Birds of Wisconsin: The Official State Checklist

Which birds can hurt you

Official sources single out these birds in Wisconsin, in their own words:

• Cooper's Hawk

  Nesting birds in urban and suburban settings are especially aggressive. “Cooper’s hawks nesting in urban and suburban settings are especially aggressive.” University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension

• Raptors and large waterfowl

  Dangerous when defending nests or when injured. “Birds can be dangerous in two situations: when they are defending their nests or territories and when they have been injured or incapacitated.” University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension

All 457 birds on the list

• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• Allen's Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin
• American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
• American Barn Owl Tyto furcata
• American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
• American Black Duck Anas rubripes
• American Coot Fulica americana
• American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
• American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• American Goshawk Astur (Accipiter) atricapillus
• American Herring Gull (Herring Gull) Larus smithsonianus (L. argentatus)
• 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 Spizelloides arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Mareca americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
• Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
• Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
• Arctic Loon Gavia arctica
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
• Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Baird's Sparrow Centronyx bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
• 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 Rail Laterallus jamaicensis
• Black Scoter Melanitta americana
• Black Tern Chlidonias niger
• Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala
• 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-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris
• 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 Spatula 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
• Broad-billed Hummingbird Cynanthus latirostris
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
• Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla
• Buff-bellied Hummingbird Amazilia yucatanensis
• 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
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Jay Perisoreus canadensis
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Carolina Parakeet (extinct, 1939) Conuropsis carolinensis
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
• Cassin's Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
• Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva
• 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 Spatula cyanoptera
• 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 Raven Corvus corax
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper's Hawk Astur (Accipiter) cooperii
• Crested Caracara Caracara plancus
• Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
• Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum
• Dovekie Alle alle
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates 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
• Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis
• Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaoctoNonnative
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanusNonnative
• Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
• European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
• European Starling Sturnus vulgarisNonnative
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
• Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
• Flame-colored Tanager Piranga bidentata
• Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana
• Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor
• Gadwall Mareca strepera
• Garganey Spatula querquedula
• 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 Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii
• Gray Partridge Perdix perdixNonnative
• Gray Vireo Vireo vicinior
• 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-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
• Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Green-breasted Mango Anthracothorax prevostii
• Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
• Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
• Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow's Sparrow Centronyx henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Hermit Warbler Setophaga occidentalis
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanusNonnative
• House Sparrow Passer domesticusNonnative
• 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 Eider Somateria spectabilis
• King Rail Rallus elegans
• Kirtland's Warbler Setophaga kirtlandii
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
• Least Bittern Botaurus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sternula antillarum
• LeConte's Sparrow Ammospiza leconteii
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Limpkin Aramus guarauna
• 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 magnificens
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mexican Violetear Colibri thalassinus
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olorNonnative
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson's Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
• Neotropic Cormorant Nannopterum brasilianum
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
• Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
• Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• 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 Spatula clypeata
• Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
• Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
• Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Painted Redstart Myioborus pictus
• Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• Passenger Pigeon (extinct, 1914) Ectopistes migratorius
• Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
• Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
• Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens
• 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
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinica (martinicus)
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus
• 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-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
• Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• 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
• Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
• Ross's Goose Anser rossii
• Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea
• Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
• Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Corthylio calendula
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Ruff Calidris pugnax
• Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Sabine's Gull Xema sabini
• Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Scott's Oriole Icterus parisorum
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris
• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
• Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus
• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata
• Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
• Short-billed Gull Larus brachyrhynchus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Short-tailed Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris
• Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus
• Smew Mergellus albellus
• Smith's Longspur Calcarius pictus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• Snowy Plover Anarhynchus nivosus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus
• Sora Porzana carolina
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
• Sprague's Pipit Anthus spragueii
• Spruce Grouse Canachites canadensis
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Streak-backed Oriole Icterus pustulatus
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
• Swainson's Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii
• Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
• Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina
• Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia
• Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend's Warbler Setophaga townsendi
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
• Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
• Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
• Varied Bunting Passerina versicolor
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Cattle-Egret Bubulcus ibis
• 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 Wagtail Motacilla alba
• 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-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi
• White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
• Whooping Crane Grus americana
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Willow Ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus
• Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson's Plover Anarhynchus wilsonia
• 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-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.

Northern cardinal or Pyrrhuloxia?

Northern cardinal Not stated

Pyrrhuloxia Not stated

The pyrrhuloxia is a grayish bird with red highlights that lives in the desert Southwest.

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

When birds are active in Wisconsin

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

If you are bitten or stung

Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.

Official advice from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:

• Black bears: never feed or approach bears; in the woods stay calm, do not run, wave your arms, make noise and back away slowly. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• Wolves: do not approach or feed; if a wolf does not leave, do not run, keep eye contact, act aggressively, shout and back away slowly. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• Cougars: if one approaches and does not flee, stand tall, wave your arms, throw objects and yell; do not run, back away slowly. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

How to report

Rattlesnake sightings: call DNR 1-888-WDNRINFO (1-888-936-7463), or use the DNR Rare Species Observation Form / DNR Wildlife Switchboard ([email protected], 608-267-0866). Threatening wolves or wolf depredation: USDA-Wildlife Services (north 1-800-228-1368, south 1-800-433-0663). Spongy moth outside quarantined counties: 1-800-642-MOTH (6684). Other invasive species: DNR Report invasive species page. Feral pig sightings: DNR reporting form or USDA Wildlife Services (north 800-228-1368, south 800-433-0663). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources

About this list

The species list comes from Checklist of the Birds of Wisconsin 2025 (Wisconsin Society for Ornithology Records Committee), updated 23 March 2025 (Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (Records Committee), 2025-03-23).

Venom does not apply to birds.

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