Birds Kern National Wildlife Refuge- html version

U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service

Birds : Kern National Wildlife Refuge
California

Kern National Wildlife Refuge is located at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley of California in an area that was once a vast wetland where millions of migratory waterfowl and other water birds wintered. By the early 1940's most of these wetlands were drained and reclaimed for agriculture and the rivers were dammed for flood control and irrigation purposes. The 10,600-acre Kern Refuge was established in 1961 to restore a small segment of this valuable waterfowl habitat and has played an important role in the Pacific Flyway.

The most favorable season to visit the refuge is October through March. This period provides an excellent opportunity to observe a variety of birds including large numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds. The summer months are extremely dusty, hot and dry. Refuge ponds are generally dry during the May through August period resulting in limited opportunities for wildlife observation.

The refuge headquarters is located at the junction of Garces Highway and Corcoran Road, 19 miles west of Delano, California.

The seasons and status of the 211 species listed are coded as follows.

Season Designations
Sp— Spring, March through May
S— Summer, June through August
F — Fall, September through November
W— Winter, December through February

Abundance Symbols
a — abundant species
c—common; certain to be seen in proper habitat
u — uncommon; present but not certain to be seen
o — occasionally seen
r — rarely seen (intervals of 2 to 5 years)
x — accidental; outside of normal species range
* — species known to nest here

Endangered Species

COMMON NAME	Sp	S	F	W
*GREBES*
* Pied-billed Grebe	c	c	c	c
Horned Grebe		r	r	r
* Eared Grebe	c	o	c	c
* Western Grebe	u	u	u	u
* Clark's Grebe	u	u	u	u
*PELICANS AND CORMORANTS*
American White Pelican	o	o	o	o
Double-crested Cormorant	o	o	o	o
*BITTERNS, HERONS AND EGRETS*
* American Bittern	c	u	c	c
Least Bittern	o	o	o	o
* Great Blue Heron	c	u	c	c
Great Egret	u	u	u	c
* Snowy Egret	c	c	c	c
* Cattle Egret	c	u	c	c
Green-backed Heron	u	u	u	o
* Black-crowned Night-Heron	a	a	a	a
*IBIS AND SPOONBILLS*
White-faced Ibis	o	o	o	r
*WATERFOWL*
* Fulvous Whistling-Duck	r	r	r	r
Tundra Swan				r
Greater White-fronted Goose	o		o	o
Snow Goose	o		o	o
Ross' Goose			r	r
Brant	x			x
Canada Goose	u	r	u	u
Wood Duck	u		u	u
* Green-winged Teal	c	c	a	a
* Mallard	c	c	a	a
* Northern Pintail	a	c	a	a
* Blue-winged Teal	o	o	o	o
* Cinnamon Teal	a	c	o	a
* Northern Shoveler	a	u	a	a
* Gadwall	a	c	a	a
Eurasian Wigeon				x
* American Wigeon	a	o	a	a
* Canvasback	o	r	o	o
* Redhead	u	o	u	u
* Ring-necked Duck	u	r	u	c
Greater Scaup	r		r	r
Lesser Scaup		o	o	o
Common Goldeneye	r		r	r
Barrow's Goldeneye				x
Bufflehead	u		u	u
Hooded Merganser			r	r
Common Merganser	o		o	o
Red-breasted Merganser	x
* Ruddy Duck	c	c	c	c
*VULTURES*
Turkey Vulture	o	o	o	r
*OSPREY, KITES, EAGLES AND HAWKS*
Osprey	r		r
* Black-shouldered Kite	c	c	c	o
Bald Eagle				r
* Northern Harrier	a	c	a	a
Sharp-shinned Hawk	c	c	c	c
Cooper's Hawk	c	c	c	c
Red-shouldered Hawk	r		r	r
Swainson's Hawk	r		r
* Red-tailed Hawk	c	u	a	a
Ferruginous Hawk	o		o	o
Rough-legged Hawk	o		o	o
Golden Eagle	o	r	o	o

COMMON NAME	Sp	S	F	W
*FALCONS*
* American Kestrel	c	c	c	c
Merlin	r		r	r
Peregrine Falcon	o	o	o	o
Prairie Falcon	o	o	o	o
*GALLINACEOUS BIRDS*
*Ring-necked Pheasant	a	a	a	a
California Quail	r	r	r	r
*RAILS*
* Virginia Rail	u	u	u	u
* Sora	o	u	c	c
* Common Moorhen	u	r	c	c
* American Coot	a	o	a	a
*CRANES*
Sandhill Crane	r		r	r
*PLOVERS*
Black-bellied Plover	u		u	o
Snowy Plover	o
Semipalmated Plover	o		o	o
* Killdeer	a	a	a	a
Mountain Plover	o		u	u
*STILTS AND AVOCETS*
* Black-necked Stilt	a	a	c	o
* American Avocet	a	a	a	u
*SHOREBIRDS*
Greater Yellowlegs	c		c	c
Lesser Yellowlegs	o		o	o
Solitary Sandpiper	r
Willet	o		o	o
Wandering Tattler			x
Spotted Sandpiper	u		o	o
Whimbrel	o		o
Long-billed Curlew	u	o	u	c
Marbled Godwit	o		o
Ruddy Turnstone	r
Red Knot		r	r
Semipalmated Sandpiper	x
Western Sandpiper	a	o	a	o
Least Sandpiper	c	o	a	c
Pectoral Sandpiper			o
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper	x
Dunlin	c		u	o
Short-billed Dowitcher	u	o	u	o
Long-billed Dowitcher	a	c	a	a
*SNIPE*
Common Snipe	c	o	c	c
*PHALAROPES*
Wilson's Phalarope	u	o	u
Red-necked Phalarope	u		u
*GULLS AND TERNS*
Bonaparte's Gull	o	o
Ring-billed Gull	o	c	c	c
California Gull	c	o	o	c
Herring Gull	r	r	r	r
Western Gull	r			u
* Caspian Tern	o	o	o	o
Forster's Tern	c	c	u	u
Least Tern		x
Black Tern	r	r
*DOVES*
Rock Dove	o	o	o	o
* Mourning Dove	c	a	a	a
*CUCKOOS*
Greater Roadrunner	c	c	c	c

COMMON NAME	Sp	S	F	W
*OWLS*
* Common Barn-Owl	c	c	c	c
Western Screech-Owl	o	o	o	o
* Great Horned Owl	u	u	u	u
* Burrowing Owl	c	c	c	c
* Short-eared Owl	u	u	o	o
*GOATSUCKERS*
Lesser Nighthawk	c	c	o
Common Nighthawk			r
Common Poorwill		u
*SWIFTS*
Vaux's Swift	o		o
*HUMMINGBIRDS*
* Anna's Hummingbird	c	c	c	c
Calliope Hummingbird	o
Rufous Hummingbird	o		o
Allen's Hummingbird	u
*KINGFISHERS*
Belted Kingfisher	u		u	u
*WOODPECKERS*
Acorn Woodpecker	o	o	o
Nuttall's Woodpecker	o		o	o
Downy Woodpecker			u	u
Northern Flicker	c	o	c	c
*FLYCATCHERS*
Olive-sided Flycatcher	o	o
Western Wood-Pewee	c		u
Willow Flycatcher		o
Hammond's Flycatcher	u		o
Dusky Flycatcher	o
Gray Flycatcher	r		r
Western Flycatcher	u		u
Black Phoebe	u	u	c	c
Say's Phoebe	u	o	u	u
Ash-throated Flycatcher	u		u
* Cassin's Kingbird	u	o
* Western Kingbird	c	c	o
*LARKS*
* Horned Lark	c	c	c	c
*SWALLOWS*
Tree Swallow	c	u	a	o
Violet-green Swallow	u		u
Northern Rough-winged Swallow	u		u
Bank Swallow	o	o
* Cliff Swallow	a	a	o
* Barn Swallow	c	c	u
*JAYS, MAGPIES AND CROWS*
Clark's Nutcracker			x
American Crow	o	o	o	o
Common Raven	c	c	c	c
*WRENS*
Rock Wren r			r	r
Bewick's Wren			o	o
House Wren	o		o	o
* Marsh Wren	a	a	a	a
*KINGLETS, BLUEBIRDS AND THRUSHES*
Golden-crowned Kinglet			o	o
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	u		u	u
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher			o
Western Bluebird			o	o
Swainson's Thrush	o
Hermit Thrush	u		u	u
American Robin	u		u	u
Varied Thrush	o		o	o

COMMON NAME	Sp	S	F	W
*MOCKINGBIRDS AND THRASHERS*
* Northern Mockingbird	u	u	u	u
Sage Thrasher	o		o	o
California Thrasher	o	o	o	o
*WAGTAILS AND PIPITS*
Water Pipit	u		c	c
*WAXWINGS*
Bohemian Waxwing				r
Cedar Waxwing	u		u	o
*SHRIKES*
* Loggerhead Shrike	a	a	c	c
*STARLINGS AND MYNAS*
* European Starling	c	c	a	a
*VIREOS*
Solitary Vireo	u		u
Warbling Vireo	u		u
*WARBLERS*
Orange-crowned Warbler	u		u	o
Nashville Warbler	o		o
Yellow Warbler	c		c
Yellow-rumped Warbler	c		c	c
Black-throated Gray Warbler	u		u
Townsend's Warbler	o
Hermit Warbler	o
Blackpoll Warbler	x
MacGillivray's Warbler	u		u
Common Yellowthroat	c	u	u	u
Wilson's Warbler	c		u
*TANAGERS*
Western Tanager o o	o		o
*GROSBEAKS AND BUNTINGS*
Black-headed Grosbeak	u		o
Blue Grosbeak	u	u	o
*TOWHEES AND SPARROWS*
Rufous-sided Towhee	u		u	u
Chipping Sparrow	u		u
Vesper Sparrow	u		u	u
Lark Sparrow	u		u	u
* Sage Sparrow	u	u	u	u
Savannah Sparrow	c		c	a
Fox Sparrow	u		u	u
Song Sparrow	c	c	c	c
Lincoln's Sparrow	u		c	c
Golden-crowned Sparrow	u		u	r
White-crowned Sparrow	c		a	a
Dark-eyed Junco	o		c	c
*BLACKBIRDS, MEADOWLARKS AND ORIOLES*
* Red-winged Blackbird	a	a	a	a
* Tricolored Blackbird	a	a	a	a
* Western Meadowlark	a	a	a	a
* Yellow-headed Blackbird	a	a	c	o
* Brewer's Blackbird	a	a	a	a
* Brown-headed Cowbird	c	c	u	u
Hooded Oriole	o
* Northern Oriole	c	c	r
*FINCHES*
House Finch	c	c	c	c
Pine Siskin	o		o	o
Lesser Goldfinch	u		u	u
American Goldfinch	u		u	u
*WEAVER FINCHES*
* House Sparrow	c	c	c	c

Notes
Date ______________ Time Afield ________________________
Observers ______________________________________________
Weather ________________________________________________
No. Species ____________________________________________
Remarks ________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
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For additional information contact:
Refuge Manager
Kern National Wildlife Refuge P.O. Box 670
Delano, CA 93216
Phone (661) 725-2767

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