BIRD FIELD CHECK LIST
PUBLISHED BY THE BIG COUNTRY AUDUBON SOCIETY, ABILENE, TEXAS

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SYMBOLS USED TO DESCRIBE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE AND ABUNDANCE

A- Abundant: regularly present in large numbers, 100 or more in a day. "Can't miss"

C- Common: normally present in suitable habitat, or periodically seen in moderately large numbers, 10-99 in a day. "Should see"

U- Uncommon: seen irregularly in small numbers in appropriate environment, 1-9 in a day.  "May see"

R- Rare: not seen every day. Occupies only a small percentage of preferred habitat or a specific limited habitat, 1-10 in a season. "Hard to find."

ACC- Accidental: few verified records, well out of expected range, 1 in five years or more. "Take good notes."

H*- Hypothetical: bird which may occur, but whose identification has not been accepted by authorities, "Get witnesses."

SEASONAL DESIGNATIONS:

Summer: present, either as a breeder, or as a post-breeding wanderer or early migrant, during the months June-August.

Winter: present during the months of December-February

Spring-Fall: Transient visitor or continuous resident, present during the months of March-May and /or September-November

BIRD TYPE

Summer

Winter

Spring-Fall

GREBE, Pied-billed

U

          Horned

R

          Eared

R

PELICAN, white

C

CORMORANT, double-crested

U

U

BITTERN, American

R

HERON, Great Blue

C

C

C

EGRET, Great

U

          Snowy

U

HERON, Little Blue

R

R

EGRET, Cattle

U

HERON, Green-backed

C

U

          Black-crowned Night

R

U

R

          Yellow-crowned Night

U

IBIS, White-faced

U

SPOONBILL, Roseate

ACC

ACC

DUCK, Black-bellied Whistling

R

SWAN, Tundra

R

GOOSE, White-fronted

U

          Snow

U

          Canada

C

C

DUCK, Wood

C

TEAL, Green-winged

C

C

MALLARD

C

A

C

PINTAIL, Northern

A

C

TEAL, Blue-winged

U

C

          Cinnamon

U

SHOVELLER, Northern

C

C

GADWALL

C

C

WIGEON, American

C

C

CANVASBACK

C

C

REDHEAD

C

C

DUCK, Ringneck

C

C

SCAUP, Lesser

U

U

GOLDENEYE, Common

R

BUFFLEHEAD

U

U

MERGANSER, Hooded

R

          Common

R

VULTURE, Turkey

C

C

          Black

U

R

U

OSPREY

R

R

KITE, Black-shouldered

ACC

          Mississippi

C

C

EAGLE, Bald

R

HARRIER, Northern

C

HAWK, Sharp-shinned

R

          Cooper's

R

R

R

          Harris

R

R

          Red-Shouldered

R

R

R

          Broad-winged

R

          Swainson's

C

C

          Red-Tailed

U

C

C

          Ferruginous

R

R

          Rough -legged

U

EAGLE, Golden

R

KESTREL, American

U

C

C

MERLIN

R

R

FALCON, Peregrine

R

R

          Prairie

R

TURKEY, Wild

C

C

C

BOBWHITE, Northern

C

C

C

QUAIL, Scaled

R

R

R

PHEASANT, Ring-necked

R

RAIL, Virginia

R

SORA

R

MOORHEN, Common

R

COOT, American

C

C

CRANE, Whooping

H*

          Sandhill

C

C

PLOVER, Black-bellied

R

          Lesser Golden

R

          Snowy

R

          Semi-palmated

R

KILLDEER

C

C

C

STILT, Black-necked

U

U

AVOCET, American

U

U

YELLOWLEGS, Greater

C

U

C

          Lesser

A

U

SANDPIPER, Spotted

U

R

U

          Upland

U

U

CURLEW, Long-billed

U

U

WHIMBREL

R

GODWIT, Hudsonian

R

SANDPIPER, Western

U

U

          Least

U

U

C

          White-rumped

U

          Baird's

U

C

DUNLIN

ACC

SANDPIPER, Stilt

U

R

          Pectoral

R

U

DOWITCHER, Long-billed

C

C

SNIPE, Common

C

U

PHALAROPE, Wilson's

C

R

A

GULL, Franklin's

U

          Ring-billed

A

C

          Herring

R

R

TERN, Common

U

          Forster's

R

          Least

R

          Black

R

R

DOVE, Rock

A

A

A

          Mourning

A

C

A

          Inca

C

C

C

CUCKOO, Yellow-billed

C

U

ROADRUNNER, Greater

U

U

U

OWL, Common, Barn

U

U

U

          Flammulated

ACC

          Eastern Screech

U

U

U

          Great Horned

U

U

U

          Burrowing

U

U

U

          Barred

R

          Long-eared

R

          Short-eared

U

NIGHTHAWK, Common

C

C

          Lesser

U

POOR-WILL

U

U

CHUCK-WILL'S WIDOW

R

SWIFT,Chimney

A

A

HUMMINGBIRD, Ruby-throated

U

          Black-chinned

C

C

          Anna's

ACC

          Rufous

R

KINGFISHER, Belted

U

U

WOODPECKER, Red-headed

R

          Golden-fronted

U

U

U

          Red- bellied

R

SAPSUCKER, Yellow-bellied

U

WOODPECKER, LADDER-BACKED

C

C

C

          Downy

R

R

          Hairy

R

R

FLICKER, Northern

U

U

FLYCATCHER, Olive-sided

R

WOOD-PEWEE, Western

R

FLYCATCHER, Least

U

PHOEBE, Eastern

R

U

FLYCATCHER, Vermillion

R

          Ash-throated

U

C

          Great-crested

R

R

KINGBIRD, Western

C

C

          Eastern

R

FLYCATCHER, Scissor-tailed

C

C

LARK, Horned

U

U

C

MARTIN, PURPLE

A

C

SWALLOW, No, Rough-winged

U

          Cliff

C

C

          Barn

A

C

JAY, BLUE

C

C

C

          Scrub

U

U

U

CROW, American

U

U

U

RAVEN, CHIHUAHUAN

R

R

R

JAY, PINYON

ACC

CHICKADEE, Carolina

U

U

U

TITMOUSE, Tufted(BI, crested)

C

C

C

VERDIN

R

R

R

BUSHTIT

U

U

U

NUTHATCH, Red-breasted

R

          White-breasted

R

CREEPER, Brown

U

WREN, Cactus

C

C

C

          Canyon

R

R

          Carolina

U

U

U

          Bewicks

C

C

C

          House

R

U

          Winter

R

          Marsh

R

U

KINGLET, Golden-crowned

U

          Ruby-crowned

C

C

GNATCATCHER, Blue-Gray

R

R

BLUEBIRD, Eastern

R

R

U

          Western

R

          Mountain

U

SOLITAIRE, Townsend's

R

THRUSH, Swainson's

R

          Hermit

R

R

          Wood

ACC

ROBIN, American

C

A

A

CATBIRD, Gray

R

MOCKINGBIRD, Northern

C

A

A

THRASHER, Sage

R

          Brown

R

R

          Curve-billed

U

U

U

PIPIT, Water

U

WAXWING, Cedar

A

A

PHAINOPEPLA

ACC

SHRIKE, Loggerhead

U

C

C

STARLING, European

A

A

A

VIREO, Bells

R

R

          Solitary

U

          Warbling

R

WARBLER, Golden-winged

ACC

          Tennessee

U

          Orange-crowned

C

U

          Nashville

C

PARULA, Northern

R

WARBLER, Yellow

U

          Yellow-rumped

C

C

          Black-throated gray

R

          Townsend's

R

          Black-throated green

R

          Black and White

R

REDSTART, Common

R

WARBLER, Prothonotary

ACC

OVENBIRD

R

WATERTHRUSH, Northern

R

WARBLER, MacGillivrays

U

YELLOWTHROAT, Common

U

WARBLER, Wilson's

C

CHAT, Yellow-breasted

R

TANAGER, Summer

R

          Scarlet

R

          Western

R

CARDINAL, Northern

C

C

C

PYRRHULOXIA

U

U

U

GROSBEAK, Rose-breasted

R

          Black-headed

R

          Blue

U

U

BUNTING, Indigo

R

          Lazuli

R

          Painted

U

U

DICKCISSEL

U

TOWHEE, Green-tailed

R

          Rufous-sided

C

C

          Canyon

C

C

C

SPARROW, Cassin's

C

          Rufous-crowned

U

U

U

          Tree

R

R

          Chipping

C

          Clay-colored

C

          Field

U

          Vesper

C

          Lark

U

U

BUNTING, Lark

C

SPARROW, Savannah

C

C

          Grasshopper

U

          LeConte's

R

          Fox

R

          Song

C

C

          Lincoln's

C

C

          White-throated

U

          White-crowned

C

C

          Harris

U

U

JUNCO, Dark-eyed

C

U

LONGSPUR, Chestnut-collared

U

BLACKBIRD, Red-winged

A

A

A

MEADOWLARK, Eastern

C

A

C

          Western

C

C