List of birds of Iowa

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The American goldfinch is the state bird of Iowa.

This list of birds of Iowa includes

accidental, 28 are classed as casual, eight have been introduced to North America, three are extinct, and one has been extirpated
. An additional accidental species has been added from another source.

Only birds that are considered to have established, self-sustaining, wild populations in Iowa are included on this list. This means that birds that are considered probable escapees, although they may have been sighted flying free in Iowa, are not included.

This list is presented in the

Clements taxonomy
because the AOS list does not include them.

The following codes are used to designate some species:

  • (A) Accidental - "seen once to several times, but less than 4 of last 10 years" per the IOU
  • (C) Casual - "seen many years but not all, at least 3 and less than 9 of last 10 years" per the IOU
  • (I) Introduced - Species established in North America as a result of human action
  • (E) Extinct - a recent species that no longer exists
  • (Ex) Extirpated - a species no longer found in Iowa but which continues to exist elsewhere

Ducks, geese, and waterfowl

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, bills which are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils. Forty-four species have been recorded in Iowa.

  • Canada goose
    Canada goose
  • American wigeon (male)
    American wigeon (male)
  • Northern shoveler (male)
    Northern shoveler (male)
  • Bufflehead (female)
    Bufflehead (female)
  • Ruddy duck
    Ruddy duck

New World quail

Order:

Odontophoridae

The New World quails are small, plump terrestrial birds only distantly related to the quails of the Old World, but named for their similar appearance and habits. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Pheasants, grouse, and allies

Wild turkey

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

Phasianidae consists of the pheasants and their allies including the partridges, grouse, turkeys, and old world quail. These are terrestrial species, variable in size but generally plump, with broad, relatively short wings. Many species are gamebirds or have been domesticated as a food source for humans. Six species have been recorded in Iowa.

Grebes

Red-necked grebe

Order:

Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. Six species have been recorded in Iowa.

Pigeons and doves

Eurasian collared-dove

Order:

Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

doves
are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere. Seven species have been recorded in Iowa.

Cuckoos

Yellow-billed cuckoo

Order:

Cuculidae

The family Cuculidae includes

roadrunners, and anis
. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Three species have been recorded in Iowa.

Nightjars and allies

Order:

Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is cryptically colored to resemble bark or leaves. Three species have been recorded in Iowa.

Swifts

Order:

Apodidae

The swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have very long, swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Hummingbirds

Order:

Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings. They are the only birds that can fly backwards. Five species have been recorded in Iowa.

Rails, gallinules, and coots

Virginia rail

Order:

Rallidae

Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the

gallinules
. The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers. Eight species have been recorded in Iowa.

Cranes

Order:

Gruidae

Cranes are large, long-legged, and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Stilts and avocets

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Lapwings and plovers

Killdeer

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The family Charadriidae includes the

dotterels, and lapwings
. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water. Six species have been recorded in Iowa.

Sandpipers and allies

Order:

Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers, and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. Thirty-four species have been recorded in Iowa.

  • Willet
    Willet
  • Semipalmated sandpiper
    Semipalmated sandpiper
  • Long-billed dowitcher
    Long-billed dowitcher
  • Red-necked phalarope
    Red-necked phalarope

Skuas and jaegers

Order:

Stercorariidae

Holarctic
), breeding adults have the two central tail feathers obviously elongated and at least some adults have white on the underparts and pale yellow on the neck, characteristics that the larger species do not share. Three species have been recorded in Iowa.

Auks, murres, and puffins

Order:

Alcidae

murres and puffins
. Three species have been recorded in Iowa.

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

skimmers
. They are typically gray or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Twenty-eight species have been recorded in Iowa.

  • Herring gull
    Herring gull
  • Lesser black-backed gull
    Lesser black-backed gull
  • Common tern
    Common tern

Loons

Pacific loon

Order:

Gaviidae

Loons are aquatic birds the size of a large duck, to which they are unrelated. Their plumage is largely gray or black, and they have spear-shaped bills. Loons swim well and fly adequately, but are almost hopeless on land, because their legs are placed towards the rear of the body. Four species have been recorded in Iowa.

Storks

Order:

Ciconiidae

powder down
that other wading birds such as herons, spoonbills, and ibises use to clean off fish slime. Storks lack a pharynx and are mute. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Frigatebirds

Order:

Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are large, black, or black-and-white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colored inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Boobies and gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Anhingas

Order:

Anhingidae

Anhingas are cormorant-like water birds with very long necks and long, straight beaks. They are fish eaters which often swim with only their neck above the water. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Cormorants and shags

Order:

Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of colored skin on the face. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

American bittern

Order:

Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae contains the herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive. Members of Ardeidae fly with their necks retracted, unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills. Twelve species have been recorded in Iowa.

Ibises and spoonbills

White-faced ibis

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

The family Threskiornithidae includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings. Their bodies tends to be elongated, the neck more so, with rather long legs. The bill is also long, decurved in the case of the ibises, straight and distinctively flattened in the spoonbills. Four species have been recorded in Iowa.

New World vultures

Turkey vulture

Order:

Cathartidae

The New World vultures are not closely related to Old World vultures, but superficially resemble them because of convergent evolution. Like the Old World vultures, they are scavengers However, unlike Old World vultures, which find carcasses by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell with which they locate carcasses. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Osprey

Order:

Pandionidae

Pandionidae is a family of fish-eating birds of prey possessing a very large, powerful hooked beak for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. The family is monotypic and its one species has been recorded in Iowa.

Hawks, eagles, and kites

Mississippi kite

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures. These birds have very large powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight. Sixteen species have been recorded in Iowa.

Barn-owls

Order:

Tytonidae

Barn-owls
are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Owls

Long-eared owl

Order:

Strigidae

The

typical owls
are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. Eleven species have been recorded in Iowa.

Kingfishers

Order:

Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Woodpeckers

Pileated woodpecker

Order:

Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks. Eleven species have been recorded in Iowa.

Falcons and caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey, notably the falcons and caracaras. They differ from hawks, eagles, and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons. Six species have been recorded in Iowa.

New World and African parrots

Order:

Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Parrots are small to large birds with a characteristic curved beak. Their upper mandibles have slight mobility in the joint with the skull and they have a generally erect stance. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two to the back. Most of the more than 150 species in this family are found in the New World. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Tyrant flycatchers

Eastern kingbird

Order:

Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are Passerine birds which occur throughout North and South America. They superficially resemble the Old World flycatchers, but are more robust and have stronger bills. They do not have the sophisticated vocal capabilities of the songbirds. Most, but not all, are rather plain. As the name implies, most are insectivorous. Seventeen species have been recorded in Iowa.

Vireos, shrike-babblers, and erpornis

Blue-headed vireo

Order:

Vireonidae

The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are typically greenish in color and resemble wood warblers apart from their heavier bills. Seven species have been recorded in Iowa.

Shrikes

Order:

Laniidae

Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like that of a typical bird of prey. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Crows, jays, and magpies

American crow

Order:

Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers, and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence. Eight species have been recorded in Iowa.

Tits, chickadees, and titmice

Black-capped chickadee

Order:

Paridae

The

Paridae
are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects. Three species have been recorded in Iowa.

Larks

Order:

Alaudidae

Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Swallows

Tree swallow

Order:

Hirundinidae

The family

Hirundinidae
is a group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. These adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings, and short bills with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base. Eight species have been recorded in Iowa.

Kinglets

Order:

Regulidae

The

titmice
. They are very small insectivorous birds. The adults have colored crowns, giving rise to their names. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Waxwings

Cedar waxwing

Order:

Bombycillidae

The waxwings are a group of birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers. In the Bohemian and cedar waxwings, these tips look like sealing wax and give the group its name. These are arboreal birds of northern forests. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Nuthatches

White-breasted nuthatch

Order:

Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet. Three species have been recorded in Iowa.

Treecreepers

Order:

Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. They have thin pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Gnatcatchers

Order:

Polioptilidae

These dainty birds resemble Old World warblers in their structure and habits, moving restlessly through the foliage seeking insects. The gnatcatchers are mainly soft bluish gray in color and have the typical insectivore's long sharp bill. Many species have distinctive black head patterns (especially males) and long, regularly cocked, black-and-white tails. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

Wrens

Order:

Troglodytidae

Wrens are small and inconspicuous birds, except for their loud songs. They have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous. Eight species have been recorded in Iowa.

Mockingbirds and thrashers

Gray catbird

Order:

Mimidae

The

New World catbirds
. These birds are notable for their vocalization, especially their remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors. The species tend towards dull grays and browns in their appearance. Five species have been recorded in Iowa.

Starlings

Order:

Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. They are medium-sized passerines with strong feet. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country, and they eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen. One species has been recorded in Iowa.

  • European starling
    , Sturnus vulgaris (I)

Thrushes and allies

Hermit thrush

Order:

Turdidae

The Thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs. Ten species have been recorded in Iowa.

Old World sparrows

Order:

Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small plump brownish or grayish birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

  • House sparrow, Passer domesticus (I)
  • Eurasian tree sparrow
    , Passer montanus (I)

Wagtails and pipits

Order:

Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

The Motacillidae are a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws, and pipits. They are slender, ground-feeding insectivores of open country. Two species have been recorded in Iowa.

Finches, euphonias, and allies

House finch

Order:

Fringillidae

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. Thirteen species have been recorded in Iowa.

Longspurs and snow buntings

Order:

Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

The Calcariidae are a group of passerine birds that were traditionally grouped with the New World sparrows, but differ in a number of respects and are usually found in open grassy areas. Four species have been recorded in Iowa.

New World sparrows

Order:

Passerellidae

Until 2017, these species were considered part of the family Emberizidae. Most of the species are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. Many of these have distinctive head patterns. Twenty-six species have been recorded in Iowa.

  • American tree sparrow
    American tree sparrow
  • Savannah sparrow
    Savannah sparrow
  • Dark-eyed junco
    Dark-eyed junco

Yellow-breasted chat

Order:

Icteriidae

This species was historically placed in the wood-warblers (Parulidae) but nonetheless most authorities were unsure if it belonged there. It was placed in its own family in 2017.

Troupials and allies

Yellow-headed blackbird
Brown-headed cowbird

Order:

Icteridae

The

New World blackbirds, and New World orioles
. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red. Fifteen species have been recorded in Iowa.

New World warblers

Order:

Parulidae

The wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most are arboreal, but some like the ovenbird and the two waterthrushes, are more terrestrial. Most members of this family are insectivores. Thirty-nine species have been recorded in Iowa.

  • Nashville warbler
    Nashville warbler
  • Yellow-rumped warbler
    Yellow-rumped warbler
  • Black-and-white warbler
    Black-and-white warbler
  • Worm-eating warbler
    Worm-eating warbler

Cardinals and allies

Northern cardinal

Order:

Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

The Cardinalidae are a family of robust seed-eating birds with strong bills. They are typically associated with open woodland. The sexes usually have distinct plumages. Eleven species have been recorded in Iowa.

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Iowa Checklist". Iowa Ornithologist's Union. January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "Check-list of North and Middle American Birds". American Ornithological Society. June 29, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  3. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  4. ^ "White-tailed Hawk". iNaturalist. Retrieved 11 February 2024.

External links

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