Check-list of Russell County, Kentucky, Birds

Table 1. UCR Bird List with species observed in Russell County indicated (X in right column).  Species denoted below with one asterisk (*) are rare and with two asterisks (**) very rare within the UCR; sightings of these species should be reported via a documentation form.  Species on the Audubon WatchList are indicated below in pink (27 species) or red (8 species), with the latter being more critically decreasing species.

Table 2. Annotated list of Russell County bird species.  * = Rare species in UCR.

_____ Snow Goose (22 February 1997, SBC)

_____ Ross's Goose * (20 November 2010, RMD photo, GC, AMM)

_____ Canada Goose

_____ Tundra Swan * (15 February 2007, RMD)

_____ Wood Duck (27 September 2003, TMC, SJS, WAW)

_____ Blue-winged Teal (23 March 2002, RMD)

_____ Northern Shoveler

_____ Gadwall

_____ American Wigeon

_____ Mallard

_____ American Black Duck

_____ Northern Pintail

_____ Green-winged Teal

_____ Canvasback (24 December 1998, RMD)

_____ Redhead (22 February 1997, SBC)

_____ Ring-necked Duck

_____ Greater Scaup * (14 December 2007, RMD)

_____ Lesser Scaup

_____ Surf Scoter * (6 December 2005, RMD)

_____ White-winged Scoter * (17 February 2007, RMD)

_____ Black Scoter * (14 December 2007, RMD)

_____ Long-tailed Duck * (24 December1998, RMD)

_____ Bufflehead

_____ Common Goldeneye

_____ Hooded Merganser

_____ Common Merganser * (20 January 2000, RMD)

_____ Red-breasted Merganser (23 March 2002, RMD)

_____ Northern Bobwhite (28 November 2001, SJS)

_____ Ruddy Duck

_____ Wild Turkey

_____ Pied-billed Grebe

_____ Horned Grebe

_____ Red-necked Grebe * (12 March 2011, RMD photo)

_____ Rock Pigeon

_____ Eurasian Collared-Dove (8 October 2008, RMD)

_____ Mourning Dove

_____ Yellow-billed Cuckoo (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Common Nighthawk (May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Chuck-will's-widow (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Eastern Whip-poor-will (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]; KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Chimney Swift (7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Ruby-throated Hummingbird

_____ American Coot

_____ Sandhill Crane (17 November 1980, GP fide JBE [Stamm 1981a])

_____ Whooping Crane * (30 November 2008, RMD)

_____ Killdeer

_____ Stilt Sandpiper (7 September 2002, SJS, RMD, WAW et al.)

_____ Least Sandpiper (9 August 2008, RMD)

_____ Pectoral Sandpiper

_____ American Woodcock (14 December 2009, RMD)

_____ Wilson's Snipe

_____ Spotted Sandpiper (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Solitary Sandpiper

_____ Lesser Yellowlegs (28 April 1991, JBE [Stamm and Monroe 1991c])

_____ Greater Yellowlegs (17 April 2010, RMD)

_____ Bonaparte's Gull

_____ Laughing Gull * (25 September 2005, DLR)

_____ Ring-billed Gull

_____ Herring Gull

_____ Caspian Tern (30 August 2005, RMD)

_____ Common Tern * (17 September 2004, DLR)

_____ Forster's Tern (24 September 2005, DLR)

_____ Black Tern (21 August 2009, RMD)

_____ Red-throated Loon * (11 November 2008, RMD photo)

_____ Common Loon (31 March 2001, RMD)

_____ Double-crested Cormorant (7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ American White Pelican * (25 October 1988 [Stamm 1989a; Palmer-Ball 2003])

_____ Brown Pelican * (23 & 25 April 2009, Tom and Carol Stroud [photo on first date])

_____ Great Blue Heron

_____ Great Egret (16 November 1999, RMD)

_____ Cattle Egret (15 November 2005, LC)

_____ Green Heron

_____ Black-crowned Night-Heron * (14 December 2011, BHS)

_____ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (9 May 2000, FR [Busroe 2000c])

_____ Black Vulture

_____ Turkey Vulture

_____ Osprey (7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Northern Harrier (14 December 2007, RMD)

_____ Sharp-shinned Hawk (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Cooper's Hawk (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Bald Eagle

_____ Mississippi Kite * (21 May 2010, RMD)

_____ Red-shouldered Hawk (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Broad-winged Hawk (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Red-tailed Hawk

_____ Eastern Screech-Owl (7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Great Horned Owl (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Barred Owl (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Short-eared Owl * (29 December 2018, Derek Coomer et al.—a CBC record)

_____ Belted Kingfisher

_____ Red-headed Woodpecker (7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Red-bellied Woodpecker

_____ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

_____ Downy Woodpecker

_____ Hairy Woodpecker

_____ Northern Flicker

_____ Pileated Woodpecker

_____ American Kestrel

_____ Great Crested Flycatcher (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Eastern Kingbird

_____ Olive-sided Flycatcher (23 September 2005, LAB fide BLP)

_____ Eastern Wood-Pewee

_____ Acadian Flycatcher (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]; KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Willow Flycatcher * (22 July 2004, RMD)

_____ Eastern Phoebe

_____ Loggerhead Shrike (13 December 1989 & 7 January 1990, JBE [Stamm 1990b]; KBBA [Palmer-Ball
            1996])

_____ Northern Shrike * (17 December 2012+, RMD photo—a CBC record)

_____ White-eyed Vireo

_____ Yellow-throated Vireo

_____ Philadelphia Vireo (7 September 2002, WAW, RMD, SJS et al.)

_____ Warbling Vireo * (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]; 3 September 2005, RMD)

_____ Red-eyed Vireo (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Blue Jay

_____ American Crow

_____ Horned Lark (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Purple Martin

_____ Tree Swallow

_____ Northern Rough-winged Swallow (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Bank Swallow (21 July 2002, RMD)

_____ Cliff Swallow

_____ Barn Swallow

_____ Carolina Chickadee

_____ Tufted Titmouse

_____ Red-breasted Nuthatch (19 January 1994, JBE [notes]; 7 May 2013, RMD—a SBB record)

_____ White-breasted Nuthatch

_____ Brown-headed Nuthatch * (26 September–12 October 1999, DLR, KOS)

_____ Brown Creeper

_____ House Wren (1 June 2004, SJS)

_____ Winter Wren

_____ Marsh Wren * (15 April 2000, SM; Palmer-Ball 2003)

_____ Carolina Wren

_____ Bewick's Wren (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

_____ Golden-crowned Kinglet

_____ Ruby-crowned Kinglet

_____ Eastern Bluebird

_____ Gray-cheeked Thrush (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Swainson's Thrush (15 June 2012, SJS—a Russell County Foray record; 7 May 2013, SJS—a SBB record)

_____ Hermit Thrush

_____ Wood Thrush (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ American Robin

_____ Gray Catbird

_____ Brown Thrasher

_____ Northern Mockingbird

_____ European Starling

_____ Cedar Waxwing

_____ House Sparrow

_____ American Pipit (9 November 1988, JBE [Stamm 1989a])

_____ House Finch

_____ Purple Finch

_____ Pine Siskin (7 May 2013, SJS—a SBB record)

_____ American Goldfinch

_____ Lapland Longspur * (29 January 2009, RMD, SD)

_____ Snow Bunting * (29 January 2009, RMD, SD)

_____ Eastern Towhee

_____ Bachman's Sparrow * (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Chipping Sparrow

_____ Field Sparrow

_____ Vesper Sparrow (29 October 2005, RMD)

_____ Savannah Sparrow (7 May 2013, SJS—a SBB record)

_____ Grasshopper Sparrow (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]); KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Fox Sparrow (4 March 2006, RMD)

_____ Song Sparrow

_____ Lincoln's Sparrow (28 October 2010)

_____ Swamp Sparrow (7 May 2013, SJS—a SBB record)

_____ White-throated Sparrow

_____ White-crowned Sparrow

_____ Dark-eyed Junco

_____ Yellow-breasted Chat (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Bobolink (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]; 7 May 2013, SJS—a SBB record)

_____ Eastern Meadowlark

_____ Orchard Oriole (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Baltimore Oriole (7 May 2013, SJS—a SBB record)

_____ Red-winged Blackbird

_____ Brown-headed Cowbird (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Rusty Blackbird (1 December 2005, RMD, CGH)

_____ Common Grackle

_____ Ovenbird (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Worm-eating Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]); 7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Louisiana Waterthrush (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Northern Waterthrush

_____ Blue-winged Warbler (3 September 2005, RMD)

_____ Black-and-white Warbler (7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Prothonotary Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Swainson's Warbler * (7 May 2013, SJS—a SBB record)

_____ Tennessee Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Nashville Warbler (24 October 2009, RMD)

_____ Connecticut Warbler * (6 October 1983, William Zwartjes; an eBird record [#S5087394])

_____ Kentucky Warbler (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Common Yellowthroat (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Hooded Warbler (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ American Redstart (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Cape May Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Cerulean Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Northern Parula (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]); 7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Magnolia Warbler

_____ Bay-breasted Warbler (27 September 2003, TMC, SJS, WAW)

_____ Blackburnian Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946]); 27 September 2003, TMC, SJS, WAW)

_____ Yellow Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Chestnut-sided Warbler

_____ Blackpoll Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Palm Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Pine Warbler

_____ Yellow-rumped Warbler

_____ Yellow-throated Warbler (7 September 2002, SJS et al.)

_____ Prairie Warbler

_____ Black-throated Green Warbler (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Wilson's Warbler (24 September 2005, fide RMD)

_____ Summer Tanager

_____ Scarlet Tanager (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Northern Cardinal

_____ Rose-breasted Grosbeak (3 May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

_____ Blue Grosbeak (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996]; 22 July 2004, RMD)

_____ Indigo Bunting (KBBA [Palmer-Ball 1996])

_____ Dickcissel (May 1946, GW [Wilson 1946])

Key to Initials and Abbreviations:

Literature Cited:

Acknowledgment:

    Roseanna M. Denton and other members of the Somerset Bird Club, located in Somerset, Pulaski Co., KY, are responsible for providing most of the data listed above; many thanks to them for sharing the data.

Contact Information:

   If you have personal records for species not listed above or if you know of historical records for species not listed above, please send details to me at this e-mail address: birdbfly7101@gmail.com

Quick links to other sections of this website:

• HomePage for SJS

• The BirdPage

• The ButterflyPage