United States Ramsar wetland
Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge
232 bird species recorded; the most in May.
USFWS Mountain-Prairie · Public domain
This month here
49 species in January.25 species in February.82 species in March.161 species in April.190 species in May.158 species in June.153 species in July.163 species in August.147 species in September.140 species in October.72 species in November.71 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
VU
NT
NT
VU
NT
NT
VU
NT
NT
VU
NT
NTNT
NTVU
NT
VU
NT
NTVU
NT
NT
NTNTNT
VU
VU
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
232 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 232Speciesrecorded more than once
- 179Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 13ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 20,817Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 392 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 15Raptors
- 4Owls
- 31Waders
- 11Gulls & seabirds
- 28Ducks & geese
- 19Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 101Songbirds
- 21Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 232 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis
- Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Burrowing OwlAthene cunicularia
Waders31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Bartram's SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
Gulls & seabirds11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- California GullLarus californicus
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
Ducks & geese28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- RedheadAythya americana
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera
- Green-winged tealAnas carolinensis
Herons, ibises & grebes19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Western GrebeAechmophorus occidentalis
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Clark's GrebeAechmophorus clarkii
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
- Whooping CraneGrus americana
Songbirds101 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Sturnella neglectaSturnella neglecta
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalusNT
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querulaNT
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Say's phoebeSayornis saya
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- LeConte's SparrowAmmospiza leconteii
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Chestnut-collared LongspurCalcarius ornatusVU
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Lark BuntingCalamospiza melanocorys
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- Sprague's PipitAnthus spragueiiVU
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
Other birds21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- American CootFulica americana
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- Sharp-tailed GrouseTympanuchus phasianellus
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan-5°/-15°14 mm
- Feb-3°/-14°17 mm
- Mar5°/-6°27 mm
- Apr14°/0°50 mm
- May20°/7°86 mm
- Jun26°/14°107 mm
- Jul30°/17°82 mm
- Aug28°/15°68 mm
- Sep23°/10°65 mm
- Oct13°/2°55 mm
- Nov5°/-5°16 mm
- Dec-3°/-12°24 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
Protected area in South Dakota
Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States, 392 m above the sea.
232 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 20,817 open records.
The most recorded are the Killdeer, the Canada Goose and the Mallard.
121 species come for the summer, 50 for the winter and 8 only pass through.
13 are threatened worldwide, including Lesser yellowlegs, White-rumped Sandpiper and Marbled Godwit.
The most species are recorded in May.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- Aberdeen Regional Airport (ABR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 38 km in a straight lineCar hire in JamestownDiscover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- campsites within 10 km
- places to stay within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas1 mountains within 25 kmCannon Hill · 23 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7415829) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 20,817 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
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Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
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Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
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