Wildlife Mississippi Birding Checklist

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Warbler

This list includes 394 species of birds which have been recorded in Mississippi. All species, except those enclosed in brackets, have been documented through photographs of specimens. Bracketed species are those for which written details are on file in the records of the Mississippi Ornithologists' Society, but for which additional documentation is needed.

Area Description

The State of Mississippi is composed of a variety of geographical areas and habitat types, from the bottomland hardwoods of the Delta, to the mixed pines and hardwoods of the Interior Flatwoods, to the longleaf pines of the Lower Coastal Plain. This mixture of components, complimented by the Mississippi River, attracts an unusual variety and number of migrating birds, as well as a variety of indigenous species.

Use of this List

This list includes all species which have been recorded in Mississippi. The list is arranged in the order established by the American Ornithologists' Union, and was designed to be informative and simple to use. Symbols which appear in the checklist are to aid the observer in determining the location and time of year that a particular species is likely to be seen, they are represented by the following:

Locations

M - species observed throughout Mississippi
D - species observed specifically in the Delta
C - species observed specifically on the Gulf Coast
N - nests in Mississippi

Abundance

C - Common (certain to be seen in suitable habitat)
F - Fairly common (may be seen in suitable habitat)
U - Uncommon (present but difficult to find)
R - Rare (seen singly or in small numbers)
O - Occasional (seen in only four to eight years out of ten)
A - Accidental (seen in only three or fewer years out of ten)

Appearance in Mississippi

s - summer resident
w - winter resident
t - transient (appears in Mississippi at some point during migration)
p - permanent resident

Species	Occurance in Mississippi
		Location		Abundance
Loons
	Red-throated Loon	C		Ot
	[Pacific Loon]	M		A
	Common Loon	C, D		Cw, Ft
Grebes
	Pied-billed Grebe	M, D	N	Us, Cw
	Horned Grebe	M,D		Fw
	Red-necked Grebe	M		Ot
	Eared Grebe	M, D		Uw
	[Western Grebe]	M		Ot
Shearwaters and Storm Petrels
	[Sooty Shearwater]	C		A
	[Audubon's Shearwater]	C		A
	[Wilson's Storm Petrel]	M		A
Gannets and Boobies
	[Masked Booby]	C		A
	Northern Gannet	C		Fw
Pelicans and Allies
	American White Pelican	M, D		Cw
	Brown Pelican	C		Cp
	Great Cormorant	C		At
	Double-crested Cormorant	M, D	N	Rs, Cw
	Neotropical Cormorant	M		At
	Anhinga	M, D	N	Us, Rw
	Magnificent Frigatebird	C		Fs
Herons, Egrets and Allies
	American Bittern	C,M,D		Uw, Ut
	Least Bittern	M, D	N	Us
	Great Blue Heron	M, D	N	Cp
	Great Egret	M, D	N	Cp
	Snowy Egret	M, D	N	Cp
	Little Blue Heron	M, D	N	Cp
	Tricolored Heron	M, D	N	Fp
	Reddish Egret	C		Rp
	Cattle Egret	M, D	N	Cs, Uw
	Green-backed Heron	M, D	N	Cs, Uw
	Black-crowned Night-Heron	M, D	N	Up
	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	M, D	N	Fs, Rw
Ibises, Spoonbills and Storks
	White Ibis	M, D	N	Fp
	Glossy Ibis	C,D		Rt
	White-faced Ibis	C		Rt
	Roseate Spoonbill	M, D		Fw
	Wood Stork	M, D		Us
Waterfowl
	Fulvous Whistling- Duck	M, D		Rt
	Black-bellied Whistling Duck			At
	Tundra Swan	M, D		Rw
	Trumpeter Swan	M, D		At
	Greater White-fronted Goose	M, D		Cw
	Snow Goose	M, D		Cw
	Ross' Goose	M, D		Rw
	Brant	M, D		Aw
	Canada Goose	M, D	N	Cp
	Wood Duck	M, D	N	Cp
	Green-winged Teal	M, D		Cw
	American Black Duck	M, D		Fw
	Mottled Duck	C	N	Up
	Mallard	M, D		Cp
	Northern Pintail	M, D		Cw
	Blue-winged Teal	M, D		Os, Ct, Uw
	Cinnamon Teal	M, D		Ot
	Northern Shoveler	M, D		Cw
	Gadwall	M, D		Cw
	[Eurasian Wigeon]	M		At
	American Wigeon	M, D		Cw
	Canvasback	M, D		Fw
	Redhead	M, D		Uw
	Ring-necked Duck	M, D		Cw
	Greater Scaup	M, D		Fw
	Lesser Scaup	M, D		Cw
	King Eider	M		At
	Oldsquaw	M, D		Rw
	Black Scoter	M		Rw
	Surf Scoter	M, D		Rw
	White-winged Scoter	M, D		Rw
	Common Goldeneye	M, D		Fw
	Bufflehead	M, D		Cw
	Hooded Merganser	M, D	N	Cw
	Common Merganser	M, D		Rw
	Red-breasted Merganser	M, D		Cw
	Ruddy Duck	M, D		Cw
Vultures, Hawks and Falcons
	Black Vulture	M, D	N	Cp
	Turkey Vulture	M, D	N	Cp
	Osprey	C, M, D	N	Up, Rs, Ft
	American Swallow-tailed Kite	M, D	N	Us
	White-tailed Kite	C, D	N	Ot
	Mississippi Kite	M, D	N	Cs
	Bald Eagle	M, D	N	Rs, Fw
	Northern Harrier	M, D		Cw
	Sharp-shinned Hawk	M, D		Fw
	Cooper's Hawk	M, D	N	Us, Fw
	Northern Goshawk	M		At
	Harris' Hawk	M		At
	Red-shouldered Hawk	M, D	N	Fp
	Broad-winged Hawk	M, D	N	Fs
	Swainson's Hawk	M		Ot
	Red-tailed Hawk	M, D	N	Cp
	[Ferruginous Hawk]	M		At
	Rough-legged Hawk	M, D		At
	Golden Eagle	M, D		Rt
	Crested Caracara	M, D		A
	American Kestrel	M, D	N	Us, Cw
	Merlin	M, D		Ut, Rw
	Prairie Falcon	M		At
	Peregrine Falcon	M, D		Ut, Rw
Gallinaceous Birds
	Wild Turkey	M, D	N	Cp
	Bobwhite Quail	M, D	N	Cp
Rails, Limpkins and Cranes
	Yellow Rail	M		Ot
	Black Rail	M		A
	Clapper Rail	C	N	Cp
	King Rail	M, D	N	Up
	Virginia Rail	C, M, D		Ut, Rw
	Sora	C, M, D		Ut, Rw
	Purple Gallinule	M, D	N	Us
	Common Moorhen	M, D	N	Cp
	American Coot	M, D	N	Rs, Cw
	Limpkin	M		A
	Sandhill Crane	C, M, D	N	Rw
Plovers, Sandpipers and Allies
	Black-bellied Plover	C, M, D		Fw
	Lesser Golden Plover	M, D		Ft
	Snowy Plover	C	N	Rp
	Wilson's Plover	C, M, D	N	Us
	Semipalmated Plover	C, M, D		Fw, Ft
	Piping Plover	C, M, D		Uw, Rt
	Killdeer	M, D	N	Cp
	Mountain Plover	M		A
	American Oystercatcher	C	N	Up
	Black-necked Stilt	C, M, D	N	Up
	American Avocet	C, M, D		Up, Rt
	Greater Yellowlegs	M, D		Ft,Uw
	Lesser Yellowlegs	M, D		Ct, Uw
	Solitary Sandpiper	M, D		Ct
	Willet	C, M, D	N	Fp, Rt
	Spotted Sandpiper	M, D	N	Ct, Uw
	Upland Sandpiper	M, D	N	Ut
	Whimbrel	C		Rt
	Long-billed Curlew	C		Ot
	Hudsonian Godwit	M, D		A
	Marbled Godwit	C, D		Rw
	Ruddy Turnstone	C, M		Fw
	Red Knot	C, D		Uw
	Sanderling	C, M, D		Cw
	Semipalmated Sandpiper	M, D		Ct
	Western Sandpiper	C, M, D		Cw
	Least Sandpiper	C, M, D		Cw
	White-rumped Sandpiper	M		Ut
	Baird's Sandpiper	M, D		Ut
	Pectoral Sandpiper	M, D		Ct
	Purple Sandpiper	C		A
	Dunlin	C, M, D		Cw, Ft
	Stilt Sandpiper	M, D		Ft
	Buff-breasted Sandpiper	M, D		Ut
	[Ruff]	M		A
	Short-billed Dowitcher	C, M, D		Fw, Ut
	Long-billed Dowitcher	C, M, D		Fw, Ut
	Common Snipe	M, D		Cw
	American Woodcock	M, D	N	Up
	Wilson's Phalarope	C, M, D		Ut
	Red-necked Phalarope	M, D		Ot
	Red Phalarope	M		Ot
Gulls, Terns and Skimmers
	Pomarine Jaeger	M		A
	Parasitic Jaeger	M		O
	Laughing Gull	C, M, D	N	Cp
	Franklin's Gull	M, D		Rt
	Little Gull	M		O
	Common Black-headed Gull	M		A
	Bonaparte's Gull	M, D		Cw
	Ring-billed Gull	M, D		Cw
	Herring Gull	M, D		Uw
	Lesser Black-backed Gull	M		A
	Glaucous Gull	M		O
	Great Black-backed Gull	M		O
	Black-legged Kittiwake	M		O
	Sabine's Gull	M		A
	Gull-billed Tern	C, M	N	Us
	Caspian Tern	C, M, D	N	Fp, Ut
	Royal Tern	C	N	Cp
	Snadwich Tern	C	N	Us
	[Roseate Tern]	M		A
	Common Tern	C, M	N	Us, Rt
	Forster's Tern	C, M, D		Cp, Ft
	Least Tern	C, M, D	N	Cs
	Bridled Tern	C		A
	Sooty Tern	C		A
	Black Tern	M, D		Ct
	Brown Noddy	C		A
	Black Skimmer	C	N	Fp
Pigeons and Doves
	Rock Dove	M, D	N	Cp
	[Band-tailed Pigeon]	M		A
	Eurasian Collared-Dove	M, D	N	Fp
	White-winged Dove	C, D		R
	Mourning Dove	M, D	N	Cp
	Common Ground Dove	C, M, D	N	Rp
Cuckoos
	Black-billed Cuckoo	M, D		Rt
	[Greater Roadrunner]	D		A
	Yellow-billed Cuckoo	M, D	N	Cs
	Groove-billed Ani	C		Rt
Owls
	Barn Owl	M, D	N	Up
	Eastern Screech-Owl	M, D	N	Cp
	Great Horned Owl	M, D	N	Cp
	Snowy Owl	M		A
	Burrowing Owl	M, D		O
	Barred Owl	M, D	N	Cp
	Long-eared Owl	M		A
	Short-eared Owl	M, D		Uw
	Northern Saw-whet Owl	M		A
Goatsuckers
	Common Nighthawk	M, D	N	Cs
	Chuck-will's-widow	M, D	N	Cs
	Whip-poor-will	M, D	N	Fs
Swifts
	Chimney Swift	M, D	N	Cs
Humminbirds
	Buff-bellied Humminbird	M		O
	Ruby-throated Humminbird	M, D	N	Cs
	Black-chinned Humminbird	M		Rw
	Calliope Humminbird	C		A
	Broad-tailed Humminbird	M		A
	Allen's Humminbird	C		A
	Rufous Humminbird	C		Uw
	White-eared Humminbird	M		A
	Anna's Humminbird	M		A
Kingfishers
	Belted Kingfisher	M, D	N	Fp
Woodpeckers