Checklist of the Birds of the Hamilton Area

(December 2006)

This list comprises the 386 species of birds that have occurred within a 25 mile (40.2 km) radius of Dundurn Castle, Hamilton, Ontario (referred to as the Hamilton Study Area – see map), as of December 31, 2006. It is based on the Birds of Hamilton and Surrounding Areas (Curry 2006).

Nomenclature, taxonomy and species order follow that of the American Ornithologists’ Union Checklist, 7th Edition (1998) and its supplements.

All species known to have bred within the area are marked with *

Species considered rare and requiring documentation are marked with a !. Please see the documentation note at the end of the checklist.

See the list of bird species known to have bred within the boundaries of the Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth, as determined by the Natural Areas Inventory (NAI) of 1995, updated in December 2000.

Download a PDF version of the 2019 checklist here.

Checklist

* = Species that have bred in the area, ! = Rare species, requiring documentation

GEESE, SWANS & DUCKS

Fulvous Whistling-Duck !
Greater White-fronted Goose !
Snow Goose
Ross’s Goose !
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose *
Brant
Mute Swan *
Trumpeter Swan *
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck *
Gadwall *
Eurasian Wigeon !
American Wigeon *
American Black Duck *
Mallard *
Blue-winged Teal *
Cinnamon Teal !
Northern Shoveler *
Northern Pintail *
Green-winged Teal *
Canvasback
Redhead *
Ring-necked Duck
Tufted Duck !
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
King Eider
Common Eider !
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Smew !
Hooded Merganser *
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck

PARTRIDGES,
GROUSE & TURKEYS

Gray Partridge *
Ring-necked Pheasant *
Ruffed Grouse *
Spruce Grouse !
Willow Ptarmigan !
Sharp-tailed Grouse !
Greater Prairie-Chicken !
Wild Turkey *
Northern Bobwhite *

LOONS

Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon !
Common Loon
Yellow-billed Loon !

GREBES

Pied-billed Grebe *
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe *
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe !

TUBENOSES

Northern Fulmar !
Black-capped Petrel !
Manx Shearwater !
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel

GANNETS, PELICANS & CORMORANTS

Northern Gannet !
American White Pelican !
Brown Pelican !
Double-crested Cormorant *
Great Cormorant !

BITTERNS, HERONS, STORKS, IBISES & VULTURES

American Bittern *
Least Bittern *
Great Blue Heron *
Great Egret
Snowy Egret *!
Little Blue Heron !
Tricolored Heron !
Cattle Egret !
Green Heron *
Black-crowned Night Heron *
Yellow-crowned Night Heron !
Glossy Ibis !
Wood Stork !
Black Vulture !
Turkey Vulture *

HAWKS, EAGLES & FALCONS

Osprey *
Swallow-tailed Kite !
Mississippi Kite !
Bald Eagle *
Northern Harrier *
Sharp-shinned Hawk *
Cooper’s Hawk *
Northern Goshawk *
Red-shouldered Hawk *
Broad-winged Hawk *
Swainson’s Hawk !
Red-tailed Hawk *
Ferruginous Hawk !
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel *
Merlin
Gyrfalcon !
Peregrine Falcon *
Prairie Falcon !

RAILS & CRANES

Yellow Rail !
Black Rail !
King Rail *!
Virginia Rail *
Sora *
Purple Gallinule !
Common Moorhen *
American Coot *
Sandhill Crane *
Whooping Crane !

PLOVERS

Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Wilson’s Plover !
Semipalmated Plover
Piping Plover *!
Killdeer *

OYSTERCATCHERS, STILTS

American Oystercatcher !
Black-necked Stilt !
American Avocet !

SANDPIPERS

Spotted Sandpiper *
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Willet
Upland Sandpiper *
Eskimo Curlew !
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew !
Hudsonian Godwit
Marbled Godwit !
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper !
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper !
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruff !
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe *
American Woodcock *
Wilson’s Phalarope *
Red-necked Phalarope
Red Phalarope

GULLS, TERNS & JAEGERS

Laughing Gull !
Franklin’s Gull !
Little Gull
Black-headed Gull !
Bonaparte’s Gull
Heermann’s Gull !
Mew Gull !
Ring-billed Gull *
California Gull !
Herring Gull *
Thayer’s Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Glaucous Gull
Great Black-backed Gull *
Sabine’s Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Ivory Gull !
Caspian Tern *
Black Tern *
Common Tern *
Arctic Tern !
Forster’s Tern
Sandwich Tern !
Pomarine Jaeger
Parasitic Jaeger
Long tailed Jaeger !

ALCIDS

Thick billed Murre !
Razorbill !
Black Guillemot !
Ancient Murrelet !

PIGEONS & DOVES

Rock Pigeon *
Eurasian Collared-Dove !
White-winged Dove !
Mourning Dove *
Passenger Pigeon (Extinct) *

CUCKOOS & ANIS

Black-billed Cuckoo *
Yellow-billed Cuckoo *

OWLS

Barn Owl *!
Eastern Screech-Owl *
Great Horned Owl *
Snowy Owl
Northern Hawk Owl !
Burrowing Owl !
Barred Owl !
Great Gray Owl !
Long-eared Owl *
Short-eared Owl *
Boreal Owl !
Northern Saw-whet Owl*

NIGHTJARS

Common Nighthawk *
Chuck-will’s-widow !
Whip-poor-will *

SWIFTS & HUMMINGBIRDS

Chimney Swift *
Ruby-throated Humminbird *
Rufous Hummingbird !

KINGFISHERS

Belted Kingfisher *

WOODPECKERS

Red-headed Woodpecker *
Red-bellied Woodpecker *
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker *
Downy Woodpecker *
Hairy Woodpecker *
American Three-toed Woodpecker !
Black-backed Woodpecker !
Northern Flicker *
Pileated Woodpecker *

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS

Olive-sided Flycatcher
Eastern Wood-Pewee *
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher *!
Alder Flycatcher *
Willow Flycatcher *
Least Flycatcher *
Gray Flycatcher !
Eastern Phoebe *
Great Crested Flycatcher *
Western Kingbird !
Eastern Kingbird *
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher !
Fork-tailed Flycatcher !

SHRIKES

Northern Shrike
Loggerhead Shrike *!

VIREOS

White-eyed Vireo
Bell’s Vireo !
Yellow-throated Vireo *
Blue-headed Vireo *
Warbling Vireo *
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo *

JAYS, MAGPIES & CROWS

Gray Jay !
Blue Jay *
American Crow *
Common Raven *

LARKS, MARTINS & SWALLOWS

Horned Lark *
Purple Martin *
Tree Swallow *
Northern Rough-winged Swallow *
Bank Swallow *
Cliff Swallow *
Cave Swallow !
Barn Swallow *

TITMICE, NUTHATCHES & CREEPERS

Black-capped Chickadee *
Boreal Chickadee !
Tufted Titmouse *
Red-breasted Nuthatch *
White-breasted Nuthatch *
Brown Creeper *

WRENS

Carolina Wren *
Bewick’s Wren !
House Wren *
Winter Wren *
Sedge Wren *
Marsh Wren *

KINGLETS, THRUSHES & MIMIDS

Golden-crowned Kinglet *
Ruby-crowned Kinglet *
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher *
Siberian Rubythroat !
Eastern Bluebird *
Mountain Bluebird !
Townsend’s Solitaire !
Veery *
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson’s Thrush *
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush *
American Robin *
Varied Thrush !
Gray Catbird *
Northern Mockingbird *
Brown Thrasher *

STARLINGS, PIPITS & WAXWINGS

European Starling *
American Pipit
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing *

WOOD WARBLERS

Blue-winged Warbler *
Golden-winged Warbler *
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler *
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler *
Chestnut-sided Warbler *
Magnolia Warbler *
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler *
Yellow-rumped Warbler *
Black-throated Gray Warbler !
Black-throated Green Warbler *
Blackburnian Warbler *
Yellow-throated Warbler !
Pine Warbler *
Kirtland’s Warbler !
Prairie Warbler *!
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Cerulean Warbler *
Black-and-white Warbler *
American Redstart *
Prothonotary Warbler *
Worm-eating Warbler !
Ovenbird *
Northern Waterthrush *
Louisiana Waterthrush *
Kentucky Warbler !
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler *
Common Yellowthroat *
Hooded Warbler *
Wilson’s Warbler
Canada Warbler *
Yellow-breasted Chat *!

TANAGERS

Summer Tanager !
Scarlet Tanager *
Western Tanager !

SPARROWS

Spotted Towhee !
Eastern Towhee *
American Tree Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow *
Clay-colored Sparrow *
Field Sparrow *
Vesper Sparrow *
Lark Sparrow !
Lark Bunting !
Savannah Sparrow *
Grasshopper Sparrow *
Henslow’s Sparrow *!
Le Conte’s Sparrow !
Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow *
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow *
White-throated Sparrow *
Harris’s Sparrow !
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco *
Lapland Longspur
Smith’s Longspur !
Snow Bunting

GROSBEAKS & BUNTINGS

Northern Cardinal *
Rose-breasted Grosbeak *
Black-headed Grosbeak !
Blue Grosbeak !
Lazuli Bunting !
Indigo Bunting *
Dickcissel !

BLACKBIRDS & ORIOLES

Bobolink *
Red-winged Blackbird *
Eastern Meadowlark *
Western Meadowlark *!
Yellow-headed Blackbird !
Rusty Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird !
Common Grackle *
Brown-headed Cowbird *
Orchard Oriole *
Baltimore Oriole *

FINCHES

Pine Grosbeak
Purple Finch *
House Finch *
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Common Redpoll
Hoary Redpoll !
Pine Siskin *
American Goldfinch *
Evening Grosbeak

WEAVER FINCHES

House Sparrow *

Rare Bird Documentation

Species marked with ! are considered rare in the Hamilton Study Area. Any sightings of these, or of any species not on this list, should be documented by a detailed written description, photograph, video or other means.

Please send rare bird reports to:

Hamilton Bird Records Committee
Hamilton Naturalists’ Club
Westdale P.P. Box 89052
Hamilton, ON L8S 4R5
Email: info@hamiltonnature.org

Certain other sightings, such as date rarities, should also be documented. Please refer to the “Date Guide to the Birds of the Hamilton Area” for more information on documentation requirements for each species on this checklist.

Acknowledgements

This checklist is a publication of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club. It was prepared by Robert Dobos and Glenda Slessor.