Bird Index

This checklist is composed of 313 regular species of birds which occur regularly within the state of Minnesota. This checklist is followed by an additional list of 28 casual species which have occurred somewhere in the state in three to eight of the past ten years. Checklist adapted from Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. For more information from Cornell Lab of Ornithology click the highlighted birds below.

Seasonal ease of viewing codes are provided for the Saint John's University region.
C=Common: Regularly present, easy to find and see in appropriate habitat at Saint's John's.
U=Uncommon: Regularly present, less easy to find and see at Saint John's.
R=Rare: Irregularly present, a year or two may elapse between sightings at Saint John's.
X=Casual: Has occurred at least once at Saint John's (Outside of normal range).
__= Yet to be recorded in this season at Saint John's.

Common Name	Summer Resident	Migrant (Spring or Fall)	Winter Resident
WATERFOWL
Snow Goose	__	R	__
Canada Goose	C	C	R
Trumpeter Swan	__	R	__
Tundra Swan	__	R	__
Wood Duck	C	C	__
Gadwall	__	U	__
American Wigeon	__	U	__
American Black Duck	__	R	__
Mallard	C	C	R
Blue-winged Teal	C	C	__
Northern Shoveler	A	C	__
Northern Pintail	__	U	__
Green-winged Teal	R	C	__
Canvasback	__	R	__
Redhead	__	U	__
Ring-necked Duck	R	C	__
Greater Scaup	__	A	__
Lesser Scaup	__	C	__
Bufflehead	__	C	__
Common Goldeneye	__	R	__
Hooded Merganser	U	C	__
Common Merganser	__	R	__
Red-breasted Merganser	__	R	__
Ruddy Duck	__	R	__
GROUSE, PTARMIGANS
Gray Partridge	A	A	A
Ringed-necked Pheasant	U	U	U
Ruffed Grouse	R	R	R
TURKEYS
Wild Turkey	C	C	C
LOON
Common Loon	C	C	__
GREBES
Pied-billed Grebe	U	U	__
Horned Grebe	__	R	__
Red-necked Grebe	__	A	__
Eared Grebe	__	A	__
PELICANS
American White Pelican	__	R	__
CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant	__	U	__
HERONS
American Bittern	__	R	__
Great Blue Heron	C	C	__
Great Egret	R	R	__
Cattle Egret	__	A	__
Green Heron	U	U	__
Black-crowned Night-Heron	R	R	__
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	A	A	__
VULTURES
Turkey Vulture	C	C	__
HAWKS, EAGLES, & ALLIES
Osprey	__	U	__
Bald Eagle	U	U	U
Northern Harrier	U	U	__
Sharp-shinned Hawk	__	U	__
Cooper's Hawk	U	U	__
Northern Goshawk	__	A	A
Red-shouldered Hawk	U	U	A
Broad-winged Hawk	U	U	__
Red-tailed Hawk	C	C	U
Rough-legged Hawk	__	__	R
FALCONS
American Kestrel	U	U	__
Merlin	__	R	__
Peregrine Falcon	__	R	__
RAILS, GALLINULES, & COOTS
Yellow Rail	__	A	__
Virginia Rail	__	U	__
Sora	U	U	__
Common Moorhen	A	__	__
American Coot	U	C	__
CRANES
Sandhill Crane	U	U	__
PLOVERS
American Golden-Plover	__	R	__
Semipalmated Plover	__	U	__
Killdeer	C	C	__
SANDPIPERS
Greater Yellowlegs	__	R	__
Lesser Yellowlegs	__	C	__
Solitary Sandpiper	__	C	__
Spotted Sandpiper	R	C	__
Upland Sandpiper	__	R	__
Semipalmated Sandpiper	__	U	__
Least Sandpiper	__	C	__
Baird's Sandpiper	__	U	__
Pectoral Sandpiper	__	C	__
Stilt Sandpiper	__	R	__
Buff-breasted Sandpiper	__	A	__
Short-billed Dowitcher	__	U	__
Common Snipe	__	C	__
American Woodcock	U	U	__
Wilson's Phalarope	__	R	__
GULLS AND TERNS
Franklin's Gull	__	U	__
Bonaparte's Gull	__	R	__
Ring-billed Gull	R	U	__
Herring Gull	__	R	__
Caspian Tern	__	R	__
Forster's Tern	__	R	__
Black Tern	U	U	__
PIGEONS AND DOVES
Rock Pigeon	C	C	C
Mourning Dove	C	C	R
CUCKOOS
Black-billed Cuckoo	R	R	__
Yellow-billed Cuckoo	U	U	__
OWLS
Eastern Screech-Owl	R	R	R
Great Horned Owl	R	R	R
Snowy Owl	__	__	A
Barred Owl	U	U	U
Great Gray Owl	__	__	A
Long-eared Owl	A	A	A
Short-eared Owl	__	R	__
Boreal Owl	__	__	A
Northern Saw-whet Owl	R	R	A
NIGHTJARS
Common Nighthawk	U	C	__
Whip-poor-will	__	R	__
SWIFTS
Chimney Swift	C	C	__
HUMMINGBIRDS
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	C	C	__
KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher	U	U	__
WOODPECKERS
Red-headed Woodpecker	R	U	A
Red-bellied Woodpecker	C	C	U
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	U	U	__
Downy Woodpecker	C	C	C
Hairy Woodpecker	C	C	C
Black-backed Woodpecker	__	__	A
Northern Flicker	C	C	A
Pileated Woodpecker	C	C	C
FLYCATCHERS
Olive-side Flycatcher	__	R	__
Eastern Wood-Pewee	C	C	__
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	__	R	__
Alder Flycatcher	__	R	__
Willow Flycatcher	R	R	__
Least Flycatcher	C	C	__
Eastern Phoebe	C	C	__
Great Crested Flycatcher	C	C	__
Western Kingbird	__	A	__
Eastern Kingbird	C	C	__
SHRIKES
Northern Shrike	__	R	R
VIREOS
Yellow-throated Vireo	__	C	__
Blue-headed Vireo	__	U	__
Warbling Vireo	U	R	__
Philadelphia Vireo	__	R	__
Red-eyed Vireo	C	C	__
JAYS, CROWS, MAGPIES
Gray Jay	__	__	A
Blue Jay	C	C	U
American Crow	C	C	U
LARKS
Horned Lark	R	U	R
SWALLOWS
Purple Martin	C	C	__
Tree Swallow	C	C	__
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	U	U	__
Bank Swallow	U	U	__
Cliff Swallow	C	C	__
Barn Swallow	C	C	__
CHICKADEES
Black-capped Chickadee	C	C	C
Boreal Chickadee	__	__	A
NUTHATCHES
Red-breasted Nuthatch	R	U	U
White-breasted Nuthatch	C	C	C
CREEPERS
Brown Creeper	R	U	R
WRENS
House Wren	C	C	__
Winter Wren	__	U	__
Sedge Wren	U	U	__
Marsh Wren	U	U	__
KINGLETS
Golden-crowned Kinglet	__	U	R
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	__	U	R
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	U	U	__
THRUSHES
Eastern Bluebird	C	C	A
Veery	U	U	__
Gray-cheeked Thrush	__	R	__
Swainson's Thrush	__	C	__
Hermit Thrush	__	C	__
Wood Thrush	R	R	__
American Robin	C	C	U
MIMIC THRUSHES
Gray Catbird	C	C	__
Northern Mockingbird	__	R	__
Brown Thrasher	U	U	__
STARLINGS
European Starling	C	C	U
PIPITS
American Pipit	__	R	__
WAXWINGS
Bohemian Waxwing	__	R	R
Cedar Waxwing	C	C	U
WARBLERS
Blue-winged Warbler	A	A	__
Golden-winged Warbler	__	R	__
Tennessee Warbler	__	C	__
Orange-crowned Warbler	__	U	__
Nashville Warbler	R	C	__
Northern Parula	__	U	__
Yellow Warbler	C	C	__
Chestnut-sided Warbler	U	C	__
Magnolia Warbler	__	U	__
Cape May Warbler	__	U	__
Yellow-rumped Warbler	__	C	__
Black-throated Green Warbler	__	U	__
Blackburian Warbler	__	U	__
Pine Warbler	__	U	__
Palm Warbler	__	U	__
Bay-breasted Warbler	__	U	__
Cerulean Warbler	U	U	__
Black-and-white Warbler	__	C	__
American Redstart	C	C	__
Prothonotary Warbler	__	A	__
Ovenbird	C	C	__
Northern Waterthrush	__	U	__
Louisiana Waterthrush	__	A	__
Connecticut Warbler	__	R	__
Mourning Warbler	R	U	__
Common Yellowthroat	C	C	__
Wilson's Warbler	__	C	__
Canada Warbler	__	U	__
TANAGERS
Scarlet Tanager	U	U	__
SPARROWS
Eastern Towhee	__	R	__
American Tree Sparrow	__	C	U
Chipping Sparrow	C	C	__
Clay-colored Sparrow	R	U	__
Field Sparrow	R	R	__
Vesper Sparrow	R	U	__
Lark Sparrow	__	A	__
Savannah Sparrow	__	U	__
Fox Sparrow	__	U	__
Song Sparrow	C	C	__
Lincoln's Sparrow	__	U	__
Swamp Sparrow	U	C	__
White-throated Sparrow	__	C	A
Harris's Sparrow	__	U	__
White-crowned Sparrow	__	U	__
Dark-eyed Junco	__	C	C
Lapland Longspur	__	R	__
Snow Bunting	__	__	A
CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, AND ALLIES
Northern Cardinal	C	C	C
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	C	C	__
Indigo Bunting	U	U	__
Dickcissel	__	R	__
BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, & ALLIES
Bobolink	__	R	__
Red-winged Blackbird	C	C	R
Eastern Meadowlark	R	R	__
Western Meadowlark	U	U	__
Yellow-headed Blackbird	U	U	__
Rusty Blackbird	__	U	A
Brewer's Blackbird	__	R	__
Common Grackle	C	C	__
Brown-headed Cowbird	C	C	__
Orchard Oriole	R	R	__
Baltimore Oriole	C	C	__
FINCHES
Pine Grosbeak	__	R	R
Purple Finch	R	U	R
House Finch	C	C	U
Red Crossbill	R	R	R
White-winged Crossbilled	__	R	R
Common Redpoll	__	R	U
Pine Siskin	A	R	R
American Goldfinch	C	C	U
Evening Grosbeak	__	R	R
WEAVERS
House Sparrow	C	C	C
CASUAL SPECIES
Prairie Warbler		A

 

Season ease of viewing codes are provided for the Saint John's University region.

C=Commonly Seen: Present, easy to find in appropriate habitat and regularly seen.

U=Uncommonly Seen: Presently in appropriate habitat, but may be difficult to see.

R=Rarely Seen: Present in appropriate habitat once or twice per season.

A=Accidentally Seen: Rarely seen, Saint John's is outside its usual range.

__=Yet to be recorded this season at Saint John's University

A special thank you to Cornell Lab of Ornithology for allowing us to link to their website. Saint John's Arboretum would also like to thank Phil Chu, Norm Ford, Bob Rodgers, Bob Russell, and Bruce Wollmering OSB for help in completion of this list.