Palo Duro Canyon

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF PALO DURO CANYON STATE PA RK A FIELD CHECKLIST 2012 In 1983, the Texas Legislature created the Special Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Fund. This fund may be used for nongame wildlife and endangered species research and conservation, habitat acquisition and development and dissemination of information pertaining to nongame management. Money for this fund is obtained through private donations and sale of nongame wildlife art prints and stamps. This fund now gives Texans a unique opportunity to help support this state’s valuable and sensitive nongame resources. Your individual contributions and purchases of nongame art prints and stamps will help determine the level of nongame conservation activities in Texas. For more information call toll-free (1-800-792-1112) or contact: Nongame and Endangered Species Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744. citation Seyffert, Kenneth and Mark Hassell. March 2012. Birds of Palo Duro Canyon State Park: a field checklist. Natural Resource Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Austin, Texas. Cover: Illustration of Mississippi Kite by Rob Fleming. INTRODUCTION P alo Duro Canyon State Park, in Randall and Armstrong counties, is located on the eastern edge of the Texas High Plains (Llano Estacado). The Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River carved the rugged and scenic Palo Duro Canyon within which developed an amazing variety of habitats. Avian habitats of special interest to birders include: RIPARIAN WOODLANDS along the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, where the Golden-fronted Woodpecker is in constant noisy attendance the entire year and where Mississippi Kite and Bullock’s Oriole regale the visitor with their grace and color in summer; GRASSLANDS and BRUSHLANDS with their superb songsters, such as the Northern Cardinal and Bewick’s Wren, and the most colorful of birds, the Painted Bunting; small stands of EMERGENT VEGETATION or PONDS along the wettest portions of the creek, where many different species come to drink and bathe both in summer and winter; the open WOODED SCARPS and header drainages of Palo Duro Canyon, where Canyon and Rock Wrens are to be found along with Cliff Swallows with their earthen nests tucked away under the rocky outcroppings; and the MESQUITE/GRASSLANDS of the upper levels, with their melodious Western Meadowlarks and Lark Sparrows. The park offers a haven to a diverse spectrum of species in winter, ranging from the Bald Eagle to the most elegant of birds, the Mountain Bluebird. This checklist, compiled by Kenneth Seyffert, includes only those species which have been observed either within the park boundaries or have been observed flying overhead. Nomenclature and organization follow the A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds (7th edition, 1998) as currently supplemented. Please report new sightings to the Natural Resource Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, Texas 78744. 1 Please help us protect the natural avian communities in our parks by refraining from using playback tapes of bird songs. Frequent use of these tapes disrupts essential territorial behavior and may lead to nest failure. Thank you for your cooperation. LEGEND Seasons Sp = spring (March – May) S = summer (June – August) F = fall (September – November) W = winter (December – February) Abundance A = Abundant, always present and observed, expect large numbers in proper habitat and season C = Common, always encountered in proper habitat and season, numbers may vary from low to high U = Uncommon, usually present in proper habitat and season but may be overlooked, never common or abundant R = Rare, seldom recorded, not expected each season as designated, may not be recorded every year IT = irregular Transient, not every year or day but may occur in numbers, usually flying overhead I = Irruptive/Irregular, invasion species which may be absent some seasons/years, abundant others V = May be observed only once in five years or more, not expected X = Accidental, not be expected, but recorded at least once * nests — nests or newly fledged young with adults observed + probably nests — needs confirmation 2 CHECKLIST Sp ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ S F W Snow Goose.................................................... IT IT IT Ross’s Goose................................................... IT IT IT Cackling Goose.............................................. IT IT IT Canada Goose................................................ IT IT IT Wood Duck...................................................... I V V Gadwall............................................................ I I American Wigeon.......................................... I I Mallard............................................................ I I I Blue-winged Teal........................................... I Northern Shoveler......................................... I I I Northern Pintail............................................ IT IT IT IT Green-winged Teal......................................... I I I Ring-necked Duck.......................................... I I Lesser Scaup................................................... V Common Goldeneye...................................... V V Northern Bobwhite....................................... C C* C C Scaled Quail.................................................... U U* U U Ring-necked Pheasant................................... I I Wild Turkey.................................................... C C* C C Pied-billed Grebe........................................... V Great Blue Heron........................................... R R R R Snowy Egret................................................... V Little Blue Heron........................................... V Cattle Egret..................................................... V Green Heron .................................................. R R Black-crowned Night-Heron......................... V White-faced Ibis............................................. IT Turkey Vulture............................................... C C* C Osprey.............................................................. V X Mississippi Kite.............................................. C C* C Bald Eagle....................................................... IT IT IT Northern Harrier........................................... U U U Sharp-shinned Hawk ................................... U V U R Cooper’s Hawk .............................................. R V R R Northern Goshawk........................................ X X Harris’s Hawk................................................. X X Broad-winged Hawk...................................... V Swainson’s Hawk .......................................... IT IT IT 3  Sp ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ S F W Red-tailed Hawk ............................................ U U* U U Ferruginous Hawk......................................... IT IT IT Rough-legged Hawk....................................... IT IT IT Golden Eagle.................................................. U U* U U American Kestrel........................................... U U* U U Merlin.............................................................. R R R Prairie Falcon................................................. R R R American Coot............................................... I I I Sandhill Crane............................................... IT IT IT Killdeer............................................................ U U+ U I American Avocet............................................ IT IT Greater Yellowlegs......................................... V Solitary Sandpiper......................................... V V V Spotted Sandpiper......................................... U V U Upland Sandpiper.......................................... IT IT IT Long-billed Curlew........................................ IT IT Wilson’s Snipe................................................ I I American Woodcock...................................... X Wilson’s Phalarope........................................ V Ring-billed Gull.............................................. IT IT Rock Pigeon.................................................... R R R R Eurasian Collared-Dove................................ U U U U Mourning Dove.............................................. C C* C R White-winged Dove....................................... R R Inca Dove........................................................ V V V V Black-billed Cuckoo....................................... X Yellow-billed Cuckoo ................................... C C* C Greater Roadrunner...................................... U U* U U Barn Owl......................................................... R R* R R Eastern Screech-Owl...................................... U U* U U Great Horned Owl......................................... U U* U U Burrowing Owl............................................... V Long-eared Owl.............................................. V V Common Nighthawk..................................... U U+ U Common Poorwill......................................... U U* U Chimney Swift................................................ IT White-throated Swift..................................... I I Black-chinned Hummingbird....................... V Belted Kingfisher........................................... U U* U U Red-headed Woodpecker.............................. U U* U U Golden-fronted Woodpecker ...................... C C* C C 4  Sp ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ S F W Red-bellied Woodpecker............................... V V V Red-naped Sapsucker.................................... R R R Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.............................. U U R Williamson’s Sapsucker................................ V V V Ladder-backed Woodpecker......................... C C* C C Downy Woodpecker...................................... I V I I Hairy Woodpecker......................................... V V Northern Flicker............................................ C U* C C Olive-sided Flycatcher................................... U R U Western Wood-Pewee.................................... U R U Eastern Wood-Pewee..................................... X V Empidonax sp................................................. C R C V Black Phoebe.................................................. X Eastern Phoebe.............................................. U I* U Say’s Phoebe................................................... U U* U V Vermilion Flycatcher..................................... V Ash-throated Flycatcher................................ C C* C Great Crested Flycatcher.............................. R R* Thick-billed Kingbird.................................... X Western Kingbird........................................... U U* U Eastern Kingbird............................................ R V R Scissor-tailed Flycatcher............................... U U* U Northern Shrike............................................. I I I Loggerhead Shrike......................................... U R+ U U White-eyed Vireo........................................... X X X Bell’s Vireo...................................................... V Warbling Vireo............................................... U I* U Philadelphia Vireo ...................................... V V Red-eyed Vireo............................................... V V Blue Jay........................................................... U U* U V Western Scrub-Jay.......................................... U U* U U American Crow.............................................. U U* U U Chihuahuan Raven........................................ IT Horned Lark .................................................. U U* U C Tree Swallow.................................................. IT IT Violet-green Swallow..................................... X Northern Rough-winged Swallow............... U* U U Bank Swallow................................................. IT IT Cliff Swallow ................................................. A A* A Barn Swallow................................................. C R* C Carolina Chickadee....................................... U U* U U 5  Sp ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ S F W Black-crested Titmouse................................. C C* C C Verdin.............................................................. R R* R R Bushtit............................................................. U U* C C Red-breasted Nuthatch.................................. V U V White-breasted Nuthatch.............................. I I I Brown Creeper............................................... U U U Rock Wren....................................................... C C* C U Canyon Wren.................................................. C C* C C Carolina Wren................................................ I I+ I I Bewick’s Wren ............................................... C C* C C House Wren.................................................... U V U V Winter Wren .................................................. I I I Marsh Wren.................................................... U U U Blue-gray Gnatcatcher................................... U U* U Golden-crowned Kinglet............................... U U U Ruby-crowned Kinglet................................... C C U Eastern Bluebird............................................ U I* U U Western Bluebird........................................... I I Mountain Bluebird........................................ U C C Townsend’s Solitaire..................................... U U U Swainson’s Thrush........................................ R R Hermit Thrush............................................... U U R Wood Thrush.................................................. V American Robin............................................. A I* A A Gray Catbird................................................... I I X Northern Mockingbird.................................. C C* C U Sage Thrasher ............................................... U U I Brown Thrasher............................................. U U U Curve-billed Thrasher .................................. U U* U U European Starling.......................................... C C* C C American Pipit................................................ U U Bohemian Waxwing ..................................... X Cedar Waxwing.............................................. A U C Phainopepla.................................................... X McCown’s Longspur....................................... IT IT IT Lapland Longspur.......................................... IT IT Chestnut-collared Longspur......................... IT IT IT Ovenbird.......................................................... V Worm-eating Warbler.................................... X Northern Waterthrush ............................... V Black-and-white Warbler.............................. R R 6  Sp ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ S F Orange-crowned Warbler.............................. U U Nashville Warbler.......................................... U U Virginia’s Warbler.......................................... I MacGillivray’s Warbler................................. U V U Common Yellowthroat.................................. U U Hooded Warbler............................................. X American Redstart......................................... R R Northern Parula............................................. I Magnolia Warbler.......................................... R R Bay-breasted Warbler.................................... I I Blackburnian Warbler................................... X Yellow Warbler............................................... C V C Chestnut-sided Warbler................................ I I Blackpoll Warbler.......................................... I I Pine Warbler................................................... V Yellow-rumped Warbler................................ C C Black-throated Gray Warbler....................... I I Townsend’s Warbler...................................... I I Black-throated Green Warbler..................... V I Wilson’s Warbler............................................ C V C Yellow-breasted Chat..................................... R V R Green-tailed Towhee..................................... R R Spotted Towhee............................................. C C Eastern Towhee.............................................. V R Rufous-crowned Sparrow............................. U U* U Canyon Towhee.............................................. C C* C Cassin’s Sparrow........................................... U U* U Chipping Sparrow......................................... C C Clay-colored Sparrow.................................... C C Brewer’s Sparrow.......................................... R R Field Sparrow ................................................ U I+ U Vesper Sparrow.............................................. C C Lark Sparrow ................................................. C C* C Black-throated Sparrow................................ R R* R Lark Bunting................................................... A I A Savannah Sparrow......................................... C C Grasshopper Sparrow................................... U I+ U Baird’s Sparrow............................................. R Le Conte’s Sparrow....................................... V V Fox Sparrow.................................................... I I Song Sparrow................................................. C C 7 W R V V V C R U C V U V I I R I C  Sp ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ S F W Lincoln’s Sparrow.......................................... U U U Swamp Sparrow............................................. I White-throated Sparrow............................... U U U Golden-crowned Sparrow............................. X X White-crowned Sparrow............................... C C C Harris’s Sparrow............................................ I I I Dark-eyed Junco............................................. A C A Summer Tanager............................................ I V Scarlet Tanager............................................... X Western Tanager............................................ U U Northern Cardinal......................................... C C* C C Pyrrhuloxia..................................................... R V R R Rose-breasted Grosbeak............................... R R X Black-headed Grosbeak................................ U V U Blue Grosbeak................................................ C C* C Lazuli Bunting................................................ R I R Indigo Bunting............................................... R I* R Painted Bunting............................................. C C* C Dickcissel......................................................... V Red-winged Blackbird................................... U U* IT IT Western Meadowlark.................................... C C* C C Yellow-headed Blackbird.............................. IT V IT Rusty Blackbird.............................................. V Brewer’s Blackbird........................................ IT IT IT Great-tailed Grackle...................................... V V Common Grackle........................................... V V Bronzed Cowbird........................................... V Brown-headed Cowbird................................ C C* C V Orchard Oriole............................................... R V R Hooded Oriole................................................ X Bullock’s Oriole.............................................. C C* C Pine Grosbeak................................................ X Purple Finch................................................... X House Finch.................................................... C C* C C Red Crossbill ................................................. I Pine Siskin...................................................... C V C C Lesser Goldfinch............................................ R R* U V American Goldfinch...................................... C V C C Evening Grosbeak.......................................... I I I House Sparrow............................................... C C* C C 8 TPWD receives federal assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies. TPWD is therefore subject to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, in addition to state anti-discrimination laws. TPWD will comply with state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability. If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any TPWD program, activity or event, you may contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Assistance, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop: MBSP-4020, Arlington, VA 22203, Attention: Civil Rights Coordinator for Public Access. Natural Resources Program Texas Parks and Wildlife 4200 Smith School Road Austin, Texas 78744 © 2012 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department PWD BK P4506-007A (2/12) In accordance with Texas Depository Law, this publication is available at the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.