Birds of South Dakota: The Official State Checklist

All 433 birds on the list

• 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 Dipper Cinclus mexicanus
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• American Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides dorsalis
• American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Anas americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
• Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Baird's Sparrow Ammodramus bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Barn Owl Tyto alba
• 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
• Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• 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-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens
• Black-throated Gray Warbler Setophaga nigrescens
• Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
• Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
• 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
• Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Brewer's Sparrow Spizella breweri
• Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
• Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
• Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii
• Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• California Gull Larus californicus
• Calliope Hummingbird Selasphorus calliope
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
• Cassin's Finch Haemorhous cassinii
• Cassin's Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
• Cassin's Sparrow Aimophila cassinii
• 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
• Chuck-will's-widow Antrostomus carolinensis
• Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera
• Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii
• Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Common Eider Somateria mollissima
• Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Common Poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii
• Cordilleran Flycatcher Empidonax occidentalis
• Costa's Hummingbird Calypte costae
• Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway
• Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
• Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
• Dunlin Calidris alpina
• Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri
• 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 Antrostomus vociferus
• Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
• Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaoctoNonnative
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanusNonnative
• Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
• European Starling Sturnus vulgarisNonnative
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus
• Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor
• Gadwall Anas strepera
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
• Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
• Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Gray Jay Perisoreus canadensis
• Gray Partridge Perdix perdixNonnative
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Leucosticte tephrocotis
• Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
• Great Egret Ardea alba
• Great Gray Owl Strix nebulosa
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
• Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
• Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
• Greater Sage-Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
• Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus
• Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow's Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Herring Gull Larus argentatus
• Hoary Redpoll Acanthis hornemanni
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
• House Sparrow Passer domesticusNonnative
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
• Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
• Inca Dove Columbina inca
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea
• Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• King Rail Rallus elegans
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
• Le Conte's Sparrow Ammodramus leconteii
• Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sternula antillarum
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
• Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
• Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
• Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
• Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
• Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
• Long-eared Owl Asio otus
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
• Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
• MacGillivray's Warbler Geothlypis tolmiei
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata minor
• Magnificent Hummingbird Eugenes fulgens
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• McCown's Longspur Calcarius mccownii
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mew Gull Larus canus
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli
• Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olorNonnative
• Nashville Warbler Oreothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson's Sparrow Ammodramus nelsoni
• Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
• Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
• 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 Parkesia noveboracensis
• Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Catharus aurantiirostris
• Orange-crowned Warbler Oreothlypis celata
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
• Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
• Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacficus
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• 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 Spinus pinus
• Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus
• Pinyon Jay Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Plumbeous Vireo Vireo plumbeus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea
• Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
• Red Knot Calidris canutus
• Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
• 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-naped Sapsucker Sphyrapicus nuchalis
• Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
• Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
• Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
• Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
• Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
• Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
• Redhead Aythya americana
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicusNonnative
• Rock Pigeon Columba liviaNonnative
• Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• Ross's Goose Chen rossii
• Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea
• Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Ruff Philomachus pugnax
• Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Sabine's Gull Xema sabini
• Sage Sparrow Artemisiospiza belli
• Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis
• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
• Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus
• Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Smith's Longspur Calcarius pictus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Chen caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sora Porzana carolina
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
• Sprague's Pipit Anthus spragueii
• Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
• Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
• Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Tennessee Warbler Oreothlypis peregrina
• Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri
• Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend's Warbler Setophaga 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
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Virginia's Warbler Oreothlypis virginiae
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• White Ibis Eudocimus albus
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
• White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
• White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
• White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
• White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus
• White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
• White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis
• White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca
• Whooping Crane Grus americana
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Williamson's Sapsucker Sphyrapicus thyroideus
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• Wood Stork Mycteria americana
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
• Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum
• Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis
• Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
• Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii
• Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea
• Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
• Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica

Birds people confuse

Turkey vulture or Black vulture?

Turkey vulture Not stated

No confirmed photo of Black vulture

Black vulture Not stated

Black vulture: grayish-black head, shorter tail, a white patch near the wing tips (seen from below), and wings held nearly horizontal when soaring, with frequent flapping (Missouri). Tennessee and NPS Everglades say the same: black head, white patch at the wing tips, wings held flat. Turkey vulture: red head (adults), two-toned wings held in a V, rarely flaps. Note: juvenile turkey vultures also have dark heads.

Turkey vulture or Eagle?

Turkey vulture Not stated

Eagle Not stated

An eagle holds its wings flat and they are uniformly black; a turkey vulture's are held in a slight V and are two-toned.

Bald eagle or Golden eagle?

Bald eagle Not stated

No confirmed photo of Golden eagle

Golden eagle Not stated

Young bald eagles lack the white head and tail and are often mistaken for golden eagles. Bald eagles have unfeathered lower legs and hold their wings flat when soaring; TWRA says golden eagles have feathered legs, limited white under the wing, and lift the outer wing in a slight V.

Red-tailed hawk or Red-shouldered hawk?

Red-tailed hawk Not stated

No confirmed photo of Red-shouldered hawk

Red-shouldered hawk Not stated

A red-tail's rust-colored, broad, short tail distinguishes it from the smaller red-shouldered hawk (North Carolina). Tennessee: the red-shouldered hawk has a black and white banded tail and appears more uniformly colored.

Northern cardinal or Summer tanager?

Northern cardinal Not stated

Summer tanager Not stated

MDC: the adult male summer tanager is entirely rosy red, slightly darker on wings and tail, and is a summer resident; the adult male northern cardinal has a crest and a black area around its large red bill and is present year-round. TWRA says the summer tanager is the only other all-red songbird in Tennessee.

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When birds are active in South Dakota

Records of birds in South Dakota peak in April to July. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).

If you see one

Official advice from National Park Service and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks:

• If you hear rattling from tall grass, slowly back out the way you came in. National Park Service
• If you meet a mountain lion: stay calm, do not run, back away slowly only if safe, appear large, make noise; fight back if attacked. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

How to report

SDGFP: [email protected] (hunting/fishing and wildlife questions); report a suspected aquatic invasive species with a photo to [email protected]; report a tick photo to SD DOH via the South Dakota Tick Survey; report wildlife violations at 1.888.OVERBAG. South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks

About this list

The species list comes from Birds checklist (SDGFP Wildlife Action Plan website), from the South Dakota Ornithologists' Union state checklist (South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (Wildlife Action Plan website checklists), from the SDOU state checklist, SDOU list last updated 29 July 2014; PDF Last-Modified 2015-06-18).

Venom does not apply to birds.

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in South Dakota.