Arapaho

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge Wildlife List Home for Wildlife This goose, designed by J.N. “Ding” Darling, is the symbol of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in an intermountain glacial basin south of Walden, the county seat of Jackson County, Colorado. The Refuge was established in 1967 to provide migratory birds with a suitable place to nest and rear their young. It was created to offset, in part, losses of nesting habitat in the prairie wetland region of the Midwest. Arapaho NWR is one of over 550 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System - a network of lands set aside specifically for wildlife. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Refuge System is a living heritage, preserving wildlife and habitat for people today and for generations to come. The Refuge provides excellent habitat for a variety of wildlife. The irrigated meadows are ideal for nesting waterfowl and other species of birds. Riparian areas offer excellent habitat for moose, elk, and neotropical birds. Upland game birds, neotropical birds, and pronghorn can be seen on the sagebrush flats and knolls. Waterfowl Through the Year The first waterfowl arrive at Arapaho NWR when the ice vanishes from the lakes and wetlands in late March to mid-April. Peak waterfowl migration occurs in late May when 5,000 or more ducks can be present. Canada geese, once scarce in the North Park area, have been re-established here. They begin nesting on the Refuge in April. Duck nesting usually starts in late May and peaks in mid-June. The Refuge produces about 8,000 ducklings and 300-400 goslings each year. Fall migration reaches its height in late September or early October when up to 8,000 waterfowl may be on the Refuge. Pronghorn / USFWS Wildlife Observation Opportunities A self-guided auto tour route on the Refuge offers visitors great opportunities to observe wildlife. A corresponding auto tour route leaflet provides wildlife, habitat, and Refuge management information related to stops along the route. More information about Arapaho NWR and recreational activities can be found at the Refuge headquarters. May through October are the best months for observing birds on the Refuge and in the surrounding North Park area. Most mammals can be observed year-round. About this Checklist The following table lists 208 species of birds, 37 mammals, and 16 other vertebrates that have been observed on the Refuge. Species of birds which have been known to nest on the Refuge are preceded by a bullet (●). Common names for mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians are followed by a specific abundance code (see codes below). Seasons of Occurrence: Since most birds are migratory, their seasonal occurrence and relative abundance are coded as follows: Sp S F W Spring (March-May) Summer (June-August) Fall (September-November) Winter (December-February) Seasonal a abundant, occurring in large Abundance: numbers c common, certain to be seen in suitable habitat u uncommon, present but not certain to be seen o occasional, seen only a few times during the season r rare, seen at intervals of 2 to 5 years x accidental, vagrant, or out of normal range Common Bird Name Sp S F Ducks, Geese, and Swans Snow Goose ● Canada Goose c c Trumpeter Swan Tundra Swan Wood Duck r ● Gadwall c a ● American Wigeon c a ● Mallard c a ● Blue-winged Teal c c ● Cinnamon Teal c c ● Northern Shoveler c c ● Northern Pintail c c ● Green-winged Teal c c ● Canvasback u u ● Redhead c c ● Ring-necked Duck u o ● Lesser Scaup c a Bufflehead o r Common Goldeneye r r ● Common Merganser o u ● Ruddy Duck u c o c r r r a a a c c c c c u c u a o r u c Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys ● Greater Sage-Grouse u u u Grebes ● Pied-billed Grebe ● Eared Grebe Western Grebe Clark’s Grebe u u o r u u a c o r Cormorants Double-crested Cormorant o o o Pelicans American White Pelican u c u Ruddy duck USFWS W Swainson’s hawk Paul Kerris / USFWS u Bitterns, Herons, and Egrets American Bittern r ● Great Blue Heron u Snowy Egret r Cattle Egret o Green Heron ● Black-crowned Night-Heron u Yellow-crowned Night-Heron r o r u u o o o o r c u r Ibises and Spoonbills ● White Ibis u u u New World Vultures Turkey Vulture r u u Hawks, Kites, and Eagles Osprey r Bald Eagle o o o ● Northern Harrier u c c Sharp-shinned Hawk r o r Cooper’s Hawk o r Northern Goshawk o ● Swainson’s Hawk u c c ● Red-tailed Hawk c o o Ferruginous Hawk r o o Rough-legged Hawk o o Golden Eagle c u c Caracaras and Falcons ● American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon ● Prairie Falcon u r o o c o o o u o o o Rails, Gallinules, and Coots ● Virginia Rail ● Sora ● American Coot o u c u u a u u a r o r o c r Common Bird Name Sp S F Cranes Sandhill Crane o o Plovers Black-bellied Plover ● Killdeer r c c c Stilts and Avocets ● Black-necked Stilt ● American Avocet r u r c W r c Sandpipers and Phalaropes ● Spotted Sandpiper u u u Solitary Sandpiper o o ● Greater Yellowlegs o r ● Willet u c c ● Lesser Yellowlegs u u Upland Sandpiper r Long-billed Curlew r o Marbled Godwit o o o Western Sandpiper u o Least Sandpiper u o Baird’s Sandpiper u o Long-billed Dowitcher u o u ● Wilson’s Snipe c a c ● Wilson’s Phalarope u a c Red-necked Phalarope o Gulls, Terns, Skimmers, and Skuas Bonaparte’s Gull Franklin’s Gull Ring-billed Gull California Gull ● Black Tern ● Forster's Tern r r r r r r r c c c r r r u u u Pigeons and Doves Eurasian Collared-Dove (introduced)) r ● Mourning Dove c r c r c Cuckoos, Roadrunners, and Anis Yellow-billed Cuckoo r r r Barn Owls Barn Owl r Typical Owls ● Great Horned Owl ● Burrowing Owl ● Long-eared Owl c r u u o u u o u r u Common Bird Name Sp S F ● Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl o r u r u r Nighthawks and Nightjars ● Common Nighthawk u c u Hummingbirds Calliope Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird o Rufous Hummingbird o r u o c u Kingfishers ● Belted Kingfisher u o Woodpeckers Lewis’s Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker r Red-naped Sapsucker r Downy Woodpecker o o Hairy Woodpecker o o ● Northern Flicker o c r r r u u o u Tyrant Flycatchers Olive-sided Flycatcher Western Wood-Pewee ● Willow Flycatcher u Least Flycatcher r Hammond’s Flycatcher r Dusky Flycatcher r r Cordilleran Flycatcher o Say’s Phoebe Western Kingbird u Eastern Kingbird r r u u r r r r r o o u u o o Shrikes Loggerhead Shrike o o u Vireos Warbling Vireo r r r W u u r Crows, Jays, and Magpies Pinyon Jay Steller’s Jay r Clark’s Nutcracker ● Black-billed Magpie c ● American Crow c ● Common Raven c r r r r c c c c c c c c u Larks ● Horned Lark c c c c r Common Bird Name Sp S F Swallows ● Tree Swallow o Violet-green Swallow o Northern Rough-winged Swallow Bank Swallow o ● Cliff Swallow u ● Barn Swallow o c o o c o u o c u u o Titmice and Chickadees ● Black-capped Chickadee Mountain Chickadee u o u o o o Nuthatches Red-breasted Nuthatch o o Wrens Rock Wren r ● House Wren u Sedge Wren ● Marsh Wren u r r u u r c u Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers Blue-gray Gnatcatcher r Dippers American Dipper o o o Thrushes Eastern Bluebird r ● Western Bluebird r ● Mountain Bluebird c Veery r Swainson’s Thrush r Hermit Thrush ● American Robin c r r r r c u u r r r r c u Mimic Thrushes Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird ● Sage Thrasher Brown Thrasher o o c r Common Yellowthroat Paul Kerris / USFWS u o r r u r Common Bird Name Sp S F W Starlings ● European Starling o o o r Wagtails and Pipits American Pipit r r Waxwings Bohemian Waxwing Cedar Waxwing r r r r r r r r Longspurs and Buntings Lapland Longspur r Chestnut-collared Longspur r McCown’s Longspur Snow Bunting o o o o o o o o Wood Warblers Northern Waterthrush r Orange-crowned Warbler r r r Nashville Warbler r Virginia’s Warbler r MacGillivray’s Warbler o u ● Common Yellowthroat o u o American Redstart r Magnolia Warbler r ● Yellow Warbler c a c Chestnut-sided Warbler r Yellow-rumped Warbler r o o Townsend’s Warbler r r Wilson’s Warbler r o r r Kinglets Ruby-crowned Kinglet o o u r W r Sparrows and Towhees Green-tailed Towhee r u Spotted Towhee r American Tree Sparrow u Chipping Sparrow c u ● Brewer’s Sparrow c c ● Vesper Sparrow o c c ● Lark Sparrow u u ● Sage Sparrow o o o ● Lark Bunting o o o ● Savannah Sparrow u a u ● Fox Sparrow o u o ● Song Sparrow u c c ● Lincoln’s Sparrow o u o Harris’s Sparrow r ● White-crowned Sparrow o c u Dark-eyed Junco c o o o r o o r o Common Bird Name Tanagers Western Tanager Sp S r F W r Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Allies Rose-breasted Grosbeak r Black-headed Grosbeak r r Blue Grosbeak r r Lazuli Bunting o Indigo Bunting r Dickcissel r Blackbirds and Orioles Bobolink r ● Red-winged Blackbird c c c r ● Western Meadowlark c c c ● Yellow-headed Blackbird c c u ● Brewer’s Blackbird u c u ● Common Grackle o u o ● Brown-headed Cowbird c c c u Bullock’s Oriole r Finches Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch r Black Rosy-Finch r Brown-capped Rosy-Finch r ● House Finch o Pine Siskin Lesser Goldfinch ● American Goldfinch u Evening Grosbeak r r c r r c r r c o o o u r u r r o Old World Sparrows ● House Sparrow (introduced) o o Reference: American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American Birds. 7th edition. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, DC o Common Mammal Name Abundance Shrews Cinereus or Masked Shrew u Vesper Bats Little Brown Myotis Big Brown Bat Townsend’s Big-eared Bat o o o Pikas, Hares, and Rabbits Mountain Cottontail White-tailed Jackrabbit u a Squirrels Least Chipmunk Yellow-bellied Marmot Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel Wyoming Ground Squirrel Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel White-tailed Prairie Dog c r o a o a Beavers American Beaver u Mice, Rats, and Voles Deer Mouse Northern Grasshopper Mouse House Mouse Montane Vole Common Muskrat a u u c c Jumping Mice Western Jumping Mouse u New World Porcupines North American Porcupine u Prairie dog Bob Savannah / USFWS Common Mammal Name Pronghorn Pronghorn Abundance c Reference: Baker, R., Bradley, L.C., Bradley, R.D., Dragoo, J.W., Engstrom, M.D., Hoffmann, R.S., Jones, C.A., Reid, F., Rice, D.W., Jones, C. 2003. Revised Checklist of North American Mammals North of Mexico, 2003. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University, 229:1-24. Common Fish Name Moose USFWS Common Mammal Name Dogs, Foxes, and Wolves Coyote Red Fox Abundance c o Abundance Carps and Minnows Fathead Minnow Longnose Dace Creek Chub c c c Suckers Longnose Sucker White Sucker c c Trout, Salmon, and Whitefish Rainbow Trout Brook Trout Brown Trout r c c Bears American Black Bear r Raccoons, Ringtails, and Coatis Northern Raccoon u Sticklebacks Brook Stickleback o Weasels, Otters, and Badgers Ermine or Short-tailed Weasel Long-tailed Weasel American Mink American Badger Northern River Otter u u u u o Perches and Darters Johnnydarter r Skunks Striped Skunk u Cats Mountain Lion or Puma Bobcat r x Deer Wapiti or Elk Mule or Black-tailed Deer White-tailed Deer Moose u u u c Reference: Nelson, J. S., Crossman, E. J., Espinosa-Perez, H., Findley, L. T., Gilbert, C. R., Lea, R. N., Williams, J. 2004. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 6th Edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29. Bethesda, Maryland. Rainbow trout Bob Savannah / USFWS Common Amphibian Name Abundance True Toads Western Toad r Treefrogs Boreal Chorus Frog c True Frogs Northern Leopard Frog Wood Frog u r Mole Salamanders Barred Tiger Salamander u Notes Reference: U.S. Geological Survey’s Checklist of Amphibian Species and Identification Guide, <http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/herps/amphibid/ index.htm> Common Reptile Name Garter and Ribbon Snakes Wandering Garter Snake Abundance r Reference: The Center for North American Herpetology, <http://www.cnah.org> Accessibility Information Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is available to all individuals regardless of physical or mental ability. Dial 711 for a free connection to the State relay service for TTY and voice calls to and from the speech and hearing impaired. For information or to address accessibility needs, please contact the Refuge staff at 970 / 723 8202, or the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Equal Opportunity, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240. Date Time Observers Weather Garter snake Bob Hines / USFWS Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge 953 Jackson County Road #32 Walden, CO 80480 970 / 723 8202 arapaho@fws.gov http://www.fws.gov/arapaho For State relay service TTY / Voice: 711 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov For Refuge Information 1 800 344 WILD July 2012