Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Soldotna, Alaska
Watching birds in the 49th state is challenging for residents and visitors alike. Birds readily recognized on migration or over-winter in the south may look quite different on northern nesting grounds. Like many vacationers certain birds may be found in unexpected surroundings. Sandpipers and other shorebirds, for example, nest in Alaska's mountains.
Alaska's nearness to Siberia allows birders to see rare speices that can be seen in North America only in Alaska. The sighting of an "Asiatic" will highlight anyone's life list.
Birding in Alaska is exciting because it is new. Birders can contribute valuable data including species range, migration dates and nesting behavior. For more information on Alaska's birds, consult Guide to Birds of Alaska by R. H. Armstrong.
This list includes 146 regular and 24 "accidental" species.
ABUNDANCE:
c - common: should see
u - uncommon: might see
r - rare: seldom seen
i - irregular: not seen every year
* - birds nesting locally
Listed below are 24 species considered to be of casual or accidental occurrence. these birds have been seen one or more times on KNWR.
LOONS Sp S F W ___ Common Loon* c c c - ___ Arctic Loon* c c u - ___ Red-throated Loon u u r -
GREBES Sp S F W ___ Red-necked Grebe* u c c - ___ Horned Grebe* u c c -
CORMORANTS Sp S F W ___ Double-crested Cormorant* u u u -
SWANS, GEESE, DUCKS Sp S F W ___ Tundra Swan c - c - ___ Trumpeter Swan* c c c r ___ Canada Goose* c r c - ___ Brant r i r - ___ Greater White-fronted Goose u - u - ___ Snow Goose c - r - ___ Mallard* c u c r ___ Gadwall r r r - ___ Northern Pintail* a c c - ___ Green-winged Teal* c c c - ___ American Wigeon* u u u - ___ Northern Shoveler* u r u - ___ Canvasback r - r - ___ Greater Scaup* u u u r ___ Common Goldeneye c - c u ___ Barrow's Goldeneye* c c c - ___ Bufflehead u - u i ___ Oldsquaw r - u i ___ Harlequin Duck* u u u i ___ Common Eider - r - - ___ White-winged Scoter r u u i ___ Surf Scoter r r r - ___ Common Scoter r r r - ___ Common Merganser* u u c u ___ Red-breasted Merganser* u u u -
HAWKS, EAGLES Sp S F W ___ Northern Goshawk* c c c c ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk* u u u - ___ Red-tailed Hawk* u u u - ___ Rough-legged Hawk r r r - ___ Golden Eagle* u u u - ___ Bald Eagle* c c c u ___ Northern Harrier* u u u - ___ Osprey* r r r -
FALCONS Sp S F W ___ Gyrfalcon r r r r ___ Peregrine Falcon* u r r i ___ Merlin u u u -
GALLINACEOUS BIRDS Sp S F W ___ Spruce Grouse* c c c c ___ Willow Ptarmigan* c c c c ___ Rock Ptarmigan* u u u u ___ White-tailed Ptarmigan* c c c c
CRANES Sp S F W ___ Sandhill Crane* c u c -
PLOVERS Sp S F W ___ Semipalmated Plover* u u u - ___ Killdeer r - - - ___ American Golden Plover u - u - ___ Black-bellied Plover u - r -
SANDPIPERS Sp S F W ___ Surfbird r r r - ___ Ruddy Turnstone r - r - ___ Black Turnstone* r r r - ___ Common Snipe* c c c - ___ Whimbrel u r u - ___ Spotted Sandpiper* c c c - ___ Solitary Sandpiper* u u u - ___ Wandering Tattler* u u u - ___ Greater Yellowlegs* a a a - ___ Lesser Yellowlegs* c c c - ___ Pectoral Sandpiper c - c - ___ Baird's Sandpiper r - r - ___ Least Sandpiper* c c u - ___ Dunlin u - r - ___ Short-billed Dowitcher* c c c - ___ Long-billed Dowitcher r - - - ___ Semipalmated Sandpiper r - - - ___ Western Sandpiper* c r u - ___ Hudsonian Godwit* r r r - ___ Sanderling r r r - ___ Red-necked Phalarope* c c u -
JAEGERS, GULLS, TERNS Sp S F W ___ Parasitic Jaeger u u r - ___ Long-tailed Jaeger* u r r - ___ Glaucous Gull r r r - ___ Glaucous-winged Gull* c c c r ___ Herring Gull* c c c - ___ Mew Gull* a a c - ___ Bonaparte's Gull* u u u - ___ Black-legged Kittiwake r r r - ___ Arctic Tern* a a u - ___ Aleutian Tern r r r -
OWLS Sp S F W ___ Great Horned Owl* c c c c ___ Snowy Owl - - - r ___ Northern Hawk Owl u u u u ___ Great Gray Owl r r r r ___ Short-eared Owl* u u u r ___ Boreal Owl u u u u ___ Northern Saw-whet Owl r r r r
KINGFISHERS Sp S F W ___ Belted Kingfisher* u u u i
WOODPECKERS Sp S F W ___ Northern Flicker* r r r - ___ Hairy Woodpecker* u u u r ___ Downy Woodpecker* u u u r ___ Black-backed Woodpecker r r r r ___ Three-toed Woodpecker* u u u u
FLYCATCHERS Sp S F W ___ Say's Phoebe* r r r - ___ Alder Flycatcher* c a a - ___ Western Wood-Pewee* r r r - ___ Olive-sided Flycatcher* r u r -
LARKS Sp S F W ___ Horned Lark* u u u -
SWALLOWS Sp S F W ___ Violet-green Swallow* c c - - ___ Tree Swallow* c a - - ___ Bank Swallow* c a c - ___ Cliff Swallow* r u - -
CORVIDS Sp S F W ___ Gray Jay* c c c c ___ Steller's Jay - - r - ___ Black-billed Magpie* c c c c ___ Common Raven* c c c c
TITMICE Sp S F W ___ Black-capped Chickadee* u u u r ___ Boreal Chickadee* c c c u
CREEPERS Sp S F W ___ Brown Creeper* u r u r
DIPPERS Sp S F W ___ American Dipper u u u u
KINGLETS, THRUSHES Sp S F W ___ American Robin* c c c - ___ Varied Thrush* c c c - ___ Hermit Thrush* c c u - ___ Swainson's Thrush* c c u - ___ Gray-cheeked Thrush* u c u - ___ Golden-crowned Kinglet* u u u r ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet* a a c -
PIPITS Sp S F W ___ American Pipit* c c c -
WAXWINGS Sp S F W ___ Bohemian Waxwing* c c c r
SHRIKES Sp S F W ___ Northern Shrike u u u r
WARBLERS Sp S F W ___ Orange-crowned Warbler* c c u - ___ Yellow Warbler* u u r - ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler* a a c - ___ Townsend's Warbler r r r - ___ Blackpoll Warbler* r u r - ___ Northern Waterthrush* c c u - ___ Wilson's Warbler* u c u -
BLACKBIRDS Sp S F W ___ Rusty Blackbird* u u u i
FINCHES Sp S F W ___ Pine Grosbeak* u u u r ___ Rosy Finch (Gray-crowned)* u u u - ___ Common Redpoll* c c c c ___ Pine Siskin* r r r i ___ White-winged Crossbill u u u u
SPARROWS Sp S F W ___ Savannah Sparrow* c a a - ___ Dark-eyed Junco* c a c - ___ American Tree Sparrow* u u r - ___ White-crowned Sparrow* c c c - ___ Golden-crowned Sparrow* c c u - ___ Fox Sparrow* c c u - ___ Lincoln's Sparrow* u u r - ___ Song Sparrow* r r r - ___ Lapland Longspur c - u - ___ Snow Bunting* u u u u
___ Redhead ___ Bristle-thighed Curlew ___ Swainson's Hawk ___ Red Knot ___ Great Blue Heron ___ Rock Sandpiper ___ Emperor Goose ___ Red Phalarope ___ Blue-winged Teal ___ Pomarine Jaeger ___ Eurasian Wigeon ___ Mourning Dove ___ Ring-necked Duck ___ Rufous Hummingbird ___ Lesser Scaup ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch ___ King Eider ___ Winter Wren ___ American Kestrel ___ Northern Wheatear ___ Sharp-tailed Grouse ___ Red Crossbill ___ American Black Oystercatcher ___ Harris' Sparrow
Refuge Manager
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 2139, Ski Hill Road
Soldotna, Alaska 99669-2139
Telephone: 907/262-7021
This resource is based on the following source:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No date. Birds of the Kenai National Wildlife
Refuge, Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Unpaginated.
This resource should be cited as:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. No date. Birds of the Kenai National Wildlife
Refuge, Alaska. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Unpaginated.
Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
http://www.npwrc.usgs.govkenai.htm
(Version 22MAY98).
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/chekbird/r7/kenai.htm
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Page Last Modified: Friday, 01-Feb-2013 19:03:11 EST
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