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Missouri Christmas Bird Counts, 2016–2017

Randy L. Korotev

Again this past season Missouri hosted 27 Christmas Bird Counts. Weather was mainly mild in December. Only four counts reported snow cover (0”–3”) and seven counts reported frozen still water. A total of 153 species were reported, one less than the all time high six years ago.

Species for which only a single individual was seen in the state include American Bittern (Confluence; a first Missouri CBC record), Black-crowned Night-Heron (Clarence Cannon), Sora (Columbia), Inca Dove (Horton-Four Rivers), Long-eared Owl (Dent-Texas County), Northern Saw-whet Owl (Horton-Four Rivers), Rufous Hummingbird (Springfield), Northern Shrike (Columbia), Bewick’s Wren (Joplin), Gray Catbird (Joplin), Palm Warbler (Confluence), Pine Warbler (Dent-Texas County), Vesper Sparrow (Big Oak Tree S. P.), and Spotted Towhee (Maramec Spring). Other species seen on only one count are Golden Eagle (2, Dent-Texas County), Virginia Rail (4, Columbia), Greater Yellowlegs (4, Dent-Texas County), Greater Roadrunner (2, Taney County), Peregrine Falcon (6, Confluence), Snow Bunting (2, Grand River), Orange-crowned Warbler (2, Springfield), and Great-tailed Grackle (4, Liberal).

With “only” 99,000 birds, Snow Geese numbers were very low (last year there were more than a million). Other species especially low numbers include American Black Duck, Northern Pintail, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Ring-necked Pheasant, Wild Turkey, Rough-legged Hawk, Rock Pigeon, European Starling, American Tree Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, and House Sparrow. Some of these low numbers (Lesser Scaup?, American Tree Sparrow?) may reflect species that wintered farther north because of the mild winter. Species not seen this season include: Blue-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, Osprey, Snowy Owl, and Fish Crow. Only four species of gulls were reported.

Species in substantially greater than normal numbers include Trumpeter Swan (1495 birds on 13 counts), Tundra Swan, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Common Loon, Turkey Vulture (1385 on 13 counts), Red-shouldered Hawk, Sandhill Crane (with 18 at Loess Bluffs N.W. R), Wilson’s Snipe, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Short-eared Owl, Eastern Phoebe, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren, both kinglets, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, and Lincoln’s Sparrow.

Five counts found 90 or more species, with Horton-Four Rivers setting the new high with 114 species, including six species of owl.

Table 1. Missouri Christmas Bird Counts and Their Compilers

Figure 1. Map of Missouri Christmas Bird Count locations.

<The map has been updated from last year.>