10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2016

South Dakota went a different way, designating the Ring-necked Pheasant as the state bird in 1943. In fact, the bird is so popular that it was also chosen for South Dakota’s bicentennial commemorative quarter! Males are territorial, and may act aggressively towards other avian ground species.

South Dakota 100

South Dakota Hawaii United States North America 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2015

They fly from extreme northern North America to the southern tip of South America and are seldom seen perched during migration. Another cool fact was learning that the Barn Swallows has started to breed in South America since the 80s. Swallows have migrated north to south along the Americas for millennia.

South Dakota 170

South Dakota South America North America America 170

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2012

The species was extinct, a vanished part of the vanishing prairie — and not for the first time. In the 1950s the species was unofficially regarded as extinct by most biologists, a small part lost in the general tumble and disarray of the entire ecosystem they’d inhabited. You couldn’t see it. But the ferrets kept dying.

Ferrets 194

Ferrets South Dakota Wyoming Captive Animal 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2011

The male of the species has the upper portion of the head, back of neck, back and wings all glossy black. I found these beauties at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, one of the many locations the Black-necked Stilt breeds in the California Central Valley (map courtesy of Terry Sohl at South Dakota Birds ).

South Dakota 196

South Dakota Jordan Sacramento North America 196

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2013

Now you know why the most numerous and widespread of the two swan species in North America used to be known as the Whistling Swan. Range map courtesy of Terri Sohl of South Dakota Birds and Birding.

California 110

California South Dakota Sacramento North America 110

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2011

Map courtesy of Terry Sohl at South Dakota Birds and Birding. The Ross’s Goose is the smallest variety of the white geese that breed in North America. They look like a small Snow Goose but they have a shorter neck and a rounder head.

Geese 154

Geese South Dakota Sacramento Arkansas 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

The potholes and associated grasslands create North America’s most productive habitat for breeding waterfowl, making it an area of global significance for Mallards , Northern Pintails , Blue-winged Teals , Gadwalls , Northern Shovelers , and others. FWS calls WPAs the “Prairie Jewels of the National Wildlife Refuge System.”.

Factory 119

Factory Ducks North Dakota Nebraska 119