Minnesota Birds

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Class Aves

Aves (birds) is the class of animals that is characterized by being warm-blooded, laying hard-shelled eggs, and having a backbone, feathers, wings, a beak with no teeth, and two legs for forelimbs. They are the only clade of dinosaurs (Dinosauria) to have survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event 65.5 million years ago.

According to the American Ornithologists’ Union, there are 2,008 species of birds naturally occurring without the intervention of man in “North and Middle America including the adjacent islands under the jurisdiction of the included nations; the Hawaiian Islands; Clipperton Island; Bermuda; the West Indies, including the Bahama Islands, the Greater Antilles, Leeward and Windward islands of the Lesser Antilles.”

According to the Minnesota DNR, there are 428 bird species found in Minnesota, 44 of which are year-round residents.

European Starling


Recent Additions

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) is a medium-sized tyrant flycatcher (family Tyrannidae) but a large “flycatcher” as that common name is applied. Only Great-crested Flycatcher is larger. It has the longest migration of any North American flycatcher. Breeding grounds are the Rocky and Cascade Mountains from Texas to Alaska, across Canada and the northern border states to Newfoundland and Vermont. In Minnesota the breeding range includes the northeast third of the state. Wintering grounds are mostly in Panama and the northern Andes Mountains from northern Venezuela to western Bolivia. Olive-sided Flycatcher is the only North American flycatcher to feed exclusively on insects caught in flight. When feeding it perches at the top of a tree or on a dead branch, launching occasionally to catch a flying insect in the air, and returning often to the same perch. Small insects are consumed in the air. Larger insects returned to and beaten against the perch to subdue. Flycatchers are notoriously difficult to identify by plumage alone. Olive-sided Flycatcher is one exception to this rule. It is easily identified by its white breast and contrasting dark “vest”. It is further distinguished by its large size; indistinct pale wing bars; whitish undertail coverts with well-defined, dark, V-shaped markings; and inconspicuous eye ring.












Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is the smallest breeding bird in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. It is seldom seen but easily recognized because it is the only hummingbird that breeds in or migrates through Minnesota. It is a migratory bird, arriving in Minnesota in late April and early May. It is a solitary breeder—after mating the male has nothing more to do with the female or its offspring. In the fall, adults migrate across the Gulf of Mexico or along the western coast of Mexico to Central or South America.
				Photo by Bill Reynolds

Red-eyed Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) is the most common and widespread vireo in Minnesota. It is found in deciduous and mixed woodlands with a dense cover and a shrubby understory. It is small for a songbird but relatively large for a vireo. The most distinguishing morphological feature, the dark red irises, an apparent only at close range. It is most often identified by its song, which sounds similar to a robin but is not as loud and is more variable.
				Photo by Bill Reynolds

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius), a medium-sized woodpecker, is common in young, second-growth, deciduous and mixed forests. Its name, though appropriately descriptive, is likely to elicit a smile or a raised eyebrow. It is easily recognized by the red crown and, on the males, the red chin. Other than the Pileated Woodpecker, a much larger bird, this is the only woodpecker in Minnesota with a red crown. The sign (indications not related to a footprint) is also distinctive. Look for horizontal, more or less straight lines of small, closely-spaced holes in the trunk of a tree.
				Photo by Bill Reynolds

Other Recent Additions

Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena) Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum) Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)
				Photo by Luciearl


Profile	Photo	Video

			Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)
			Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum)
			American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
			American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)
			American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)
			American Coot (Fulica americana)
			American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
			American Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica)
			American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
			American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)
			American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)
			American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)
			American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
			American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)
			American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
			American Widgeon (Anas americana)
			American Woodcock (Scolopax minor)
			Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)
			Baird’s Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii)
			Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
			Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)
			Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)
			Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
			Barred Owl (Strix varia)
			Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica)
			Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea)
			Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii)
			Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
			Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
			Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)
			Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
			Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)
			Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)
			Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
			Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
			Black-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus)
			Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia)
			Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
			Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
			Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)
			Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)
			Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)
			Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca)
			Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)
			Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea)
			Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)
			Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)
			Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)
			Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
			Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)
			Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
			Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)
			Bonaparte’s Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
			Boreal Chickadee (Poecile hudsonicus)
			Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)
			Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)
			Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
			Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
			Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)
			Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
			Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
			Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
			Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)
			Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
			Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis)
			Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
			Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina)
			Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
			Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
			Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
			Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)
			Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)
			Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)
			Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)
			Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
			Cinnamon Teal (Anas cyanoptera)
			Clark’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii)
			Clark’s Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)
			Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)
			Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
			Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
			Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
			Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
			Common Loon (Gavia immer)
			Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
			Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
			Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor)
			Common Raven (Corvus corax)
			Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
			Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
			Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)
			Connecticut Warbler (Oporonis agilis)
			Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)
			Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
			Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
			Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
			Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
			Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
			Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis)
			Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
			Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)
			Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
			Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)
			Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio)
			Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
			Eastern Whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus)
			Eastern Wood-peewee (Contopus virens)
			Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
			European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
			Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus)
			Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)
			Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)
			Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)
			Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)
			Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)
			Gadwall (Anas strepera)
			Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
			Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)
			Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)
			Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
			Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)
			Gray Jay (Perisoreus canadensis)
			Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix)
			Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus)
			Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
			Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
			Great Egret (Ardea alba)
			Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa)
			Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
			Greater Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)
			Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
			Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
			Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
			Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)
			Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)
			Harris’s Sparrow (Zonotrichia querula)
			Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
			Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)
			Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)
			Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
			Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
			Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)
			Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
			Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
			House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
			House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
			House Wren (Troglodytes aedon)
			Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)
			Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)
			Kentucky Warbler (Geothlypis formosa)
			Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)
			King Rail (Rallus elegans)
			Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus)
			Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
			Laughing Gull (Larus atricilla)
			Lazuli Bunting (Passerina amoena)
			Le Conte’s Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii)
			Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)
			Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)
			Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
			Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
			Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
			Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis)
			Lincoln’s Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)
			Little Blue Heron (Egrettacaerulea)
			Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
			Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus)
			Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
			Long-eared Owl (Asio otus)
			Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)
			Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)
			Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
			Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa fedoa)
			Marsh Wren (Othorus palustris)
			Merlin (Falco columbarius)
			Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides)
			Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
			Mourning Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei)
			Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
			Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla)
			Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni)
			Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
			Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
			Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
			Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
			Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)
			Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula)
			Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
			Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)
			Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
			Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
			Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus)
			Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
			Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor)
			Northern Waterthrush (Seiurus noveboracensis)
			Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi)
			Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata)
			Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)
			Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
			Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus)
			Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)
			Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
			Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
			Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus)
			Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
			Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
			Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator)
			Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus)
			Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)
			Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
			Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
			Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)
			Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea)
			Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)
			Purple Martin (Progne subis)
			Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
			Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
			Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
			Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
			Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)
			Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
			Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
			Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
			Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
			Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
			Redhead (Aythya americana)
			Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
			Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
			Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)
			Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
			Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
			Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
			Ross’s Goose (Chen rossii)
			Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)
			Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)
			Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)
			Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)
			Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
			Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)
			Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)
			Sanderling (Calidris alba)
			Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis tabida)
			Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
			Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya)
			Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)
			Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)
			Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
			Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
			Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)
			Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus campestris)
			Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
			Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
			Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis)
			Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
			Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
			Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)
			Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
			Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)
			Sora (Porzana carolina)
			Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
			Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus arcticus)
			Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii)
			Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis)
			Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
			Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra)
			Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
			Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus swainsoni)
			Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)
			Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina)
			Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)
			Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
			Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
			Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
			Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
			Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
			Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
			Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda)
			Veery (Catharus fuscescens)
			Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus)
			Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)
			Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)
			Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis)
			Western Kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis)
			Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
			White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
			White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
			White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi)
			White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)
			White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)
			Whooping Crane (Grus americana)
			Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
			Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
			Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)
			Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)
			Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata)
			Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
			Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
			Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
			Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)
			Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis)
			Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)
			Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (Empidonax flaviventris)
			Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
			Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)
			Yellow-crowned Night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
			Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus)
			Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)
			Yellow-throated Vireo (Vireo flavifrons)

No Species Page Yet?

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Capitalization of Common Names

Bird common names are governed by the International Ornithologists’ Union (IOU). In 1991 the IOU began a project to standardize English language names of birds. The goal was to officially sanction a single, unique name for each species. In 2006 the project was completed and the resulting list was published in book form as Birds of the World: Recommended English Names, by Frank Gill & Minturn Wright. According to the IOU, English language bird names have “graduated from the realm of ‘common/vernacular’ names,” and must be regarded as proper nouns. For this reason, bird common names are capitalized.