National 

Wildlife Refuges

Along the 

Souris River Loop

Bird List

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
This goose, 

designed by J.N. 

“Ding” Darling, 

is the symbol of 

the National 

Wildlife Refuge 

System.

Welcome The national wildlife refuges 

along the Souris River in North Dakota 

-- Des Lacs (19, 554 acres), 

J. Clark Salyer (58,700 acres), and Upper 

Souris (32,092 acres) -- were all 

established in 1935. Important habitats 

found on these refuges 

include restored marshes, remnant tracts 

of native grass, lowland meadows, 

impounded lakes, 

wooded sandhills, river bottoms, 

and brush-covered coulees.

While waterfowl, pelicans, tundra swans, 

grouse, and cranes are spectacular, a 

variety of other species of interest may 

be found. Birders come from all over the 

country looking for Sprague’s pipits, and 

Baird’s and LeConte’s sparrows. In 

addition, as many as six species of grebes 

may be found. Species found on these 

refuges since 1935 total 308, of which 30 

are accidentals and one is extirpated. 

About 169 species are known to have 

nested on these refuges, and 150 of these 

species nest regularly.

Acknowledgments Thanks to Gordon Berkey and 

Ron Martin for their contribution 

in compiling this list. Observers are 

encouraged to contact Gordon at PO Box 

46, Upham, ND 58789, or Ron at 16900 

125th St. SE, Sawyer, ND 58781, for 

further information and to share 

observations.

Accessibility Equal opportunity to participate

Information in and benefit from programs and 

activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service is available to all individuals 

regardless of physical or mental ability. 

For visitors using TTY, contact the 

North Dakota Relay Service at 

1 800 / 366 6888. For more information or 

to address accessibility needs, please 

contact the U.S. Department of the 

Interior, Office of Equal Opportunity, 

1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 

20240, or the staff from any of the three 

refuges.

Checklist 

Seasons of Sp Spring (March-May)

Occurrence: S Summer (June-July)

F Fall (August-November)

W Winter (December-February) 

Abundance The following abundance categories 

Categories: indicate the peak daily and seasonal 

totals of birds that may be seen by an 

active, experienced observer spending at 

least 8 hours per week sampling all types 

of habitats on these refuges.

a Abundant: 

> 125 per day, > 600 per season

c Common:

25-125 per day, 

125-600 per season

f Fairly Common:

5-25 per day, 

25-125 per season

u Uncommon:

1-5 per day, 

5-25 per season

r Rare:

1-5 per season

o Occasional:

Small numbers seen at 

intervals of 2-10 years

• Nested:

Species which have nested 

(i) Irregular:

Indicates a species which is 

irregular; the abundance 

category indicates the 

numbers expected in 

peak years.

1 Extirpated as a breeding species

2 Last observed 1956
 

Loons

 Common Loonror

Grebes • Pied-billed Grebe 

fff

• Horned Grebefru

• Red-necked Grebe ooo

• Eared Grebe aaa

• Western Grebe ccc

 Clark’s Grebe rrr

Pelicans

 American White Pelican ccc

Cormorants • Double-crested Cormorant 

ccc

Bitterns, Herons, and Egrets • American Bittern 

uuu

 Least Bittern ooo

• Great Blue Heron fff

 Great Egret ooo

• Snowy Egret ooo

• Little Blue Heron ooo

• Cattle Egret (i) fff

• Black-crowned Night-Heron fff

Ibises and Spoonbills

 White-faced Ibis ooo

New World Vultures

 Turkey Vulture r r

Swans, Geese, and Ducks

 Greater White-fronted Goose f f

 Snow Goose aoao

 Ross’ Goose u u

• Canada Goose acao

1 Trumpeter Swan oo

 Tundra Swan coa

• Wood Duck fff

• Gadwall aca

• American Wigeon cuc

• American Black Duck oor

• Mallard acao

• Blue-winged Teal aca

 Cinnamon Teal oo 

• Northern Shoveler aca

• Northern Pintail acco

• Green-winged Teal fuco

• Canvasback cfc

• Redhead cfa

• Ring-necked Duck frf

 Greater Scaup r r

• Lesser Scaup auao

 Surf Scoter r

 White-winged Scoter r

 Black Scoter o

 Long-tailed Duck (formerly Oldsquaw) r

• Bufflehead crc

 Common Goldeneye c c

• Hooded Merganser fff

 Common Merganser c f

 Red-breasted Merganser o o

• Ruddy Duck aca

Osprey, Kites, Hawks, and Eagles

 Osprey r r

 Bald Eagle fofr

• Northern Harrier cfco

• Sharp-shinned Hawk fffr

• Cooper’s Hawk uuu

 Northern Goshawk o rr

• Broad-winged Hawk uou

• Swainson’s Hawk fuf

• Red-tailed Hawk cfco

• Ferruginous Hawk ror

 Rough-legged Hawk u ur

 Golden Eagle r rr

Falcons and Caracaras • American Kestrel 

fuf

 Merlin r uu

 Gyrfalcon oo

 Peregrine Falcon roro

 Prairie Falcon o rr

Gallinaceous Birds • Gray Partridge 

uuuu

• Ring-necked Pheasant ffff

• Ruffed Grouse uuuu

• Sharp-tailed Grouse ffff

2 Greater Prairie-Chicken (Extirpated) • Wild Turkey 

uuuu

Rails• Yellow Rail 

ror

• Virginia Rail uuu

• Sora ccc

• American Coot aaa

Cranes • Sandhill Crane 

ara

 Whooping Crane o o

Common Bird Name SpSFW Common Bird Name Sp

SFW
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plovers

 Black-bellied Plover f f

 American Golden-Plover f f

 Semipalmated Plover uuu

• Piping Plover ooo

• Killdeer ccc

Stilts and Avocets • American Avocet 

cfc

Sandpipers and Phalaropes

 Greater Yellowlegs fff

 Lesser Yellowlegs ccc

 Solitary Sandpiper uuu

• Willet fff

• Spotted Sandpiper fff

• Upland Sandpiper ffu

 Hudsonian Godwit uoo

• Marbled Godwit fff

 Ruddy Turnstone roo

 Red Knot ooo

 Sanderling uuu

 Semipalmated Sandpiper aca

 Western Sandpiper ooo

 Least Sandpiper cfc

 White-rumped Sandpiper afo

 Baird’s Sandpiper cfc

 Pectoral Sandpiper cfc

 Dunlin u o

 Stilt Sandpiper fcc

 Buff-breasted Sandpiper o o

 Short-billed Dowitcher fff

 Long-billed Dowitcher cca

• Common Snipe fuc

• Wilson’s Phalarope caa

 Red-necked Phalarope aaa

Skuas, Jaegers, Gulls, and Terns • Franklin’s Gull 

aaa

 Bonaparte’s Gull rru

• Ring-billed Gull aca

• California Gull uru

 Herring Gull u u

• Common Tern frf

• Forster’s Tern fff

• Black Tern aca

Pigeons and Doves • Rock Dove 

uuu u 

• Mourning Dove ccao

Cuckoos and Anis • Black-billed Cuckoo 

uur

 Yellow-billed Cuckoo o 

Typical Owls • Eastern Screech-Owl 

rrrr

• Great Horned Owl ffff

 Snowy Owl r rr

• Burrowing Owl ooo

• Long-eared Owl (i) uuro

• Short-eared Owl (i) uuur

 Boreal Owl o

 Northern Saw-whet Owl o oo

Nightjars • Common Nighthawk 

uru

• Common Poorwill ooo

 Whip-poor-will oo 

Swifts

 Chimney Swift o o

Hummingbirds • Ruby-throated Hummingbird 

rrr

Kingfishers • Belted Kingfisher 

uuuo

Woodpeckers • Red-headed Woodpecker 

ror

• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker uuu

• Downy Woodpecker uuuu

• Hairy Woodpecker uuu u 

• Northern Flicker fffo

Tyrant Flycatchers

 Olive-sided Flycatcher rrr

 Western Wood-Pewee ooo

• Eastern Wood-Pewee fff

 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher o o

• Alder Flycatcher urr

• Willow Flycatcher fff

• Least Flycatcher ccc

• Eastern Phoebe rrr

• Say’s Phoebe rrr

• Great Crested Flycatcher ffu

• Western Kingbird ccc

• Eastern Kingbird ccc

Shrikes • Loggerhead Shrike 

rrro

 Northern Shrike u u u 

Common Bird Name SpSFW Common Bird Name Sp

SFW
 

 

 

 

Vireos • Yellow-throated Vireo 

uuu

 Blue-headed Vireo u u

• Warbling Vireo fff

 Philadelphia Vireo ror

• Red-eyed Vireo ccc

Crows, Jays, and Magpies • Blue Jay 

fufu

• Black-billed Magpie ffff

• American Crow afau

• Common Raven rroo

Larks • Horned Lark 

afaf

Swallows • Purple Martin 

fff

• Tree Swallow cfu

• Northern Rough-winged Swallow ffr

• Bank Swallow aca

• Cliff Swallow aaa

• Barn Swallow aca

Titmice and Chickadees • Black-capped Chickadee 

ffff

Nuthatches • Red-breasted Nuthatch (i) 

urur

• White-breasted Nuthatch uuuu

Creepers

 Brown Creeper u ur

Wrens • Rock Wren 

rrr

• House Wren ccc

 Winter Wren o

• Sedge Wren (i) ccc

• Marsh Wren ccc

Kinglets

 Golden-crowned Kinglet f fr

 Ruby-crowned Kinglet f f

Thrushes • Eastern Bluebird 

uuu

• Mountain Bluebird uuu

 Townsend’s Solitaire o oo

• Veery ffu

 Gray-cheeked Thrush f r

 Swainson’s Thrush c f

 Hermit Thrush u u

• American Robin acar

Mimic Thrushes • Gray Catbird 

fff

 Northern Mockingbird ooo

• Brown Thrasher fff

Starlings • European Starling 

cfau

Wagtails and Pipits

 American Pipit u f

• Sprague’s Pipit ffu

Waxwings

 Bohemian Waxwing (i) c cc

• Cedar Waxwing fccu

Wood Warblers

 Tennessee Warbler crf

• Orange-crowned Warbler frc

 Nashville Warbler u u

 Northern Parula o o

• Yellow Warbler ccc

 Chestnut-sided Warbler o r

 Magnolia Warbler u u

 Cape May Warbler o o

 Black-throated Blue Warbler o o

 Yellow-rumped Warbler aoa

 Black-throated Green Warbler o r

 Blackburnian Warbler o r

 Palm Warbler u u

 Bay-breasted Warbler o r

 Blackpoll Warbler c f

• Black-and-white Warbler fuf

• American Redstart fuf

• Ovenbird ffu

• Northern Waterthrush fru

 Connecticut Warbler roo

 Mourning Warbler uor

 MacGillivray’s Warbler o o

• Common Yellowthroat ccc

 Wilson’s Warbler u f

 Canada Warbler r r

• Yellow-breasted Chat rro

Tanagers • Scarlet Tanager 

oo 

 Western Tanager o

Common Bird Name SpSFW Common Bird Name Sp

SFW
Sparrows and Towhees • Spotted Towhee 

fff

 Eastern Towhee o o

 American Tree Sparrow a au

• Chipping Sparrow cuc

• Clay-colored Sparrow aaa

• Field Sparrow rrr

• Vesper Sparrow ccc

• Lark Sparrow uur

• Lark Bunting (i) uuu

• Savannah Sparrow aca

• Grasshopper Sparrow (i)ccc

• Baird’s Sparrow (i) fff

• LeConte’s Sparrow (i) fff

• Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow fff

 Fox Sparrow r u

• Song Sparrow cfco

 Lincoln’s Sparrow f f

• Swamp Sparrow frf

 White-throated Sparrow c co

 Harris’s Sparrow c co

 White-crowned Sparrow f f

 Dark-eyed Junco aoar

• McCown’s Longspur ooo

 Lapland Longspur a au

 Smith’s Longspur r r

• Chestnut-collared Longspur uuu

 Snow Bunting c ac

Cardinals, Grosbeaks, and Allies • Rose-breasted Grosbeak 

fff

• Black-headed Grosbeak rro

• Lazuli Bunting rrr

• Indigo Bunting rrr

• Dickcissel ooo

Blackbirds and Orioles • Bobolink 

ccf

• Red-winged Blackbird aaao

• Western Meadowlark aaao

• Yellow-headed Blackbird aaao

 Rusty Blackbird r fo

• Brewer’s Blackbird cfao

• Common Grackle acao

• Brown-headed Cowbird aau

• Orchard Oriole ffo

• Baltimore Oriole fff

Finches

 Pine Grosbeak (i) u uf

 Purple Finch u ur

• House Finch uuur

• Red Crossbill (i) uouf

 White-winged Crossbill (i) o oo

 Common Redpoll (i) a ca

 Hoary Redpoll o o

• Pine Siskin (i) cocf

• American Goldfinch cccu

 Evening Grosbeak o oo

Old World Sparrows • House Sparrow 

ffff

Birds rarely seen on the refuges 

and are out of their normal range:

 Pacific Loon

 Brown Pelican

 Tricolored Heron

 Green Heron

 Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

 White Ibis

 Fulvous Whistling-Duck

 Eurasian Wigeon

 Harlequin Duck

 Red-shouldered Hawk

 Black-necked Stilt

 Whimbrel

 Long-billed Curlew

 American Woodcock

 Glaucous Gull

 Black-legged Kittiwake

 Barn Owl

 Barred Owl

 Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

 Violet-green Swallow

 Sage Thrasher

 Townsend’s Warbler

 Prothonotary Warbler

 Hooded Warbler

 Henslow’s Sparrow

 Golden-crowned Sparrow

 Bullock’s Oriole

 Lesser Goldfinch

Common Bird Name SpSFW Common Bird Name SpSFW
For more information about the national wildlife refuges

along the Souris River, contact:

Des Lacs NWR

PO Box 578

Kenmare, ND 58746

701 / 385 4046

701 / 385 3214 fax

r6rw_dsl@fws.gov

J. Clark Salyer NWR

PO Box 66

Upham, ND 58789

701 / 768 2548

701 / 768 2834 fax

r6rw_jcs@fws.gov

Upper Souris NWR

17705 212th Avenue, NW

Berthold, ND 58718

701 / 468 5467

701 / 468 5600 fax

r6rw_usr@fws.gov

North Dakota Relay Service

TTY: 1 800 / 366 6888

Voice: 1 800 / 366 6889

January 2001