Minnesota Birds

Minnesota Bird info. 800 species of birds found in North America. (9000 species in the world) 400 of these have been seen in Minnesota. 300 are considered Minnesota ‘regulars.’

A Few Facts Temperature of a bird is around 105 degrees Fahrenheit Altricial – born helpless (robins, blue jays, cardinals, eagles) Precocious – born feathered and can walk (ducks, geese, killdeer)

Mallard Male Female ***Migrates to southern states. ***Males do not help raise ducklings.

Wood Duck Male Female Young jump from nest box from up to 30 ft.

Hooded Merganser Male Female

Canada Goose

Snow Goose

Swan

Common Loon ***State Bird – migrates to Gulf Coast/Mexico. ***Great swimmer, but very poor walking ability on land.

Ring-necked Pheasant Male Female ***Introduced from China in late 1800s. ***Game bird, numbers vary from year to year.

Grouse Male Female Has what are referred to as “snowshoes.” Does an action called drumming.

Killdeer ***Uses broken-wing impression to draw predators away from nest (on the ground). ***Often found in vacant fields or along railroads.

Baltimore Oriole Male Female ***Easily attracted to feeders with grape jelly or orange halves. ***One of last species to arrive in summer and first to leave during the fall.

Mourning Dove ***Tends to mate for life (7-10 years). ***Name comes from ‘mourning’ cooing sound.

Barn Swallow Male Female

Hummingbird Male Female

Great Horned Owl

Screech Owl 9 inches in size.

Bald Eagle ***Uses same nest every year by adding sticks, next can be up to 1,000 pounds. ***National symbol/bird.

Sparrow Hawk (Kestrel) Male Female

Red-tailed Hawk ***Female same as male, often larger. ***Often seen on telephone poles looking for prey.

American Goldfinch Male Female ***Small percentage are non-migrators. ***Roller coaster flight pattern. Known as ‘Wild Canary’.

White-breasted Nuthatch ***Hops headfirst down tree trunks looking for insects moving up trunk.

Downy Woodpecker Male Female Almost identical to the Hairy Woodpecker, but smaller (6 inches in size). Also has a shorter bill in comparison to the Hairy Woodpecker.

Hairy Woodpecker Male Female

Pileated Woodpecker

Black-capped Chickadee ***Often first species to find new bird feeders. ***Needs to feed every day, even during the worst winter storms.

Blue Jay ***Screams like a hawk to scatter birds at bird feeders. ***Known as ‘alarm of the forest’ screams at intruders.

Dark-eyed Junco Male Female

Purple Finch Male Female ***Similar to House finch, very difficult to tell them apart. ***Long-term resident of MN, as opposed to recent arrival of House Finches.

House Finch ***Visits feeders in small flocks. ***Relatively new bird to MN, introduced in New York in the 1940s.

Northern Cardinal Male Female ***Non-migrator, very territorial during spring. ***During winter, will flock together in search of food.

American Robin Male Female ***Small percentage are non-migrators, stay in low swampy areas looking for leftover insect eggs/berries.

Red-Winged Blackbird Male Female ***Nest usually over shallow water (cattails). ***Males return first to gain/defend territory.

Eastern Bluebird Male Female ***Nearly eliminated from MN (lack of nesting cavities). ***Often seen on edges of fields looking for insects.

American Crow ***Collect and store bright/shiny objects. ***Rarely hit by cars, though they feed on roadkill.

House Sparrow Male Female ***Introduced from Europe in Central Park in 1850, now found through North America.

House Wren ***Sing from dawn till dusk during mating season. ***Small bird – 5 inches.

Common Grackle ***Usually nests/flocks in colonies of up to 75 pairs. ***Females generally duller and smaller.

Wild Turkey ***Once eliminated from MN, re-introduced in the 1960s and 1970s. ***Missed becoming the national bird by one vote.

Rock Dove ***Also known as the domestic pigeon. ***Introduced from Europe by early settlers.

Purple Martin Male Female