Kofa

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Birds of Kofa National Wildlife Refuge Welcome to birding at Kofa National Wildlife Refuge Kofa National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 665,400 acres of Sonoran Desert in southwestern Arizona. Broad valleys, gently rolling foothills, jagged peaks and steep cliffs are found within this rugged refuge. The scattered water holes attract a surprising number of waterbirds and other migrant birds. Nesting birds include red-tailed hawk, Gambel’s quail, great horned owl, elf owl, Costa’s hummingbird, ash-throated flycatcher, canyon wren, northern mockingbird, phainopepla, Lucy’s warbler, and black-throated sparrow, among others. To see the greatest variety of birds, walk along one of the ephemeral washes. On a spring or summer morning, the washes are filled with the calls of mourning doves, Gambel’s quail, white-winged doves, phainopeplas, verdins, and ashthroated flycatchers. During the spring or fall, check the trees surrounding some of the old dirt stock tanks such as Charco 4 or Cholla Tank for migrants such as western tanager, cordilleran flycatcher, and belted kingfisher. Hike up Palm Canyon and listen for the calls of canyon and rock wrens. Scan the skies for soaring red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, and the occasional golden eagle. Please contact the refuge office with any new or unusual bird sightings that you make during your visit. This list was developed using refuge observations and studies reported since 1940. The 193 species are listed in accordance with seventh addition of the American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist of North American Birds, (1998) through the 53rd supplement (July 2012). Forty species have been documented as nesting on the refuge. Symbols used in this list follow: Common Name W Sp S F New World Vultures ___*Turkey Vulture C Hawks, Kites, Eagles and Allies ___Northern Harrier O ___Sharp-shinned Hawk O ___Cooper’s Hawk O ___Northern Goshawk ___Harris’s Hawk X ___*Red-tailed Hawk C ___Ferruginous Hawk ___Rough–legged Hawk ___*Golden Eagle U Rails, Gallinules and Coots ___American Coot Cranes ___Sandhill Crane O Plovers ___Killdeer O Stilts and Avocets ___Black-necked Stilt ___American Avocet Sandpipers, Phalaropes and Allies ___Spotted Sandpiper R ___Solitary Sandpiper ___Greater Yellowlegs ___Willet X ___Long-billed Curlew X ___Western Sandpiper ___Wilson’s Phalarope ___Red-necked Phalarope Pigeons and Doves ___*White-winged Dove C ___*Mourning Dove A ___Common Ground-Dove Cuckoos and Roadrunners ___Yellow-billed Cuckoo ___•Greater Roadrunner U Barn Owls ___•Barn Owl O Typical Owls ___Flammulated Owl X ___•Western Screech-Owl C ___*Great Horned Owl C ___Northern Pygmy-Owl X ___*Elf Owl C ___•Long-eared Owl O Winter Spring Summer Fall * December – February March – May June – August September – November Confirmed nester (39 species). Possible or probable breeder (12 species). • 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 Ducks, Geese and Swans ___Gr. White-fronted Goose ___Canada Goose ___American Wigeon ___Mallard ___Blue-winged Teal ___Cinnamon Teal O ___Northern Shoveler ___Northern Pintail R ___Green-winged Teal ___Redhead ___Bufflehead R ___Red-breasted Merganser ___Ruddy Duck New World Quail ___*Gambel’s Quail A Grebes ___Pied-billed Grebe X Pelicans ___Brown Pelican Herons, Bitterns and Allies ___Great Blue Heron ___Snowy Egret R F X R R R R R O O R A A R R R R R R W X X R R R X R X X Sp S C X W C U O O O O O U C C U U R C R R U X O O U R R R R X X O R R X X A A O O C O U X U U U O O O C C C C C C C O O O A Black-throated sparrow. F © Henry Detwiler, www.southwestbirders.com Common Name Curve-billed thrasher. © Henry Detwiler, www.southwestbirders.com Common Name Sp S Goatsuckers ___•Lesser Nighthawk O ___•Common Poorwill C Swifts ___Vaux’s Swift O ___*White-throated Swift C Hummingbirds ___Black-ch. Hummingbird O ___*Anna’s Hummingbird O ___*Costa’s Hummingbird C ___Broad-tail. Hummingbird X ___Rufous Hummingbird O Kingfishers ___Belted Kingfisher O Woodpeckers ___Lewis’ Woodpecker R ___Red-headed Woodpecker ___*Gila Woodpecker C ___Red-naped Sapsucker ___*Ladder-bac. Woodpecker O ___Northern Flicker O ___*Gilded Flicker C Falcons ___*American Kestrel C ___*Peregrine Falcon R ___*Prairie Falcon O Tyrant Flycatchers ___Olive-sided Flycatcher O ___Western Wood-Pewee C ___Willow Flycatcher U ___Hammond’s Flycatcher O ___Gray Flycatcher O ___Dusky Flycatcher U ___Pacific-slope Flycatcher U ___Cordilleran Flycatcher U ___Black Phoebe O ___*Say’s Phoebe C ___Vermilion Flycatcher R ___*Ash-thr. Flycatcher A ___*Brown-cr. Flycatcher O ___Western Kingbird O Shrikes ___*Loggerhead Shrike C Vireos ___Gray Vireo O ___Plumbeous Vireo O ___Cassin’s Vireo O ___Hutton’s Vireo ___Warbling Vireo C ___Philadelphia Vireo Crows and Jays ___Pinyon Jay ___Steller’s Jay ___Western Scrub-Jay O ___*Common Raven U F W O C R C R U O O U O U O U O U O X O R X C R O O C R O C R O C R O O O O C U O O U U U O O C A O O R R C C C R O O R C X O C O C C O R U C O O C O R R O U R O U Sp S Larks ___Horned Lark Swallows ___Tree Swallow O ___Violet-green Swallow U ___N. Rough-winged Swallow O ___Cliff Swallow ___Barn Swallow O Verdins ___*Verdin A Nuthatches ___Red-breasted Nuthatch Wrens ___*Rock Wren C ___*Canyon Wren C ___House Wren O ___Bewick’s Wren ___*Cactus Wren C Gnatcatchers ___*Blue-gray Gnatcatcher U ___*Black-tail. Gnatcatcher A Kinglets ___Ruby-crowned Kinglet U Thrushes ___Western Bluebird ___Mountain Bluebird O ___Townsend’s Solitaire O ___Swainson’s Thrush U ___Hermit Thrush O ___American Robin O Mockingbirds and Thrashers ___Gray Catbird ___*Northern Mockingbird C ___Sage Thrasher O ___Brown Thrasher ___*Bendire’s Thrasher U ___*Curve-billed Thrasher C ___•Crissal Thrasher U ___•LeConte’s Thrasher O Starlings ___*European Starling U Pipits ___American Pipit Waxwings ___Cedar Waxwing O Silky-flycatchers ___*Phainopepla C Wood-Warblers ___Northern Waterthrush ___Prothonotary Warbler ___Orange-crowned Warbler C ___*Lucy’s Warbler O ___Nashville Warbler C ___MacGillivray’s Warbler C ___Common Yellowthroat X ___American Redstart X ___Yellow-rumped Warbler ___ “Audubon’s” C ___Black-thr. Gray Warbler U ___Townsend’s Warbler C ___Hermit Warbler U ___Wilson’s Warbler C ___Painted Redstart ___Yellow-breasted Chat Sparrows, Towhees, and Allies ___Green-tailed Towhee U ___Spotted Towhee O ___*Rufous-cr. Sparrow U ___*Canyon Towhee C ___Abert’s Towhee X ___Chipping Sparrow U ___Brewer’s Sparrow C F W X O R R R O O O U O O R A A R A X C C C C C O O C C C O O C U A U A U A U U O O O R O R U U X C O O X U C U O C O U O C U O C U O O O O R R O O O U C X X C Common Name Sp S Please reuse or return to office Thank you U U X C U R U C U O U C U O U C U C O U U W Sparrows, Towhees, and Allies, continued ___•Black-chinned Sparrow O O O O ___Vesper Sparrow U O R ___Lark Sparrow O O O ___*Black-throated Sparrow C C U U ___Sage Sparrow U U ___Lark Bunting X ___Savannah Sparrow X ___Fox Sparrow O O ___Lincoln’s Sparrow O ___White-throated Sparrow X ___White-crowned Sparrow C O C ___Dark-eyed Junco ___ “Oregon” O C U ___ “Gray-headed” O O Tanagers, Cardinals, Grosbeaks and Buntings ___Hepatic Tanager X ___Western Tanager C U C ___Northern Cardinal O ___•Pyridoxal R R R ___Rose–breasted Grosbeak X ___Black-headed Grosbeak U O U ___Blue Grosbeak R ___Lazuli Bunting U U Blackbirds ___Red-winged Blackbird R R ___Western Meadowlark O O O ___Yellow-headed Blackbird O O O ___Rusty Blackbird X X ___Brewer’s Blackbird O O O ___Great-tailed Grackle O O O ___Bronzed Cowbird X X ___•Brown-headed Cowbird O O O ___*Hooded Oriole O O R ___Bullock’s Oriole U C U ___*Scott’s Oriole C C U O Finches and Allies ___Purple Finch R R ___Cassin’s Finch R ___*House Finch C C C C ___Pine Siskin O ___Lesser Goldfinch O O U R ___Lawrence’s Goldfinch U O O ___American Goldfinch X Old World Sparrows ___•House Sparrow O O O O February 2015 C U O U U R R F Cactus wren. © Henry Detwiler, www.southwestbirders.com