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List of birds of Kansas facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
WesternMeadowlark23
The western meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas.

This is a list of all the different types of birds that have been officially seen and recorded in the state of Kansas. The Kansas Ornithological Society (KOS) keeps this list updated. As of January 2022, there are 483 different bird species on the official list!

Some of these birds are quite rare in Kansas:

  • Accidental (A) – These birds have been seen fewer than ten times in Kansas. They usually don't live here.
  • Extinct (E) – These birds used to live in Kansas, but now they are gone forever from everywhere.
  • Extirpated (Ex) – These birds used to live in Kansas, but they don't anymore. However, they still live in other parts of the world.
  • Introduced (I) – These birds were brought to North America by people and now live in the wild.
  • Hypothetical (H) – Someone reported seeing these birds, and it seems believable, but there's no clear photo or sample to prove it yet.
  • Fictional (F) – These are birds from stories or traditions, not real birds you'd find in nature.

This list only includes birds that have strong, wild populations in Kansas. This means we don't count birds that might have escaped from captivity, even if they were seen flying free.

The birds are listed in a special order that scientists use, based on how they are related to each other. This order comes from the American Ornithological Society (AOS).

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Branta-canadensis-004
Canada goose
Flying mallard duck - female
Female mallard in flight
Anas carolinensis FWS
Pair of green-winged teals, male at rear
Kappensäger männlich seitlich 050501
Hooded merganser

Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are built for living in water. They have webbed feet, flat bills, and special feathers that shed water easily.

New World Quail

Order: Galliformes Family: Odontophoridae

New World quails are small, round birds that live on the ground. They are not closely related to Old World quails, but they look and act similar.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

RuffedGrouse23
Ruffed grouse

Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae

This family includes pheasants and their relatives. These birds live on the ground and vary in size. They are usually plump with wide, short wings. Many are hunted for sport or raised for food.

Flamingos

Order: Phoenicopteriformes Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are tall, social birds that walk in shallow water. They can be 3 to 5 feet (about 1 to 1.5 meters) tall. Flamingos eat tiny shellfish and algae by filtering water with their unique, upside-down beaks.

Grebes

Podiceps-grisegena-008
Red-necked grebe

Order: Podicipediformes Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-sized diving birds that live in freshwater. They have lobed toes, which make them excellent swimmers and divers. Their feet are set far back on their bodies, so they are clumsy on land.

Pigeons and Doves

Columba livia
Rock pigeon

Order: Columbiformes Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies, short necks, and thin bills that have a soft, fleshy part called a cere.

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes Family: Cuculidae

This family includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds vary in size and have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs.

Nightjars and Allies

Order: Caprimulgiformes Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night. They usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Their soft feathers are colored to help them blend in with bark or leaves.

Swifts

ChimneySwift23
Chimney swift

Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs and never land on the ground. Instead, they perch on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings that look like a crescent moon.

Hummingbirds

Selasphorus rufus1
Rufous hummingbird

Order: Apodiformes Family: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are tiny birds that can hover in the air by flapping their wings very fast. They are the only birds that can fly backward!

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Ampurpgall
Purple gallinule

Order: Gruiformes Family: Rallidae

This is a large family of small to medium-sized birds like rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. They usually live in thick plants near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are often shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes, which are great for walking on soft, uneven ground.

Cranes

Canada 19 bg 061904
Sandhill cranes

Order: Gruiformes Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large birds with long legs and long necks. Unlike herons, which look similar, cranes fly with their necks stretched out. Many cranes have special, noisy dances they do when they are looking for a mate.

Stilts and Avocets

Recurvirostra americana 1
American avocet

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Recurvirostridae

This family includes avocets and stilts, which are large wading birds. Avocets have long legs and bills that curve upwards. Stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

Plovers and Lapwings

Charadrius-semipalmatus-002
Semipalmated plover

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Charadriidae

This family includes plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, pointed wings. You can find them in open areas around the world, especially near water.

Sandpipers and Allies

Calidris-alba-001
Sanderling
Americanwoodcock
American woodcock
Tringa-flavipes-001
Lesser yellowlegs

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large and varied family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, godwits, and snipes. Most of these birds eat small insects and other tiny creatures they find in mud or soil. Their different leg and bill lengths allow many species to feed in the same areas without competing for food.

Skuas and Jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Stercorariidae

Skuas and jaegers are medium to large birds, usually gray or brown. They often have white marks on their wings. They have longish bills with hooked tips and webbed feet with sharp claws. They are strong, acrobatic flyers.

Auks, Murres, and Puffins

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Alcidae

This family includes auks, murres, and puffins. These birds have short wings and live on the open sea. They only come to land for breeding.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Ring-bill
Ring-billed gull
Chlidonias niger
Black tern

Order: Charadriiformes Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, including gulls, terns, and skimmers. They are typically gray or white, often with black markings. They have strong, longish bills and webbed feet.

Loons

Common Loon with chick
A common loon with chick

Order: Gaviiformes Family: Gaviidae

Loons are water birds about the size of a large duck. They are mostly gray or black and have spear-shaped bills. Loons swim and fly well, but they are very clumsy on land because their legs are at the back of their bodies.

Storks

Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, heavy wading birds with long legs, long necks, and strong bills. They have wide wingspans. Unlike some other wading birds, storks don't have special "powder down" feathers to clean fish slime. Storks also don't have a voice box, so they are mute.

Frigatebirds

Order: Suliformes Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are black, or black and white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colorful throat pouches that can inflate. They cannot swim or walk well and can't take off from a flat surface. They have the largest wingspan compared to their body weight of any bird, allowing them to stay in the air for over a week!

Boobies and Gannets

Order: Suliformes Family: Sulidae

This family includes gannets and boobies. Both are medium-large coastal seabirds that dive headfirst into the water to catch fish.

Anhingas

Order: Suliformes Family: Anhingidae

Anhingas, also called darters, are water birds that look like cormorants. They have very long necks and long, straight beaks. They eat fish and often swim with only their neck above the water.

Cormorants and Shags

Phalacrocorax-auritus-007
Double-crested cormorant

Order: Suliformes Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium to large water birds, usually with dark feathers and colored skin on their faces. Their bills are long, thin, and sharply hooked. They have four webbed toes on each foot.

Pelicans

Americanwhitepelican75sm
American white pelican

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are very large water birds with a special pouch under their beak. Like other birds in their group, they have four webbed toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Egretta thula1
Snowy egret

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Ardeidae

This family includes herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns have shorter necks and are more secretive. Birds in this family fly with their necks pulled back, unlike storks or ibises.

Ibises and Spoonbills

Plegadis falcinellus (aka) background blurred
Glossy ibis

Order: Pelecaniformes Family: Threskiornithidae

This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They have long, wide wings and long bodies, necks, and legs. Ibises have bills that curve downward, while spoonbills have straight bills that are flattened at the end, like a spoon.

New World Vultures

Turkey vulture profile
Turkey vulture

Order: Cathartiformes Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures are not closely related to vultures from other parts of the world, but they look similar because they adapted to the same lifestyle. Like other vultures, they eat dead animals. Unlike Old World vultures, which find food by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell to find carcasses.

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes Family: Pandionidae

The Osprey family has only one type of bird: the Osprey! These are fish-eating birds of prey. They have large, strong, hooked beaks for tearing meat, powerful legs, strong claws, and excellent eyesight.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Redshoulder backyard (Suertreus)
Red-shouldered hawk

Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae

This family includes hawks, eagles, kites, and harriers. These birds of prey have very large, powerful, hooked beaks for tearing meat from their prey. They also have strong legs, powerful claws, and sharp eyesight.

Barn-Owls

Order: Strigiformes Family: Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with big heads and unique heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful claws.

Owls

CRW 2987
Long-eared owl

Order: Strigiformes Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are usually solitary birds of prey that are active at night. They have large eyes that face forward, good hearing, a hawk-like beak, and a clear circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Woodpeckers

Picoides-villosus-001
Hairy woodpecker

Order: Piciformes Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues used to catch insects. Some have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and Caracaras

Americankestrel65
American kestrel

Order: Falconiformes Family: Falconidae

This family includes falcons and caracaras. They are birds of prey that hunt during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks instead of their claws.

New World and African Parrots

Order: Psittaciformes Family: Psittacidae

Parrots are birds that can be small to large, with a special curved beak. Their upper beak can move a little where it connects to their skull, and they usually stand upright. All parrots have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward on each foot. Most of the more than 150 types in this family live in the Americas.

Tyrant Flycatchers

Tyrannus verticalis1
Western kingbird

Order: Passeriformes Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are perching birds found all over North and South America. They look a bit like Old World flycatchers but are stronger and have sturdier bills. They don't have the complex songs of other songbirds. Most of them are plain-looking and eat insects.

Vireos, Shrike-babblers, and Erpornis

Blue-headed Vireo (8088894912)
Blue-headed vireo

Order: Passeriformes Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized perching birds. They are usually greenish and look like wood warblers, but they have stronger bills.

Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are perching birds known for catching other birds and small animals. They sometimes stick the parts they don't eat onto thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Corvus corax arizona
Common ravens

Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. Corvids are larger than average perching birds, and some of the bigger ones are very smart.

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice

Poecile-atricapilla-001
Black-capped chickadee

Order: Passeriformes Family: Paridae

The Paridae are mostly small, stocky woodland birds with short, strong bills. Some have crests on their heads. They are adaptable birds that eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Larks

Order: Passeriformes Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small birds that live on the ground. They often have amazing songs and special display flights. Most larks look quite plain. They eat insects and seeds.

Swallows

Tachycineta bicolor1
Tree swallow

Order: Passeriformes Family: Hirundinidae

The swallow family includes perching birds that are built for catching food in the air. They have slender, streamlined bodies, long, pointed wings, and short bills with wide mouths. Their feet are good for perching but not for walking.

Long-tailed Tits

Order: Passeriformes Family: Aegithalidae

Long-tailed tits are a group of small perching birds with medium to long tails. They build woven, bag-like nests in trees. Most of them eat a mixed diet that includes insects.

Kinglets

Order: Passeriformes Family: Regulidae

Kinglets are a small family of birds that look like titmice. They are very tiny birds that eat insects. Adult kinglets have colorful crowns on their heads, which is how they got their name.

Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are a group of perching birds with soft, silky feathers. They have unique red tips on some of their wing feathers that look like sealing wax, giving them their name. These birds live in northern forests and eat insects in summer and berries in winter.

Silky-flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes Family: Ptiliogonatidae

Silky-flycatchers are a small family of perching birds found mostly in Central America. They are related to waxwings and also have soft, silky feathers, usually gray or pale yellow. They have small crests on their heads.

Nuthatches

Sitta-carolinensis-001
White-breasted nuthatch

Order: Passeriformes Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have a special ability to climb down trees headfirst, which most other birds can't do. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails, and strong bills and feet.

Treecreepers

Order: Passeriformes Family: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown on top and white underneath. They have thin, pointed, downward-curved bills that they use to pull insects out of tree bark. Like woodpeckers, they have stiff tail feathers that help them support themselves on vertical trees.

Gnatcatchers

Order: Passeriformes Family: Polioptilidae

These delicate birds look and act like Old World warblers. They move restlessly through leaves, looking for insects. Gnatcatchers are mostly soft bluish-gray and have the typical long, sharp bill of an insect-eater. Many species have distinct black patterns on their heads (especially males) and long, often upright, black-and-white tails.

Wrens

Jpt Wren 0755
Bewick's wren

Order: Passeriformes Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are small and often hard to see, except for their loud songs. They have short wings and thin, downward-curved bills. Several types of wrens often hold their tails straight up. All wrens eat insects.

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Thrasher2
Brown thrasher

Order: Passeriformes Family: Mimidae

This family includes thrashers, mockingbirds, and catbirds. These birds are famous for their amazing songs and their ability to copy many different bird calls and other sounds they hear outside. They usually have dull gray and brown feathers.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized perching birds with strong feet. They fly strongly and directly and often live in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a shiny, metallic look.

Thrushes and Allies

Hylocichla mustelina (cropped)
Wood thrush

Order: Passeriformes Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of perching birds, mostly found outside the Americas. They are plump, with soft feathers, and are small to medium-sized. They eat insects or a mix of foods, often finding food on the ground. Many thrushes have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes Family: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large family of small perching birds. These are mainly small birds that live in trees and eat insects, often catching them while flying.

Old World Sparrows

Passer domesticus2
House sparrow

Order: Passeriformes Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small perching birds. Generally, sparrows are small, plump, brownish or grayish birds with short tails and strong, short beaks. Sparrows eat seeds, but they also eat small insects.

Wagtails and Pipits

Anthus-rubescens-001
American pipit

Order: Passeriformes Family: Motacillidae

This family includes wagtails, longclaws, and pipits. They are small perching birds with medium to long tails. They are slender birds that eat insects on the ground in open areas.

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

Carduelis-tristis-001
American goldfinch

Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae

Finches are perching birds that eat seeds. They are small to medium-sized and have strong, often cone-shaped beaks. All finches have twelve tail feathers and nine primary flight feathers. These birds fly with a bouncy motion, flapping and then gliding with closed wings. Most finches sing well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings

Order: Passeriformes Family: Calcariidae

This group of perching birds used to be grouped with New World sparrows. However, they are different in many ways and are usually found in open grassy areas.

New World Sparrows

Spizella-arborea-002 edit2
American tree sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys1
White-crowned sparrow

Order: Passeriformes Family: Passerellidae

These birds were once thought to be part of another family, but now they have their own. Most of them are called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of these birds have special patterns on their heads.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Order: Passeriformes Family: Icteriidae

This bird was once thought to be a wood-warbler, but scientists were never quite sure. In 2017, it was given its very own family!

Troupials and Allies

Red winged blackbird - natures pics
Red-winged blackbird

Order: Passeriformes Family: Icteridae

This group includes grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. They are small to medium-sized, often colorful perching birds found only in the Americas. Most species are mainly black, often with bright yellow, orange, or red colors.

New World Warblers

Protonotaria-citrea-002 edit 2
Prothonotary warbler
Dendroica-pensylvanica-003
Chestnut-sided warbler

Order: Passeriformes Family: Parulidae

Wood warblers are a group of small, often colorful perching birds found only in the Americas. Most live in trees, but some, like the ovenbird, live more on the ground. Most birds in this family eat insects.

Cardinals and Allies

Cardinal male 2
Northern cardinal

Order: Passeriformes Family: Cardinalidae

Cardinals are a family of strong, seed-eating birds with powerful bills. They usually live in open woodlands. Males and females often have different colored feathers.

Fictional Birds

Fictional birds are not real and cannot be found in nature. However, the following fictional bird is included here because it is very important to Kansas history and traditions.

  • Jayhawk (F), a symbol of the University of Kansas. This includes their mascots Big Jay, Baby Jay, and Centennial Jay. Many high schools also use this image or a similar one as their mascot.

See also

  • List of birds
  • Lists of birds by region
  • List of North American birds
  • List of fictional birds
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List of birds of Kansas Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.