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Birds at Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in North Carolina. Published by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Mackay Island
Tim Cooper©
National Wildlife Refuge
Bird List
Wood Duck
Located along the Atlantic Flyway in
northeastern North Carolina and
southeastern Virginia, Mackay Island
National Wildlife Refuge, provides a
sanctuary for thousands of migratory
waterfowl, with emphasis on the greater
snow goose. Every fall and winter, ducks,
geese, and swans fill the marshes and
bays of the refuge. Many other migratory
birds and resident wildlife call this area
home as well.
The Knotts Island Causeway (NC Rt.
615) crosses the refuge, offering
observation points for many of the bird
species present in the Back Bay and
Currituck Sound Area.
The refuge headquarters is located 1.2
miles south of the VA/NC state-line.
Other locations to visit on the refuge
include the Kuralt Site Overlook, the
Great Marsh Loop Trail, and Mackay
USFWS
Island Road.
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge
Tim Cooper©
How To Use Your Checklist
The bird checklist was designed to
be informative and simple to use.
The birds under major headings are
arranged in alphabetical order.
Symbols that appear in this checklist
represent the following:
Tundra Swan
Seasonal Appearance
Sp - Spring March - May
S - Summer June - August
F-Fall September - November
W- Winter December - February
Seasonal Abundance
a - Abundant (a common species
which is very numerous)
c - common (likely to be seen in
suitable habitat)
Lawrence Wales©
u - uncommon (present but not
certain to be seen)
o - occasional (seen only a few times
during a season)
r - rare (seen at intervals of 2 to 5
years)
Yellow-rumped
Warbler
* - nesting may occur on the refuge
Tim Cooper©
This checklist includes 154 species of
birds and is based on observations
by refuge personnel and visiting
ornithologists. If you should find an
unlisted species, please let us know
at Refuge Headquarters. We will
appreciate your help in updating our
records.
Bald Eagle
SP
Loon and Grebes
__Common Loon
__Red-throated Loon
__Horned Grebe
__Pied-billed Grebe
__Red-necked Grebe
Pelicans and Cormorants
__Double-crested Cormorant
Bitterns, Egrets, and Herons
__American Bittern*
__Least Bittern*
__Cattle Egret
__Great Egret
__Snowy Egret
__Black-crowned Night-Heron
__Great Blue Heron
__Green-backed Heron*
__Little Blue Heron
__Tri-colored Heron
__Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Ibises
__Glossy Ibis
__White Ibis
Ducks, Geese and Swans
__Black Duck*
__Ring-necked Duck
__Ruddy Duck
__Wood Duck*
__Common Goldeneye
__Common Merganser
__Hooded Merganser*
__Red-breasted Merganser
__Greater Scaup
__Lesser Scaup
__Blue-winged Teal
__Green-winged Teal
__American Widgeon
__Eurasian Widgeon
__Bufflehead
__Canvasback
__Gadwall
__Mallard*
__Northern Shoveler
__Northern Pintail
__Redhead
__Canada Goose*
__Snow Goose
__Whistling Swan
S
F
W
o
r
o
r
o
o
o
c
c
r
o
o
c
c
u
u
c
c
u
u
u
c
c
u
o
c
u
u
o
r
u
u
o
c
o
o
c
u
o
o
r
u
u
u
u
o
o
o
c
o
c
c
r
r
a
u
c
c
r
u
u
u
r
u
c
c
c
r
o
o
a
a
u
c
u
c
c
c
a
u
c
u
r
u
u
u
r
u
c
c
c
r
u
o
a
a
u
c
u
u
a
c
c
c
u
o
c
c
u
o
a
u
o
u
c
c
r
c
r
r
c
o
o
c
r
o
r
Vultures
__Black Vulture
__Turkey Vulture
Osprey, Kites, Eagles, Hawks, and Falcons
__Osprey*
__Northern Harrier
__Bald Eagle *
__Golden Eagle
__Broad-winged Hawk
__Cooper’s Hawk
__Red-shouldered Hawk
__Red-tailed Hawk*
__Rough-legged Hawk
__Sharp-shinned Hawk
__American Kestrel
__Merlin
__Peregrine Falcon
SP
S
F
W
r
c
r
c
o
a
o
a
c
c
u
c
c
c
u
r
u
u
o
u
r
u
c
o
o
r
c
u
r
u
o
u
c
c
r
c
r
u
r
c
u
c
c
o
c
o
u
u
o
o
u
o
u
u
c
Gallinaceous Birds
__Northern Bobwhite*
c
c
Rails, Cranes, Gallinules, and Coots
__Black Rail
__Clapper Rail
__King Rail*
__Sora*
__Virginia Rail*
__Purple Gallinule
__American Coot*
__Common Moorhen*
r
o
c
u
u
r
c
o
r
r
c
r
o
r
r
o
Shorebirds
__Short-billed Dowitcher
__Long-billed Dowitcher
__Black-bellied Plover
__Semipalmated Plover
__Least Sandpiper
__Semipalmated Sandpiper
__Solitary Sandpiper
__Spotted Sandpiper
__Western Sandpiper
__Greater Yellowlegs
__Lesser Yellowlegs
__American Woodcock
__Black-necked Stilt
__Common Snipe
__Dunlin
__Killdeer
__Ruddy Turnstone
__Willet
u
o
o
u
c
c
o
u
o
c
c
o
o
u
o
c
o
u
o
r
c
u
o
o
u
c
c
r
u
o
c
c
o
o
u
o
u
o
u
u
c
o
o
o
o
o
o
r
u
u
SP
Gulls and Terns
__Bonaparte’s Gull
__Great Black-backed Gull
__Herring Gull
__Laughing Gull
__Ring-billed Gull
__Black Tern
__Caspian Tern
__Common Tern
__Forster’s Tern
__Least Tern
__Royal Tern
__Sooty Tern
Doves
__Mourning Dove
__Rock Dove
u
u
u
u
o
u
r
u
u
u
o
c
r
o
r
F
W
o
u
u
c
u
o
u
u
c
u
o
u
o
o
o
r
c
o
Cuckoos
__Black-billed Cuckoo
__Yellow-billed Cuckoo*
Owls
__Barred Owl
__Common Barn Owl*
__Eastern Screech Owl*
__Great Horned Owl*
__Short-eared Owl*
__Snowy Owl
S
c
o
c
o
c
o
c
r
c
r
c
r
r
c
u
r
r
r
r
c
u
r
r
r
c
u
r
r
c
u
r
Goatsuckers
__Chuck-will’s widow*
__Common Nighthawk
u
r
u
r
Swifts, Hummingbirds, and Kingfishers
__Chimney Swift
__Belted Kingfisher*
__Ruby-throated Hummingbird*
u
c
u
o
c
u
o
c
c
Woodpeckers
__Common Flicker*
__Downy Woodpecker
__Hairy Woodpecker
__Pileated Woodpecker*
__Red-bellied Woodpecker
__Red-headed Woodpecker
__Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
c
u
u
u
u
o
o
c
u
r
u
u
o
o
a
u
r
u
u
o
o
c
u
r
u
o
r
o
Flycatchers
__Acadian Flycatcher
__Great Crested Flycatcher*
__Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
o
c
r
u
o
u
r
SP
u
u
c
S
u
u
o
F
u
c
o
Martins and Swallows
__Purple Martin*
__Barn Swallow*
__Northern Rough-winged Swallow
__Tree Swallow*
u
c
r
c
u
c
r
c
u
c
r
a
Jays and Crows
__Blue Jay*
__American Crow*
__Fish Crow
u
c
u
u
c
u
c
c
u
u
c
Chickadees and Titmice
__Carolina Chickadee*
__Tufted Titmose*
c
u
c
c
c
c
c
Nuthatches and Creepers
__White-breasted Nuthatch
__Brown-headed Nuthatch*
__Brown Creeper
u
o
u
o
u
o
u
o
Wrens
__Carolina Wren*
__House Wren*
__Marsh Wren*
c
u
c
c
u
c
c
o
c
c
Kinglets and Gnatcatchers
__Golden-crowned Kinglet
__Ruby-crowned Kinglet
__Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
u
u
u
u
u
u
o
Thrushes, Robins, and Bluebirds
__Hermit Thrush
__Wood Thrush
__American Robin*
__Eastern Bluebird*
u
c
c
o
c
c
u
c
c
o
u
Thrashers, Mocking Birds, and Catbird
__Brown Thrasher*
__Mockingbird*
__Catbird*
c
c
u
c
c
u
c
c
u
c
c
u
Waxwings and Starlings
__Cedar Waxwing
__European Starling*
u
c
c
u
c
u
u
Vireos
__Red-eyed Vireo*
__White-eyed Vireo*
o
u
o
c
u
__Eastern Kingbird*
__Eastern Phoebe
__Eastern Wood-Pewee*
W
o
o
c
u
o
u
SP
Warblers
__American Redstart
__Black-and-white Warbler
__Blackpoll Warbler
__Black-throated Green Warbler
__Common Yellowthroat*
__Hooded Warbler
__Magnolia Warbler
__Northern Parula
__Ovenbird
__Palm Warbler
__Pine Warbler*
__Prairie Warbler*
__Prothonotary Warbler
__Yellow-rumped Warbler
__Yellow-throated Warbler
__Yellow Warbler
__Yellow-breasted Chat
u
u
o
o
c
o
u
r
c
u
c
c
c
c
o
u
u
Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings, and Tanagers
__Northern Cardinal*
c
__Blue Grosbeak*
u
__Rose-breasted Grosbeak
o
__Indigo Bunting*
u
__Summer Tanager
o
Sparrows
__Chipping Sparrow*
__Dark-eyed Junco
__Field Sparrow
__Fox Sparrow
__Eastern Towhee*
__Savannah Sparrow*
__Sharp-tailed Sparrow
__Song Sparrow*
__Swamp Sparrow
__White-crowned Sparrow
__White-throated Sparrow
__Seaside Sparrow
S
F
W
u
u
c
c
u
o
c
c
c
o
r
u
c
u
u
o
c
c
o
o
a
a
u
o
c
o
o
u
o
c
u
c
c
c
u
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
r
c
c
u
u
Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Orioles, and Cowbirds
__Boat-tailed Grackle*
a
a
__Bobolink
o
__Brown-headed Cowbird*
c
c
__Common Grackle*
c
c
__Eastern Meadowlark*
c
c
__Northern Oriole
o
__Orchard Oriole*
u
u
__Red-winged Blackbird*
a
a
c
c
o
c
u
c
o
u
u
u
u
c
c
c
c
c
o
a
o
c
c
c
c
c
c
u
o
a
a
S
F
W
u
o
u
u
o
u
o
Weaver Finches
__House Sparrow*
u
u
u
r
Lawrence Wales©
SP
Finches
__American Goldfinch
__Purple Finch
Lawrence Wales©
Snow Geese
King Rail
Sighting Notes
Date
_____________________________
______________________________
Time
_______________________________
_______________________________
Weather
_____________________________
______________________________
_______________________________
No. of species
_______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Route or area
______________________________
_____________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Observers
_____________________________
______________________________
______________________________
Remarks
___________________________
___________________________
____________________________
____________________________
___________________________
____________________________
This blue goose,
designed by
J. N. “Ding”
Darling, has
become a symbol
of the National
Wildlife Refuge
System.
____________________________
____________________________
___________________________
___________________________
____________________________
Tim Cooper©
Great Blue Heron
Mackay Island
National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 39
Knotts Island, NC 27950-0039
252/429-3100
252/429-3185 Fax
fw4rwmackayisland@fws.gov
http://southeast.fws.gov
http://mackayisland.fws.gov
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
1 800/344 WILD
http://www.fws.gov
August 2005