Avifauna of the Nebraska Sand Hills Documented Within Unique Database

By James Ed. Ducey

The prominent Sand Hills spread across two states. They extend from the central Platte River of Nebraska northward to the Niobrara River and onward into the southern fringe of South Dakota. The entire region covers approximately 19,000 square miles ... comprising the largest grass-stabilized dune area in the western hemisphere.

This country has a great variety of floral communities with a wonderful diversity of native wild birds. Prairie hens of two sorts thrive among the grasses. Wetland marshes and lakes are a summer home for the many, including the American Avocet and White-faced Ibis, with other species lurking in the habitat.

Along the Niobrara River, there are havens and habitat junctures that create a completely distinct biogeographic corridor where eastern and western species mingle, as they do at no other place in North America.

Vast, seemingly roadless tracts abound where wildbirds thrive undisturbed except perhaps for roaming bison or cattle, or the truck of a rancher. The remote character of the sandhills means many locales cannot be readily visited for casual bird studies. Federal wildlife refuges are an easy destination for many. Most bird watchers on a drive do not recognize the common place names for which they report a species observations; county names seem to suffice. Scores of lakes hidden among the domain have never had the resident birds surveyed.

Some limited details on the regions bird life are available, based on results from an individuals's 25 years of study.

Bird information for the region was compiled within a database that has 138,076 distinct records of bird occurrence, as of October 2007. More than 150 references - from many people visiting the region for their own reasons - are cited as sources for bird records that provide essential information since 1900. Older records are considered separately for the historic period.

The top three records sources are J.E. Ducey (51,139 records from more than 4,100 bird surveys initiated in 1982), Crescent Lake NWR bird counts or other sources (38,847) and Valentine NWR breeding pair counts or waterfowl census results (23,385). An additional 2166 entries from site checklists (i.e., federal refuges) are also included but stored in a separate table since they are not actual observation records.

This is a list of the species recorded, also providing the number of observation records and an opinion - subject to change - about their apparent status:

• Greater White-fronted Goose (77 database records): occasional spring and autumn transient; accidental winter visitant

• Snow Goose (187 records): locally abundant spring transient; uncommon autumn transient

• Ross's Goose (29): locally fairly common spring transient; occasional autumn transient

• Brant (3): accidental vagrant

• Cackling Goose (16): regular spring and autumn migrant

• Canada Goose (4174): very common, occasionally abundant permanent resident

• Mute Swan (1): accidental summer visitant

• Trumpeter Swan (952): locally uncommon summer resident; occasional winter resident

• Tundra Swan (35): casual spring and autumn transient; some records probably were Trumpeter Swans, misidentified by inexperienced observers

• Wood Duck (1149): uncommon summer resident

• Gadwall (4960): very common summer resident

• Eurasian Wigeon (1): accidental spring transient, summer visitant

• American Wigeon (2092): abundant spring and autumn transient

• American Black Duck (14): occasional spring and autumn transient and rare summer visitant; very rare and almost unknown in western sandhills

• Mallard (7915): common to locally abundant, permanent resident

• Mallard x Gadwall (3): accidental spring visitant

• Mallard x Northern Pintail (1): accidental spring visitant

• Mexican Duck? (1): accidental fall visitant

• Blue-winged Teal (5199): common summer resident

• Blue-winged x Cinnamon Teal (2): rare in autumn

• Cinnamon Teal (214): rare summer resident, mostly in the western sandhills

• Northern Shoveler (4531): common summer resident

• Northern Pintail (3706): common summer resident

• Green-winged Teal (2615): common spring and autumn transient and rare summer resident

• Canvasback (2307): locally fairly common to abundant summer resident

• Redhead (3935): common to abundant summer resident and spring and autumn transient; occasional in winter

• Ring-necked Duck (1318): common spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Greater Scaup (9): very rare spring and autumn transient

• Lesser Scaup (2924): rare summer resident; abundant spring and autumn transient; occasional in winter

• Harlequin Duck (1): accidental, included on the Valentine NWR bird list but no date record

• Surf Scoter (20): accidental spring transient; occasional fall transient

• White-winged Scoter (19): rare autumn transient

• Black Scoter (7): casual autumn transient

• Long-tailed Duck (32): very rare spring and autumn transient

• Bufflehead (2263): common to abundant spring and autumn transient; occasional winter visitant

• Common Goldeneye (495): common to abundant spring and autumn transient and winter visitant

• Barrow's Goldeneye (11): accidental spring and autumn transient

• Hooded Merganser (158): uncommon spring and autumn transient; rare in winter; accidental summer resident

• Common Merganser (602): uncommon to very common spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Red-breasted Merganser (48): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Ruddy Duck (3688): common summer resident; occasional in winter

• Chukar (13): uncommon, extirpated permanent resident; the first record of introduction was in southwest Grant County in 1939

• Gray Partridge (17): accidental permanent resident

• Ring-necked Pheasant (668): abundant introduced permanent resident on the east; uncommon in the west

• Greater Sage-Grouse (1): accidental winter visitant historically, now extirpated from the state of Nebraska

• Sharp-tailed Grouse (430): abundant to common permanent resident

• Greater Prairie-Chicken x Sharp-tailed Grouse (2): accidental permanent resident

• Greater Prairie-Chicken (324): common permanent resident in the east; currently extirpated in the western sandhills

• Wild Turkey (264): common to locally abundant permanent resident; reintroduced

• Scaled Quail (1): accidental introduced spring visitant

• Northern Bobwhite (99): uncommon to locally common permanent resident in the east, rare in the west

• Red-throated Loon (1): accidental spring transient

• Common Loon (33): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Pied-billed Grebe (2244): common summer resident

• Horned Grebe (166): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Red-necked Grebe (4): accidental spring transient

• Eared Grebe (2007): locally very common to abundant summer resident

• Western Grebe (1327): locally very common to abundant summer resident

• Clark's Grebe (22): rare summer visitant

• American White Pelican (1557): locally very common summer visitant

• Neotropic Cormorant (2): accidental summer visitant

• Double-crested Cormorant (2243): locally common to very common summer resident

• American Bittern (962): uncommon summer resident

• Least Bittern (38): occasional summer resident

• Great Blue Heron (2068): common summer resident

• Great Egret (54): occasional spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Snowy Egret (71): occasional spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Little Blue Heron (14): casual spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Reddish Egret (2): rare at Lake McConaughy

• Cattle Egret (85): locally uncommon summer resident, irregular

• Green Heron (48): uncommon spring visitant; occasional autumn transient

• Black-crowned Night-Heron (1199): locally common summer resident

• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (4): occasional spring transient

• Glossy Ibis (1): accidental spring vagrant at Lake McConaughy

• White-faced Ibis (265): locally uncommon to common summer resident

• Turkey Vulture (261): uncommon summer visitant

• Osprey (80): rare spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• White-tailed Kite (1): accidental summer visitant

• Mississippi Kite (4): accidental autumn visitant

• Bald Eagle (353): uncommon spring and autumn transient; and winter visitant

• Northern Harrier (709): rare to fairly uncommon permanent resident

• Sharp-shinned Hawk (151): uncommon spring and autumn transient; very rare winter visitant

• Cooper's Hawk (102): uncommon spring and autumn transient; occasional winter visitant

• Northern Goshawk (29): very rare spring and autumn transient; accidental in winter

• Red-shouldered Hawk (3): casual autumn transient

• Broad-winged Hawk (38): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Swainson's Hawk (373): fairly common summer resident

• Red-tailed Hawk (525): fairly common permanent resident throughout the region

• Ferruginous Hawk (202): locally rare summer resident; occasional in winter

• Rough-legged Hawk (215): fairly common winter visitant

• Golden Eagle (263): locally uncommon to rare permanent resident

• American Kestrel (532): uncommon permanent resident in the east, rare in the west

• Merlin (52): uncommon spring and autumn transient and winter visitant

• Gyrfalcon (10): very rare winter visitant

• Peregrine Falcon (73): rare to uncommon spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Prairie Falcon (167): uncommon; rare summer and winter visitant

• Yellow Rail (1): accidental spring transient

• Black Rail (4): very rare summer visitant

• King Rail (8): very rare summer resident

• Virginia Rail (279): uncommon to locally common summer resident; rare in winter at spring-fed wetlands in the Niobrara River valley

• Sora (202): uncommon to locally common summer resident

• Common Moorhen (7): accidental summer visitant

• American Coot (4862): very abundant to very common summer resident

• Sandhill Crane (245): locally common spring and autumn transient; casual in summer

• Whooping Crane (57): rare spring and fall visitant

• Black-bellied Plover (70): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• American Golden-Plover (16): rare spring and autumn transient

• Snowy Plover (14): accidental spring transient

• Semipalmated Plover (116): uncommon to fairly common spring and autumn transient

• Piping Plover (42): very rare spring and autumn transient

• Killdeer (3173): fairly common to locally abundant summer resident; accidental in winter

• Mountain Plover (3): accidental spring visitant

• Black-necked Stilt (82): locally rare to uncommon summer resident mostly since the late 1980s

• American Avocet (1137): locally fairly common summer resident in the west, uncommon in the east

• Greater Yellowlegs (486): fairly common to very common spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Lesser Yellowlegs (709): fairly common to common spring and autumn transient, locally abundant; occasional in summer

• Solitary Sandpiper (91): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Willet (1150): uncommon to fairly common summer resident

• Spotted Sandpiper (316): uncommon to fairly common spring and autumn transient; uncommon summer resident

• Upland Sandpiper (1740): uncommon to locally common summer resident

• Eskimo Curlew (2): very rare autumn transient before the species became extinct

• Whimbrel (11): very rare spring visitant

• Long-billed Curlew (1088): uncommon to common summer resident in the west

• Hudsonian Godwit (12): casual spring transient

• Marbled Godwit (118): uncommon to fairly common spring and autumn transient; accidental summer resident

• Ruddy Turnstone (10): casual spring and autumn transient

• Red Knot (5): accidental spring transient

• Sanderling (54): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient

• Semipalmated Sandpiper (221): uncommon to locally very common spring and autumn transient

• Western Sandpiper (87): rare to fairly common spring and autumn transient

• Least Sandpiper (256): uncommon, occasionally very common spring and autumn transient

• White-rumped Sandpiper (51): uncommon to very common spring and occasional summer transient

• Baird's Sandpiper (379): common to abundant spring and autumn transient

• Pectoral Sandpiper (128): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Dunlin (15): rare spring transient

• Stilt Sandpiper (271): common to locally fairly abundant spring and autumn transient

• Buff-breasted Sandpiper (9): rare spring and autumn transient

• Short-billed Dowitcher (67): uncommon to locally common spring and autumn transient

• Long-billed Dowitcher (388): uncommon to very common spring and autumn transient

• Wilson's Snipe (512): fairly common summer resident in the east, uncommon in the west; rare in winter

• American Woodcock (2): rare summer bird along the central Niobrara River

• Wilson's Phalarope (1596): common to occasionally very abundant spring and autumn transient; locally common summer resident

• Red-necked Phalarope (130): common to locally abundant spring and autumn transient, mostly in the west

• Red Phalarope (6): casual spring and autumn transient

• Parasitic Jaeger (1): accidental late summer vagrant

• Laughing Gull (1): accidental summer vagrant

• Franklin's Gull (272): fairly common; occasionally abundant spring and autumn transient; uncommon summer visitant

• Black-headed Gull (1): accidental late-summer vagrant

• Bonaparte's Gull (50): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient

• Ring-billed Gull (864): uncommon to abundant spring and autumn transient and summer visitant; casual in winter

• California Gull (39): uncommon visitant

• Herring Gull (101): uncommon to very common spring and autumn transient; casual in winter

• Thayer's Gull (4): rare winter visitant at Lake McConaughy

• Iceland Gull (3): irregular winter visitant at Lake McConaughy

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (4): rare at Lake McConaughy

• Glaucous Gull (16): casual spring transient

• Great Black-backed Gull (4): rare at Lake McConaughy

• Sabine's Gull (8): casual fall transient

• Black-legged Kittiwake (2): accidental summer transient

• Caspian Tern (13): accidental spring transient

• Common Tern (90): uncommon summer visitant

• Forster's Tern (1000): uncommon spring and autumn transient and summer resident on the west

• Least Tern (27): rare spring and autumn transient

• Black Tern (1485): locally common summer resident, and occasionally abundant autumn migrant

• Rock Pigeon (67): locally common, introduced permanent resident

• Eurasian Collared-Dove (55): uncommon local resident, primarily in villages or cities

• White-winged Dove (1): accidental

• Mourning Dove (1789): abundant summer resident; irregular in winter

• Black-billed Cuckoo (52): uncommon summer resident

• Yellow-billed Cuckoo (114): uncommon summer resident, predominantly in the east

• Barn Owl (39): rare and local summer resident; occasional in winter

• Flammulated Owl (1): accidental late spring vagrant

• Eastern Screech-Owl (74): uncommon permanent resident

• Great Horned Owl (392): uncommon to common permanent resident

• Snowy Owl (13): rare winter visitant

• Burrowing Owl (127): uncommon summer resident

• Barred Owl (3): casual summer visitant

• Long-eared Owl (39): rare permanent resident

• Short-eared Owl (76): rare spring and autumn transient; very rare during summer and winter

• Northern Saw-whet Owl (12): occasional spring and autumn transient, locally rare permanent resident

• Common Nighthawk (586): fairly common summer resident

• Common Poorwill (33): rare summer resident

• Chuck-will's-widow (2): accidental summer visitant

• Whip-poor-will (9): accidental summer visitant

• Chimney Swift (156): locally uncommon to common summer resident

• Ruby-throated Hummingbird (10): spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Calliope Hummingbird (1): accidental spring transient

• Rufous Hummingbird (2): accidental autumn transient

• Belted Kingfisher (275): uncommon permanent resident

• Lewis's Woodpecker (3): casual winter visitant

• Red-headed Woodpecker (296): uncommon summer resident

• Acorn Woodpecker (1): accidental spring transient

• Red-bellied Woodpecker (37): casual permanent resident

• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (19): rare spring and autumn transient

• Downy Woodpecker (377); uncommon permanent resident

• Hairy Woodpecker (169): locally uncommon permanent resident throughout

• Northern Flicker (978): uncommon to common permanent resident

• Olive-sided Flycatcher (22): rare spring and autumn transient

• Western Wood-Pewee (74): uncommon spring and autumn transient and summer resident in the west; rare in the east

• Eastern Wood-Pewee (45): uncommon spring and autumn transient in the east; casual in the west

• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (2): accidental autumn transient

• Alder Flycatcher (19): casual summer resident

• Alder/Willow Flycatcher (4): accidental summer resident

• Willow Flycatcher (94): locally uncommon to rare summer resident

• Least Flycatcher (69): uncommon spring and autumn transient; occasional summer resident

• Hammond's Flycatcher (1): accidental vagrant

• Cordilleran Flycatcher (5): rare autumn transient

• Eastern Phoebe (98): uncommon summer resident

• Say's Phoebe (72): uncommon spring and fall transient; casual summer resident

• Great Crested Flycatcher (117): rare summer visitant

• Cassin's Kingbird (8): very rare spring and autumn transient

• Western Kingbird (606): common summer resident

• Eastern Kingbird (1043): common summer resident

• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (10): spring and autumn transient; casual in summer

• Loggerhead Shrike (353): uncommon to common summer resident; accidental in winter

• Northern Shrike (81): uncommon winter visitant

• Bell's Vireo (113): uncommon summer resident; declining in the west

• Yellow-throated Vireo (7): accidental spring transient

• Plumbeous Vireo (1): rare in the North Platte valley

• Cassin's Vireo (2): irregular early autumn vagrant

• Blue-headed Vireo (16): casual spring and autumn transient

• Warbling Vireo (155): uncommon summer resident

• Philadelphia Vireo (4): accidental spring and autumn transient

• Red-eyed Vireo (134): rare spring and autumn transient; locally uncommon to occasional summer resident

• Gray Jay (5): casual spring transient and winter visitant

• Steller's Jay (6): accidental spring transient

• Blue Jay (416): common permanent resident in the east, uncommon to rare in the west

• Pinyon Jay (23): spring and autumn transient and winter visitant

• Clark's Nutcracker (6): casual winter visitant

• Black-billed Magpie (160): uncommon permanent resident

• American Crow (922): uncommon to common permanent resident in the east; decreasing to uncommon in the west

• Common Raven (7): accidental summer visitant

• Horned Lark (882): uncommon to abundant permanent resident

• Purple Martin (33): rare spring transient, casual in summer

• Tree Swallow (654): fairly common to very common summer resident

• Violet-green Swallow (5): casual autumn transient

• Northern Rough-winged Swallow (171): uncommon summer resident

• Bank Swallow (97): locally uncommon to abundant summer resident

• Cliff Swallow (178): very common summer resident

• Cave Swallow (2): rare in the Lake Ogallala area

• Barn Swallow (995): very common summer resident

• Black-capped Chickadee (429): common permanent resident

• Tufted Titmouse (2): accidental transient

• Red-breasted Nuthatch (216): uncommon spring and autumn transient, locally rare to uncommon permanent resident

• White-breasted Nuthatch (246): locally very rare to uncommon permanent resident

• Pygmy Nuthatch (1): accidental autumn transient

• Brown Creeper (57): rare spring and autumn transient and winter visitant

• Rock Wren (31): rare spring and autumn transient

• Carolina Wren (6): casual spring transient and summer visitant

• Bewick's Wren (4): rare spring transient

• House Wren (443): common summer resident

• Winter Wren (29): casual autumn transient; rare in winter along the Niobrara River

• Sedge Wren (18): locally uncommon summer resident in the east; unknown in the western sandhills

• Marsh Wren (741): fairly common to locally common summer resident; rare in winter, occurring locally at spring-fed wetlands along the Niobrara Valley

• American Dipper (2): rare visitor

• Golden-crowned Kinglet (64): uncommon spring and autumn visitant and winter visitant

• Ruby-crowned Kinglet (68): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (5): accidental autumn transient

• Eastern Bluebird (293): locally fairly common summer resident

• Mountain Bluebird (63): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient; more common in the west

• Townsend's Solitaire (157): uncommon to fairly common spring and autumn transient and winter visitant; more common in the west

• Veery (21): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Gray-cheeked Thrush (24): casual spring transient

• Swainson's Thrush (120): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient; casual in summer

• Hermit Thrush (36): rare to uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Wood Thrush (33): uncommon to casual spring and autumn transient

• American Robin (1026): common to locally abundant permanent resident

• Varied Thrush (5): accidental spring transient

• Gray Catbird (172): uncommon to occasional summer resident in the east, almost unknown in summer in the western sandhills

• Northern Mockingbird (42): uncommon spring and autumn transient; casual in summer

• Sage Thrasher (8): casual spring and autumn transient

• Brown Thrasher (442): (uncommon summer resident

• Curve-billed Thrasher (7): rare vagrant

• European Starling (591): fairly common to abundant permanent resident

• American Pipit (81): uncommon to locally abundant spring and autumn transient

• Sprague's Pipit (10): casual spring and rare autumn transient

• Bohemian Waxwing (24): irregular uncommon winter visitant

• Cedar Waxwing (200): fairly common permanent resident in the east, uncommon to rare in the west

• Blue-winged Warbler (6): rare spring and autumn transient, mostly in the east

• Golden-winged Warbler (2): accidental fall transient

• Tennessee Warbler (31): rare spring and autumn transient

• Orange-crowned Warbler (102): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient

• Nashville Warbler (17): rare autumn transient

• Northern Parula (12): casual to rare spring and autumn transient

• Yellow Warbler (461): uncommon to fairly common summer resident

• Chestnut-sided Warbler (8): casual spring transient

• Magnolia Warbler (18): rare late spring and autumn transient

• Cape May Warbler (2): accidental spring and autumn transient

• Black-throated Blue Warbler (6): casual autumn transient

• Yellow-rumped Warbler (202): uncommon to abundant spring and autumn transient; casual in summer

• Black-throated Green Warbler (11): casual autumn transient

• Townsend's Warbler (11): accidental spring transient and casual autumn transient

• Blackburnian Warbler (8): casual spring transient

• Yellow-throated Warbler (1): accidental spring vagrant

• Prairie Warbler (5): one record along Platte river

• Palm Warbler (9): casual spring and rare autumn transient

• Bay-breasted Warbler (8): accidental autumn transient

• Blackpoll Warbler (46): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Cerulean Warbler (1): accidental spring vagrant

• Black-and-white Warbler (75): uncommon spring and autumn transient; locally rare summer resident

• American Redstart (130): uncommon to fairly common spring and autumn transient

• Worm-eating Warbler (4): casual spring transient

• Ovenbird (118): uncommon spring through autumn transient

• Northern Waterthrush (27): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Louisiana Waterthrush (1): accidental spring transient

• Kentucky Warbler (4): rare spring transient

• Connecticut Warbler (4): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Mourning Warbler (7): casual spring and autumn transient

• MacGillivray's Warbler (18): rare spring and autumn transient, mostly in the west

• Common Yellowthroat (739): common summer resident and migrant

• Hooded Warbler (8): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Wilson's Warbler (78): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient; more common westward; irregular in winter where open water may occur

• Canada Warbler (3): casual spring and autumn transient

• Yellow-breasted Chat (117): rare to uncommon summer resident

• Summer Tanager (5): casual spring transient

• Scarlet Tanager (33): rare spring and casual autumn transient

• Western Tanager (24): rare spring and autumn transient, casual in summer; more common in the west

• Green-tailed Towhee (2): accidental spring transient

• Spotted Towhee (144): uncommon spring and autumn transient, local breeder in the Niobrara valley

• Rufous-sided Towhee (9): uncommon spring and autumn transient; locally uncommon summer resident

• Eastern Towhee (155): uncommon spring and autumn transient; locally uncommon summer resident

• Cassin's Sparrow (7): accidental summer visitant; accidental breeding resident in Keith County in 1993

• American Tree Sparrow (291): fairly common to abundant winter visitant

• Chipping Sparrow (330): locally fairly common summer resident

• Clay-colored Sparrow (107): uncommon to abundant spring and autumn transient

• Brewer's Sparrow (5): rare spring and autumn transient

• Field Sparrow (249): uncommon and local summer resident

• Vesper Sparrow (121): uncommon to fairly common spring and autumn transient; uncommon summer resident

• Lark Sparrow (773): uncommon summer resident

• Black-throated Sparrow (1): one record along Whitetail creek

• Lark Bunting (190): common to locally abundant summer resident in the west

• Savannah Sparrow (156): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient; locally rare summer resident

• Grasshopper Sparrow (819): common summer resident

• Baird's Sparrow (3): rare spring and autumn transient

• Henslow's Sparrow (4): casual spring transient

• Le Conte's Sparrow (6): very rare spring and autumn transient

• Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow (1): accidental summer transient

• Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (1): accidental spring and autumn transient

• Fox Sparrow (8): casual autumn transient

• Song Sparrow (165): uncommon to common spring and autumn transient; rare breeding season resident in the east

• Lincoln's Sparrow (92): uncommon to fairly common spring and autumn transient

• Swamp Sparrow (169): uncommon to locally fairly common summer resident

• White-throated Sparrow (81): rare to uncommon spring and autumn transient, less common westward

• Harris's Sparrow (121): uncommon to fairly common winter visitant; more regular eastward

• White-crowned Sparrow (185): uncommon to abundant spring and autumn transient

• Golden-crowned Sparrow (4): casual fall to spring transient

• Dark-eyed Junco (292): fairly common winter visitant

• McCown's Longspur (9): casual spring and autumn transient

• Lapland Longspur (46): uncommon to abundant spring and autumn transient; casual in winter

• Smith's Longspur (2): accidental vagrant in spring and late autumn

• Chestnut-collared Longspur (60): uncommon spring and autumn transient; occasional in summer

• Snow Bunting (29): rare to occasionally very common winter visitant, irregular

• Northern Cardinal (188): rare summer resident in the east, accidental visitant west

• Rose-breasted Grosbeak (57): uncommon spring and autumn transient; rare in summer

• Black-headed Grosbeak (102): uncommon summer resident

• Blue Grosbeak (154): fairly common summer resident in the west

• Lazuli Bunting (50): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Lazuli x Indigo Bunting (5): uncommon spring and autumn transient

• Indigo Bunting (61): uncommon spring transient; accidental autumn transient; rare in summer

• Painted Bunting (2): hypothetical along Platte river

• Dickcissel (402): fairly common summer resident; more common eastward

• Bobolink (512): uncommon summer resident in wet meadows of the eastern and central sandhills

• Red-winged Blackbird (2270): common to locally abundant permanent resident

• Eastern Meadowlark (683): locally common summer resident

• Western Meadowlark (1967): abundant summer resident throughout; a few in winter in the west

• Yellow-headed Blackbird (1156): common to locally abundant summer resident

• Rusty Blackbird (16): casual spring and autumn transient, accidental in winter

• Brewer's Blackbird (77): common to abundant spring and autumn transient

• Common Grackle (776): locally common to common summer resident

• Great-tailed Grackle (19): irregular spring visitor, and rare summer resident

• Brown-headed Cowbird (906): common summer resident

• Orchard Oriole (495): uncommon to locally fairly common summer resident

• Bullock's Oriole (10): regular breeding season resident along the Niobrara river

• Baltimore Oriole (223): common summer resident of woodlands in the east and central hills

• Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (2): accidental vagrant

• Pine Grosbeak (3): casual winter visitant

• Purple Finch (21): casual to rare winter visitant

• Cassin's Finch (2): accidental summer visitant in the west

• House Finch (104): locally uncommon permanent resident

• Red Crossbill (73): locally uncommon permanent resident, irregular

• White-winged Crossbill (3): rare winter visitant, irregular

• Common Redpoll (23): fairly uncommon winter resident, irregular

• Pine Siskin (104): common spring and autumn transient; locally abundant winter visitant, occurs at bird feeders throughout the region; rare in summer

• American Goldfinch (751): fairly common to abundant permanent resident

• Evening Grosbeak (40): uncommon spring and autumn transient and winter visitant at bird feeders, irregular

• House Sparrow (272): locally abundant permanent resident

There have been 403 different species recorded in the sandhills region. Overall the bird list has additional species, when sightings of hybrid (notable waterfowl) are included.

These species each have more than 2000 records of occurrence, and are given in descending order:
Mallard Blue-winged Teal Gadwall American Coot Northern Shoveler Canada Goose Redhead Northern Pintail Ruddy Duck Killdeer	Lesser Scaup Green-winged Teal Canvasback Red-winged Blackbird Bufflehead Pied-billed Grebe Double-crested Cormorant American Wigeon Great Blue Heron Eared Grebe

Many of the records have been gathered in the past two-three decades. These are the top ten years for providing records:

2004 - 16,007 records 1978 - 7476 1990 - 7353 2006 - 7180 1993 - 7002

1979 - 6781 1981 - 6387 1992 - 5756 1991 - 5452 1980 - 5405

Not all species have actual records of observation, but are represented on the basis of being included in an area checklist. These are the Acadian Flycatcher, Bar-headed Goose, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Brown Pelican, Common Eider, Glaucous-winged Gull, Great Gray Owl, Lesser Goldfinch, Little Gull, Long-tailed Jaeger, Mew Gull, Mountain Chickadee, Pacific Loon, Pomarine Jaeger, Prothonotary Warbler, Red-naped Sapsucker, Ross's Gull, Ruffed Grouse, Swan Goose, Tufted Duck, White Ibis, White-eyed Vireo, White-throated Swift and Yellow-billed Loon.

Among the species noted, more than 175 are breeders. One of the most recent species that supposedly nested is the Sandhill Crane, with late summer young noted in 2006 in the meadow lands of Rock County. Species such as the Eared Grebe breed in large colonies. Others such as the American White Pelican, do not raise young, though egg dumping has been noted at Valentine NWR. The whole nesting season in the region is a vibrant time of bird activity.

Bird records are available from about 1,548 designated localities. Each known locality within the region - available from maps and local knowledge - has been assigned a particular name to differentiate it from any other place. When an observation record is entered in the database, it is designated to the most precise locality that can be determined. So, for example, many bird records are for Crescent Lake NWR, with additional records for a particular place within the refuge boundaries (i.e., Gimlet Lake).

Designated localities with more than 100 species recorded, based on specific observation records. The value in parenthesis indicates the number of species given by an area checklist.
Site Name	No. of Species	No. of Records
Crescent Lake NWR	276 (266)	5377
Stapleton Area	233	466
Bessey Forest	220	1826
Smith Lake WMA	180	756
Lake McConaughy	166 (276)	409
Niobrara Valley Preserve	155	355
Swan Lake, Pass Creek	146	1893
Valentine NWR	144 (249)	300
Goose Lake WMA	144	932
Lake Ogallala	139	219
Fort Niobrara NWR	138 (225)	256
Mother Lake	124	906
Hackberry Lake, Valentine NWR	123	1330
Calamus Reservoir	123	188
Blake Ranch	119	452
Niobrara Scenic River, Cherry County	119	364
Anderson Bridge WMA	116	688
Carson Lake	114	839
Swan Lake	114	593
Chain Lake	114	678
Gimlet Lake, Crescent Lake NWR	114	2173
Rainbow's End Game Refuge	112	396
Lakeside	108	285
Clear Creek WMA	107	184
Middle Loup Riparian Habitat, Bessey Division	107	221
Phipps Lake	102	446
Garden County	102	123
Hagan Lake	102	674
Niobrara River, Brown County	101	146
Brown County	100	141
Willow Lake Brown County WMA	100	470

The sand hills, and associated Niobrara River valley, is an important - yet relatively ignored - region of an array of grassland, wetland and woodland habitats inhabited by a wide variety of avifauna. There is a complete birdian story for each of these places. Further surveys and data analysis is needed to better understand distribution and occurrence of the birds. Additional information would be readily derived through a comprehensive analysis of the database details. Mapping would be an essential component of any investigative research.