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BIRDING IN THE MISSOULA AND BITTERROOT VALLEYS

 

Five Valleys and Bitterroot Audubon Society Chapters are grassroots volunteer organizations of the National Audubon Society. We promote understanding, respect, and enjoyment of birds and the natural world through education, habitat protection, and environmental advocacy.

 

Five Valleys Audubon Society                          Bitterroot Audubon Society

P.O. Box 8425                                                 P.O. Box 326

Missoula, MT 59807                                        Hamilton, MT 59840

406-721-9799 (birding hotline)                         http://www.montana.com/audubon

http://Missoula.BigSky.net/FiveValleys/

                       

Montana Audubon

P.O. Box 595

Helena, MT 59624

406-443-3949

http://www.audubon.org/chapter/mt/mt/index/html

 

Bird Species of West Central Montana

 

Relative abundance in suitable habitat by season are:

c—common to abundant, usually found on every visit in moderate to large numbers

u—uncommon, usually present in low numbers but may be missed

o—occassional, seen only a few times during the season, not present in all suitable habitat

r—rare, one to low numbers occur but not every year

 

Status:

B- Direct evidence of breeding

b- Indirect evidence of breeding

t- No evidence of breeding

 

Season of occurrence:

W- winter: mid-November to mid-February

Sp- spring: mid-February to mid-May

Su- mid-May to mid-August

F- mid-August to mid-November

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Status

W

Sp

Su

F

Common Loon

B

r

c

u

c

Pied-billed Grebe

B

r

c

c

u

Horned Grebe

B

r

c

c

u

Red-necked Grebe

B

r

c

c

u

Eared Grebe

B

r

c

u

u

Western Grebe

B

r

c

c

c

Clark’s Grebe

t

r

o

o

r

American White Pelican

t

 

o

r

 

Double-crested Cormorant

B

r

c

c

u

American Bittern

B

r

u

u

u

Great Blue Heron

B

c

c

c

c

Great Egret

t

 

r

r

 

Black-crowned Night-heron

t

 

r

r

 

White-faced Ibis

t

 

o

 

 

Tundra Swan

t

r

c

r

u

Trumpeter Swan

t

r

o

 

r

Greater White-fronted Goose

t

 

r

 

r

Snow Goose

t

r

u

 

u

Ross’ Goose

t

 

r

 

r

Canada Goose

B

c

c

c

c

Wood Duck

B

r

c

c

c

Green-winged Teal

B

u

c

c

c

Mallard

B

c

c

c

c

Northern Pintail

B

u

c

c

c

Blue-winged Teal

B

r

c

c

c

Cinnamon Teal

B

o

c

c

c

Northern Shoveler

B

o

c

c

c

Gadwall

B

u

c

c

c

Eurasian Wigeon

t

 

o

 

 

American Wigeon

B

u

c

c

c

Canvasback

B

o

c

c

c

Redhead

B

o

c

c

c

Ring-necked Duck

B

o

c

u

c

Greater Scaup

t

 

o

 

o

Lesser Scaup

B

o

c

c

c

Harlequin Duck

B

 

r

r

r

Long-tailed Duck

t

 

 

 

r

Surf Scoter

t

 

r

 

r

White-winged Scoter

t

 

 

 

r

Common Goldeneye

B

c

c

c

c

Barrow’s Goldeneye

B

u

c

c

c

Bufflehead

B

o

c

u

c

Hooded Merganser

B

o

c

c

c

Common Merganser

B

c

c

c

c

Red-breasted Merganser

t

 

o

 

o

Ruddy Duck

B

 

c

c

c

Turkey Vulture

B

 

c

c

u

Osprey

 

 

c

c

c

Bald Eagle

B

c

c

c

c

Northern Harrier

B

u

c

c

c

Sharp-shinned Hawk

B

u

u

u

u

Cooper’s Hawk

B

u

u

u

u

Northern Goshawk

B

u

u

u

u

Swainson’s Hawk

B

 

u

u

u

Red-tailed Hawk

B

c

c

c

c

Ferruginous Hawk

t

r

r

 

r

Rough-legged Hawk

t

c

c

 

c

Golden Eagle

B

u

u

u

u

American Kestrel

B

c

c

c

c

Merlin

B

u

u

u

u

Peregrine Falcon

B

o

o

o

o

Gyrfalcon

t

r

 

 

r

Prairie Falcon

B

u

u

u

u

Gray Partridge

B

c

c

c

c

Chukar

B

r

r

r

r

Ring-necked Pheasant

B

c

c

c

c

Spruce Grouse

B

o

o

o

o

Blue Grouse

B

c

c

c

c

White-tailed Ptarmigan

B

r

r

r

r

Ruffed Grouse

B

c

c

c

c

Sharp-tailed Grouse

B

r

r

r

r

Wild Turkey

B

u

u

u

u

Virginia Rail

B

u

u

u

u

Sora

B

 

c

c

c

American Coot

B

u

c

c

c

Sandhill Crane

B

 

u

u

u

Black-bellied Plover

t

 

r

 

r

American Golden-plover

t

 

 

 

r

Semipalmated Plover

t

 

u

 

u

Killdeer

B

u

c

c

c

Black-necked Stilt

b

 

o

o

 

American Avocet

B

 

c

c

c

Greater Yellowlegs

t

 

c

c

c

Lesser Yellowlegs

t

 

c

c

c

Solitary Sandpiper

t

 

u

u

u

Willet

t

 

r

 

r

Spotted Sandpiper

B

 

c

c

c

Upland Sandpiper

B

 

 

r

 

Long-billed Curlew

B

 

u

u

u

Marbled Godwit

t

 

o

r

r

Sanderling

t

 

r

 

r

Semipalmated Sandpiper

t

 

u

c

c

Western Sandpiper

t

 

u

u

u

Least Sandpiper

t

 

c

c

u

Baird’s Sandpiper

t

 

u

c

c

Pectoral Sandpiper

t

 

o

u

u

Dunlin

t

 

r

 

r

Stilt Sandpiper

t

 

 

o

o

Short-billed Dowitcher

t

 

r

 

r

Long-billed Dowitcher

t

 

u

c

c

Common Snipe

B

c

c

c

c

Wilson’s Phalarope

B

 

c

c

c

Red-necked Phalarope

t

 

u

 

u

Franklin’s Gull

t

 

r

r

 

Bonaparte’s Gull

t

 

u

 

u

Mew Gull

t

r

 

 

 

Ring-billed Gull

B

c

c

c

c

California Gull

B

u

c

c

u

Herring Gull

t

u

r

 

r

Thayer’s Gull

t

r

 

 

 

Glaucous Gull

t

r

 

 

 

Sabine’s Gull

t

 

 

 

r

Caspian Tern

t

 

u

o

u

Common Tern

B

 

u

u

 

Forster’s Tern

B

 

u

u

 

Black Tern

B

 

c

c

 

Rock Dove

B

c

c

c

c

Mourning Dove

B

u

c

c

c

Black-billed Cuckoo

t

 

 

r

 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

t

 

 

r

 

Common Barn-owl

B

r

r

r

r

Flammulated Owl

B

 

 

u

u

Western Screech-owl

B

u

u

u

u

Great Horned Owl

B

c

c

c

c

Snowy Owl

t

o

 

 

 

Northern Hawk-owl

t

r

 

 

 

Northern Pygmy-owl

B

u

u

u

u

Burrowing Owl

t

 

r

 

r

Barred Owl

B

u

u

u

u

Great Gray Owl

B

o

o

o

o

Long-eared Owl

B

u

u

u

u

Short-eared Owl

B

u

u

u

u

Boreal Owl

B

o

o

o

o

Northern Saw-whet Owl

B

u

u

u

u

Common Nighthawk

B

 

 

c

 

Common Poorwill

b

 

 

r

 

Black Swift

B

 

 

u

 

Vaux’s Swift

B

 

u

c

 

White-throated Swift

B

 

c

c

 

Black-chinned Hummingbird

B

 

 

u

 

Anna’s Hummingbird

t

r

 

 

r

Calliope Hummingbird

B

 

c

c

 

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

t

 

 

r

 

Rufous Hummingbird

B

 

c

c

 

Belted Kingfisher

B

c

c

c

c

Lewis’ Woodpecker

B

r

c

c

c

Red-naped Sapsucker

B

 

c

c

c

Williamson’s Sapsucker

B

 

u

u

u

Downy Woodpecker

B

c

c

c

c

Hairy Woodpecker

B

c

c

c

c

Three-toed Woodpecker

B

u

u

u

u

Black-backed Woodpecker

B

o

o

o

o

Northern Flicker

B

c

c

c

c

Pileated Woodpecker

B

u

u

u

u

Olive-sided Flycatcher

B

 

 

u

 

Western Wood-pewee

B

 

 

c

 

Willow Flycatcher

B

 

 

c

c

Least Flycatcher

B

 

 

u

 

Hammond’s Flycatcher

B

 

 

c

 

Dusky Flycatcher

B

 

 

c

 

Cordilleran Flycatcher

B

 

 

c

 

Say’s Phoebe

B

 

o

o

o

Western Kingbird

B

 

c

c

u

Eastern Kingbird

B

 

c

c

u

Horned Lark

B

u

c

c

c

Tree Swallow

B

 

c

c

c

Violet-green Swallow

B

 

c

c

c

N. Rough-winged Swallow

B

 

c

c

u

Bank Swallow

B

 

c

c

u

Cliff Swallow

B

 

c

c

u

Barn Swallow

B

 

c

c

u

Gray Jay

B

c

c

c

c

Steller’s Jay

B

c

c

c

c

Blue Jay

t

o

 

 

o

Clark’s Nutcracker

B

c

c

c

c

Black-billed Magpie

B

c

c

c

c

American Crow

B

c

c

c

c

Common Raven

B

c

c

c

c

Black-capped Chickadee

B

c

c