Common Tern O ___Forster’s Tern C O C R ___Black Skimmer X Loons ___Common Loon X Storks ___Wood Stork X X Boobies ___Brown Booby X Cormorants ___Neotropic Cormorant X ___*Double-cr. Cormorant C C C C Pelicans ___American White Pelican U O U U ___Brown Pelican X Herons, Bitterns, and Egrets ___American Bittern R O ___*Least Bittern C C U O Common Name Sp S F W ___*Great Blue Heron C C C C ___*Great Egret C C C C ___*Snowy Egret C C C C ___Little Blue Heron X ___Cattle Egret C C C C ___*Green Heron C C C C ___*Black-cr. Night-Heron C C C C Ibises and Spoonbills ___*White-faced Ibis C C C C ___Roseate Spoonbill X Vultures ___Turkey Vulture C C C U Hawks, Kites, and Eagles ___Osprey C O U O ___White-tailed Kite O O O ___Mississippi Kite X ___Bald Eagle O O O ___Northern Harrier C U C ___Sharp-shinned Hawk U U U ___Cooper’s Hawk U U C ___Harris’s Hawk R R R R ___Red-shouldered Hawk U U ___Broad-winged Hawk X ___Swainson’s Hawk U ___*Red-tailed Hawk C C C C ___Rough-legged Hawk R ___Ferruginous Hawk X ___Golden Eagle U O O Barn Owls ___*Barn Owl C C C C Typical Owls ___*Western Screech-Owl O O O O ___*Great Horned Owl C C C C ___Elf Owl U U U ___*Burrowing Owl C C C C ___Short-eared Owl X Kingfishers ___Belted Kingfisher U U C C Woodpeckers ___Lewis’s Woodpecker X X ___*Gila Woodpecker U U U U ___Red-naped Sapsucker O O O ___Red-breasted Sapsucker R R ___*Ladder-bac. Woodpecker C C C C ___Northern Flicker C C C ___Gilded Flicker O O O O Caracaras and Falcons ___Crested Caracara X ___*American Kestrel C C C C ___Merlin O O ___Peregrine Falcon R R R O ___Prairie Falcon O R O Tyrant Flycatchers ___Olive-sided Flycatcher O O ___Greater Pewee X ___Western Wood-Pewee C U C ___SW Willow Flycatcher R U R ___Hammond’s Flycatcher R R ___Gray Flycatcher R R R ___Dusky Flycatcher X ___Pacific-slope Flycatcher C C ___*Black Phoebe C U C C ___*Say’s Phoebe C C C C ___*Vermilion Flycatcher C U C C ___Dusky-capped Flycatcher X ___*Ash-throated Flycatcher C C C R ___Brown-crested Flycatcher O U ___Tropical Kingbird X ___Cassin’s Kingbird R ___Thick-billed Kingbird X ___*Western Kingbird C C U Shrikes ___*Loggerhead Shrike U C C C Common Name Sp S F W Vireos ___*Bell’s Vireo O O O ___Gray Vireo X ___Hutton’s Vireo X X ___Cassin’s Vireo U U R ___Plumbeous Vireo U U R ___Warbling Vireo C U C ___Red-eyed Vireo X X Crows and Jays ___Steller’s Jay X X ___Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay X X X ___American Crow U U ___Common Raven O O O O Larks ___Horned Lark O C C Swallows ___Purple Martin X X ___Tree Swallow C U A A ___Violet-green Swallow O O ___*No. Rough-winged C C C O ___Bank Swallow O O O ___*Cliff Swallow A A C ___Barn Swallow C C C Chickadees ___Mountain Chickadee X X Verdins ___*Verdin C C C C Nuthatches ___Red-breasted Nuthatch X ___White-breasted Nuthatch X Wrens ___*Rock Wren U U U U ___Canyon Wren X ___*Bewick’s Wren C O O O ___House Wren O O O ___*Marsh Wren A A C C ___*Cactus Wren C C U U Gnatcatchers ___Blue-gray Gnatcatcher O O O ___*Black-tailed Gnatcatcher C C C C Kinglets ___Ruby-crowned Kinglet C C C Thrushes ___Western Bluebird O O ___Mountain Bluebird O O O ___Townsend’s Solitaire R O O ___Swainson’s Thrush R ___Hermit Thrush O U U ___American Robin U U O Mockingbirds and Thrashers ___Curve-billed Thrasher O R O ___Brown Thrasher X ___Bendire’s Thrasher X X ___LeConte’s Thrasher R ___*Crissal Thrasher C C C C ___Sage Thrasher O O O ___*Northern Mockingbird C C C C Starlings ___*European Starling C C C C Waxwings ___Cedar Waxwing O O O Silky-Flycatchers ___*Phainopepla C C C C Old World Sparrows ___*House Sparrow C C C C Pipits ___American Pipit C C C ___Sprague’s Pipit X Finches and Goldfinches ___*House Finch C C C C ___Purple Finch X ___Cassin’s Finch X ___Pine Siskin R O O Common Name Sp S F W ___Lesser Goldfinch C U U U ___Lawrence’s Goldfinch X X ___American Goldfinch O O O Longspurs ___Lapland Longspur X ___Chestnut-collared Longspur R ___McCown’s Longspur X Wood-Warblers ___Ovenbird X ___Northern Waterthrush X ___Orange-crowned Warbler C C C C ___*Lucy’s Warbler C C ___Nashville Warbler U O U ___Virginia’s Warbler R R R ___MacGillivray’s Warbler U U U ___*Common Yellowthroat C C C C ___American Redstart R R R ___Yellow Warbler O O O ___Blackpoll Warbler X ___Yellow-rumped Warbler C C C ___Black-thr. Gray Warbler U U ___Townsend’s Warbler U U ___Hermit Warbler O O ___Black-thr. Green Warbler X ___Wilson’s Warbler C O C C ___*Yellow-breasted Chat C C C Towhees, Sparrows, and Allies ___Green-tailed Towhee O U U ___Spotted Towhee O O O ___*Abert’s Towhee A A C C ___Chipping Sparrow C O C R ___Clay-colored Sparrow X X ___Brewer’s Sparrow O C O ___Black-chinned Sparrow X ___Vesper Sparrow U C C ___Lark Sparrow O O O ___Black-throated Sparrow U U O ___Sage Sparrow U U ___Lark Bunting X X ___Savannah Sparrow C C C ___Grasshopper Sparrow X ___Fox Sparrow O O ___*Song Sparrow C C C C ___Lincoln’s Sparrow U U O ___White-throated Sparrow X ___White-crowned Sparrow C C A ___Golden-crowned Sparrow R R R ___Dark-eyed Junco U O O ___Slate-colored R ___Oregon U O O ___Pink-sided Junco O O O ___Gray-headed Junco R R R Tanagers, Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Buntings ___*Summer Tanager U U O ___Western Tanager U U C ___Northern Cardinal X ___Black-headed Grosbeak U U C U ___*Blue Grosbeak C C C ___Lazuli Bunting U U ___Indigo Bunting O O O ___Painted Bunting X X ___Dickcissel X Blackbirds and Orioles ___*Red-winged Blackbird A A A C ___Western Meadowlark C C C C ___*Yellow-headed Blackbird C C C C ___Rusty Blackbird X ___Brewer’s Blackbird U C U ___*Great-tailed Grackle C C C C ___Bronzed Cowbird X ___*Brown-headed Cowbird A A C U ___Hooded Oriole O O O ___*Bullock’s Oriole C C U June 2017