White Sands National Park Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior

White Sands National Monument

White Sands National Park Service 

U.S. Department of the Interior

White Sands National Park

 American Avocet

Recurvirostra 

americana

White Sands National Park is home to a wide variety of bird species. Some birds make White Sands their home all year, while other species are migratory. One key factor that influences the types of migratory birds in the 

area is rainfall and the amount of standing water. Keep in mind that the dunes provide unique homes to only some 

of our bird species. Many of the birds listed here prefer the Chihuahuan Desert shrub on the outer edges of the park 

boundaries. Others migrate here when there is a lot of standing water in places such as Lake Lucero. Whether you are 

an experienced birder or just taking that extra step to familiarize yourself with our flying friends, this list will provide 

you with a general overview of the birds in and around the world’s largest gypsum dunefield.

 American Coot

Fulica americana

 American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

 American Robin 

Turdus migratorius

 Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

 Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

 Black-throated 

Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

 Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus 

cyanocephalus

 Broad-tailed 

Hummingbird 

Selasphorus platycercus

 Cactus Wren

Campylorhynchus 

brunneicapillus

 Chihuahuan Raven

Corvus cryptoleucus

 Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

 Cooper’s Hawk 

Accipiter cooperii

 Crissal Thrasher

Toxostoma crissale

 Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

 Eared Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

 Gambel’s Quail

Callipepla gambelii

 Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

 Great Egret

Ardea alba

 Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

 Ash-throated 

Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

Featured Birds of White Sands
 Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

 Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx 

californianus

 Greater Yellowlegs 

Tringa melanoleuca

 Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

 Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

 Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

 Northern Harrier

Circus cyaneus

 Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

 Northern 

Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

 Northern Oriole

Icterus galbula

 House Finch 

Haemorhous 

mexicanus

 Northern Shoveler

Anas clypeata

 House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

 Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

 Pyrrhuloxia

Cardinalis sinuatus

 Sandhill Crane

Grus canadensis

 Ladder-backed 

Woodpecker

Picoides scalaris

 Say’s Phoebe

Sayornis saya

 Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles 

acutipennis

 Loggerhead Shrike 

Lanius ludovicianus

 Scott’s Oriole

Icterus parisorum

 Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

 Long-eared Owl

Asio otus

 Snowy Plover

Charadrius nivosus

 Yellow Warbler 

Setophaga petechia

 Wilson’s Warbler 

Cardellina pusilla

 White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

 White-crowned 

Sparrow 

Zonotrichia 

leucophrys

 Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

 Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

 Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

 Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

 Swainson’s Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

 Spotted Towhee

Pipilo maculatus

 Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

© Noll

Revised 5/24/2022

Note: This is not a comprehensive bird list. For more information on White Sands National Park, visit www.nps.gov/whsa

 Yellow-headed 

Blackbird

Xanthocephalus 

xanthocephalus