Checklist of the Birds of Whitehorse, Yukon

Checklist of the Birds of Whitehorse, Yukon

T
he Whitehorse area features spectacular
scenery and diverse habitats ranging from
lowland marshes and fens, riparian White
Spruce, and upland Lodgepole Pine and Trembling
Aspen forests, to higher elevation Subalpine Fir, and
alpine tundra. This is the traditional territory of five
Yukon First Nations. Since the first edition of this
checklist in 1995, a remarkable 47 new species have
been recorded in the area. While this is largely a
result of the tenacious efforts of Yukon birders, bird
populations are also changing. Southern invaders
such as American Crow and House Sparrow,
previously rare, are now nesting here. As well, an
amazing array of rarities has occurred over the years.
A decade ago, no one would have expected that the
likes of Snowy Plover, Tundra Bean-Goose, Dusky
Thrush, Hooded Oriole, or Lesser Goldfinch would
ever appear on a Yukon checklist – yet here they are.
This checklist describes the seasonal status of 264
species which have been documented in the area,
with confirmed breeding records for 129 species.
SEASONS
SP
SU
F
W
Spring: March 1 – May 31
Summer: June 1 – July 31
Fall: August 1 – November 30
Winter: December 1 – February 28
FREQUENCY and BREEDING CODES
C
U
R
ca
ac
Common: expected in appropriate habitat.
Uncommon: expected but not always seen.
Rare: annual in low numbers or very localized.
Casual: at least 2 records but not every year.
Accidental: recorded only once.
*
Confirmed Breeding: Observations of an
active nest or dependent, flightless young.
DOCUMENTING BIRD SIGHTINGS
The Yukon is a place where true discovery is still
possible, and much remains to be learned. For
example, confirmed breeding records are still lacking
for a few common species such as Dusky Flycatcher,
and suspected rare breeders such as Hooded
Merganser and Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
Contribute to our knowledge of the Yukon's birdlife by
sending written or photo documentation of rare,
casual, or accidental species or those not on the
checklist, and details of breeding observations to:
Yukon Bird Club
Box 31054, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, Y1A 5P7
e-mail: [email protected]
www.yukonweb.com/community/ybc/
SPECIES
SP SU F
Tundra Bean-Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
Snow Goose
Ross’s Goose
Brant
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose *
U
U
ac
R
R
C
ca
ca
ac
C
ca
R
ac
C
C
Trumpeter Swan *
Tundra Swan
Whooper Swan
C
C
ca
U
ca
C
C
Wood Duck
Gadwall *
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon *
Mallard *
Blue-winged Teal *
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler *
Northern Pintail *
Green-winged Teal *
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck *
Tufted Duck
Greater Scaup *
Lesser Scaup *
King Eider
Harlequin Duck *
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead *
Common Goldeneye *
Barrow's Goldeneye *
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser *
Red-breasted Merganser *
Ruddy Duck *
ac
C
U
C
C
C
R
C
C
C
C
U
C
ac
C
C
ac
U
C
C
ca
C
C
C
C
R
C
C
R
Ruffed Grouse *
Spruce Grouse *
Willow Ptarmigan *
Rock Ptarmigan *
White-tailed Ptarmigan *
Dusky Grouse *
U
ca
C
C
U
ca
C
C
C
U
R
C
C
C
C
U
U
C
R
ca
R
ac
ac
ac
ac
U
C
U
ca
R
C
C
C
ca
C
C
R
C
C
ac
U
C
U
ac
U
C
C
C
ca
C
U
R
C
C
C
U
R
U
C
C
C
U
R
U
C
C
C
U
R
U
C
C
C
U
R
U
Red-throated Loon
Pacific Loon *
Common Loon *
Yellow-billed Loon
U
C
C
ca
R
C
U
ac
U
U
C
R
ac
ac
ac
Pied-billed Grebe *
Horned Grebe *
Red-necked Grebe *
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
ca
C
C
ca
ca
C
U
ca
ac
C
C
ca
ca
American White Pelican
C
C
ac
U
ac
C
C
R
W
ac
ca
ac
ca
ca
U
ca
ac
U
ac
ac
ac
SPECIES
SP SU F
Double-crested Cormorant *
R
R
R
Great Blue Heron
ca
ca
ca
Turkey Vulture
ac
Osprey *
Bald Eagle *
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Northern Goshawk *
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk *
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle *
American Kestrel *
Merlin
Gyrfalcon *
Peregrine Falcon *
U
C
C
U
U
R
C
U
C
U
U
U
U
U
C
U
U
U
ca
C
C
U
R
U
R
U
C
C
U
U
ca
C
U
C
U
U
U
U
Sora *
American Coot *
U
U
U
U
R
U
Sandhill Crane *
R
R
R
Black-bellied Plover
American Golden-Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover
Snowy Plover
Semipalmated Plover *
Killdeer *
American Avocet
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs *
Solitary Sandpiper *
Willet
Wandering Tattler
Spotted Sandpiper *
Upland Sandpiper *
Whimbrel
Hudsonian Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Black Turnstone
Surfbird
Red Knot
Sanderling
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Little Stint
Least Sandpiper *
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
Dunlin
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ruff
R
U
R
ac
C
U
ac
U
C
C
ca
R
ca
R
ca
R
C
U
U
U
ca
ac
ca
ac
ca
ca
C
R
ac
C
R
U
C
R
ca
ca
ac
U
U
U
U
U
C
C
ac
ca
C
U
R
U
C
U
ac
ca
C
R
U
ca
ca
ca
ac
ac
R
U
R
U
U
ca
ca
U
C
R
ca
R
ca
ca
ca
W
R
ca
ac
U
ac
ca
ac
SPECIES
SP SU F
Short-billed Dowitcher *
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe *
Wilson's Phalarope *
Red-necked Phalarope *
Red Phalarope
U
C
C
R
U
Parasitic Jaeger
Long-tailed Jaeger
Franklin's Gull
Little Gull
Bonaparte's Gull *
Mew Gull *
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull *
Thayer's Gull
Iceland Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Glaucous Gull
Sabine's Gull
Black-legged Kittiwake
Ivory Gull
Caspian Tern
Arctic Tern *
Black Tern
ca
ac
ac
C
C
R
ca
C
ca
R
R
ca
ac
R
R
C
R
U
W
R
U
C
R
U
ca
ac
ca
ac
U
C
R
ca
C
ca
ac
ca
ca
ca
ac
ac
C
ca
C
ca
Rock Pigeon *
Oriental Turtle-Dove
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
R
R
ac
ca
ca
Great Horned Owl *
Snowy Owl
Northern Hawk Owl *
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Great Gray Owl *
Short-eared Owl
Boreal Owl *
Northern Saw-whet Owl
U
ac
U
ac
ca
U
U
ca
U
Common Nighthawk *
U
C
ca
ca
C
U
ca
ca
ca
U
ac
ac
ac
ac
ac
ca
ac
R
R
R
ac
ca
ac
U
R
U
ca
U
ca
ca
U
ca
U
U
R
U
U
Rufous Hummingbird
ca
R
R
Belted Kingfisher *
C
C
C
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker *
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker *
Hairy Woodpecker *
Am. Three-toed Woodpecker *
Black-backed Woodpecker *
Northern Flicker *
U
ca
U
C
C
R
C
U
R
ac
U
C
C
R
C
Olive-sided Flycatcher *
Western Wood-Pewee *
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher *
U
C
U
C
R
C
U
U
C
C
R
C
R
U
U
U
ac
ca
ca
U
ac
U
C
C
R
ac
SPECIES
Least Flycatcher *
Hammond's Flycatcher *
Dusky Flycatcher
Say's Phoebe *
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
SP SU F
W
ac
U
C
U
U
ac
ca
ac
Northern Shrike
U
R
U
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo *
Red-eyed Vireo
U
ac
C
ca
U
C
ca
C
ca
C
R
ac
C
C
R
C
C
C
Horned Lark *
U
U
U
ca
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow *
Violet-green Swallow *
N. Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow *
Cliff Swallow *
Barn Swallow *
ac
C
C
R
C
C
U
C
C
R
C
C
U
R
R
U
U
U
Black-capped Chickadee *
Mountain Chickadee *
Boreal Chickadee *
C
U
C
C
U
C
C
U
C
C
U
C
Red-breasted Nuthatch *
U
U
U
R
Brown Creeper
ac
ac
Winter Wren
ca
Gray Jay *
Steller's Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
Black-billed Magpie *
American Crow *
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven *
U
C
R
U
R
U
R
R
C
ca
ca
C
R
R
C
ca
C
U
U
U
U
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet *
U
C
U
C
U
C
ca
Mountain Bluebird *
Townsend's Solitaire *
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush *
Hermit Thrush
Dusky Thrush
American Robin *
Varied Thrush
U
U
R
U
U
U
U
ca
C
C
ac
C
U
C
U
U
U
R
U
U
ac
C
U
ac
ac
ac
R
R
ca
C
U
ac
C
ac
U
U
ca
U
ca
European Starling *
Red-throated Pipit
American Pipit *
Bohemian Waxwing *
Cedar Waxwing *
R
SP SU F
Tennessee Warbler *
Orange-crowned Warbler *
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler *
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler *
Townsend's Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler *
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart *
Northern Waterthrush *
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat *
Wilson's Warbler *
R
U
ca
C
ca
C
C
U
C
ac
C
ac
ac
C
R
C
ac
R
C
ca
C
C
Western Tanager
ca
ca
American Tree Sparrow *
Chipping Sparrow *
Clay-colored Sparrow
Brewer’s Sparrow *
Savannah Sparrow *
Fox Sparrow *
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow *
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow *
Golden-crowned Sparrow *
Dark-eyed Junco *
Lapland Longspur
Smith's Longspur
Snow Bunting
C
U
ac
ca
C
C
ca
U
ac
U
C
ac
U
C
C
ca
C
ac
ca
C
U
C
ca
U
C
R
U
C
U
C
C
ca
U
Black-headed Grosbeak
American Dipper *
Northern Mockingbird
SPECIES
R
U
W
ca
C
This checklist encompasses Whitehorse, Tagish,
Champagne, and Carcross. For birders traveling the
highways, it runs from Johnsons Crossing west to
Champagne on the Alaska Highway; north to
Braeburn on the Klondike Highway; and south to
British Columbia on the Atlin Road. Larger lakes
include Laberge, Kusawa, Marsh, Little Atlin, and the
Yukon portions of Tagish, Bennett, and Atlin lakes.
C
C
R
U
ca
U
ca
C
C
C
ac
C
ca
C
ca
C
ca
U
ac
U
Brambling
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
Pine Grosbeak *
Purple Finch *
House Finch
Red Crossbill *
White-winged Crossbill *
Common Redpoll *
Hoary Redpoll
Pine Siskin *
Lesser Goldfinch
American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak
ca
R
C
U
ca
U
U
C
U
U
House Sparrow *
R
R
C
C
ca
U
U
U
C
YUKON BIRD CLUB
Checklist of the
BIRDS
of
WHITEHORSE
C
U
ac
R
C
C
ca
U
ca
ca
C
U
C
U
ca
U
ca
ca
ac
R
YUKON
ac
ac
ac
ca
ca
Notes:
ac
Red-winged Blackbird *
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird *
Brewer's Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird *
Hooded Oriole
The Whitehorse Checklist area
U
ac
C
ca
ac
R
ca
ac
R
C
U
ca
U
U
U
R
C
ac
ca
C
ca
ca
R
R
ca
U
U
C
U
ca
OBSERVERS:
Checklist of the Birds of Whitehorse, Yukon.
January 2010. Compiled by Cameron D. Eckert,
Helmut Grünberg, Lee Kubica, and Pamela Sinclair
with data provided by the Birds of the Yukon
Database. Mew Gull photo by Cameron Eckert.
DATE:
LOCATIONS:
ac
ac
R
Awareness ~ Appreciation ~ Conservation