Chincoteague

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge Birds Behind the dunes, shrub habitat extends north and south gradually merging into an upland forest community. The shrub habitat and upland forest support landbirds and game birds including the northern flicker, eastern towhee, and northern bobwhite. Leaving the forest for the west edge of the island, the landscape falls away to expansive salt marshes that border the Chincoteague Bay. Secretive marsh birds including the clapper rail and green heron are outstanding marvels of the salt marsh. Another facet of the refuge is the fresh-water impoundments. More than 2,600 acres of shallow freshwater moist soil impoundments are managed to provide wetland vegetation and mudflats as year round foraging areas and cover for varieties of waterfowl, shorebirds, and other waterbirds during migrations. Along with roadside ditches, impoundments provide resting, feeding, and brood-rearing habitat for wading birds such as great blue herons and snowy egrets. This brochure lists 277 birds that have been identified on the refuge since 2008 and is in accordance with the Seventh American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist. Bill Thompson/USFWS Introduction Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge consists of sandy beach backed by a series of low dunes. During the summer our beaches become a nesting area for various species including the American oystercatcher, least terns, black skimmers, and the threatened piping plover. Chincoteague NWR is one of the country’s top five shorebird migration staging areas east of the Rocky Mountains. Least sandpiper Most birds are migratory, therefore, their seasonal occurrence is coded as follows: Season Sp spring S summer F fall W winter March – May June – August September – November December – February *Birds known to nest on or near the refuge Italics indicate threatened/ endangered species Relative Abundance Relative abundance indicates how frequently you might see a bird in its favored habitat. a abundant: a species which is very numerous c common: likely to be seen or heard in suitable habitat u uncommon: present, but not certain to be seen o occasional: seen only a few times during a season r rare: may be present but not every year Sp S F W Ducks, Geese, & Swans ___Greater White-fronted Goose r ___Greater Snow Goose c r c c ___Ross’s Goose r r u ___Brant c r c c ___Cackling Goose u u ___Canada Goose* c c a c ___Mute Swan* o o o o ___Tundra Swan c c c ___Wood Duck* u u u r ___Gadwall* c o c c ___Eurasian Wigeon r r ___American Wigeon c r c c ___American Black Duck* c c c c ___Mallard* c c c a ___Blue-winged Teal* c u c o ___Northern Shoveler c o c c ___Northern Pintail c r c c ___Green-winged Teal c o c c ___Canvasback r ___Redhead r ___Ring-necked Duck u ___Greater Scaup r r ___Lesser Scaup r u ___Common Eider r ___White-winged Scoter u u c Great egret Sp S F W ___Surf Scoter o o ___Black Scoter u u ___Long-tailed Duck ___Bufflehead c o c ___Common Goldeneye o ___Hooded Merganser o u ___Common Merganser r ___Red-breasted Merganser u r o ___Ruddy Duck u r o Turkey & Quail ___Wild Turkey* o o o ___Northern Bobwhite* u c o Loons & Grebes ___Red-throated Loon c u ___Common Loon c r c ___Pied-billed Grebe u u ___Horned Grebe u r u ___Red-necked Grebe Shearwaters & Storm-Petrels ___Cory’s Shearwater r r r ___Sooty Shearwater r r ___Wilson’s Storm-Petrel r r Gannet, Pelicans & Cormorants ___Northern Gannet c o o ___American White Pelican r r r ___Brown Pelican* u c o ___Double-crested Cormorant* a a a ___Great Cormorant r r r Bitterns, Herons & Ibises ___American Bittern o o o ___Least Bittern* r r ___Great Blue Heron* a c a ___Great Egret* a a a ___Snowy Egret* c a a ___Little Blue Heron* c c c ___Tricolored Heron* c c c ___Cattle Egret* o c c ___White Egret sp. r r ___Green Heron* o a c ___Black-crowned Night-Heron* o o o o c o c o o r c c o o c c c c r u r u u r a a u u o o u u o c r c c c o u c o u u Steve Hillebrand/USFWS Steve Hillebrand/USFWS Sp S F W ___Yellow-crowned Night-Heron* r u r ___White Ibis* u c u ___Glossy Ibis* c a o ___White-faced Ibis r r Vultures, Hawks & Falcons ___Black Vulture* o o o ___Turkey Vulture* c c c ___Osprey* c c c ___Bald Eagle* o o c ___Northern Harrier* u r c ___Sharp-shinned Hawk o o u ___Cooper’s Hawk o o ___Red-shouldered Hawk o o ___Red-tailed Hawk* o o o ___American Kestrel o r o ___Merlin u r o ___Peregrine Falcon u u o Rails & Cranes ___Clapper Rail* o u o ___King Rail r r r ___Virginia Rail* r r r ___Sora r r ___Common Gallinule r ___American Coot o u Plovers & Sandpipers ___Black-bellied Plover c c c ___American Golden-Plover r r ___Wilson’s Plover* r ___Semipalmated Plover c a c ___Piping Plover* o o o ___Killdeer* o o u ___American Oystercatcher* c c c ___Black-necked Stilt* o u ___American Avocet o u o ___Spotted Sandpiper u u o ___Solitary Sandpiper o o ___Greater Yellowlegs c c c ___Willet* c c c ___Lesser Yellowlegs c u u ___Whimbrel u u o ___Black-tailed Godwit r r ___Hudsonian Godwit r o ___Marbled Godwit u u u ___Ruddy Turnstone o c o ___Red Knot r o r ___Sanderling u c o ___Semipalmated Sandpiper a c u ___Western Sandpiper o r o ___Least Sandpiper c c u ___White-rumped Sandpiper o o r ___Baird’s Sandpiper r r ___Pectoral Sandpiper o o u ___Dunlin c o u ___Stilt Sandpiper r o ___Buff-breasted Sandpiper r r ___Ruff r r ___Short-billed Dowitcher u c u ___Long-billed Dowitcher r r r ___Wilson’s Snipe r r r ___American Woodcock* ___Wilson’s Phalarope r r ___Red-necked Phalarope r Gulls, Terns & Auks ___Bonaparte’s Gull r r ___Black-headed Gull o ___Laughing Gull* a a c o r r o c r u o o c c u u o r o o c u o u r u o r Bald eagle Sp S F W ___Ring-billed Gull c u c a ___Herring Gull* c c c a ___Lesser Black-backed Gull u u u o ___Great Black-backed Gull* c c c c ___Least Tern* c r ___Gull-billed Tern* o o r r ___Caspian Tern* r o c ___Black Tern u r ___Royal Tern* u c c ___Sandwich Tern* u o ___Common Tern* o c o ___Forster’s Tern* a a a u ___Black Skimmer* u c o ___Dovekie r r ___Razorbill r Doves, Cuckoos, Owls, Swifts & Hummingbirds ___Rock Pigeon o o o o ___Mourning Dove* c c c c ___Yellow-billed Cuckoo* r o o ___Black-billed Cuckoo* r u r r ___Northern Saw-whet Owl o o ___Barn Owl* r r r r ___Eastern Screech-Owl* o o o o ___Great Horned Owl* o o o o ___Snowy Owl r ___Barred Owl* o o o o ___Long-eared Owl r ___Short-eared Owl o ___Common Nighthawk o ___Chuck-will’s-widow* o o ___Chimney Swift* o r ___Ruby-throated Hummingbird* r o r ___Belted Kingfisher* c r c c Woodpeckers & Flycatchers ___Red-headed Woodpecker* r o r ___Red-bellied Woodpecker* o o o o ___Yellow-bellied Sapsucker r o o ___Downy Woodpecker* r o r r ___Hairy Woodpecker r r r r ___Northern Flicker* o o c o Northern cardinal ___Boat-tailed Grackle* c a ___Brown-headed Cowbird* u o ___Orchard Oriole* r o ___Baltimore Oriole r r ___Purple Finch r ___House Finch* o o ___Pine Siskin ___American Goldfinch* o c ___House Sparrow r o u r r r r o r o r o r o r o r Accidental Species These additional 21 species have been seen only once or twice on the refuge: Eared Grebe Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Greater White-fronted Goose King Eider White-cheeked Pintail Little Egret Great Shearwater Rough-legged Hawk Black Rail Purple Gallinule Curlew Sandpiper Red Phalarope Iceland Gull Eastern whip-poor will Willow Flycatcher Western Kingbird Warbling Vireo Cave Swallow Golden-winged Warbler Vesper Sparrow Dickcissel Notes Location______________________________ Date________ Time_____________________ Observers____________________________ Weather______________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge 8231 Beach Road P.O. Box 62 Chincoteague Island, VA 23336-0062 757/336 6122 757/336 5273 Fax email: fw5rw_cnwr@fws.gov www.fws.gov/refuge/Chincoteague Virginia Relay Center 1 800/828 1120 TDD 1 800/828 1140 voice Bill Thompson/USFWS r r r Sp S F W ___Yellow-throated Warbler ___Pine Warbler* o o o o ___Pileated Woodpecker* o o c o ___Prairie Warbler* r r r r ___Olive-sided Flycatcher r ___Palm Warbler r o r ___Eastern Wood-Pewee* u u o ___Bay-breasted Warbler r ___Acadian Flycatcher* r r ___Blackpoll Warbler r r ___Eastern Phoebe* r o o r ___Black-and-white Warbler r o ___Great Crested Flycatcher* u o o ___American Redstart r o ___Eastern Kingbird* u o o ___Prothonotary Warbler r r r r Vireos ___Worm-eating Warbler r ___White-eyed Vireo* r o r ___Ovenbird* r o r ___Yellow-throated Vireo r r r ___Northern Waterthrush r ___Blue-headed Vireo r r ___Louisiana Waterthrush r ___Philadelphia Vireo r ___Common Yellowthroat* o o o r ___Red-eyed Vireo* o o o ___Hooded Warbler r Jays, Crows, Larks & Swallows ___Wilson’s Warbler r ___Blue Jay* o o u o ___Canada Warbler r ___American Crow* u u u u ___Yellow-breasted Chat* r o o ___Fish Crow* u c o o Tanagers, Sparrows & Allies ___Horned Lark * r r r r ___Scarlet Tanager r r r ___Purple Martin* o o r ___Summer Tanager* r o o ___Tree Swallow * c c u r ___Eastern Towhee* o o o o ___N. Rough-winged Swallow r r r ___American Tree Sparrow r ___Bank Swallow r r ___Chipping Sparrow* o o o r ___Barn Swallow c a r ___Clay-colored Sparrow r Chickadees, Nuthatches & Wrens ___Field Sparrow* r o o r ___Carolina Chickadee* o o o o ___Lark Sparrow r ___Tufted Titmouse o o r r ___Savannah Sparrow o r o o ___Red-breasted Nuthatch r u o ___Grasshopper Sparrow r r ___White-breasted Nuthatch o o o o ___Nelson’s Sparrow r r ___Brown-headed Nuthatch* u u u u ___Saltmarsh Sparrow* r o o r ___Brown Creeper o o o o ___Seaside Sparrow* o o o o ___Carolina Wren* o o o o ___Fox Sparrow o o o ___House Wren* u u u u ___Song Sparrow* o o o c ___Winter Wren o ___Lincoln’s Sparrow r r ___Sedge Wren r r ___Swamp Sparrow o o u ___Marsh Wren r r r ___White-throated Sparrow o o c Kinglets, Thrushes & Thrashers ___White-crowned Sparrow r r ___Golden-crowned Kinglet r o ___Dark-eyed Junco r r o o ___Ruby-crowned Kinglet r r ___Snow Bunting r ___Blue-gray Gnatcatcher* r r r ___Northern Cardinal* c c c c ___Eastern Bluebird* r r r r ___Rose-breasted Grosbeak r r ___Veery r ___Blue Grosbeak* o o o ___Gray-cheeked Thrush r r ___Indigo Bunting* u c o ___Swainson’s Thrush o Blackbirds & Finches ___Hermit Thrush r o o ___Bobolink r ___Wood Thrush* r o r r ___Red-winged Blackbird* c a c c ___American Robin* c c o o ___Eastern Meadowlark* o r o r ___Gray Catbird* o o o u ___Rusty Blackbird r r ___Northern Mockingbird* c o o o ___Common Grackle* o a o o ___Brown Thrasher* o o o o Starlings, Pipits & Waxwings ___European Starling* o o o o ___American Pipit r o ___Cedar Waxwing r o o r Warblers ___Blue-Winged Warbler r ___Tennessee Warbler r ___Nashville Warbler r ___Northern Parula* r r ___Yellow Warbler* r o r ___Chestnut-sided Warbler r r ___Magnolia Warbler r o ___Cape May Warbler r ___Black-throated Blue Warbler r o o ___Yellow-rumped Warbler c c a ___Black-throated Green Warbler r r ___Blackburnian Warbler r o U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service http:///www.fws.gov For Refuge Information 1 800/344 WILD March 2015