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Birds on Wisconsin's Natural Heritage Working List – last revised May 2016. Life history, where they are found in the state, photos and management information is available for many of these species. Please consider sharing your observations [exit DNR] with the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory
Many bird avoidance dates have changed, we are in the process of making these consistent across all documents, but for the most recent dates please go to the bird calendar. The bird calendar contains required (Avoidance Period) and recommended (Conservation Period) dates for avoiding impacts to rare Wisconsin birds when planning management or development activities.
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Global Rank |
State Rank |
Federal Status |
WI Status |
WWAP | Mapped in NHI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus | Yellow-headed Blackbird | G5 | S1S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Vireo philadelphicus | Philadelphia Vireo | G5 | SUB,S2N | r-SIN | N | ||
| Vireo bellii | Bell's Vireo | G5 | S2B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Vermivora chrysoptera | Golden-winged Warbler | G4 | S3B | SOC | SC/M | SGCN | Y |
| Tympanuchus phasianellus | Sharp-tailed Grouse | G5 | S1 | SC/H | SGCN | Y | |
| Tympanuchus cupido | Greater Prairie-Chicken | G4 | S1 | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Toxostoma rufum | Brown Thrasher | G5 | S4B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Sturnella neglecta | Western Meadowlark | G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Sturnella magna | Eastern Meadowlark | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Sterna hirundo | Common Tern | G5 | S1B,S2N | SOC | END | SGCN | Y |
| Sterna forsteri | Forster's Tern | G5 | S1B | END | SGCN | Y | |
| Spizella pusilla | Field Sparrow | G5 | S3B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Spiza americana | Dickcissel | G5 | S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Setophaga palmarum | Palm Warbler | G5 | S3B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Setophaga kirtlandii | Kirtland's Warbler | G3G4 | S1B | END | SGCN | Y | |
| Setophaga dominica | Yellow-throated Warbler | G5 | S1B | END | SGCN | Y | |
| Setophaga citrina | Hooded Warbler | G5 | S2S3B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Setophaga cerulea | Cerulean Warbler | G4 | S2S3B | SOC | THR | SGCN | Y |
| Scolopax minor | American Woodcock | G5 | S3S4B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Rallus elegans | King Rail | G4 | S1B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Protonotaria citrea | Prothonotary Warbler | G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Progne subis | Purple Martin | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Pooecetes gramineus | Vesper Sparrow | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Poecile hudsonicus | Boreal Chickadee | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Podiceps grisegena | Red-necked Grebe | G5 | S1B | END | SGCN | Y | |
| Picoides arcticus | Black-backed Woodpecker | G5 | S1S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Phalaropus tricolor | Wilson's Phalarope | G5 | S1B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Perisoreus canadensis | Canada Jay | G5 | S2S3 | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Parkesia motacilla | Louisiana Waterthrush | G5 | S3B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Oporornis agilis | Connecticut Warbler | G4G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Nycticorax nycticorax | Black-crowned Night-Heron | G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Nyctanassa violacea | Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | G5 | S1B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Melanerpes erythrocephalus | Red-headed Woodpecker | G5 | S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Loxia leucoptera | White-winged Crossbill | G5 | SUB,S2N | r-SIN | N | ||
| Loxia curvirostra | Red Crossbill | G5 | SUB,S2N | r-SIN | N | ||
| Lanius ludovicianus | Loggerhead Shrike | G4 | S1B | SOC | END | SGCN | Y |
| Ixobrychus exilis | Least Bittern | G4G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Icteria virens | Yellow-breasted Chat | G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Hylocichla mustelina | Wood Thrush | G4 | S4B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Hydroprogne caspia | Caspian Tern | G5 | S1B,S2N | END | SGCN | Y | |
| Himantopus mexicanus | Black-necked Stilt | G5 | S1B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Helmitheros vermivorum | Worm-eating Warbler | G5 | S1B | END | SGCN | Y | |
| Grus americana | Whooping Crane | G1 | SXB | NEP | SC/FL | SGCN | N |
| Geothlypis formosa | Kentucky Warbler | G5 | S1S2B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Gavia immer | Common Loon | G5 | S3B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Falco peregrinus | Peregrine Falcon | G4 | S1S2B | END | SGCN | Y | |
| Euphagus cyanocephalus | Brewer's Blackbird | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Euphagus carolinus | Rusty Blackbird | G4 | S2B,S2N | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Empidonax virescens | Acadian Flycatcher | G5 | S3B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Empidonax minimus | Least Flycatcher | G5 | S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Dolichonyx oryzivorus | Bobolink | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Coturnicops noveboracensis | Yellow Rail | G4 | S1B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Corthylio calendula | Ruby-crowned Kinglet | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Contopus cooperi | Olive-sided Flycatcher | G4 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Colinus virginianus | Northern Bobwhite | G4G5 | S1B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Coccyzus americanus | Yellow-billed Cuckoo | G5 | S3B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Coccothraustes vespertinus | Evening Grosbeak | G5 | S2B,S2N | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Circus hudsonius | Northern Harrier | G5 | S3B,S2N | m-SIN | N | ||
| Chordeiles minor | Common Nighthawk | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Chondestes grammacus | Lark Sparrow | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Chlidonias niger | Black Tern | G4G5 | S2B | SOC | END | SGCN | Y |
| Charadrius melodus | Piping Plover | G3 | S1B | LE | END | SGCN | Y |
| Centronyx henslowii | Henslow's Sparrow | G4 | S2S3B | SOC | THR | SGCN | Y |
| Catharus ustulatus | Swainson's Thrush | G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Cardellina pusilla | Wilson's Warbler | G5 | SUB,S4N | r-SIN | N | ||
| Cardellina canadensis | Canada Warbler | G5 | S3B | m-SIN | N | ||
| Canachites canadensis | Spruce Grouse | G5 | S1S2 | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Calidris canutus rufa | Red Knot | G4T2 | S1N | LT | SC/FL | SGCN | N |
| Buteo lineatus | Red-shouldered Hawk | G5 | S3S4B,S1N | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Bucephala clangula | Common Goldeneye | G5 | S2B,S5N | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Botaurus lentiginosus | American Bittern | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Bartramia longicauda | Upland Sandpiper | G5 | S2B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Asio otus | Long-eared Owl | G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Asio flammeus | Short-eared Owl | G5 | S1B,S3N | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Ardea alba | Great Egret | G5 | S2B | THR | SGCN | Y | |
| Antrostomus vociferus | Eastern Whip-poor-will | G5 | S2B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Anas rubripes | American Black Duck | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Anas americana | American Wigeon | G5 | S3N | r-SIN | N | ||
| Anas acuta | Northern Pintail | G5 | S3N | r-SIN | N | ||
| Ammospiza nelsoni | Nelson's Sparrow | G5 | S1B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Ammospiza leconteii | LeConte's Sparrow | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Ammodramus savannarum | Grasshopper Sparrow | G5 | S2S3B | SC/M | SGCN | Y | |
| Accipiter gentilis | Northern Goshawk | G5 | S2B,S2N | SOC | SC/M | SGCN | Y |
Rank and status: To learn more about species rank and status, see the working list key. WWAP: (Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan): SGCN (Species of Greatest Conservation Need) and monitoring and ranking SIN (Species with Information Needs). Mapped in NHI: (Natural Heritage Inventory): Y = Observations of these species are mapped into the NHI database.