KANSAS BIRDS: Species List for Kansas

WHISTLING-DUCKS

____ Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

____ Fulvous Whistling-Duck

GEESE, SWANS

____ Snow Goose

____ Ross's Goose

____ Greater White-fronted Goose

____ Brant

____ Cackling Goose

____ Canada Goose

____ Trumpeter Swan

____ Tundra Swan

DUCKS

____ Wood Duck

____ Garganey†

____ Blue-winged Teal

____ Cinnamon Teal

____ Northern Shoveler

____ Gadwall

____ Eurasian Wigeon

____ American Wigeon

____ Mallard

____ Mexican Duck†

____ American Black Duck

____ Mottled Duck

____ Northern Pintail

____ Green-winged Teal

____ Canvasback

____ Redhead

____ Ring-necked Duck

____ [Tufted Duck]†

____ Greater Scaup

____ Lesser Scaup

____ King Eider†

____ Common Eider†

____ Harlequin Duck†

____ Surf Scoter

____ White-winged Scoter

____ Black Scoter

____ Long-tailed Duck

____ Bufflehead

____ Common Goldeneye

____ Barrow's Goldeneye

____ Hooded Merganser

____ Common Merganser

____ Red-breasted Merganser

____ Ruddy Duck

QUAIL

____ Northern Bobwhite

____ Scaled Quail

TURKEY, GROUSE, PHEASANT

____ Wild Turkey

____ Ruffed Grouse

____ Sharp-tailed Grouse

____ Greater Prairie-Chicken

____ Lesser Prairie-Chicken

____ Ring-necked Pheasant

FLAMINGOS

____ American Flamingo†

GREBES

____ Pied-billed Grebe

____ Horned Grebe

____ Red-necked Grebe

____ Eared Grebe

____ Western Grebe

____ Clark's Grebe

PIGEONS, DOVES

____ Inca Dove

____ Common Ground Dove

____ White-winged Dove

____ Mourning Dove

____ Band-tailed Pigeon†

____ Eurasian Collared-Dove

____ Rock Pigeon

CUCKOOS

____ Groove-billed Ani

____ Greater Roadrunner

____ Yellow-billed Cuckoo

____ Black-billed Cuckoo

NIGHTJARS

____ [Lesser Nighthawk]†

____ Common Nighthawk

____ Common Poorwill

____ Chuck-will's-widow

____ Eastern Whip-poor-will

____ [Mexican Whip-poor-will]†

SWIFTS

____ Chimney Swift

____ White-throated Swift†

HUMMINGBIRDS

____ Mexican Violetear†

____ Rivoli's Hummingbird†

____ Ruby-throated Hummingbird

____ Black-chinned Hummingbird

____ Anna's Hummingbird

____ Costa's Hummingbird†

____ Calliope Hummingbird

____ Rufous Hummingbird

____ Allen's Hummingbird†

____ Broad-tailed Hummingbird

____ Broad-billed Hummingbird†

LIMPKIN

____ Limpkin

CRANES

____ Sandhill Crane

____ Common Crane†

____ Whooping Crane

RAILS, GALLINULES

____ King Rail

____ Virginia Rail

____ Sora

____ Common Gallinule

____ American Coot

____ Purple Gallinule

____ Yellow Rail

____ Black Rail

STILTS, AVOCETS

____ Black-necked Stilt

____ American Avocet

PLOVERS

____ Black-bellied Plover

____ American Golden-Plover

____ Killdeer

____ Semipalmated Plover

____ Piping Plover

____ [Wilson's Plover]†

____ Mountain Plover

____ Snowy Plover

SANDPIPERS

____ Upland Sandpiper

____ Whimbrel

____ Eskimo Curlew

____ Long-billed Curlew

____ Hudsonian Godwit

____ Marbled Godwit

____ Ruddy Turnstone

____ Red Knot

____ Ruff

____ Sharp-tailed Sandpiper†

____ Stilt Sandpiper

____ Curlew Sandpiper†

____ Red-necked Stint†

____ Sanderling

____ Dunlin

____ Purple Sandpiper†

____ Baird's Sandpiper

____ Little Stint†

____ Least Sandpiper

____ White-rumped Sandpiper

____ Buff-breasted Sandpiper

____ Pectoral Sandpiper

____ Semipalmated Sandpiper

____ Western Sandpiper

____ Short-billed Dowitcher

____ Long-billed Dowitcher

____ American Woodcock

____ Wilson's Snipe

____ Spotted Sandpiper

____ Solitary Sandpiper

____ Lesser Yellowlegs

____ Willet

____ Spotted Redshank†

____ Greater Yellowlegs

____ Wilson's Phalarope

____ Red-necked Phalarope

____ Red Phalarope

JAEGERS

____ Pomarine Jaeger†

____ Parasitic Jaeger

____ Long-tailed Jaeger†

ALCIDS

____ Long-billed Murrelet†

TERNS

____ Least Tern

____ Gull-billed Tern†

____ Caspian Tern

____ Black Tern

____ Common Tern

____ [Arctic Tern]†

____ Forster's Tern

____ Royal Tern†

SKIMMERS

____ Black Skimmer†

GULLS

____ Black-legged Kittiwake

____ Sabine's Gull

____ Bonaparte's Gull

____ Black-headed Gull

____ Little Gull

____ Ross's Gull†

____ Laughing Gull

____ Franklin's Gull

____ Short-billed Gull

____ Ring-billed Gull

____ California Gull

____ Herring Gull

____ Iceland Gull

____ Lesser Black-backed Gull

____ Slaty-backed Gull†

____ [Glaucous-winged Gull]†

____ Glaucous Gull

____ Great Black-backed Gull

LOONS

____ Red-throated Loon

____ Pacific Loon

____ Common Loon

____ Yellow-billed Loon†

STORKS

____ Wood Stork

FRIGATEBIRDS

____ Magnificent Frigatebird†

BOOBIES

____ Brown Booby†

DARTERS

____ Anhinga

CORMORANTS

____ Double-crested Cormorant

____ Neotropic Cormorant

IBISES

____ White Ibis

____ Glossy Ibis

____ White-faced Ibis

____ Roseate Spoonbill

PELICANS

____ American White Pelican

____ Brown Pelican

HERONS

____ Least Bittern

____ American Bittern

____ Little Blue Heron

____ Tricolored Heron

____ Reddish Egret†

____ Snowy Egret

____ Yellow-crowned Night Heron

____ Black-crowned Night Heron

____ Green Heron

____ Great Egret

____ Western Cattle-Egret

____ Great Blue Heron

VULTURES

____ Black Vulture

____ Turkey Vulture

OSPREY, HAWKS, KITES, EAGLES

____ Osprey

____ White-tailed Kite†

____ Swallow-tailed Kite

____ Golden Eagle

____ Sharp-shinned Hawk

____ Cooper's Hawk

____ American Goshawk

____ Northern Harrier

____ Bald Eagle

____ Mississippi Kite

____ Harris's Hawk†

____ Gray Hawk†

____ Red-shouldered Hawk

____ Broad-winged Hawk

____ Swainson's Hawk

____ Red-tailed Hawk

____ Rough-legged Hawk

____ Ferruginous Hawk

BARN OWLS

____ American Barn Owl

OWLS

____ [Flammulated Owl]†

____ Western Screech-Owl†

____ Eastern Screech-Owl

____ Great Horned Owl

____ Snowy Owl

____ Burrowing Owl

____ Barred Owl

____ Long-eared Owl

____ Short-eared Owl

____ Northern Saw-whet Owl

KINGFISHERS

____ Belted Kingfisher

WOODPECKERS

____ Lewis's Woodpecker

____ Red-headed Woodpecker

____ Red-bellied Woodpecker

____ Williamson's Sapsucker†

____ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

____ Red-naped Sapsucker

____ Amer. Three-toed Woodpecker†

____ Downy Woodpecker

____ Ladder-backed Woodpecker

____ Hairy Woodpecker

____ Northern Flicker

____ Pileated Woodpecker

FALCONS

____ Crested Caracara†

____ American Kestrel

____ Merlin

____ Gyrfalcon†

____ Peregrine Falcon

____ Prairie Falcon

FLYCATCHERS

____ Ash-throated Flycatcher

____ Great Crested Flycatcher

____ Great Kiskadee†

____ Piratic Flycatcher†

____ Cassin's Kingbird

____ Western Kingbird

____ Eastern Kingbird

____ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

____ Fork-tailed Flycatcher†

____ Olive-sided Flycatcher

____ Western Wood-Pewee

____ Eastern Wood-Pewee

____ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

____ Acadian Flycatcher

____ Alder Flycatcher

____ Willow Flycatcher

____ Least Flycatcher

____ Hammond's Flycatcher

____ Gray Flycatcher

____ Dusky Flycatcher

____ Western Flycatcher

____ Black Phoebe†

____ Eastern Phoebe

____ Say's Phoebe

____ Vermilion Flycatcher

VIREOS

____ Black-capped Vireo†

____ White-eyed Vireo

____ Bell's Vireo

____ Gray Vireo†

____ Yellow-throated Vireo

____ Cassin's Vireo

____ Blue-headed Vireo

____ Plumbeous Vireo

____ Philadelphia Vireo

____ Eastern Warbling Vireo

____ Red-eyed Vireo

SHRIKES

____ Loggerhead Shrike

____ Northern Shrike

JAYS, MAGPIES, CROWS

____ Pinyon Jay

____ Steller's Jay

____ Blue Jay

____ Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

____ Mexican Jay†

____ Clark's Nutcracker

____ Black-billed Magpie

____ American Crow

____ Fish Crow

____ Chihuahuan Raven

____ Common Raven

CHICKADEES, TITMICE

____ Carolina Chickadee

____ Black-capped Chickadee

____ Mountain Chickadee

____ [Juniper Titmouse]†

____ Tufted Titmouse

LARKS

____ Horned Lark

SWALLOWS

____ Bank Swallow

____ Tree Swallow

____ Violet-green Swallow

____ N. Rough-winged Swallow

____ Purple Martin

____ Barn Swallow

____ Cliff Swallow

____ Cave Swallow

BUSHTITS

____ Bushtit

KINGLETS

____ Ruby-crowned Kinglet

____ Golden-crowned Kinglet

WAXWlNGS

____ Bohemian Waxwing

____ Cedar Waxwing

SILKY-FLYCATCHERS

____ Phainopepla†

NUTHATCHES

____ Red-breasted Nuthatch

____ White-breasted Nuthatch

____ Pygmy Nuthatch

____ Brown-headed Nuthatch†

CREEPERS

____ Brown Creeper

GNATCATCHERS

____ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

WRENS

____ Rock Wren

____ Canyon Wren†

____ Bewick's Wren

____ Carolina Wren

____ Northern House Wren

____ Pacific Wren†

____ Winter Wren

____ Sedge Wren

____ Marsh Wren

THRASHERS

____ Gray Catbird

____ Curve-billed Thrasher

____ Brown Thrasher

____ Sage Thrasher

____ Northern Mockingbird

STARLINGS

____ European Starling

THRUSHES

____ Eastern Bluebird

____ Western Bluebird†

____ Mountain Bluebird

____ Townsend's Solitaire

____ Veery

____ Gray-cheeked Thrush

____ Swainson's Thrush

____ Hermit Thrush

____ Wood Thrush

____ American Robin

____ Varied Thrush

OLD WORLD FLYCATCHERS

____ [Northern Wheatear]†

OLD WORLD SPARROWS

____ House Sparrow

____ Eurasian Tree Sparrow†

PIPITS

____ American Pipit

____ Sprague's Pipit

FINCHES

____ Brambling†

____ Evening Grosbeak

____ Pine Grosbeak

____ Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch†

____ House Finch

____ Purple Finch

____ Cassin's Finch

____ Redpoll

____ Red Crossbill

____ White-winged Crossbill

____ Pine Siskin

____ Lesser Goldfinch

____ Lawrence's Goldfinch†

____ American Goldfinch

LONGSPURS

____ Lapland Longspur

____ Chestnut-collared Longspur

____ Smith's Longspur

____ Thick-billed Longspur

____ Snow Bunting

SPARROWS

____ Cassin's Sparrow

____ Bachman's Sparrow†

____ Grasshopper Sparrow

____ Black-throated Sparrow

____ Lark Sparrow

____ Lark Bunting

____ Chipping Sparrow

____ Clay-colored Sparrow

____ Field Sparrow

____ Brewer's Sparrow

____ Fox Sparrow

____ American Tree Sparrow

____ Dark-eyed Junco

____ Yellow-eyed Junco†

____ White-crowned Sparrow

____ Golden-crowned Sparrow

____ Harris's Sparrow

____ White-throated Sparrow

____ Sagebrush Sparrow†

____ Vesper Sparrow

____ LeConte's Sparrow

____ Nelson's Sparrow

____ Baird's Sparrow

____ Henslow's Sparrow

____ Savannah Sparrow

____ Song Sparrow

____ Lincoln's Sparrow

____ Swamp Sparrow

____ Canyon Towhee†

____ Rufous-crowned Sparrow

____ Green-tailed Towhee

____ Spotted Towhee

____ Eastern Towhee

CHATS

____ Yellow-breasted Chat

BLACKBIRDS, ORIOLES

____ Yellow-headed Blackbird

____ Bobolink

____ Eastern Meadowlark

____ Western Meadowlark

____ Orchard Oriole

____ Hooded Oriole†

____ Bullock's Oriole

____ Baltimore Oriole

____ Scott's Oriole†

____ Red-winged Blackbird

____ Bronzed Cowbird†

____ Brown-headed Cowbird

____ Rusty Blackbird

____ Brewer's Blackbird

____ Common Grackle

____ Great-tailed Grackle

WARBLERS

____ Ovenbird

____ Worm-eating Warbler

____ Louisiana Waterthrush

____ Northern Waterthrush

____ Golden-winged Warbler

____ Blue-winged Warbler

____ Black-and-white Warbler

____ Prothonotary Warbler

____ Swainson's Warbler†

____ Tennessee Warbler

____ Orange-crowned Warbler

____ Nashville Warbler

____ Virginia's Warbler

____ Connecticut Warbler

____ MacGillivray's Warbler

____ Mourning Warbler

____ Kentucky Warbler

____ Common Yellowthroat

____ Hooded Warbler

____ American Redstart

____ Cape May Warbler

____ Cerulean Warbler

____ Northern Parula

____ Tropical Parula†

____ Magnolia Warbler

____ Bay-breasted Warbler

____ Blackburnian Warbler

____ Yellow Warbler

____ Chestnut-sided Warbler

____ Blackpoll Warbler

____ Black-throated Blue Warbler

____ Palm Warbler

____ Pine Warbler

____ Yellow-rumped Warbler

____ Yellow-throated Warbler

____ Prairie Warbler

____ Black-throated Gray Warbler

____ Townsend's Warbler

____ Hermit Warbler†

____ Black-throated Green Warbler

____ Canada Warbler

____ Wilson's Warbler

____ Painted Redstart†

GROSBEAKS, BUNTINGS

____ Hepatic Tanager†

____ Summer Tanager

____ Scarlet Tanager

____ Western Tanager

____ Northern Cardinal

____ Pyrrhuloxia†

____ Rose-breasted Grosbeak

____ Black-headed Grosbeak

____ Blue Grosbeak

____ Lazuli Bunting

____ Indigo Bunting

____ Painted Bunting

____ Dickcissel

† Fewer than ten Kansas records

[ ] Hypothetical species

§ Probable breeding species

* Confirmed breeding species

Probable and confirmed breeding species as defined by the Kansas Breeding Bird Atlas Project.

This list was compiled from records of the Kansas Ornithological Society, Kansas Breeding Bird Atlas Project, eBird, and the Kansas Biological Survey.

November 1, 2025

Please report any birds not on this list to Max Thompson, Southwestern College, Dept of Biology, 100 College St., Winfield, KS 67156,

Rare birds noted with † should be reported to the Kansas Bird Records Committee (KBRC) care of Chuck Otte, 11319 Dundon Rd., Milford, KS 66514, cotte@twinvalley.net

More information on reporting rare birds can be found at the KBRC home page on the Kansas Ornithological Society's Web site at: https://ksbirds.org

Please report additions or errors on this list to Chuck Otte, 11319 Dundon Rd., Milford, KS 66514 cotte@twinvalley.net

488 species

A record for Taiga/Tundra Bean Goose (Anser fabalis/Anser serrirostris) was accepted in 2020. However, since it wasn't accepted at the species level it will not be added to the KOS Check-list at this time.

Of the 491 species documented to have occurred in Kansas, three species are not included on this list because they no longer occur. The Passenger Pigeon and Carolina Parakeet are extinct, and the Gunnison Sage-Grouse has been extirpated from the state.

The taxonomic sequence and nomenclature used in this list follow the Check-list of North American Birds, 7th edition, American Ornithologists Union, 1998, updated through the 66th Supplement, Ornithology, 2025, Volume 142, 1-
18, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/uk
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