Field Guide

Birds

Showing 21 - 28 of 28 results
Image of an ovenbird
Ovenbird
Seiurus aurocapilla
Ovenbirds sing a clear, ringing "TEACHer-TEACHer-TEACHer-TEACHer" that gets progressively louder. A common migrant, it forages among leaves on the forest floor.
Photo of male northern cardinal
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
The male northern cardinal is a bright red bird with a head crest and black mask. An excellent singer, this familiar backyard bird is beloved by many.
Image of a rose-breasted grosbeak
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Pheucticus ludovicianus
The rose-breasted grosbeak's song is a beautiful, robin-like carol. Grosbeaks are chubby birds with heavy bills used for gathering and eating beetles, seeds, and fruits.
Photograph of house wren perched on a branch
House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
These audacious little birds are favorite spring arrivals, partly because of their bold bursts of song, but also because of their bold habits around people.
Eastern Wood Pewee
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Contopus virens
Its distinctive, slurred “pee-a-wee” song helps differentiate the eastern wood-pewee from our other flycatchers, and from most other small, olive-brown birds.
Photo of an eastern phoebe perched on a small branch.
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Eastern phoebes often build their mud-and-plant nests on the side of a house, just under a roof or other overhang. These small flycatchers repeatedly cry out their own name: “FEE-bee! FEE-bee!”
Perched Acadian flycatcher viewed from side
Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
The Acadian flycatcher is one of several flycatchers found in Missouri. It is a summer resident here, and like its relatives, it is much appreciated for its appetite for flying insects.
A female yellow-rumped warbler in breeding plumage, perched on a branch, slightly showing yellow crown
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata (formerly Dendroica coronata)
The yellow-rumped warbler is Missouri’s most abundant migrant warbler. It is also seen in winter. Adults have a yellow patch on the rump, the crown, and the sides near the bend of the wing.
See Also
Photo of a Snowberry Clearwing
Snowberry Clearwing
Hemaris diffinis
The snowberry clearwing is a moth that confuses people because it looks like a bumblebee and flies like a hummingbird!
White-Lined Sphinx Moth
White-Lined Sphinx
Hyles lineata
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.
Photo of a Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth
Virginia Creeper Sphinx
Darapsa myron
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.
Photo of a tricolored bat hanging from a cave ceiling.
Tri-Colored Bat
Perimyotis subflavus (formerly Pipistrellus subflavus)
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.
Photo of four gray myotises clinging to a cave ceiling.
Gray Myotis (Gray Bat)
Myotis grisescens
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.
Photo of a little brown myotis hanging from cave wall with lesions on its wrist.
Little Brown Myotis (Little Brown Bat)
Myotis lucifugus
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.
Photo of an Indiana myotis hanging from a cave ceiling.
Indiana Myotis (Indiana Bat)
Myotis sodalis
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.

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