The Breeding Birds of Kansas

by Richard F. Johnston

Table 1.—The Breeding Birds of Kansas

Woodland Species
Elanoides forficatus N[A] Ictinia misisippiensis U Accipiter striatus U A. cooperii U Buteo jamaicensis O B. lineatus N B. platypterus N Aquila chrysaëtos O Falco sparverius U Colinus virginianus N Phasianus colchicus O Meleagris gallopavo N Philohela minor U Zenaidura macroura N Ectopistes migratorius N Conuropsis carolinensis U Coccyzus americanus N C. erythropthalmus N Otus asio U Bubo virginianus O Strix varia U Asio otus U Aegolius acadicus U Caprimulgus carolinensis N C. vociferus U Phalaenoptilus nuttallii N Chaetura pelagica U Archilochus colubris N Colaptes auratus N C. cafer N Dryocopus pileatus O Centurus carolinus N Melanerpes erythrocephalus N Dendrocopos villosus O D. pubescens O Tyrannus tyrannus S T. vociferans S Muscivora forficata S Myiarchus crinitus S Sayornis phoebe S Empidonax virescens S Contopus virens S Iridoprocne bicolor N Progne subis N Cyanocitta cristata N Pica pica O Corvus brachyrhynchos O C. cryptoleucus O Parus atricapillus O P. carolinensis O P. bicolor O	Sitta carolinensis O Troglodytes aedon N Thryomanes bewickii N Thryothorus ludovicianus N Mimus polyglottos N Dumetella carolinensis N Toxostoma rufum N Turdus migratorius O Hylocichla mustelina N Sialia sialis O Bombycilla cedrorum N Lanius ludovicianus O Sturnus vulgaris O Vireo atricapillus N V. griseus N V. bellii N V. flavifrons N V. olivaceus N V. gilvus N Mniotilta varia N Protonotaria citrea N Parula americana N Dendroica aestiva N D. discolor N Seiurus motacilla N Oporornis formosus N Icteria virens N Wilsonia citrina N Setophaga ruticilla N Passer domesticus O Icterus spurius N I. galbula N I. bullockii N Quiscalus quiscula N Molothrus ater N Piranga olivacea N P. rubra N Richmondena cardinalis S Pheucticus melanocephala S P. ludoviciana S Guiraca caerulea S Passerina ciris S P. cyanea S P. amoena S Spinus pinus O S. tristis O Loxia curvirostra O Pipilo erythrophthalmus N Chondestes grammacus N Spizella passerina N
Limnic Species
Podilymbus podiceps U Phalacrocorax auritus U Ardea herodias U Leucophoyx thula U Nycticorax nycticorax U Nyctanassa violacea U Ixobrychus exilis U Botaurus lentiginosis U Plegadis chihi U Branta canadensis U Anas platyrhynchos U A. acuta U A. discors U A. clypeata U Aix sponsa U Aythya americana U Oxyura jamaicensis U Rallus elegans U	Butorides virescens U Florida caerulea U Casmerodius albus U Porzana carolina U Laterallus jamaicensis U Gallinula chloropus U Fulica americana U Charadrius alexandrinus U Actitis macularia U Steganopus tricolor U Sterna albifrons U Chlidonias niger U Telmatodytes palustris N Cistothorus platensis N Geothlypis trichas N Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus N Agelaius phoeniceus N Rallus limicola U
Grassland Species
Buteo swainsonii N B. regalis U Circus cyaneus O Tympanuchus cupido N T. pallidicinctus N Pedioecetes phasianellus N Charadrius vociferus U Eupoda montana U Numenius americanus U Bartramia longicauda U Speotyto cunicularia U Asio flammeus U	Sayornis saya S Eremophila alpestris O Dolichonyx oryzivorus N Sturnella magna N S. neglecta N Spiza americana N Calamospiza melanocorys N Ammodramus savannarum N Passerherbulus henslowii N Aimophila cassinii N Spizella pusilla N
Xeric Scrub Species
Callipepla squamata N Salpinctes obsoletus N	Geococcyx californianus N
Unanalyzed Species
Cathartes aura N Coragyps atratus N Falco peregrinus U Columba livia O Tyto alba U Petrochelidon pyrrhonota U	Chordeiles minor U Megaceryle alcyon U Riparia riparia O Stelgidopteryx ruficollis N Hirundo rustica O

[A] The letter following each name refers to presumed zoogeographic derivation of the species, modified after Mayr (1946). N = North American evolutionary stock; S = South American stock; O = Eurasian stock; U = unanalyzed.

Avian Habitats in Kansas

Four major habitat-types can be seen in looking at the distribution of the breeding avifauna of Kansas. These are woodland, grassland, limnic, and xeric scrub plant formations. A little more than half the breeding birds of Kansas live in woodland habitats, about one-fifth in limnic habitats, about one-eighth in grassland habitats, and less than two per cent in scrub habitats; this leaves some 6.4 per cent of the breeding avifauna unanalyzed ([Table 2]).

Table 2.—Analysis of the Breeding Avifauna of Kansas by Habitat-types

Habitat-type	Percentage of the Avifauna of
	Kansas	North America	Stated Habitat
Woodland: 101 species	58	16.7	44.4
Limnic: 36 species[B]	21	6.0	38.5
Grassland: 23 species	13	3.8	71.3
Xeric scrub: 3 species	2	0.5	10.2
Unanalyzed: 11 species	6	2.0	55.0
Totals: 174 species	100	29.0	43.2

[B] Does not include the Canvasback (Aythya valisineria), the Forster Tern (Sterna forsteri), and the Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), all recently added to the breeding avifauna of Kansas.

Woodland Habitats

One hundred one species of Kansan birds are woodland species (tables [1] and [2]). The analysis of Udvardy (1958) showed woodland birds to be the largest single avifaunal element in North America, with 38 per cent of North American birds relegated to it. It is likewise the largest element in the Kansan avifauna, representing 58 per cent of Kansan birds. Although woodland makes up a relatively small fraction of the vegetational complexes in Kansas, a large number of habitats exist in what woodland is present. An even larger number of possible woodland habitats is clearly missing, however, because the 101 Kansan species actually represent but 44 per cent of all woodland birds in North America, according to Udvardy's analysis. Broad-leaved, deciduous woodlands in Kansas are of restricted horizontal and vertical stratification. More complex deciduous forest associations and all coniferous forest associations are absent from the State.