Birding Factoids

403 species
in 45 families

48 of the 246 species 
endemic to 
North America are 
represented here. 
No state endemics
No USA endemics

    South
    Dakota
    Hotspots
Checklist of South Dakota BirdsLocal EventsTours and GuidesRare Bird AlertsSpeciality BirdsMap
...
South Dakota Specialities
(Pause your cursor on the photo to see the species name. Click on the birds for more info... )
Ring-Necked Pheasant - South Dakota State Bird - Photo by Tina MacDonald
Photo by Tina MacDonald

Kildeer - Photo copyright Robert McDonald

Photo copyright Robert McDonald

Trumpeter Swan  - Photo by Dan Cowell

Photo by Dan Cowell

Upland Sandpiper - Photo copyright Paul Gale

Photo copyright Paul Gale
    Key to Icons....Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge - Columbia,
      South Dakota. Forty miles of roads wind through marshes, trees, and prairie grasslands. Visitors often see white-tailed deer, ring-necked pheasants, red foxes, and many kinds of birds.
    ....Selected Guide to the Best Birding in South Dakota - from the 
      South Dakota Ornithologist's Union 
    ....Siouxland Birding Hot Spots - includes a link to:
      • Adams Nature Area, Union County, South Dakota
    ....Where to See Eagles in South Dakota - Bald eagles are rare 
      breeders in South Dakota, with nests found both in East River and West River counties. Wintering birds concentrate below Missouri River dams, in the flowing stretches of the Missouri River, and in parts of the Black Hills.
    ....Birding South Dakota - Information is provided on Lacreek NWR
    ....National Wildlife Refuges Index - South Dakota. Includes links
      to information on:
      • Huron Wetland Management District - Huron, South Dakota
      • Karl E. Mundt National Wildlife Refuge - Lake Andes, South Dakota
      • Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge and Wetland Management District - Lake Andes, South Dakota
      • Madison Wetland Management District - Madison, South Dakota
      • Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge - Columbia, South Dakota
      • Waubay National Wildlife Refuge - Waubay, South Dakota
    ....Nature Conservancy of the Dakotas - preserve profiles,
      including:
      • Samuel H. Ordway, Jr. Memorial Preserve
      • Clovis Nature Preserve
      • Hanson Nature Preserve
      • Altamont Prairie
      • Crystal Springs
      • Aurora Prairie
      • Sioux Prairie
      • Wilson Savannah
      • Vermillion Prairie
      • E.M & Ida Young Nature Preserve 
    ....South Dakota Trip Reports - a number of South Dakota trip reports
      are available from Blake Maybank's "Birding the Americas - Trip Report and Trip Planning Repository".

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Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
>>>>
birdingpal.com...>> A Birding Pal is not a paid guide, but someone who likes to help out of town visitors. You can become a Birding Pal today! Help someone to enjoy your local birding spots and find a pal to help you when you travel. Click here for South Dakota Birding Pals, or join to be a Birding Pal!

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Local Birding Events

Grasshopper Sparrow - Photo copyright Eladio Fernandez
Grasshopper Sparrow
Photo copyright Eladio Fernandez
    ....9th Annual Eagle Awareness Days - Mid-February, 2001. Includes 
      Eagle Watch Barge Tours: Pinnacle Mtn. State Park 11901 Pinnacle Valley Rd. Call 868-5806 for more information.
    ....
    ....Sand Lake Eagle Days - Late March 26, 2000. Contact: Sand Lake
      NWR, 39650 Sand Lake Drive, Columbia, SD. Call: (605) 885-6320

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Rare Bird Alert

         South Dakota (Statewide) Hotline: (605) 773-6460
         West River Hotline: (605) 584-4141 

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North American Specialities

in South Dakota

Information derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.5.
These counts will differ in minor ways from counts based on the ABA classification,
but an international checklist system was required to enable world-wide
country to country comparisons.These speciality birds may be uncommon, or extremely rare
at this location, or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of each species
noted below have been made in South Dakota. Consult the Breeding Bird Survey or
Christmas Bird Count data on the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center website
to determine the "best" place to see each bird. Species printed in blue are endangered.


 North American Endemic Specialities in South Dakota

___ Baird's Sparrow
___ Bewick's Wren
___ Black-headed Grosbeak
___ Black-throated Sparrow
___ Blue Grouse
___ Brewer's Sparrow
___ Bullock's Oriole
___ California Gull
___ Calliope Hummingbird
___ Canyon Wren
___ Cassin's Finch
___ Cassin's Sparrow
___ Chestnut-collared Longspur
___ Clark's Grebe
___ Clark's Nutcracker
___ Common Poorwill
___ Cordilleran Flycatcher
___ Curve-billed Thrasher
___ Ferruginous Hawk
___ Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch
___ Harris's Sparrow
___ House Finch
___ Le Conte's Sparrow
___ Lewis's Woodpecker
___ McCown's Longspur
___ Mountain Bluebird
___ Mountain Chickadee
___ Mountain Plover
___ Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
___ Pileated Woodpecker
___ Pinyon Jay
___ Prairie Falcon
___ Pygmy Nuthatch
___ Red-bellied Woodpecker
___ Red-naped Sapsucker
___ Red-Shouldered Hawk
___ Ruffed Grouse
___ Sage Thrasher
___ Say's Phoebe
___ Sharp-tailed Grouse
___ Smith's Longspur
___ Spotted Towhee
___ Townsend's Solitaire
___ Trumpeter Swan
___ Tufted Titmouse
___ Western Grebe
___ Whooping Crane
___ Williamson's Sapsucker

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Links checked December 4, 2000