Field Guide

Birds

Showing 1 - 10 of 18 results
Media
Photo of a pied-billed grebe nonbreeding form.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Podilymbus podiceps
Description
Small, brown, ducklike birds, pied-billed grebes have thick gray bills with a dark ring around the middle in summer. They dive underwater to forage.
Media
Photo of a horned grebe in winter plumage floating on the water
Species Types
Scientific Name
Podiceps auritus
Description
Horned grebes are small ducklike birds that may be seen in Missouri during migration and locally in the winter. Breeding coloration is different from that of winter.
Media
Photo of a hooded merganser pair floating on water.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Lophodytes cucullatus
Description
Hooded mergansers have crests that trail behind the head or can be raised to create a circular shape. Their bills are narrow and serrated. Males are black and white with chestnut flanks; females are brown.
Media
Photograph of two Double-Crested Cormorants perched on log above water
Species Types
Scientific Name
Phalacrocorax auritus
Description
Double-crested cormorants are dark, ducklike water birds with long necks, hooked bills, legs set far back on the body, and a habit of hanging their wings out to dry in the sun.
Media
Photo of two ruddy ducks floating on water.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Oxyura jamaicensis
Description
The ruddy duck is small, compact diving duck with a long, stiff tail that is often cocked up. Breeding males are conspicuous with their dark cinnamon body, bright white cheek patch, black head, and blue bill.
Media
Photo of a male bufflehead duck floating on water
Species Types
Scientific Name
Bucephala albeola
Description
Buffleheads are small, compact ducks with large, rounded heads. They bob lightly in the water, then, in a flash, dive below the surface.
Media
Photo of a male common goldeneye floating on the surface of the Mississippi River
Species Types
Scientific Name
Bucephala clangula
Description
The common goldeneye is a common migrant and winter resident in Missouri. A diving duck, it is usually found on open water of rivers and lakes.
Media
Photo of a northern shoveler pair floating on water.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Spatula clypeata (formerly Anas clypeata)
Description
Northern shovelers are dabbling ducks with remarkably long, heavy-looking bills. The male’s green head may remind you of a mallard’s, but the bill is far heavier.
Media
Photo of a pair of ring-necked ducks floating on water.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Aythya collaris
Description
The ring-necked duck is named for a chestnut-colored neck ring that’s hard to see. The pointy head and the male’s well-defined black and gray pattern are the best field characteristics.
Media
photo of a wood duck
Species Types
Scientific Name
Aix sponsa
Description
The wood duck is one of the world's most beautiful waterfowl. It is equally famous for being a cavity nester in hollow trees, sometimes 60 feet above the ground and a mile away from water.
See Also
Media
Photo of a Snowberry Clearwing
Species Types
Scientific Name
Hemaris diffinis
Description
The snowberry clearwing is a moth that confuses people because it looks like a bumblebee and flies like a hummingbird!
Media
White-Lined Sphinx Moth
Species Types
Scientific Name
Hyles lineata
Description
The white-lined sphinx moth sometimes confuses people because it flies, hovers, and eats from flowers like a hummingbird. The adults often fly during daylight hours as well as in the night and are often found at lights.
Media
Photo of a Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth
Species Types
Scientific Name
Darapsa myron
Description
The Virginia creeper sphinx moth is common in woods and brushy areas and comes to lights at night. The larvae eat Virginia creeper and grape leaves.
Media
Photo of a tricolored bat hanging from a cave ceiling.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Perimyotis subflavus (formerly Pipistrellus subflavus)
Description
Tri-colored bats, formerly called eastern pipistrelles, are relatively small and look pale yellowish or pale reddish brown. The main hairs are dark gray at the base, broadly banded with yellowish brown, and tipped with dark brown.
Media
Photo of four gray myotises clinging to a cave ceiling.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Myotis grisescens
Description
Gray myotises are difficult to distinguish from other mouse-eared bats. A key identifying feature of the gray myotis is that its wing is attached to the ankle and not at the base of the toes. It’s an endangered species.
Media
Photo of a little brown myotis hanging from cave wall with lesions on its wrist.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Myotis lucifugus
Description
The little brown myotis (little brown bat) is one of our most common bats, but populations are declining. White-nose syndrome has taken a heavy toll in northeastern states. This species is now listed as vulnerable across its range.
Media
Photo of an Indiana myotis hanging from a cave ceiling.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Myotis sodalis
Description
The Indiana myotis, or Indiana bat, summers along streams and rivers in north Missouri, raising its young under the bark of certain trees. It is an endangered species.

About Birds in Missouri

About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.