Content tagged with "Birds"

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

The mallard is probably the most familiar duck in all of North America. The male has a green head and chestnut breast. Both sexes have a blue speculum (wing patch) bordered on both sides by white.

Doves symbolize peace, and they are also a popular quarry of hunters. Our mourning doves are probably the closest living relatives of the extinct passenger pigeon. Learn more about these cooing seed-eaters!

Northern Bobwhite (“Bobwhite Quail”)

Colinus virginianus

With its distinctive, clear “bob-WHITE!” calls, the official state game bird is often heard before it’s seen, especially since its brown-and-white coloration helps it to disappear into its habitat.

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

At one time, Missouri had two professional sports teams named after this bird, and it’s no wonder the northern cardinal is so popular: it’s a striking red bird with a dashing crest, a natty black mask—and it’s an excellent singer, too!

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

America’s flickers used to be considered three different species, but in the 1980s biologists determined otherwise. Now, our eastern “yellow-shafted” flicker, the “red-shafted” flicker of the west and the “gilded flicker” of the southwest are all considered just “forms” of the same species: the northern flicker.

Northern Saw-Whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

The most nocturnal of our owls. On the rare occasions it is seen, it is usually perched near the ground in dense cover or in the entrance of a tree cavity.

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Osprey, also called “fish hawks” or “fish eagles,” used to nest in our state. Until recently, Missourians have only seen them as uncommon migrants flying through on their seasonal north and south journeys. But keep an eye out for them, especially around reservoirs, as reintroduction efforts are paying off!