Muleshoe

Muleshoe NWR https://www.fws.gov/refuge/muleshoe/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muleshoe_National_Wildlife_Refuge Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is located about twenty miles (32 km) south of Muleshoe, Texas on Texas State Highway 214. The refuge is a stop for migratory waterfowl flying between Canada and Mexico. The refuge includes several intermittent salt lakes, some of which have been modified to extend their wet periods. Paul's Lake, on the east side of Highway 214, is spring fed, and hosts wildlife during times when the other lakes are dry. If sufficient water is present during the winter, the refuge hosts tens of thousands of sandhill cranes. The largest number of cranes ever recorded was 250,000, during February, 1981.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Birds of Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge Birding at Muleshoe NWR This list contains 320 species which have been observed on the refuge since its establishment in 1935. Species are presented in taxonomic order based on the 7th edition (1998) A.O.U. checklist and and its 58th supplement through 2018. So grab your book, binoculars and a pencil, and as you spot birds during your tour of the refuge, check them off on this list. If you should find an unlisted, or “rare” species, please let us know at Refuge Headquarters. We will appreciate your help in updating our records. Seasons Sp Spring—period of spring migration from mid-February to early June S Summer—June to August F Fall—period of fall migration from mid-July to November W Winter—December to February Abundance C Common; suitable habitat is available; not be missed during appropriate season. U Uncommon; present, but in moderate numbers; not seen on every visit. O Occasional; present, only a few times per season; also includes those species that do not occur each year, while in some years may be fairly common. R Rare; observed only every 1 to 5 years; records are sporadic and few. X Accidental; Has been seen only once/ twice. * Nests locally Italics =Federal Threatened or Endangered ___Snow Goose ___Ross’s Goose ___Greater White-fr. Goose ___Canada Goose ___Tundra Swan ___Wood Duck ___Blue-winged Teal* ___Cinnamon Teal ___Northern Shoveler* ___Gadwall ___American Wigeon ___Mallard* ___Northern Pintail ___Green-winged Teal ___Canvasback ___Redhead ___Ring-necked Duck ___Greater Scaup Sp S F W O O X R U R R U R U U C C C C U U O R R U R U U C C C C U U O R R R R O R R R R R ___Lesser Scaup ___Surf Scoter ___White-winged Scoter ___Long-tailed Duck ___Bufflehead ___Common Goldeneye ___Hooded Merganser ___Common Merganser ___Red-breasted Merganser ___Ruddy Duck* O X R U R R U U C C C C R R R X Sp S U R ___Northern Bobwhite* ___Scaled Quail* C C C C C C C C ___Ring-necked Pheasant* ___Lesser Prairie-Chicken U U R R U U R R New World Quail U R F W U R X X X X U R X X X X X X X X U R X U Pheasants, Grouse, and Turkeys Grebes Symbols used are defined as follows: Common Name Ducks, Geese, and Swans Common Name ___Pied-billed Grebe* ___Horned Grebe ___Eared Grebe ___Western Grebe U U R U R U U R R U R X ___Eurasian Collared-Dove ___White-winged Dove ___Mourning Dove* C C X X C C C C X C C ___Yellow-billed Cuckoo* ___Greater Roadrunner* R R U O R U U ___Lesser Nighthawk ___Common Nighthawk* X C C U ___Black-ch. Hummingbird R R R X O O X X X O O Pigeons and Doves Cuckoos and Roadrunners Goatsuckers Hummingbirds Rails and Coots ___Yellow Rail ___Black Rail ___Sora ___American Coot* Cranes ___Sandhill Crane ___Whooping Crane C C C R ___Black-necked Stilt* ___American Avocet* O O C C O U ___Black-bellied Plover ___Snowy Plover* ___Semipalmated Plover ___Killdeer* ___Mountain Plover R C C R C C X R C R C O X Stilts and Avocets Plovers Sandpipers and Phalaropes ___Upland Sandpiper ___Long-billed Curlew ___Marbled Godwit ___Ruddy Turnstone ___Stilt Sandpiper ___Sanderling ___Dunlin ___Baird’s Sandpiper ___Least Sandpiper ___White-rum. Sandpiper ___Pectoral Sandpiper ___Semipalmated Sandpiper ___Western Sandpiper ___Long-billed Dowitcher R O X X O X X U U X O R O U U X U U U U U U R R X X O X X U U R U U U Ferringous hawks. © Christena Stephens Common Name ___Wilson’s Snipe ___Spotted Sandpiper ___Solitary Sandpiper ___Lesser Yellowlegs ___Willet ___Greater Yellowlegs ___Wilson’s Phalarope ___Red-necked Phalarope ___Red Phalarope Gulls and Terns ___Bonaparte’s Gull ___Franklin’s Gull ___Ring-billed Gull ___Herring Gull ___Least Tern ___Black Tern ___Common Tern ___Forster’s Tern Pelicans Sp S F W R U R U U R U U U R X R U R U R U U X X X O O R X X O O R O X O O O R R X O R O ___American White Pelican X ___American Bittern ___Great Blue Heron ___Great Egret ___Snowy Egret ___Little Blue Heron ___Cattle Egret ___Green Heron ___Black-cr. Night-Heron* ___Yellow-cr. Night-Heron X U U X R R X X X O O X X U U X R X X X O X ___White-faced Ibis C U C ___Turkey Vulture U U O ___Osprey ___Mississippi Kite ___Bald Eagle ___Northern Harrier* ___Sharp-shinned Hawk ___Cooper’s Hawk ___Northern Goshawk ___Swainson’s Hawk* ___Red-tailed Hawk ___Rough-legged Hawk ___Ferruginous Hawk* ___Golden Eagle X C C C O U C R U X X R C U U X C C U C U ___Barn Owl* R R R R Herons and Bitterns Ibises American Vultures Hawks, Kites, and Eagles Barn Owls R C O U U R C O R C U C U Common Name Typical Owls Sp S F W ___Great Horned Owl* ___Burrowing Owl* ___Long-eared Owl ___Short-eared Owl C C U C R R C C U R ___Belted Kingfisher R R R ___Lewis’ Woodpecker ___Red-headed Woodpecker ___Golden-fr. Woodpecker ___Red-bellied Woodpecker ___Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ___Red-naped Sapsucker ___Ladder-ba. Woodpecker* ___Downy Woodpecker ___Hairy Woodpecker ___Northern Flick