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List of birds of Kenai Fjords National Park facts for kids

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This article lists all the different kinds of birds found in Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. This park is a special place in the United States where you can see amazing wildlife. Even though some water areas next to the park aren't officially part of it, birds seen there are also included here.

This list follows a scientific order for birds, created by the American Ornithological Society. It includes 227 bird species! The National Park Service uses special codes to tell us how often a bird is seen:

  • *(PP) = Probably Present: We're pretty sure this bird is in the park, but we need more proof. (17 species)
  • *(Unc) = Unconfirmed: People say this bird is in the park, but the evidence isn't strong. (37 species)
  • *(Adj) = Adjacent: This bird is found very close to the park's borders. (31 species)
  • *(R) = Rare: This bird is seen only a few times each year. (27 species)
  • *(O) = Occasional: This bird shows up every few years, but not always every year. (13 species)

If a bird doesn't have a code, it means you can expect to see it regularly in the right season and habitat.

Water Birds: Ducks, Geese, and Swans

Branta-canadensis-004
Canada goose

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

The Anatidae family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are built for life in the water! They have webbed feet to help them swim and special feathers that shed water easily. Their bills are usually flat, which helps them find food in the water.

Game Birds: Pheasants and Grouse

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

The Phasianidae family includes pheasants and grouse. These birds live on land and are usually plump with short, wide wings. Many of them are hunted for sport or raised for food.

Diving Birds: Grebes

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

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

Common Birds: Pigeons and Doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies, short necks, and slender bills. They have a soft, fleshy area at the base of their bill called a cere.

Tiny Birds: Hummingbirds

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are tiny birds famous for hovering in the air. They flap their wings incredibly fast. They are the only birds that can fly backward!

Tall Birds: Cranes

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large birds with long legs and long necks. When they fly, their necks are stretched out, which is different from herons. Many cranes perform fancy "dances" to attract a mate.

Shore Birds: Oystercatchers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers are large, noticeable, and loud birds that look like plovers. They have strong bills that they use to open or smash molluscs for food.

Shore Birds: Plovers and Lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The Charadriidae family includes plovers and lapwings. These are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies and short, thick necks. They have long, pointed wings. You can find them in open areas, especially near water.

Shore Birds: Sandpipers and Allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a big family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, and phalaropes. Most of these birds eat small bugs they find in mud or soil. Different bill and leg lengths allow many species to feed in the same places without competing for food.

Sea Birds: Skuas and Jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Jaegers and skuas are medium to large birds, usually gray or brown. They often have white marks on their wings. They look like large, dark gulls but have a hooked bill with a fleshy area called a cere. They are strong, agile fliers.

Sea Birds: Auks, Murres, and Puffins

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Alcidae

The Alcidae family includes auks, murres, and puffins. These birds have short wings and live on the open sea. They only come to land when it's time to lay eggs and raise their young.

Sea Birds: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Larus brachyrhynchus, Potter's Marsh, Anchorage, Alaska
Short-billed gull

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds. It includes gulls, terns, and kittiwakes. They are usually gray or white, often with black marks on their heads or wings. They have strong, longish bills and webbed feet.

Water Birds: Loons

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

Loons are aquatic birds about the size of a large duck, but they are not related to ducks. They are mostly gray or black and have spear-shaped bills. Loons are great swimmers and can fly well, but they are very awkward on land because their legs are at the very back of their bodies.

Ocean Birds: Albatrosses

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

Albatrosses are among the largest flying birds. The great albatrosses have the biggest wingspans of any living bird!

Ocean Birds: Northern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

Storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds. They are related to petrels and eat tiny ocean creatures and small fish from the water's surface, often while hovering. Their flight can look like a bat's.

Ocean Birds: Shearwaters and Petrels

Northern Fulmar
Northern fulmar

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

The Procellariidae are a main group of medium-sized "true petrels." They have nostrils that are joined together and a long outer wing feather that helps them fly.

Water Birds: Cormorants and Shags

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium to large water birds, usually with dark feathers and colorful skin on their faces. They have long, thin, hooked bills. All four of their toes are webbed, helping them swim.

Wading Birds: Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

The Ardeidae family includes herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns are usually shorter-necked and more secretive. These birds fly with their necks pulled back, unlike other long-necked birds.

Birds of Prey: Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

Pandionidae is a family with only one type of bird: the osprey. This bird of prey eats fish. It has a very large, strong, hooked beak, powerful legs, sharp talons, and excellent eyesight.

  • Osprey, Pandion haliaetus (PP)

Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, and harriers. These birds have very large, strong, hooked beaks to tear meat from their prey. They also have strong legs, powerful talons, and sharp eyesight.

Nocturnal Hunters: Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are usually solitary birds of prey that hunt at night. They have large eyes that face forward and big ears. They also have a hawk-like beak and a circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Fishing Birds: Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads and long, pointed bills. They have short legs and stubby tails. They are known for diving into water to catch fish.

Tree Climbers: Woodpeckers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks. They have short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues to catch insects. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Birds of Prey: Falcons and Caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of birds of prey that hunt during the day, like falcons. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks instead of their talons.

Insect Eaters: Tyrant Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are songbirds found across North and South America. They look a bit like Old World flycatchers but are stronger and have tougher bills. Most of them eat insects.

Small Songbirds: Vireos

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized songbirds found only in the New World (Americas). They are usually greenish and look like wood warblers, but they have heavier bills.

Predatory Songbirds: Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are songbirds known for catching other birds and small animals. They sometimes impale their uneaten prey on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.

  • Northern shrike, Lanius borealis (R)

Intelligent Birds: Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

The Corvidae family includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. These birds are larger than average for songbirds, and some of the bigger species are very intelligent.

Small Woodland Birds: Tits and Chickadees

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

The Paridae family consists mainly of small, stocky woodland birds with short, strong bills. They are adaptable and eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Ground Birds: Larks

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small birds that live on the ground. They often have amazing songs and display flights. Most larks are not very colorful. They eat insects and seeds.

Aerial Hunters: Swallows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

The Hirundinidae family includes swallows. These songbirds are adapted for catching food in the air. They have slender bodies, long pointed wings, and short bills that open wide. Their feet are good for perching but not for walking.

Tiny Songbirds: Kinglets

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

Kinglets are a small family of birds that look like titmice. They are very tiny birds that eat insects, mostly from the genus Regulus. Adult kinglets have colorful crowns, which gives them their name.

Forest Birds: Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are 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.

Tree Climbers: Nuthatches

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have a special ability to climb down trees headfirst, unlike most other birds. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails, and strong bills and feet.

Tree Climbers: Treecreepers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

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

Small Songbirds: Wrens

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are small and often hard to spot, but they have very loud songs. They have short wings and thin, downward-curved bills. Several species often hold their tails straight up.

Common Birds: Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized songbirds with strong feet. They fly strongly and directly and often gather in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a metallic shine.

Water Birds: Dippers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cinclidae

Dippers are small, stout birds that feed in cold, fast-moving streams. They are unique because they can walk underwater!

Songbirds: Thrushes and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of songbirds that are usually plump with soft feathers. They are small to medium-sized and eat insects or sometimes a mix of foods, often feeding on the ground. Many thrushes have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

This is a large family of small songbirds found mostly in the Old World (Europe, Asia, Africa). Most of the species listed here only appear in North America by accident. These birds vary a lot in how they look, but they usually have weak songs and harsh calls.

Ground Birds: Wagtails and Pipits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

Motacillidae is a family of small songbirds with medium to long tails. It includes wagtails and pipits. They are slender birds that eat insects on the ground in open areas.

Seed Eaters: Finches and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are songbirds that eat seeds. They are small to medium-sized and have strong, often cone-shaped beaks. They have a bouncy flight, flapping and then gliding with their wings closed. Most finches sing well.

Grassland Birds: Longspurs and Snow Buntings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

The Calcariidae are a group of songbirds often found in open grassy areas. They used to be grouped with New World sparrows but are now considered a separate family.

New World Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

These birds are often called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of them have unique patterns on their heads.

Colorful Songbirds: Troupials and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful songbirds found only in the New World. They include blackbirds and orioles. Most species have black feathers, often brightened with yellow, orange, or red.

New World Warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

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

See also

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List of birds of Kenai Fjords National Park Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.