Birds of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge
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This list was compiled from 1975-1990 records. Some species observed prior to 1975 and a few accidentals, seen only once, have been excluded. Bird activity is highlighted by shorebird, sea duck and waterfowl migrations in fall and early spring.
This list applies only to the Monomoy Islands, including the portion of Morris Island near refuge headquarters. North and South Monomoy Islands can be reached only by boat under favorable weather conditions.
This list includes 285 birds that have been identified on the refuge, and is in accordance with the Sixth American Ornithologists Union Checklist.
Most birds are migratory, therefore, their seasonal occurrence is coded as follows:
Season
s Spring March-May
S Summer June-August
F Fall September-November
W Winter December-February
Relative Abundance
a abundant - a species which is very numerous
c common - likely to be seen or heard in suitable habitat
u uncommon - present, but not certain to be seen
o occasional - seen only a few times during a season
r rare - may be present but not every year
* indicates bird known to nest on or near the refuge
Italics indicate threatened/endangered species
| s | S | F | W | s | S | F | W | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOONS - GREBES | PLOVERS - SANDPIPERS | |||||||||
| Red-throated Loon | c | o | c | o | Black-bellied Plover | a | c | a | o | |
| Common Loon | c | u | c | c | Lesser Golden-Plover | r | r | o | ||
| *Pied-billed Grebe | u | u | u | Semipalmated Plover | u | c | c | |||
| Horned Grebe | o | o | *Piping Plover | c | c | o | ||||
| Red-necked Grebe | r | r | r | Kildeer | u | u | ||||
| *American Oystercatcher | c | c | c | |||||||
| SHEARWATERS - STORM-PETRELS | Greater Yellowlegs | c | c | c | ||||||
| Northern Fulmar | r | r | r | Lesser Yellowlegs | u | c | c | |||
| Cory's Shearwater | o | o | Solitary Sandpiper | r | r | r | ||||
| Greater Shearwater | o | o | *Willet | c | c | o | ||||
| Sooty Shearwater | o | o | r | *Spotted Sandpiper | u | u | o | |||
| Wilson's Storm Petrel | o | Upland Sandpiper | r | o | ||||||
| Leach's Storm-Petrel | r | r | Whimbrel | r | c | c | ||||
| Eurasian Curlew | r | |||||||||
| GANNET - CORMORANTS | Long-billed Curlew | r | ||||||||
| Northern Gannet | c | r | a | u | Hudsonian Godwit | c | o | |||
| Great Cormorant | c | o | c | c | Bar-tailed Godwit | r | r | |||
| Double-crested Cormorant | c | c | c | Marbled Godwit | o | o | ||||
| Ruddy Turnstone | c | o | c | |||||||
| BITTERNS - HERONS - IBISES | Red Knot | c | c | c | r | |||||
| American Bittern | r | o | r | Sanderling | a | c | a | o | ||
| Least Bittern | r | Semipalmated Sandpiper | a | a | c | |||||
| Great Blue Heron | c | u | c | u | Western Sandpiper | r | o | |||
| Great Egret | o | o | u | *Least Sandpiper | c | c | c | |||
| *Snowy Egret | c | c | c | White-rumped Sandpiper | o | r | u | |||
| Little Blue Heron | o | o | o | Baird's Sandpiper | o | |||||
| Tricolored Heron | r | o | r | Pectoral Sandpiper | o | o | c | |||
| Cattle Egret | r | r | Sharp-tailed Sandpiper | r | ||||||
| Green-backed Heron | r | u | u | Dunlin | a | o | a | o | ||
| *Black-crowned Night-Heron | c | c | c | o | Curlew Sandpiper | r | ||||
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | r | r | Stilt Sandpiper | o | o | |||||
| Glossy Ibis | o | u | o | Buff-breasted Sandpiper | r | |||||
| Ruff | r | r | r | |||||||
| SWANS - GEESE - DUCKS | Short-billed Dowitcher | c | a | c | ||||||
| Fulvous Whistling-Duck | r | Long-billed Dowitcher | r | o | ||||||
| Mute Swan | u | u | u | r | Common Snipe | r | o | |||
| Snow Goose | r | o | American Woodcock | r | r | |||||
| Brant | c | r | c | c | Wilson's Phalarope | r | o | r | ||
| *Canada Goose | a | c | a | a | Red-necked Phalarope | o | o | |||
| Wood Duck | r | r | Red Phalarope | r | r | |||||
| *Green-winged Teal | c | c | c | o | ||||||
| *American Black Duck | a | c | a | a | JAEGERS - GULLS - TERNS - AUKS | |||||
| *Mallard | c | c | c | c | Pomarine Jaeger | r | r | |||
| *Northern Pintail | c | u | c | o | Parasitic Jaeger | o | r | o | ||
| *Blue-winged Teal | c | u | c | *Laughing Gull | c | c | c | |||
| *Northern Shoveler | u | u | u | Little Gull | r | r | ||||
| *Gadwall | c | c | c | o | Common Black-headed Gull | r | r | r | r | |
| Eurasian Wigeon | r | r | r | Bonaparte's Gull | u | o | c | o | ||
| *American Wigeon | c | u | c | o | Ring-billed Gull | c | c | c | c | |
| Canvasback | o | c | o | *Herring Gull | a | a | a | a | ||
| Redhead | o | o | o | Iceland Gull | r | o | ||||
| Ring-necked Duck | o | c | o | Lesser Black-backed Gull | o | r | ||||
| Tufted Duck | r | r | r | Glaucous Gull | r | r | ||||
| Greater Scaup | o | c | o | *Great Black-backed Gull | o | r | ||||
| Lesser Scaup | o | o | r | Black-legged Kittiwake | c | o | c | c | ||
| Common Eider | a | u | a | a | Caspian Tern | r | ||||
| King Eider | r | r | r | Royal Tern | o | |||||
| Harlequin Duck | r | r | Sandwich Tern | o | ||||||
| Oldsquaw | c | o | a | c | *Roseate Tern | c | a | c | ||
| Black Scoter | c | r | c | c | *Common Tern | a | a | c | ||
| Surf Scoter | c | r | c | c | ||||||
| White-winged Scoter | c | r | a | c | *Arctic Tern | c | c | |||
| Common Goldeneye | o | c | c | Forster's Tern | o | o | ||||
| Bufflehead | c | c | c | *Least Tern | c | c | ||||
| Hooded Merganser | o | c | o | Black Tern | o | o | o | |||
| Common Merganser | o | o | Dovekie | o | ||||||
| *Red-breasted Merganser | c | r | a | c | *Black Skimmer | o | o | |||
| *Ruddy Duck | o | o | c | o | Thick-billed Murre | o | ||||
| Razorbill | r | o | o | |||||||
| s | S | F | W | s | S | F | W | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VULTURES - HAWKS - FALCONS | DOVES - CUCKOOS - OWLS - SWIFTS - HUMMINGBIRDS | |||||||||
| Black Vulture | r | Rock Dove | o | o | o | o | ||||
| Turkey Vulture | r | u | r | *Mourning Dove | c | c | c | o | ||
| Osprey | o | u | o | Black-billed Cuckoo | r | r | o | |||
| Mississippi Kite | r | Yellow-billed Cuckoo | r | r | o | |||||
| Bald Eagle | r | o | o | r | Barn Owl | r | r | |||
| *Northern Harrier | c | u | c | c | Great Horned Owl | o | o | o | o | |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | u | c | Snowy Owl | r | ||||||
| Cooper's Hawk | r | o | *Short-eared Owl | u | u | u | o | |||
| Northern Goshawk | r | r | Common Nighthawk | r | r | |||||
| Broad-winged Hawk | r | r | Whip-poor-will | o | o | |||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | o | o | o | o | Chimney Swift | o | o | o | ||
| American Kestrel | u | u | Ruby-throated Hummingbird | r | r | |||||
| Merlin | o | c | o | *Belted Kingfisher | u | u | ||||
| Peregrine Falcon | u | u | u | |||||||
| Gyrfalcon | r | r | WOODPECKERS - FLYCATCHERS | |||||||
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | r | o | ||||||||
| GROUSE - QUAIL | *Downy Woodpecker | u | u | u | u | |||||
| Ring-necked Pheasant | o | o | o | o | Hairy Woodpecker | o | o | o | o | |
| Northern Bobwhite | o | o | o | o | *Northern Flicker | c | c | c | o | |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | r | r | ||||||||
| RAILS - CRANES | Eastern Wood-Pewee | o | o | o | ||||||
| Clapper Rail | r | Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | r | o | ||||||
| King Rail | r | Willow Flycatcher | o | o | ||||||
| *Virginia Rail | r | r | o | Least Flycatcher | o | o | ||||
| *Sora | r | r | o | Eastern Phoebe | r | o | ||||
| Common Moorhen | r | r | *Great Crested Flycatcher | o | u | r | ||||
| American Coot | o | c | o | Western Kingbird | r | |||||
| *Eastern Kingbird | c | c | o | |||||||
| s | S | F | W | s | S | F | W | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LARKS - SWALLOWS - JAYS - CROWS | TITMICE - NUTHATCHES - WRENS | |||||||||
| *Horned Lark | c | c | c | c | Black-capped Chickadee | c | c | c | c | |
| Purple Martin | r | r | r | *Tufted Titmouse | u | u | u | o | ||
| *Tree Swallow | c | c | a | *Red-breasted Nuthatch | u | c | u | |||
| *Northern Rough-winged Swallow | u | u | *White-breasted Nuthatch | u | u | u | u | |||
| Bank Swallow | o | o | Brown Creeper | o | o | |||||
| Cliff Swallow | r | r | House Wren | r | ||||||
| *Barn Swallow | c | a | o | Winter Wren | r | r | ||||
| Blue Jay | c | c | c | u | Marsh Wren | o | ||||
| *American Crow | c | c | c | c | ||||||
| TANAGERS - SPARROWS | ||||||||||
| KINGLETS - THRUSHES - THRASHERS | Scarlet Tanager | r | o | |||||||
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | r | c | *Northern Cardinal | u | u | u | u | |||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | o | c | Rose-breasted Grosbeak | o | c | |||||
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | o | o | Indigo Bunting | o | o | |||||
| Eastern Bluebird | r | r | Dickcissel | r | ||||||
| Veery | r | o | *Rufous-sided Towhee | u | u | u | ||||
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | r | r | American Tree Sparrow | o | ||||||
| Swainson's Thrush | o | c | Chipping Sparrow | r | c | |||||
| Hermit Thrush | r | o | Field Sparrow | r | o | |||||
| Wood Thrush | r | Vesper Sparrow | r | |||||||
| *American Robin | c | u | c | Lark Sparrow | r | r | ||||
| *Gray Catbird | c | c | *Savannah Sparrow | c | c | c | c | |||
| *Northern Mockingbird | u | u | o | *Sharp-tailed Sparrow | c | c | o | |||
| Brown Thrasher | o | o | o | *Seaside Sparrow | o | o | o | |||
| Fox Sparrow | o | |||||||||
| WAXWINGS - SHRIKES - STARLING | *Song Sparrow | c | c | c | c | |||||
| American Pipit | o | c | Lincoln's Sparrow | o | ||||||
| Cedar Waxwing | u | u | c | Swamp Sparrow | r | c | ||||
| Northern Shrike | r | r | White-throated Sparrow | o | c | |||||
| Loggerhead Shrike | r | White-crowned Sparrow | r | o | ||||||
| *European Starling | c | c | c | c | Dark-eyed Junco | o | c | u | ||
| Lapland Longspur | u | u | o | |||||||
| Snow Bunting | c | c | ||||||||
| s | S | F | W | s | S | F | W | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIREOS - WOOD WARBLERS | BLACKBIRDS - FINCHES | |||||||||
| White-eyed Vireo | r | Bobolink | u | c | ||||||
| Solitary Vireo | r | o | *Red-winged Blackbird | c | c | c | ||||
| Warbling Vireo | r | r | r | Eastern Meadowlark | r | o | ||||
| Philadelphia Vireo | o | Yellow-headed Blackbird | r | |||||||
| Red-eyed Vireo | o | c | Rusty Blackbird | o | ||||||
| Blue-winged Warbler | o | *Common Grackle | u | u | u | |||||
| Golden-winged Warbler | r | r | Brown-headed Cowbird | u | u | u | ||||
| Tenessee Warbler | r | c | Northern Oriole | o | u | c | ||||
| Orange-crowned Warbler | o | Pine Grosbeak | r | |||||||
| Nashville Warbler | r | o | Purple Finch | o | o | o | ||||
| Northern Parula | o | o | *House Finch | a | a | a | a | |||
| *Yellow Warbler | c | c | c | Red Crossbill | r | |||||
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | r | o | White-winged Crossbill | r | ||||||
| Magnolia Warbler | o | o | Common Redpoll | r | ||||||
| Cape May Warbler | r | c | Pine Siskin | r | o | o | ||||
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | r | o | *American Goldfinch | u | u | c | o | |||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | c | a | o | Evening Grosbeak | o | o | o | |||
| Black-throated Green Warbler | o | c | *House Sparrow | u | u | u | u | |||
| Blackburnian Warbler | o | o | ||||||||
| *Pine Warbler | u | u | u | |||||||
| Prairie Warbler | u | u | c | |||||||
| Palm Warbler | o | c | ||||||||
| Bay-breasted Warbler | o | c | ||||||||
| Blackpoll Warbler | u | c | ||||||||
| Black-and-white Warbler | u | u | ||||||||
| American Redstart | o | c | ||||||||
| Ovenbird | r | o | ||||||||
| Northern Waterthrush | o | c | ||||||||
| Connecticut Warbler | r | |||||||||
| Mourning Warbler | r | o | ||||||||
| *Common Yellowthroat | c | c | c | |||||||
| Wilson's Warbler | o | o | ||||||||
| Canada Warbler | r | o | ||||||||
| Yellow-breasted Chat | o | |||||||||
Monomoy is one of almost 500 refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is a network of lands and waters managed specifically for the protection of wildlife and wildlife habitat and represents the most comprehensive wildlife management progrm in the world. Units of the system stretch across the United States from northern Alaska to the Florida Keys and include small islands in the Caribbean and South Pacific. The character of the refuges is as diverse as the nation itself.
The Service also manages National Fish Hatcheries, and provides Federal leadership in habitat protection, fish and wildlife research, technical assistance and the conservation and protection of migratory birds, certain marine mammals and threatened and endangered species.
For futher information, contact:
Refuge Manager Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Complex Weir Hill Road Sudbury, MA 01776-1427 Telephone: (508) 443-4661
Hard of hearing or deaf visitors may call the Massachusetts Relay Center at 1-80-0-439-2370
This brochure is available upon request in print and in a large print version.
The Morris Island Trail Guide is also available upon request.
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