A few years ago the American Birding Association surveyed its members to
determine the 50 “most-wanted” species in North America. Of these, 9 are
to be expected in North Dakota. In decreasing order of priority they
are: Yellow Rail, Snowy Owl, Connecticut Warbler, Bohemian Waxwing,
Baird’s Sparrow, Northern Goshawk, Sprague’s Pipit, Hoary Redpoll, and
Smith’s Longspur. An additional 6 are on the current state list but are
very rare and seldom seen: Boreal Owl, Great Gray Owl, Gyrfalcon, Hawk
Owl, Black-backed Three-toed Woodpecker, and Eurasian Wigeon.
For the most part, North Dakota has an eastern avifauna which blends
almost imperceptibly into a more western one in the extreme western part
of the state. The blend zone is most apparent in the vicinity of
Bismarck in the south-central part of the state. Here the ranges of
Indigo and Lazuli Buntings and Rose-breasted and Black-headed Grosbeaks
overlap, and the birder may see some interesting hybrids.
With few exceptions, the birds of the eastern half (especially along the
Red, James, and Sheyenne Rivers) are the same species found in similar
habitats throughout eastern North America. East begins to give way to
West biologically in the central part. Here, the birder begins to notice
the western species such as Ferruginous and Swainson’s Hawks,
Yellow-headed Blackbird, Lark Bunting, and Chestnut-collared Longspur.
By the time one reaches the badlands on the western edge, it is the
eastern birds which are unusual. Here, there is an abundance of western
species, including Golden Eagle, Prairie Falcon, Sage Grouse, Burrowing
Owl, the red-shafted race of the Common Flicker, Say’s Phoebe,
Black-billed Magpie, Rock Wren, Mountain Bluebird, Lazuli Bunting,
Black-headed Grosbeak, the spotted race of the Rufous-sided Towhee,
Brewer’s Sparrow, and McCown’s Longspur.
Although the breeding birds may vary considerably from one part of the
state to the next, winter species are fairly uniform throughout.
Comparatively few birds stick out the North Dakota winters. Extremely
cold temperatures, little cover, and little open water combine to make
this a somewhat poor state for winter birding. The following species can
usually be found: Rough-legged Hawk; Golden Eagle; Sharp-tailed Grouse;
Ringnecked Pheasant; Gray Partridge; Great Horned, Snowy, and
Short-eared Owls; Mourning Dove; Common Flicker; Hairy and Downy
Woodpeckers; Horned Lark; Black-billed Magpie; American Crow; Blue Jay;
Black-capped Chickadee; White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches;
American Robin; Bohemian and Cedar Waxwings; Northern Shrike; European
Starling; House Sparrow; Western Meadowlark; Red-winged and Rusty
Blackbirds; Evening and Pine Grosbeaks; Purple Finch; Hoary and Common
Redpolls; Pine Siskin; American Goldfinch; Red Crossbill; Northern Junco
(slate-colored race); Lapland Longspur; and Snow Bunting.