Birds of the
San Pedro River

The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) includes over 56,000 acres in Cochise County, Arizona. Extending approximately 40 miles northward from the Mexican border to a few miles south of the town of St. David. The SPRNCA represents the most extensive, healthy riparian ecosystem remaining in the desert Southwest. The Bureau of Land Management manages the area to protect and enhance the existing riparian habitat and wildlife communities, as well as provide for recreational use, cultural interpretation, and educational opportunities.

The SPRNCA is home to over 100 species of breeding birds and provides invaluable habitat for another 250 species of migrant and wintering birds. Located between the Huachuca and Mule Mountains, and adjacent to Mexico, the SPNCA attracts a myriad of bird species from a spectrum of vegetative ecotones.

Concerns have increased over population declines of migrant bird species which breed in North America and winter south of the United States (Neotropical Migratory Birds). The Bureau of Land Management recognized this problem and however tangible conservation actions have been minimal.

This checklist, which documents over 375 bird species, has been compiled by Maricopa Audubon from historical avian records within the Upper San Pedro River Valley and from biological inventories within the SPNCA. All bird species known to have occurred from the international border north to Interstate 10 below the oak zone have been included in this checklist.

Bird Abundance & Occurrence

ABUNDANCE

C - Common. Normally seen in appropriate habitat.

U - Uncommon. Occurs but in small numbers or locally.

R - Rare. Annual, but very local or in very small numbers.

Ca - Casual. Few records for the San Pedro NCA, or not

of annual occurrence.

I - Irregular. Erratic pattern of occurrence.

* - Accidental. One or two records, or historical occurrence.

RESIDENCY

P - Permanent

S - Summer Resident

W - Winter Resident

T - Transient or migrant

# - Indicates Neotropical Migratory Bird Species

LOONS & GREBES

___Pacific Loon T*

___Common Loon Ca T

___Least Grebe T*

___Pied-billed Grebe U W T #

___Eared Grebe U W #

___Western Grebe R T #

___Clark's Grebe R T #

CORMORANTS & PELICANS

___Greater Scaup Ca T

___American White Pelican Ca T #

___Lesser Scaup U W

___Brown Pelican Ca T

___Surf Scoter Ca T

___Double-crested Cormorant R T #

___Common Goldeneye Ca W

___Neotropic Cormorant R T

___Magnificent Frigatebird T*

___Hooded Merganser Ca T

___Common Merganser R W

HERONS & ALLIES

___Hooded Merganser Ca T

___Common Merganser R W

___Red-breasted Merganser Ca T

___American Bittern R T

___Least Bittern R T #

___Great Blue Heron C P

___Great Egret R T #

___Snowy Egret R T #

___Little Blue Heron Ca T

___Tricolored Heron Ca T

___Cattle Egret R T #

___Green-backed Heron R P #

___Black-crowned Night-Heron R P #

___White-faced Ibis U T #

___Wood Stork Ca T

Raptors

___Turkey Vulture C S #

___Osprey R T #

___White-tailed Kite R T

___Mississippi Kite R T #

___Bald Eagle R W

___Northern Harrier C W #

___Sharp-shinned Hawk U W #

___Cooper's Hawk U P #

___Northern Goshawk Ca T

___Common Black Hawk R T #

___Harris' Hawk R P

___Gray Hawk C S #

___Broad-winged Hawk Ca T #

___Swainson's Hawk U S #

___Zone-tailed Hawk R T #

___Red-tailed Hawk C P

___Ferruginous Hawk R W

___Rough-legged Hawk R W

___Golden Eagle R T

___Crested Caracara Ca T

___American Kestrel C P #

___Peregrine Falcon R W #

___Merlin R W #

___Aplomado Falcon T *

___Prairie Falcon R W

Swans, Geese, & Ducks

___Ruddy Duck U W #

___Black-bellied Whistling Duck R S #

___Tundra Swan Ca T

___Greater White-fronted Goose R W

___Snow Goose R W

___Ross' Goose R W

___Canada Goose R W

___Wood Duck Ca W

___Green-winged Teal U W #

___Mallard C P #

___Northern Pintail U W #

___Redhead R W #

___Ring-necked Duck C W #

___Blue-winged Teal U T R W #

___Garganey T *

___Cinnamon Teal U W T #

___Northern Shoveler C W

___Gadwall U W #

___American Wigeon U W #

___Canvasback U W #

___Bufflehead U W #

QUAIL & ALLIES

___Long-billed Dowitcher U T #

___Wild Turkey R T

___Common Snipe U W #

___Montezuma Quail Ca T

___Wilson's Phalarope C T #

___Scaled Quail C P

___Red-necked Phalarope R T #

___Gambel's Quail C P

___Red Phalarope Ca T #

RAILS & ALLIES

___Black Rail T *

___Virginia Rail U W #

___Sora U W #

___Purple Gallinule Ca T #

___Common Moorhen U P

___American Coot U P

GULLS & TERNS

___Long-tailed Jaeger T *

___Franklin's Gull R T #

___Bonaparte's Gull R T #

___Heermann's Gull Ca T

___Ring-billed Gull U T #

___California Gull R T

___Sandhill Crane Ca T

___Herring Gull Ca T #

___Black-legged Kittiwake Ca T

___Sabine's Gull Ca T

___Common Tern Ca T #

___Forster's Tern R T #

___Least Tern T *

___Black Tern U T #

SHOREBIRDS

___Black-bellied Plover Ca T #

___Snowy Plover Ca T #

___Semipalmated Plover R T #

___Kildeer C P

___Black-necked Stilt U T #

___American Avocet U T #

___Greater Yellowlegs U T #

___Lesser Yellowlegs U T #

___Solitary Sandpiper R T #

___Least Sandpiper C T U W #

___Baird's Sandpiper U T #

___Pectoral Sandpiper R T #

___Dunlin Ca T #

___Stilt Sandpiper R T #

___Short-billed Dowitcher Ca T #

___Spotted Sandpiper U T #

___Willet R T #

___Whimbrel Ca T #

___Long-billed Curlew R T #

___Marbled Godwit R T #

___Ruddy Turnstone Ca T #

___Semipalmated Sandpiper R T #

___Sanderling R T #

___Western Sandpiper U T #

Updates

This checklist will be periodically updated, so notification of interesting sightings would be greatly appreciated. Please report them to:

BLM, 1763 Paseo San Luis, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635, (520) 458-3559

Birds of the San Pedro River

Bird Abundance & Occurrence

Updates

Birds of the
San Pedro River