Birds of Afton State Park
❏ Golden-crowned Kinglet
❏ Ruby-crowned Kinglet
❏ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
❏ Eastern Bluebird
❏ Townsend’s Solitaire
❏ Veery
❏ Gray-cheeked Thrush
❏ Swainson’s Thrush
❏ Hermit Thrush
❏ Wood Thrush
❏ American Robin
❏ Gray Catbird
❏ Brown Thrasher
❏ European Starling
❏ Cedar Waxwing
❏ 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
❏ Yellow-rumped Warbler
❏ Black-throated Green Warbler
❏ Blackburnian Warbler
❏ Pine Warbler
❏ Palm Warbler
❏ Bay-breasted Warbler
❏ Blackpoll Warbler
❏ Cerulean Warbler
❏ Black-and-white Warbler
❏ American Redstart
Sp Su Fa Wi
C
C U
C
C
C C C
C C C
R
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
C
C
U
U
U
C C C O
C
U
C C
U
U
C C C C
C C C U
U
O
U
O
C
C
U
U
C
C
U
U
C C C
C C C
U
U
U
U
C
C
U
U
U
U
U
U
C
C
U
U
U
U
O
O
C
C
C C C
Birds of Afton State Park
❏ Prothonotary Warbler
❏ Ovenbird
❏ Northern Waterthrush
❏ Louisiana Waterthrush
❏ Kentucky Warbler
❏ Connecticut Warbler
❏ Mourning Warbler
❏ Common Yellowthroat
❏ Wilson’s Warbler
❏ Canada Warbler
❏ Summer Tanager
❏ Scarlet Tanager
❏ Western Tanager
❏ Eastern Towhee
❏ American Tree Sparrow
❏ Chipping Sparrow
❏ Clay-colored Sparrow
❏ Field Sparrow
❏ Vesper Sparrow
❏ Lark Sparrow
❏ Savannah Sparrow
❏ Grasshopper Sparrow
❏ Henslow’s Sparrow
❏ Fox Sparrow
❏ Song Sparrow
❏ Lincoln’s Sparrow
❏ Swamp Sparrow
❏ White-throated Sparrow
❏ Harris’s Sparrow
❏ White-crowned Sparrow
❏ Dark-eyed Junco
❏ Snow Bunting
❏ Northern Cardinal
❏ Rose-breasted Grosbeak
❏ Indigo Bunting
Sp Su Fa Wi
U
U
U
C C C
C
U
O
O
U
U
U
U
C C C
U
U
U
U
R
U
U
U
R
U
U
C
U
C C
C C C
U
U
U
C C C
Birds of Afton State Park
❏ Dickcissel
❏ Bobolink
❏ Red-winged Blackbird
❏ Eastern Meadowlark
❏ Western Meadowlark
❏ Common Grackle
❏ Brown-headed Cowbird
❏ Orchard Oriole
❏ Baltimore Oriole
❏ Pine Grosbeak
❏ Purple Finch
❏ House Finch
❏ Red Crossbill
❏ White-winged Crossbill
❏ Common Redpoll
❏ Pine Siskin
❏ American Goldfinch
❏ House Sparrow
Sp Su Fa Wi
O O O
C C C
C C C
✓
C C C
BIRD
R
Checklist
C C C
C C C
U
AFTON
STATE PARK
U
C C C
O
U
U
U
O
C C C C
O
O O
O
O
O O
C
C U
C C C C
C C C C
C C C
O
C C C
U
U
U
U
C
O
Date:__________________________________________
C
Weather:_______________________________________
C C C
________________________________________________
C
C
Observers:_____________________________________
U
________________________________________________
C
C
Notes:__________________________________________
U
U
________________________________________________
U
U
________________________________________________
C
C C
U
U
U
C C C
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Division of Parks & Recreation
C C C
C C C
February 2008
DNR Web Site: www.dnr.state.mn.us
Birding Opportunities at
Afton State Park
Afton State Park provides an excellent
combination of grassland, woodland and riverine
habitat for a wide variety of bird life. The
restored prairie areas are excellent for eastern
meadowlark and bobolink as well as savannah,
grasshopper, vesper, field and Henslow’s
sparrows. Afton lies in a migratory corridor along
the St. Croix River for raptors including turkey
vultures and bald eagles. Woodlands provide
habitat for ruffed grouse, ovenbird, wood thrush,
and rose-breasted grosbeak with the edges
especially good for indigo buntings and field
sparrows. Twenty-nine species of warblers have
been recorded in the park.
Season and Abundance Key
The seasons in the checklist are defined as follows:
Sp (Spring) = March, April, May
Su (Summer) = June, July
Fa (Fall) = August, September, October, November
Wi (Winter) = December, January, February
Abundance codes are defined as follows:
C = Common — present, relatively easy to find
U = Uncommon — observed, may be difficult to find
O = Occasional — may or may not be present in
any year
R = Rare — has occurred at least once, may or
may not be expected to recur
The names and taxonomic arrangement of species follows that of
the Checklist of the Birds of Minnesota (January, 2006), prepared by
the Minnesota Ornithological Records Committee.
This checklist contains the names of all birds that have been documented
in the park by reliable observers. It was constructed by Robert B. Janssen,
Jerry Bonkoski, and the MN DNR-Division of Parks & Recreation using
observations of the above, park staff and other observers, as well as
Minnesota Ornithologist’s Union records and data contained in research
reports. If you are interested in the specific sources used for a particular
park, contact the Parks Division Resource Management Program
Coordinator by telephone at 651-259-5594 or by mail at MN DNR-Parks,
500 Lafayette Road, Box 39, St. Paul, MN 55155-4039.
“Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources is available to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national
origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, age, sexual orientation,
membership or activity in a local commission, or disability. Discrimination inquires should be sent
to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4031;
or the Equal Opportunity Office, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240.”
This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 651-297-1158.
Copyright 2008 State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources.
Birds of Afton State Park
❏ Greater White-fronted Goose
❏ Snow Goose
❏ Canada Goose
❏ Tundra Swan
❏ Wood Duck
❏ American Wigeon
❏ American Black Duck
❏ Mallard
❏ Blue-winged Teal
❏ Northern Shoveler
❏ Ring-necked Duck
❏ Lesser Scaup
❏ Bufflehead
❏ Common Goldeneye
❏ Hooded Merganser
❏ Common Merganser
❏ Red-breasted Merganser
❏ Ring-necked Pheasant
❏ Ruffed Grouse
❏ Wild Turkey
❏ Common Loon
❏ Pied-billed Grebe
❏ American White Pelican
❏ Double-crested Cormorant
❏ Great Blue Heron
❏ Great Egret
❏ Green Heron
❏ Turkey Vulture
❏ Osprey
❏ Bald Eagle
❏ White-tailed Kite
❏ Northern Harrier
❏ Sharp-shinned Hawk
❏ Cooper’s Hawk
❏ Red-shouldered Hawk
Sp Su Fa Wi
R
O
C C C
O
U
O
U
U
O
O
C C C
C C C
O
O
U
O
U
O
O
O
O
O
C C C C
C C C C
C C C C
O
O
O
U
U
C C C
U
U
U
U
C C C
U
O U
U
U
O
R
U
U
U
U
O
U
O
U
U
O O O
Birds of Afton State Park
❏ Broad-winged Hawk
❏ Swainson’s Hawk
❏ Red-tailed Hawk
❏ Rough-legged Hawk
❏ American Kestrel
❏ Merlin
❏ Sora
❏ American Coot
❏ Sandhill Crane
❏ Killdeer
❏ Spotted Sandpiper
❏ American Woodcock
❏ Bonaparte’s Gull
❏ Ring-billed Gull
❏ Herring Gull
❏ Caspian Tern
❏ Rock Pigeon
❏ Mourning Dove
❏ Black-billed Cuckoo
❏ Yellow-billed Cuckoo
❏ Eastern Screech-Owl
❏ Great Horned Owl
❏ Barred Owl
❏ Northern Saw-whet Owl
❏ Common Nighthawk
❏ Whip-poor-will
❏ Chimney Swift
❏ Ruby-throated Hummingbird
❏ Belted Kingfisher
❏ Red-headed Woodpecker
❏ Red-bellied Woodpecker
❏ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
❏ Downy Woodpecker
❏ Hairy Woodpecker
❏ Northern Flicker
Sp Su Fa Wi
C U
C
O
O
C C C C
O
O O
C C C U
U
U
R
O
O
C C C
C C C
O
O
O
C O C
C O C
O
O
C C C C
C C C O
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
O
U
O
U
U
O O O
C C C
C U
C
C C C
U
U
U
C C C C
C U
C
C C C C
C C C C
C C C
Birds of Afton State Park
❏ Pileated Woodpecker
❏ Olive-sided Flycatcher
❏ Eastern Wood-Pewee
❏ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
❏ Alder Flycatcher
❏ Willow Flycatcher
❏ Least Flycatcher
❏ Eastern Phoebe
❏ Great Crested Flycatcher
❏ Western Kingbird
❏ Eastern Kingbird
❏ Northern Shrike
❏ White-eyed Vireo
❏ Yellow-throated Vireo
❏ Blue-headed Vireo
❏ Warbling Vireo
❏ Philadelphia Vireo
❏ Red-eyed Vireo
❏ Blue Jay
❏ American Crow
❏ Horned Lark
❏ Purple Martin
❏ Tree Swallow
❏ Northern Rough-winged Swallow
❏ Bank Swallow
❏ Cliff Swallow
❏ Barn Swallow
❏ Black-capped Chickadee
❏ Tufted Titmouse
❏ Red-breasted Nuthatch
❏ White-breasted Nuthatch
❏ Brown Creeper
❏ House Wren
❏ Winter Wren
❏ Sedge Wren
Sp Su Fa Wi
U
U
U
U
U
U
C C C
U
U
U
U
U
U
U
C C C
C C C
C C C
O O
C C C
U
U
U
R
C U
U
U
U
C C C
U
U
C C C
C C C C
C C C C
U
U
U
U
O
U
C C C
C C C
U
U
U
C C C
C C C
C C C C
O
U
U
U
C C C C
U
O U
C C C
U
U
C C U
O