Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust

THE PLATTE RIVER in central Nebraska is endowed with a rich variety of bird life that is ever changing as the seasons progress, and approximately 300 species of birds can be found along the river. Most are here for part of the year because they migrate through this area, and a few are year-round residents. The Trust has compiled a checklist of the birds of the Platte River. If you are planning a visit to this area, print a copy and bring it along to aid in your bird watching activities!

[ PHOTOS: LEAST TERN; PIPING PLOVER; BOBOLINK ]

CHECKLIST OF BIRDS OF THE PLATTE RIVER
Compiled by the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust

The letters in parentheses indicate in which seasons that species may appear.
KEY: (W – Winter, Sp – Spring, Su – Summer, F – Fall)

LOONS
Common Loon (Sp, F)

GREBES
Eared Grebe (Sp, F)
Horned Grebe (Sp, F)
Pied-billed Grebe (Sp, Su, F)
Western Grebe (Sp, F)

CORMORANTS
Double-crested Cormorant (Sp, F)

SWANS
Tundra (Whistling) Swan (Sp, F)

GEESE
Canada Goose (W, Sp, Su, F)
Greater White-fronted Goose (Sp, F)
Ross’ Goose (Sp, F)
Snow Goose (Sp, F)

DABBLING DUCKS
American Wigeon (Sp, F)
Blue-winged Teal (Sp, Su, F)
Cinnamon Teal (Sp, F)
Gadwall (Sp, Su, F)
Green-winged Teal (Sp, F)
Mallard (W, Sp, Su, F)
Northern Pintail (Sp, Su, F)
Northern Shoveler (Sp, Su, F)
Wood Duck (Sp, Su, F)

DIVING DUCKS
Bufflehead (Sp, F)
Canvasback (Sp, F)
Common Goldeneye (Sp, F)
Common Merganser (Sp, F)
Greater Scaup (Sp, F)
Hooded Merganser (Sp, F)
Lesser Scaup (Sp, F)
Oldsquaw (Sp, F)
Red-breasted Merganser (Sp, F)
Redhead (Sp, F)
Ring-necked Duck (Sp, F)
Ruddy Duck (Sp, F)

GULLS & TERNS
Black Tern (Sp, Su, F)
Bonaparte’s Gull (Sp, F)
Caspian Tern (Sp, F)
Common Tern (Sp, F)
Forster’s Tern (Sp, F)
Franklin’s Gull (Sp, F)
Herring Gull (Sp, F)
Least Tern (Sp, Su, F)
Ring-billed Gull (Sp, F)

PELICAN
American White Pelican (Sp, F)

HERONS & BITTERNS
American Bittern (Sp, Su, F)
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Sp, Su, F)
Cattle Egret (Sp, F)
Great Blue Heron (Sp, Su, F)
Great Egret (Sp, Su, F)
Green-backed (Green) Heron (Sp, Su, F)
Least Bittern (Sp, Su, F)
Little Blue Heron (Sp, F)
Snowy Egret (Sp, Su, F)

CRANES
Sandhill Crane (Sp, F)
Whooping Crane (Sp, F)

IBISES
White-faced Ibis (Sp, F)

RAILS
American Coot (Sp, Su, F)
Sora (Sp, Su, F)
Virginia Rail (Sp, Su, F)

AVOCETS
American Avocet (Sp, F)

PLOVERS
Black-bellied Plover (Sp, F)
Killdeer (Sp, Su, F)
Lesser Golden Plover (Sp, F)
Piping Plover (Sp, Su, F)
Semipalmated Plover (Sp, F)
Snowy Plover (Sp, F)

SANDPIPERS
American Woodcock (Sp, Su, F)
Baird’s Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Common Snipe (Sp, F)
Dunlin (Sp, F)
Greater Yellowlegs (Sp, F)
Hudsonian Godwit (Sp, F)
Least Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Lesser Yellowlegs (Sp, F)
Long-billed Curlew (Sp, F)
Long-billed Dowitcher (Sp, F)
Marbled Godwit (Sp, F)
Pectoral Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Ruddy Turnstone (Sp, F)
Sanderling (Sp, F)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Short-billed Dowitcher (Sp, F)
Solitary Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Spotted Sandpiper (Sp, Su, F)
Stilt Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Upland Sandpiper (Sp, Su, F)
Western Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Whimbrel (Sp, F)
White-rumped Sandpiper (Sp, F)
Willet (Sp, F)
Wilson’s Phalarope (Sp, F)

TURKEYS
Wild Turkey (W, Sp, Su, F)

GROUSE
Greater Prairie-Chicken (W, Sp, Su, F)

PHEASANT
Ring-necked Pheasant (W, Sp, Su, F)

QUAIL
Northern Bobwhite (W, Sp, Su, F)

HAWKS
Broad-winged Hawk (Sp, F)
Cooper’s Hawk (W, Sp, Su, F)
Ferruginous Hawk (W)
Northern Goshawk (W)
Northern Harrier (W)
Red-tailed Hawk (W, Sp, Su, F)
Rough-legged Hawk (W)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Sp, F)
Swainson’s Hawk (Sp, Su, F)

KITES
Black-shouldered Kite (Sp, F)
Mississippi Kite (Sp, F)

EAGLES
Bald Eagle (W)
Golden Eagle (Sp, F)

FALCONS
American Kestrel (W, Sp, Su, F)
Merlin (Sp, F)
Peregrine Falcon (Sp, F)
Prairie Falcon (Sp, F)

VULTURES
Turkey Vulture (Sp, Su, F)

OSPREY
Osprey (Sp, F)

OWLS
Burrowing Owl (Sp, Su, F)
Barn Owl (W, Sp, Su, F)
Common Screech-Owl (W, Sp, Su, F)
Great Horned Owl (W, Sp, Su, F)
Northern Saw-whet Owl (W)
Short-eared Owl (W, Sp, Su, F)

PIGEONS & DOVES
Mourning Dove (Sp, Su, F)
Rock Dove (W, Sp, Su, F)

CUCKOOS
Black-billed Cuckoo (Su)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Su)

NIGHTJARS
Common Nighthawk (Sp, Su, F)
HUMMINGBIRDS
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Sp, Su, F)

KINGFISHERS
Belted Kingfisher (W, Sp, Su, F)

WOODPECKERS
Downy Woodpecker (W, Sp, Su, F)
Hairy Woodpecker (W, Sp, Su, F)
Northern Flicker (W, Sp, Su, F)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (W, Sp, Su, F)
Red-headed Woodpecker (Sp, Su, F)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sp, F)

SWIFTS
Chimney Swift (Sp, Su, F)

FLYCATCHERS
Acadian Flycatcher (Su)
Cassin’s Kingbird (Su)
Eastern Kingbird (Su)
Eastern Phoebe (Su)
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Su)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Su)
Least Flycatcher (Su)
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Su)
Say’s Phoebe (Su)
Western Kingbird (Su)
Western Wood-Pewee (Su)
Willow Flycatcher (Su)

LARKS
Horned Lark (W, Sp, Su, F)

SWALLOWS
Bank Swallow (Su)
Barn Swallow (Su)
Cliff Swallow (Su)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Su)
Purple Martin (Su)
Tree Swallow (Su)

CORVIDS
American Crow (W, Sp, Su, F)
Black-billed Magpie (W, Sp, Su, F)
Blue Jay (W, Sp, Su, F)
Chihuahuan Raven (W, Sp, Su, F)

CHICKADEES
Black-capped Chickadee (W, Sp, Su, F)

NUTHATCHES & CREEPERS
Brown Creeper (W)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (W)
White-breasted Nuthatch (W, Sp, Su, F)

WRENS
Bewick’s Wren (Su)
House Wren (Su)
Marsh Wren (Su)
Rock Wren (Su)
Sedge Wren (Su)
Winter Wren (W)

KINGLETS
Golden-crowned Kinglet (W)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Sp, F)

THRUSHES
American Robin (W, Sp, Su, F)
Brown Thrasher (Su)
Eastern Bluebird (W, Sp, Su, F)
Gray Catbird (Su)
Gray-cheeked Thrush (Sp, F)
Hermit Thrush (Sp, F)
Mountain Bluebird (Sp, F)
Northern Mockingbird (W, Sp, Su, F)
Swainson’s Thrush (Sp, F)
Townsend’s Solitaire (Sp, F)
Veery (Sp, F)

PIPITS
Sprague’s Pipit (Sp, F)
Water Pipit (Sp, F)

SHRIKES
Loggerhead Shrike (Su)
Northern Shrike (W)

WAXWINGS
Cedar Waxwing (W, Sp, Su, F)

VIREOS
Bell’s Vireo (Su)
Red-eyed Vireo (Su)
Warbling Vireo (Su)

WARBLERS
American Redstart (Sp, F)
Black-and-White Warbler (Sp, F)
Black-throated Green Warbler (Su, F)
Blackpoll Warbler (Sp, F)
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Sp, F)
Common Yellowthroat (Su)
Magnolia Warbler (Sp, F)
Mourning Warbler (Sp, F)
Nashville Warbler (Sp, F)
Northern Waterthrush (Sp, F)
Orange-crowned Warbler (Sp, F)
Ovenbird (Sp, F)
Palm Warbler (Sp, F)
Tennessee Warbler (Sp, F)
Wilson’s Warbler (Sp, F)
Yellow Warbler (Su)
Yellow-breasted Chat (Sp, F)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Sp, F)

BLACKBIRDS
Baltimore Oriole (Su)
Bobolink (Su)
Brewer’s Blackbird (Su)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Su)
Common Grackle (W, Sp, Su, F)
Eastern Meadowlark (Su)
Great-tailed Grackle (Sp, F)
Orchard Oriole (Su)
Red-winged Blackbird (W, Sp, Su, F)
Rusty Blackbird (Sp, F)
Western Meadowlark (W, Sp, Su, F)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Sp, F)

STARLINGS
European Starling (W, Sp, Su, F)

TANAGERS
Scarlet Tanager (Su)

WEAVER FINCHES
House Sparrow (W, Sp, Su, F)

FINCHES, BUNTINGS & GROSBEAKS
American Goldfinch (W, Sp, Su, F)
Black-headed Grosbeak (Su)
Blue Grosbeak (Su)
Common Redpoll (W)
Dickcissel (Su)
Evening Grosbeak (W)
House Finch (W, Sp, Su, F)
Indigo Bunting (Su)
Lazuli Bunting (Sp, F)
Northern Cardinal (W, Sp, Su, F)
Pine Siskin (W)
Purple Finch (W)
Red Crossbill (W)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Su)

SPARROWS
American Tree Sparrow (W)
Baird’s Sparrow (Sp, F)
Brewer’s Sparrow (Sp, F)
Cassin’s Sparrow (Su)
Chipping Sparrow (Su)
Clay-colored Sparrow (Sp, F)
Dark-eyed Junco (W)
Eastern Towhee (Sp, Su, F)
Field Sparrow (Sp, Su, F)
Fox Sparrow (Sp, F)
Grasshopper Sparrow (Su)
Harris’ Sparrow (W)
Henslow’s Sparrow (Su)
Lark Bunting (Su)
Lark Sparrow (Su)
Le Conte’s Sparrow (Sp, F)
Lincoln’s Sparrow (Sp, F)
Sharp-tailed Sparrow (Sp, F)
Song Sparrow (Su)
Savannah Sparrow (Sp, F)
Swamp Sparrow (Su)
Vesper Sparrow (Sp, F)
White-crowned Sparrow (W)
White-throated Sparrow (Sp, F)