Checklist of Birds
of the
Regional Municipality of Waterloo

This checklist comprises 283 species that have occurred in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo up to April, 1996.  All sightings have been verified and documented by the Kitchener-Waterloo Field Naturalists.

Documentation is requested for new species and for all species not in bold type.

Explanation of Symbols:

Bold Type        common or regular (occurs annually or irrupts regularly)
Regular Type     uncommon or rare (not reported annually)
       *                at least one probable or confirmed breeding record
      (*)              old breeding record (prior to 1981)

 Loons, Grebes

Red-throated Loon

Pacific Loon 

Common Loon

Pied-billed Grebe *

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Cormorants

Double-crested Cormorant *

Bitterns, Herons, Egrets, Ibises

American Bittern *

Least Bittern * 

Great Blue Heron *

Great Egret

Little Blue Heron

Cattle Egret

Green Heron *

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Plegadis Ibis

 Swans, Geese, Ducks

Tundra Swan

Mute Swan *

Greater White-fronted Goose

Snow Goose

Brant

Canada Goose

Wood Duck *

Green-winged Teal

American Black Duck *

Mallard * 

Northern Pintail

Blue-winged Teal *

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall *

Eurasian Wigeon

American Wigeon

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Greater Scaup

Lesser Scaup

Oldsquaw

Black Scoter 

Surf Scoter 

White-winged Scoter 

Common Goldeneye 

Buffiehead 

Hooded Merganser *

Common Merganser *

Red-breasted Merganser 

Ruddy Duck 

Vulture, Hawks, Eagles, Falcons

Turkey Vulture *

Osprey 

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier *

Sharp-shinned Hawk *

Cooper's Hawk * 

Northern Goshawk 

Red-shouldered Hawk *

Broad-winged Hawk 

Swainson's Hawk 

Red-tailed Hawk *

Rough-legged Hawk 

Golden Eagle 

American Kestrel *

Merlin 

Peregrine Falcon 

Grouse

Gray Partridge 

Ring-necked Pheasant 

Ruffed Grouse *

Wild Turkey * 

Northern Bobwhite *

Rails, Cranes

Virginia Rail *

Sora * 

Common Moorhen *

American Coot * 

Sandhill Crane * 

Plovers, Avocets, Sandpipers

Black-bellied Plover 

American Golden-Plover 

Semipaimated Plover 

Kilideer * 

American Avocet 

Greater Yellowlegs 

Greater Yellowlegs 

Greater Yellowlegs 

Lesser Yellowlegs 

Solitary Sandpiper 

Spotted Sandpiper *

Upland Sandpiper *

Hudsonian Godwit

Ruddy Turnstone

Red Knot

Sanderling

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Western Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

White-rumped Sandpiper

Baird's Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Dunlin

Stilt Sandpiper

Short-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher

Common Snipe *

American Woodcock *

Wilson's Phalarope (*)

Red-necked Phalarope

Gulls, Terns

Franklin's GullFranklin's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Ring-billed Gull *

Herring Gull 

Thayer's Gull

Iceland Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Glaucous Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Caspian Tern 

Common Tern 

Forster's Tern 

Black Tern *

Doves

Rock Dove *

Mourning Dove *

Passenger Pigeon (*) (extinct) 

Cuckoos

Black-billed Cuckoo *

Yellow-billed Cuckoo *

Owls

Eastern Screech-Owl *

Great Horned Owl *

Snowy Owl

Northern Hawk Owl

Barred Owl * 

Great Gray Owl

Long-eared Owl (*)

Short-eared Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Nightjars

Common Nighthawh *

Chuck-will's-widow

Whip-poor-will 

Swifts

Chimney Swift *

Hummingbirds

Ruby-throated Hummingbird *

Kingfishers

Belted Kingfisher * 

Woodpeckers

Red-headed Woodpecker *

Red-bellied Woodpecker *

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker *

Downy Woodpecker *

Hairy Woodpecker *

Three-toed Woodpecker

Black-backed Woodpecker

Northern Flicker *

Pileated Woodpecker * 

Flycatchers

Olive-sided Flycatcher 

Eastern Wood-Pewee * 

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 

Acadian Flycatcher * 

Alder Flycatcher * 

Willow Flycatcher * 

Least Flycatcher *

Eastern Phoebe *

Great Crested Flycatcher *

Western Kingbird 

Eastern Kingbird *

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher 

Larks, Swallows

Horned Lark * 

Purple Martin *

Tree Swallow *

Northern Rough-winged Swallow *

Bank Swallow *

Cliff Swallow *

Barn Swallow *

Jays, Crows

Blue Jay *

American Crow *

Common Raven 

Titmice, Nuthatches, Creepers

Black-capped Chickadee * 

Boreal Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse * 

Red-breasted Nuthatch *

White-breasted Nuthatch * 

Brown Creeper *

Wrens

Carolina Wren *

Winter Wren * 

Sedge Wren *

Marsh Wren *

Kinglets, Gnatcatchers, Thrushes, Mimids

Golden-crowned Kinglet *

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher *

Eastern Bluebird *

Veery *

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

Wood Thrush *

American Robin *

Gray Catbird *

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher *

Pipits, Waxwings, Shrikes, Starlings

American Pipit 

Bohemian Waxwing

Cedar Waxwing *

Northern Shrike 

Loggerhead Shrike (*)

European Starling *

Vireos

Solitary Vireo *

Yellow-throated Vireo

Warbling Vireo * 

Philadelphia Vireo 

Blue-headed Vireo *

Wood Warblers

Blue-winged Warbler *

Golden-winged Warbler *

Tennessee Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Nashville Warbler *

Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler * 

Chestnut-sided Warbler *

Magnolia Warbler *

Cape May Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler * 

Blackburnian Warbler

Pine Warbler * 

Prairie Warbler 

Palm Warbler 

Bay-breasted Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Cerulean Warbler (*)

Black-and-White Warbler *

American Redstart *

Prothonotary Warbler 

Worm-eating Warbler

Swainson's Warbler)

Ovenbird * 

Northern Waterthrush

Louisiana Waterthrush *

Connecticut Warbler 

Mourning Warbler * 

Common Yellowthroat * 

Hooded Warbler

Wilson's Warbler 

Canada Warbler *

Yellow-breasted Chat (*)

Tanagers

Summer Tanager 

Scarlet Tanager *

Grosbeaks, Buntings, Sparrows

Northern Cardinal *

Rose-breasted Grosbeak * 

Indigo Bunting *

Dickcissel 

Eastern Towhee *

American Tree Sparrow 

Chipping Sparrow * 

Clay-colored Sparrow (*) 

Field Sparrow *

Vesper Sparrow * 

Savannah Sparrow *

Grasshopper Sparrow * 

Henslow's Sparrow (*)

LeConte's Sparrow *

Fox Sparrow 

Song Sparrow *

Lincoln's Sparrow *

Swamp Sparrow * 

White-throated Sparrow * 

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Lapland Longspur 

Snow Bunting 

Blackbirds

Bobolink * 

Red-winged Blackbird *

Eastern Meadowlark *

Western Meadowlark 

Yellow-headed Blackbird 

Rusty Blackbird 

Brewer's Blackbird 

Common Grackle *

Brown-headed Cowbird *

Orioles

Orchard Oriole * 

Baltimore Oriole *

Finches

Pine Grosbeak

Purple Finch 

House Finch * 

Red Crossbill 

White-winged Crossbill 

Common Redpoll 

Hoary Redpoll 

Pine Siskin *

American Goldfinch *

Evening Grosbeak 

Weavers

House Sparrow * 

This checklist was compiled by Linda Burr, Rob Dobos, and Steve Furino in 1996 and edited by Neil E.Taylor.  Prompt notification of any rare or unusual sightings in the Region would be greatly appreciated.  Please contact a member of the K-W Field Naturalists, email the undersigned, or write to the club at the address shown on the Home Page.

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 Copyright © 1998 Kitchener Waterloo Field Naturalists.
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