Birds

Select Page

The habitat diversity of the Abbey Arboretum allows for a great diversity of wildlife.  Water birds, birds of prey, shore birds, warblers, and many other kinds of birds can be found here, including many rare species such as Sandhill Cranes, Red-shouldered Hawks, Cerulean warblers, and others.

Species Checklist

The checklist is composed of 240 species of birds which occur regularly within the state of Minnesota and have been seen at Saint John’s.  The checklist is adapted from Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union. For more information on each species click the highlighted birds below. Links to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with description and identification information for each species.

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.
U = Uncommon: Present in small numbers, less easy to find and see.
O = Occasional: Irregularly present, a year or two may pass between sightings.
R = Rare: 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

American Black Duck

__

O

__

American Wigeon

__

U

__

Blue-winged Teal

C

C

__

Bufflehead

__

C

__

Canada Goose

C

C

O

Canvasback

__

O

__

Common Goldeneye

__

O

__

Common Merganser

__

O

__

Gadwall

__

U

__

Greater Scaup

__

R

__

Green-winged Teal

O

C

__

Hooded Merganser

U

C

__

Lesser Scaup

__

C

__

Mallard

C

C

O

Northern Pintail

R

C

__

Northern Shoveler

R

C

__

Red-breasted Merganser

__

O

__

Redhead

__

U

__

Ring-necked Duck

O

C

__

Ruddy Duck

__

O

__

Snow Goose

__

O

__

Trumpeter Swan

__

O

__

Tundra Swan

__

O

__

Wood Duck

C

C

__

GROUSE, PTARMIGANS

Gray Partridge

R

R

R

Ringed-necked Pheasant

U

U

U

Ruffed Grouse

O

O

O

TURKEYS

Wild Turkey

C

C

C

LOON

Common Loon

C

C

__

GREBES

Eared Grebe

__

R

__

Horned Grebe

__

O

__

Pied-billed Grebe

U

U

__

Red-necked Grebe

__

R

__

PELICANS

American White Pelican

__

O

__

CORMORANTS

Double-crested Cormorant

__

U

__

HERONS

American Bittern

__

O

__

Black-crowned Night-Heron

O

O

__

Cattle Egret

__

R

__

Great Blue Heron

C

C

__

Great Egret

O

O

__

Green Heron

U

U

__

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

R

R

__

VULTURES

Turkey Vulture

C

C

__

HAWKS, EAGLES, & ALLIES

Bald Eagle

U

U

U

Broad-winged Hawk

U

U

__

Cooper’s Hawk

U

U

__

Northern Goshawk

__

R

R

Northern Harrier

U

U

__

Osprey

__

U

__

Red-shouldered Hawk

U

U

R

Red-tailed Hawk

C

C

U

Rough-legged Hawk

__

__

O

Sharp-shinned Hawk

__

U

__

FALCONS

American Kestrel

U

U

__

Merlin

__

O

__

Peregrine Falcon

__

O

__

RAILS, GALLINULES, & COOTS

American Coot

U

C

__

Common Moorhen

R

__

__

Sora

U

U

__

Virginia Rail

__

U

__

Yellow Rail

__

R

__

CRANES

Sandhill Crane

U

U

__

PLOVERS

American Golden-Plover

__

O

__

Killdeer

C

C

__

Semipalmated Plover

__

U

__

SANDPIPERS

American Woodcock

U

U

__

Baird’s Sandpiper

__

U

__

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

__

R

__

Common Snipe

__

C

__

Greater Yellowlegs

__

O

__

Least Sandpiper

__

C

__

Lesser Yellowlegs

__

C

__

Pectoral Sandpiper

__

C

__

Semipalmated Sandpiper

__

U

__

Short-billed Dowitcher

__

U

__

Solitary Sandpiper

__

C

__

Spotted Sandpiper

O

C

__

Stilt Sandpiper

__

O

__

Upland Sandpiper

__

O

__

Wilson’s Phalarope

__

O

__

GULLS AND TERNS

Black Tern

U

U

__

Bonaparte’s Gull

__

O

__

Caspian Tern

__

O

__

Forster’s Tern

__

O

__

Franklin’s Gull

__

U

__

Herring Gull

__

O

__

Ring-billed Gull

O

U

__

PIGEONS AND DOVES

Mourning Dove

C

C

O

Rock Pigeon

C

C

C

CUCKOOS

Black-billed Cuckoo

O

O

__

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

U

U

__

OWLS

Barred Owl

U

U

U

Boreal Owl

__

__

R

Eastern Screech-Owl

O

O

O

Great Gray Owl

__

__

R

Great Horned Owl

O

O

O

Long-eared Owl

R

R

R

Northern Saw-whet Owl

O

O

R

Short-eared Owl

__

O

__

Snowy Owl

__

__

R

NIGHTJARS

Common Nighthawk

U

C

__

Whip-poor-will

__

O

__

SWIFTS

Chimney Swift

C

C

__

HUMMINGBIRDS

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

C

C

__

KINGFISHERS

Belted Kingfisher

U

U

__

WOODPECKERS

Black-backed Woodpecker

__

__

R

Downy Woodpecker

C

C

C

Hairy Woodpecker

C

C

C

Northern Flicker

C

C

R

Pileated Woodpecker

C

C

C

Red-bellied Woodpecker

C

C

U

Red-headed Woodpecker

O

U

R

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

U

U

__

FLYCATCHERS

Alder Flycatcher

__

O

__

Eastern Kingbird

C

C

__

Eastern Phoebe

C

C

__

Eastern Wood-Pewee

C

C

__

Great Crested Flycatcher

C

C

__

Least Flycatcher

C

C

__

Olive-sided Flycatcher

__

O

__

Western Kingbird

__

R

__

Willow Flycatcher

O

O

__

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

__

O

__

SHRIKES

Northern Shrike

__

O

O

VIREOS

Blue-headed Vireo

__

U

__

Philadelphia Vireo

__

O

__

Red-eyed Vireo

C

C

__

Warbling Vireo

U

O

__

Yellow-throated Vireo

__

C

__

JAYS, CROWS, MAGPIES

American Crow

C

C

U

Blue Jay

C

C

U

Gray Jay

__

__

R

LARKS

Horned Lark

O

U

O

SWALLOWS

Bank Swallow

U

U

__

Barn Swallow

C

C

__

Cliff Swallow

C

C

__

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

U

U

__

Purple Martin

C

C

__

Tree Swallow

C

C

__

CHICKADEES

Black-capped Chickadee

C

C

C

Boreal Chickadee

__

__

R

NUTHATCHES

Red-breasted Nuthatch

O

U

U

White-breasted Nuthatch

C

C

C

CREEPERS

Brown Creeper

O

U

O

WRENS

House Wren

C

C

__

Marsh Wren

U

U

__

Sedge Wren

U

U

__

Winter Wren

__

U

__

KINGLETS

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

U

U

__

Golden-crowned Kinglet

__

U

O

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

__

U

O

THRUSHES

American Robin

C

C

U

Eastern Bluebird

C

C

R

Gray-cheeked Thrush

__

O

__

Hermit Thrush

__

C

__

Swainson’s Thrush

__

C

__

Veery

U

U

__

Wood Thrush

O

O

__

MIMIC THRUSHES

Brown Thrasher

U

U

__

Gray Catbird

C

C

__

Northern Mockingbird

__

O

__

STARLINGS

European Starling

C

C

U

PIPITS

American Pipit

__

O

__

WAXWINGS

Bohemian Waxwing

__

O

O

Cedar Waxwing

C

C

U

WARBLERS

American Redstart

C

C

__

Bay-breasted Warbler

__

U

__

Black-and-white Warbler

__

C

__

Blackburian Warbler

__

U

__

Blackpoll Warbler

__

U

__

Black-throated Green Warbler

__

U

__

Blue-winged Warbler

R

R

__

Canada Warbler

__

U

__

Cape May Warbler

__

U

__

Cerulean Warbler

U

U

__

Chestnut-sided Warbler

U

C

__

Common Yellowthroat

C

C

__

Connecticut Warbler

__

O

__

Golden-winged Warbler

R

O

__

Louisiana Waterthrush

__

R

__

Magnolia Warbler

__

U

__

Mourning Warbler

O

U

__

Nashville Warbler

O

C

__

Northern Parula

__

U

__

Northern Waterthrush

__

U

__

Orange-crowned Warbler

__

U

__

Ovenbird

C

C

__

Palm Warbler

__

U

__

Pine Warbler

__

U

__

Prairie Warbler

__

R

__

Prothonotary Warbler

__

R

__

Tennessee Warbler

__

C

__

Wilson’s Warbler

__

C

__

Yellow Warbler

C

C

__

Yellow-rumped Warbler

__

C

__

TANAGERS

Scarlet Tanager

U

U

__

SPARROWS

American Tree Sparrow

__

C

U

Chipping Sparrow

C

C

__

Clay-colored Sparrow

O

U

__

Dark-eyed Junco

__

C

C

Eastern Towhee

__

O

__

Field Sparrow

O

O

__

Fox Sparrow

__

U

__

Harris’s Sparrow

__

U

__

Lapland Longspur

__

O

__

Lark Sparrow

__

R

__

Lincoln’s Sparrow

__

U

__

Savannah Sparrow

__

U

__

Snow Bunting

__

__

R

Song Sparrow

C

C

__

Swamp Sparrow

U

C

__

Vesper Sparrow

O

U

__

White-crowned Sparrow

__

U

__

White-throated Sparrow

__

C

R

CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, AND ALLIES

Dickcissel

__

O

__

Indigo Bunting

U

U

__

Northern Cardinal

C

C

C

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

C

C

__

BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES, & ALLIES

Baltimore Oriole

C

C

__

Bobolink

__

O

__

Brewer’s Blackbird

__

R

__

Brown-headed Cowbird

C

C

__

Common Grackle

C

C

__

Eastern Meadowlark

O

O

__

Orchard Oriole

O

O

__

Red-winged Blackbird

C

C

O

Rusty Blackbird

__

U

R

Western Meadowlark

U

U

__

Yellow-headed Blackbird

U

U

__

FINCHES

American Goldfinch

C

C

U

Common Redpoll

__

O

U

Evening Grosbeak

__

O

O

House Finch

C

C

U

Pine Grosbeak

__

O

O

Pine Siskin

R

O

O

Purple Finch

O

U

O

Red Crossbill

O

O

O

White-winged Crossbill

__

O

O

WEAVERS

House Sparrow

C

C

C

Season 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 John’s
U=Uncommon: regularly present in small numbers, less easy to find and see at Saint John’s
O=Occasional: Irregularly present, a year or two may elapse between sightings at Saint John’s
R=Rare: has occurred at least once at Saint John’s (outside of normal range)
_=Yet to be recorded at Saint John’s

A special thank you to Cornell Lab of Ornithology for allowing us to link to their website. Saint John’s Abbey 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.