J.N. Ding Darling

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service J.N.”Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Bird Checklist Sanibel-Captiva Islands and Surrounding Areas Welcome to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The 6,400 acres of the Refuge contain a variety of subtropical habitats, including the upland ridges and freshwater swales of the Island’s interior ecosystem, mangrove forests, and the seagrass beds of its estuarine mangrove fringes. Resident and migratory birds depend on these various habitats for their existence. How To Use Your Checklist The bird checklist includes 245 species and is designed to be informative and simple to use. Symbols which appear in this checklist represent the following: Seasonal Appearance F.................... Fall (September-November) W .................. Winter (December-February) Sp.................. Spring (March- May) S.................... Summer (June- August) Seasonal Abundance a abundant (a very common species most likely to be seen) c common (likely to be seen in suitable habitat) u uncommon (usually present but not certain to be seen) o occasional (seen only a few times during a season) r rare or accidental (seen only a very few times during the past ten years) The abundance designations shown above are for the Refuge, Sanibel and Captiva Islands, the surrounding waters of the Gulf, estuaries, and area beaches (including the Sanibel Causeway and Bunche Beach). Some species will be more or less common in different habitats, and tide levels will influence the number of shorebirds and wading birds to be found. Cameron Michael You may want to check the birds you are able to find and identify. If you should find an unlisted species, please let us know at Refuge Headquarters. We will appreciate your help in updating our records. Mangrove Cuckoo  F W Sp S Waterfowl Black-bellied Whistling-Duck r Snow Goose Muscovy Duck r Wood Duck r Gadwall r American Wigeon r Mallard Mottled Duck a Blue-winged Teal c Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Black Scoter Bufflehead Hooded Merganser r Common Merganser Red-breasted Merganser o Ruddy Duck r r r r r r r r r r r r r a a c c r r r r r r r r r r r r r r u r r c c u u a c u r r r a u o r r c r c a a a a Cormorants and Anhingas Double-crested Cormorant Anhinga a a a a u a a a c a r a Limpkins Limpkin r r r r r r Cranes Sandhill Crane r r Sp r u r r c a c c c c u c u c a r c r c o r a a a a a c c c u c a r c r u r r c a a a a c u c u c a r c S American Flamingo Wood Stork American Bittern Least Bittern Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Tricolored Heron Reddish Egret Cattle Egret Green Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-crowned Night-Heron White Ibis Glossy Ibis Roseate Spoonbill r u r c a c c c c u c u c c r c Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Swallow-tailed Kite Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper’s Hawk Bald Eagle Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Short-tailed Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon u u u c c c a a a o u o o o o o o o o o c c c c c c o o o o r r r c c c u u u u u u o u a u r u c o r r Rails, Gallinules, and Coots Pelicans American White Pelican Brown Pelican W Vultures, Kites, Hawks, and Falcons Frigatebirds and Gannets Magnificent Frigatebird Northern Gannet F Wading Birds Loons and Grebes Common Loon o Pied-billed Grebe c Horned Grebe Clapper Rail r King Rail Virginia Rail Sora r Common Gallinule c American Coot c o r r u c c o r r o c c o r  F W Sp S Shorebirds Black-bellied Plover a a Snowy Plover u u Wilson’s Plover u u Semipalmated Plover c c Piping Plover u u Killdeer c c American Oystercatcher u u Black-necked Stilt American Avocet r r Spotted Sandpiper c c Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs u c Lesser Yellowlegs u c Willet a a Whimbrel r r Long-billed Curlew o o Marbled Godwit u c Ruddy Turnstone c c Red Knot u c Sanderling a a Semipalmated Sandpiper r Western Sandpiper c c Least Sandpiper c c White-rumped Sandpiper r Pectoral Sandpiper r Dunlin c a Stilt Sandpiper r r Short-billed Dowitcher a a Long-billed Dowitcher r r Wilson’s Snipe r o a u u c o c u c r c r c u a r o u c c a r c c r r c r a r o r r r a a a c a c c c c r o r r o r u u r r r r r r r c c c c a c c c c a a a F W Sp S Razorbills u u u u c o c r u o u u a r r r c Razorbill r Pigeons and Doves Rock Pigeon White-crowned Pigeon Eurasian Collared-Dove White-winged Dove Mourning Dove Common Ground-Dove r r c o a c r r c o a c r r c o a c r r c o a c u o r r r o r c o r r c o r Cuckoos and Anis Yellow-billed Cuckoo o Mangrove Cuckoo o r Black-billed Cuckoo Smooth-billed Ani r r Owls Barn Owl Eastern Screech-Owl Great Horned Owl Barred Owl r c o r r c o r Goatsuckers Common Nighthawk Chuck-will’s-widow Eastern Whip-poor-will o o o u r r o u Swifts Chimney Swift u c u Hummingbirds Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers Bonaparte’s Gull Laughing Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Great Black-backed Gull Least Tern Gull-billed Tern Caspian Tern Black Tern Common Tern Forster’s Tern Royal Tern Sandwich Tern Black Skimmer Ruby-throated Hummingbird a r r r r r r Kingfishers Belted Kingfisher c c c r Woodpeckers c r r r c o c Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker a o o r r c a o o r r c a o o r r c a o r r c  F W Sp S r r r u c r o u r c u Shrikes Loggerhead Shrike u u u u c r u u r c r o c r a c r a c r a c r a u u a r u r r u r o Titmice Tufted Titmouse r r r r Wrens House Wren r Sedge Wren Marsh Wren r Carolina Wren c o o r r o c c c Gnatcatchers and Kinglets Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Ruby-crowned Kinglet c r a r Eastern Bluebird Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin S r r r r r r r r r o r r r o r r o r Catbirds, Mockingbirds, and Thrashers Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling American Pipit c c o a c o a c o u o c c c c c o r r r r Waxwings Cedar Waxwing Swallows Northern Rough-winged Swallow u Purple Martin o Tree Swallow c a Bank Swallow Barn Swallow u Cliff Swallow r Sp Pipits Jays and Crows Blue Jay American Crow Fish Crow W Starlings Vireos White-eyed Vireo c c Yellow-throated Vireo r Blue-headed Vireo u u Red-eyed Vireo o Black-whiskered Vireo F Thrushes Flycatchers Eastern Wood-Pewee r Acadian Flycatcher r Least Flycatcher r Eastern Phoebe u c Great Crested Flycatcher c c Western Kingbird Eastern Kingbird r Gray Kingbird r Scissor-tailed Flycatcher r r u u Warblers Ovenbird o o o Worm-eating Warbler r r Louisiana Waterthrush r r Northern Waterthrush r r Blue-winged Warbler r r Golden-winged Warbler r Black-and-white Warbler u u u Prothonotary Warbler r r Swainson’s Warbler r r Tennessee Warbler r Orange-crowned Warbler r Nashville Warbler r Kentucky Warbler r Common Yellowthroat u c u Hooded Warbler r o American Redstart o r o Cape May Warbler r o Cerulean Warbler r Northern Parula o o c Magnolia Warbler o Bay-breasted Warbler r r Blackburnian Warbler r Yellow Warbler r Chestnut-sided Warbler r o r o c t Blackpoll Warbler Black-throated Blue Warbler Palm Warbler Pine Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Warbler Prairie Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler F W Sp r r u c r r c a u u u u r r u o c r c u c o S r o c Towhees and Sparrows Eastern Towhee r r Bachman’s Sparrow r r Chipping Sparrow r r Savannah Sparrow r r Grasshopper Sparrow r r Lincoln’s Sparrow Swamp Sparrow r o r r r r r r u r r Tanagers Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager r r r o o r a o u a Cardinals and Grosbeaks Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak a a r r Buntings, Dickcissels, and Finches Indigo Bunting o r u Painted Bunting r r r Dickcissel r House Finch r r r American Goldfinch r r r Birding Information Favorite area birding sites are the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Wildlife Drive, Bailey Tract, Indigo Trail, Calusa Shell Mound Trail, and Tarpon Bay); the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation properties (including Sanibel Gardens); Gulf beaches; the Lighthouse area; the Causeway islands; Blind Pass; and Bunche Beach. Birding Ethics When visiting public or private lands, it is important that you practice and promote ethical behavior while viewing and photographing wildlife. Although you may not think your individual actions are harmful to wildlife, the cumulative effect of individual actions can jeopardize wildlife’s ability to survive. • Do not disturb nesting, feeding, or resting birds and other wildlife. • When photographing birds, do not “push” too close or “linger” too long. • Do not use recorded calls or make other alarming noises on the Refuge. • Do not feed wildlife on the Refuge. • Do not litter. Many birds and other wildlife die after becoming entangled in fishing lines, 6-pack rings and other trash, or when they mistake garbage, especially plastic, for food. r Blackbirds, Grackles, and Orioles r o o r r a a c c r o o r o r r o r a c r o o o o a c o Old World Sparrows House Sparrow r r r r Wayne Kliewer Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Shiny Cowbird Brown-headed Cowbird Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Roseate Spoonbill J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge 1 Wildlife Drive Sanibel, Florida 33957 www.fws.gov/dingdarling 239-472-1100 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling December 2013 ade Possi bl y: eB gM in Pri nt scan me! Cover photograph of Osprey with Spotted Seatrout by Al Hoffacker