Chicago Botanic Garden

enjoy your visit — Birding at the Garden

Birding: Birds A–C

Compiled by James F. Steffen, Richard Biss and Laurence C. Binford

 

PHOTO: Cardinal PHOTO: Black-capped Chickadee PHOTO: Sandhill Crane PHOTO: Yellow-headed Blackbird
Cardinal Black Capped Chicadee Sandhill Crane Yellow Headed Blackbird

 

SPECIES SPRING SUMMER FALL WINTER
Bittern, American VU      
Bittern, Least CA      
Blackbird, Brewer's*** CA CA CA  

Blackbird, Red-winged***
VC VC C CA
Blackbird, Rusty VU      

Blackbird, Yellow-headed
CA CA    

Bluebird, Eastern***
VU O CA  
Bobolink* FC O O  

Bufflehead
VC   VC C
Bunting, Dickcissel CA      

Bunting, Indigo***
FC U U  
Bunting,Snow CA   U CA
Canvasback U   U CA

Cardinal, Northern***
C C C FC

Catbird, Gray***
C FC FC AC
Chat, Yellow-breasted CA      

Chickadee, Black-capped***
C C C C

Coot, American
C   FC CA

Cormorant, Double-crested
U FC AB U

Cowbird, Brown-headed***
C C FC  
Cackling Goose     O CA

Crane, Sandhill
VU   VU  
Creeper, Brown FC   U CA
Crossbill, Red CA   CA  
Crossbill, White-winged       CA

Crow, American***
VC C VC C
Cuckoo, Black-billed* U O    

Cuckoo, Yellow-billed**
O O O  

 

KEY

Detectability

Regular (expected annually; defined as the average number of individual birds per birding day, week, or month expected by an experienced observer under normal circumstances in the proper habitat at the optimum time of season):

P= Permanent Residents (although wild birds are possible; look for clipped wing)
AB = Abundant (30+ per day)
VC = Very Common (10-30 per day)
C= Common (3-10 per day)
FC = Fairly Common (1-3 per day)
U = Uncommon (2 per week to 1 per day)
VU = Very Uncommon (3 per month to 2 per week)
R = Rare (1-3 per month)

Irregular (absent some years; defined as an average of one record by all observers in the stated number of years):

O = Occasional (1-3 years)
CA = Casual (3-11 years)
AC = Accidental (11+ years)

Designations for winter water birds are based on periods when lakes are mostly icefree.

Breeding

(***) Confirmed
(**) Probable
(*) Possible
(~)  Captive birds

Seasons

SP = Spring (March 6 - June 5)
SU = Summer (June 6 - August 15)
F = Fall (August 16 - November 30)
W = Winter (December 1 - March 5)