Birds
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Riparia riparia
Description
Bank swallows are brown above and white below, with a dark brown band across the breast. In Missouri, they are a locally common summer resident, nesting in holes they excavate in steep mud embankments.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Description
Northern rough-winged swallows are sleek, agile fliers with brown upperparts, brownish-white throat, and whitish underparts. They are common summer residents in Missouri. People most often see them chasing flying insects over land or water.
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Scientific Name
Polioptila caerulea
Description
Male blue-gray gnatcatchers are bluish gray and females are gray. The underparts are pale gray. The tail is black with white outer feathers, so when folded it appears white from below. There is a white eye ring. Common summer residents in Missouri, they habitually jerk their tails from side to side.
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Scientific Name
Corthylio calendula
Description
Kinglets are very small, active, insect-eating birds that Missourians see in winter and during migration in spring and fall. Ruby-crowned kinglets are grayish olive, have white wing bars, and flick their wings as they flit around. Males have a small red crown that they occasionally raise.
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Species Types
Scientific Name
Regulus satrapa
Description
Kinglets are very small, active, insect-eating birds that nervously flit around. Golden-crowned kinglets are grayish olive, with black and white striping on the sides of the head. The black cap has a yellow center. Males have a bright orange center to the yellow crown stripe.
See Also
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.