Field Guide

Birds

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 results
Media
Photo of a male greater prairie-chicken in courtship display
Species Types
Scientific Name
Tympanuchus cupido
Description
The greater prairie-chicken breeds in select grasslands in the spring, filling the air with their unusual booming calls. With their numbers dwindling, this rare bird needs strong conservation support.
Media
Photo of ruffed grouse standing on a log
Species Types
Scientific Name
Bonasa umbellus
Description
Restoration efforts are raising the numbers of this chickenlike bird in our state. Look for brown, rufous, and gray streaks, bars, and bands. A dark ruff on the neck appears on both sexes but is used by the male in courtship displays.
Media
Photo of male northern bobwhite
Species Types
Scientific Name
Colinus virginianus
Description
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.
Species Types
Scientific Name
Perdix perdix
Description
An introduced gamebird from Eurasia, the gray partridge occurs mostly along the US-Canada border to our northwest. It may at times appear in northwest Missouri.
Media
photo of American woodcock
Species Types
Scientific Name
Scolopax minor
Description
This remarkable bird is a short-necked, short-legged, terrestrial shorebird with a long bill. The eyes are set back on its head. When this bird is flushed, its short wings make a startling whirring sound.
Media
Photo of two male wild turkeys displaying
Species Types
Scientific Name
Meleagris gallopavo
Description
The large size, iridescent bronze plumage (which can look merely dark at a distance), and naked blue and red head distinguish this ground-dwelling bird from others in our state.
Media
large colorful bird in grass
Species Types
Scientific Name
Phasianus colchicus
Description
Long-tailed and chickenlike, the ring-necked pheasant was introduced to America in the 1880s as a gamebird. It’s present in the northern quarter of the Missouri and in parts of the Bootheel.
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.