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List of birds of Oklahoma facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Oklahoma is a great place for birdwatching! This state is home to many different kinds of birds. As of May 2022, there were 488 types of birds officially recorded here. Some of these birds live in Oklahoma all the time. Others visit during summer or winter, or just pass through when they migrate. A few birds are very rare visitors, called "accidental" species. Some have been brought to North America by people, and sadly, a couple are now extinct. This list follows the scientific order used by bird experts.

Contents

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl: Amazing Swimmers

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

White-fronted.goose.750pix
Greater white-fronted goose
Trumpeter Swan Sasata
Trumpeter swan
Bluewingedteal54
Blue-winged teal
Bucephala clangula
Common goldeneye

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are built for life in the water. They have webbed feet to help them swim. Their bills are often flat, and their feathers are waterproof. This is thanks to special oils that keep them dry.

New World Quail: Small Ground Birds

Order: Galliformes   Family: Odontophoridae

New World quails are small, round birds that live on the ground. They look a bit like Old World quails but are not closely related.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies: Game Birds

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

Wild turkey eastern us
Wild turkey

This family includes pheasants and their relatives. They are ground birds that vary in size. Many are hunted for sport or raised for food.

Grebes: Diving Birds

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Podilymbus-podiceps-001
Pied-billed grebe

Grebes are small to medium-sized birds that dive in freshwater. They have special lobed toes that help them swim and dive very well. However, their feet are set far back on their bodies, making them clumsy on land.

Pigeons and Doves: Common Birds

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Zenaida macroura
Mourning dove

Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies, short necks, and thin bills.

Cuckoos: Unique Birds

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner-JRO
Greater roadrunner

This family includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Some cuckoos are known for laying their eggs in other birds' nests.

Nightjars and Allies: Nighttime Hunters

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

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

Swifts: Masters of Flight

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

ChimneySwift23
Chimney swift

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs and almost 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: Tiny, Fast Flyers

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae

Rubythroathummer65
Ruby-throated hummingbird

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

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots: Shy Water Birds

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

Amcootnoaa22
American coot

This is a large family of small to medium-sized birds. It includes rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. Most of these birds live in thick plants near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are often shy and hard to spot. They have strong legs and long toes, which are great for walking on soft, uneven ground. They tend to have short, rounded wings and are not strong fliers.

Limpkin: A Unique Wader

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Aramidae

The limpkin is a unique bird that looks like a large rail. However, its bones are more like those of cranes.

Cranes: Tall, Graceful Birds

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

WhoopingCrane23
Whooping cranes

Cranes are large birds with long legs and long necks. Unlike herons, which look similar, cranes fly with their necks stretched out. They are known for their fancy and loud courtship dances.

Stilts and Avocets: Long-Legged Waders

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

Black-necked Stilt
Black-necked stilt

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

Plovers and Lapwings: Shoreline Birds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

Snowy Plover srgb
Snowy plover

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

Sandpipers and Allies: Diverse Shorebirds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

UplandSandpiper23
Upland sandpiper
Calidris alpina
Dunlin
WilsonPhalarope23
Wilson's phalarope

This is a large and varied family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, godwits, and many others. Most of these birds eat small bugs they find in mud or soil. Different lengths of legs and bills allow many species to feed in the same places without competing for food.

Skuas and Jaegers: Agile Sea Hunters

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 fliers.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers: Coastal Birds

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Flying Laughing Gull
Laughing gull
RingBilledGull
Ring-billed gull
Leasttern54
Least tern

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. They are medium to large seabirds, usually gray or white. They often have black marks on their heads or wings. They have strong, longish bills and webbed feet.

Loons: Excellent Divers

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

RedthroatedLoon23
Red-throated loon

Loons are aquatic birds, about the size of a large duck. They are mostly gray or black and have spear-shaped bills. Loons swim very well and fly adequately. However, they are almost helpless on land because their legs are placed far back on their bodies.

Storks: Large Wading Birds

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Woodstork17
Wood stork

Storks are large, heavy birds with long legs and necks. They have long, strong bills and wide wings. Unlike other wading birds, storks do not have a special powder to clean fish slime from their feathers. They also do not have a voice box, so they are mute.

Frigatebirds: Aerial Masters

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

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

Boobies and Gannets: Plunge Divers

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.

  • Brown booby (Accidental)
  • Northern gannet (Hypothetical, Accidental)

Anhingas: Snake-like Swimmers

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae

Anhingas 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, looking like a snake.

Cormorants and Shags: Dark Water Birds

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Phalacrocorax-auritus-007
Double-crested cormorant

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

Pelicans: Birds with Pouches

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

White pelican02 - natures pics
American white pelican

Pelicans are very large water birds. They have a special pouch under their beak to scoop up fish. Like other birds in their group, they have four webbed toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns: Wading Birds

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

Egretta caerulea
Little blue heron

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: Unique Bills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

Roseatespoonbill60
Roseate spoonbill

This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings and long bodies and necks. Their bills are also long. Ibises have bills that curve downward, while spoonbills have bills that are straight and flat like a spoon.

New World Vultures: Nature's Clean-Up Crew

Order: Cathartiformes   Family: Cathartidae

TurkeyVultureInFlight
Turkey vulture

New World vultures are not closely related to Old World vultures, but they look similar because they evolved in similar ways. Like Old World vultures, they eat dead animals. However, New World vultures have a good sense of smell to find food, while Old World vultures rely on sight.

Osprey: Fish-Eating Raptors

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

OspreyNASA
Osprey

The Osprey family has only one type of bird. These are fish-eating birds of prey. They have very large, strong hooked beaks to tear meat. They also have strong legs, powerful claws, and excellent eyesight.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites: Powerful Hunters

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

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

Barn-Owls: Heart-Faced Hunters

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Schleiereule fws
Barn owl

Barn owls are medium to large owls. They have big heads and a special heart-shaped face. They also have long, strong legs with powerful claws.

Owls: Nighttime Predators

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

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

Kingfishers: Fisher Birds

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Megaceryle alcyon femelle
Belted kingfisher

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

Woodpeckers: Tree Drummers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Red-bellied woodpecker on railing
Red-bellied woodpecker

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

Falcons and Caracaras: Fast Hunters

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Americankestrel65
American Kestral

This family includes falcons and caracaras. They are birds of prey that are active during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks, not their claws.

New World and African Parrots: Colorful Talkers

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Parrots are small to large birds with a special curved beak. They can move their upper beak a little. All parrots have two toes pointing forward and two backward on each foot. Most of the over 150 types in this family live in the Americas.

Tyrant Flycatchers: Insect Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Empidonax traillii
Willow flycatcher
Tyrannus-tyrannus-001
Eastern kingbird

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. They don't have the complex songs of other songbirds. Most of them eat insects.

Vireos: Small Greenish Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

BellsvireoF1
Bell's vireo

Vireos are a group of small to medium-sized songbirds. They are usually greenish and look like wood-warblers, but they have heavier bills.

Shrikes: Impaling Hunters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Loggerhead128
Loggerhead shrike

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

Crows, Jays, and Magpies: Smart Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

Blackbilledmagpie12
Black-billed magpie
Corvus brachyrhynchos 1
American crow

This family includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. These birds are larger than average songbirds. Some of the bigger types are very intelligent.

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice: Small Woodland Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

Tufted Titmouse-27527-2
Tufted titmouse

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

Penduline-Tits: Tiny Insectivores

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Remizidae

Penduline-tits are a group of small songbirds related to the true tits. They eat insects.

Larks: Ground Birds with Songs

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small ground birds. They often have impressive songs and display flights. Most larks look quite plain. They eat insects and seeds.

Swallows: Aerial Feeders

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

Hirundo-rustica-001
Barn swallow

The swallow family is built for catching food while flying. They have slender bodies, long pointed wings, and short bills with wide mouths. Their feet are better for perching than walking.

Long-tailed Tits: Woven Nests

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Aegithalidae

Long-tailed tits are small songbirds with medium to long tails. They build woven bag-like nests in trees. Most of them eat a mix of food, including insects.

Kinglets: Tiny Crowned Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

RubycrownedKinglet23
Ruby-crowned kinglet

Kinglets are a small family of birds that look like titmice. They are very tiny birds that eat insects. Adult kinglets have colored crowns on their heads, which gives them their name.

Waxwings: Silky Feathers and Berries

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Cedarwaxwing
Cedar waxwing

Waxwings are birds with soft, silky feathers. They have unique red tips on some of their wing feathers. These tips look like sealing wax, which is how they got their name. These birds live in northern forests. They eat insects in summer and berries in winter.

Silky-Flycatchers: Crested Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Ptiliogonatidae

Silky-flycatchers are a small family of songbirds 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: Head-First Climbers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

WhitebreastedNuthatch23
White-breasted nuthatch

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

Treecreepers: Bark Explorers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

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

Gnatcatchers: Tiny Insect Hunters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Polioptilidae

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

Wrens: Loud Singers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 001200 05
Carolina wren

Wrens are small and often hard to see, but they have very loud songs. They have short wings and thin bills that curve downward. Several types often hold their tails straight up. All wrens eat insects.

Mockingbirds and Thrashers: Master Mimics

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

Mockingbird in Bay Ridge (85082)
Northern mockingbird

The mimids are a family of songbirds that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, and catbirds. These birds are famous for their singing. They can copy a wide range of other bird calls and outdoor sounds. They usually have dull gray and brown feathers.

Starlings: Social Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Common starling in london
European starling

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 shiny, metallic look.

Thrushes and Allies: Ground Feeders with Songs

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

American Robin 2006
American robin

Thrushes are a group of songbirds, mostly found in the Old World. They are plump, soft-feathered, and small to medium-sized. They eat insects or a mix of foods, often feeding on the ground. Many have beautiful songs.

Old World Sparrows: Small Seed Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

HouseSparrow23
House sparrow

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

Wagtails and Pipits: Ground-Feeding Insectivores

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

Anthus-rubescens-001
American pipit

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

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies: Cone-Billed Singers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Carduelis-tristis-002
American goldfinch

Finches are songbirds that eat seeds. They are small to medium-sized and have strong, often cone-shaped beaks. All finches have twelve tail feathers and nine main wing feathers. They fly in a bouncy way, flapping and then gliding with closed wings. Most finches sing well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings: Grassy Field Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

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

New World Sparrows: Diverse Head Patterns

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

Eastern Towhee-27527-3
Eastern towhee
Savannahsparrow58
Savannah sparrow

Until 2017, these birds were part of a different family. Most are called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of these birds have unique patterns on their heads.

Yellow-breasted Chat: A Unique Bird

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteriidae

This bird used to be grouped with the wood-warblers, but experts were not sure if it truly belonged there. In 2017, it was placed in its own family.

Troupials and Allies: Colorful New World Birds

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

WesternMeadowlark23
Western meadowlark

The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized songbirds found only in the Americas. They include grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. Most types have black as their main feather color, often with bright yellow, orange, or red.

New World Warblers: Small and Bright

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

Orangecrownedwarbler27
Orange-crowned warbler
Dendroica-fusca-001
Blackburnian warbler
Commonyellowthroat159
Common yellowthroat

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

Cardinals and Allies: Strong-Billed Seed Eaters

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

Painted Bunting, 2005, Edmond, Oklahoma USA
Painted bunting

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

Images for kids

See also

  • List of North American birds
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List of birds of Oklahoma Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.