This list comprises all of the 263 bird species which have been documented to date in the Timiskaming Area of Ontario, on the basis of specimens, photographs, recordings or documented observations accepted by the Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC).

Classification and nomenclature follow the American Ornithologists' Union (A.O.U.) Check-list of North American Birds, 7th Edition, 1998, and its 42nd - 48th supplements.  Ordering of species also follows these sources. 

Abundance and Status codes are assigned based on the records and observations of Timiskaming area birders.  Approximate arrival and departure dates are given for each non-resident species.  These represent average, or in some cases estimated, dates. If insufficient local data is available, dates have been taken from William C. Mansell's 1985 book "Birds of the Cottage Country", covering areas south of North Bay, and are intended as a starting point from which to build.  Local earliest and latest observation dates are sometimes also provided in the individual species notes.  Special thanks to the following primary information providers for their past and ongoing contributions: Bruce Murphy, Barry Kinch, Gertrude and Paul Trudel, and Michael Werner.  Many other individuals have provided information through participation in Christmas bird counts, assistance in bird banding operations, bird feeder observations, and by providing information to one of the primary contributors. Unfortunately, all of these contributors cannot be acknowledged here, but their collective participation is a vital part of the compilation and maintenance of this list.  Any errors or discrepancies should be brought to the attention of the webmaster by sending mail to webmaster @ [this domain] (where "[this domain]" is "timbirds.info").

A Word About The Photographs

All of the photographs appearing in the Timiskaming Birds web site were taken within the geographic area covered by this checklist.  Bird photographs taken in the Timiskaming area can be forwarded directly to the webmaster by email to webmaster @ [this domain] (where [this domain] is "timbirds.info"). Prints or slides may be sent to P.O. Box 351, Englehart, Ontario, P0J 1H0. If you would like them returned, please include a self-addressed, stamped return envelope. Photographs should be well focused, correctly exposed, and must have been taken in Timiskaming.  Birds in a natural setting are preferable to birds at feeders or in-the-hand. Photographs will be used at the sole discretion of the webmaster.  Copyright for all photographs remains with the photographer, and photos cannot be used without the express written permission of the photographer.  Please include the following information with all photo submissions:

1. Your name. If you are not the photographer we must be able to confirm that the photographer has given permission for use of his/her photos on this web site.

2. The date and location of the photograph.

3. Other information such as age, sex, and subspecies are welcome.

4. You may include camera/lens/settings information if you wish.

LEGEND TO CODES

Abundance Codes  Note that the abundance of many species varies considerably from season to season. The code shown for each species applies to season of greatest abundance for that species.  The status code, arrival and departure dates then serve to clarify the seasonality of abundance.  One will also note from the definitions provided below that the abundance codes are, more properly, indicators of the ease and frequency of sighting for any given species than of actual abundance.
A =	Abundant	Very numerous throughout the area, often in a variety of habitats.
C =	Common	Likely to be seen in suitable habitat.
U =	Uncommon	Normally present in proper habitat but cannot be sure of finding one in a given day.
O =	Occasional	Usually present in small numbers but specialized habitat, secretive nature or nocturnal habits may make them hard to find.
R =	Rare	Definitely not expected - occurs only a few times, and sometimes not at all, in a given year.
X =	Out of range	Species is well out of normal range. Only one to a few records exist for the area.

  

Status Codes
B	=	breeding
R	=	resident
M	=	migrant
W	=	winter visitor
A	=	accidental

 

For ease of navigation, use these shortcuts to points on the list:

| Geese, Swans, Ducks and Grouse | Loons, Grebes, Fulmar, Cormorants, Herons and Bitterns |

| Vultures, Hawks, Falcons and Eagles | Rails, Coots, Cranes, Shorebirds | Gulls, Terns and Alcids |

| Doves, Cuckoos, Owls, Goatsuckers and Swifts | Hummingbirds, Woodpeckers and Flycatchers |

| Shrikes, Vireos, Jays, Crows, Larks and Swallows | Chickadees, Nuthatches, Wrens, Kinglets |

| Thrushes, Mockingbirds, Thrashers, Starlings, Pipits and Waxwings | Wood Warblers |

| Tanagers, Sparrows, Juncos, Buntings | Finches and Blackbirds | 

 

			Official Common Name	Latin Name		Abundance	Status	Spring Arrival	Spring Departure	Fall Arrival	Fall Departure
	Geese, Swans, Ducks and Grouse
Notes		+	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons		R	M
Notes			Snow Goose	Chen caerulescens		U	M	Mar. 20	May 18	Oct. 1	Nov. 16
Notes		+	Brant	Branta bernicla		O	M	May 14	June 9	Oct. 20	Nov. 7
Notes			Cackling Goose	Branta hutchinsii		O	M	Apr. 7	May 10	Sept. 17	Oct. 30
Notes			Canada Goose	Branta canadensis		A	M	Apr. 7	May 10	Sept. 17	Oct. 30
Notes		»	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor		X	M	Jan. 15	Feb. 18
Notes		+	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator		R	M
Notes		+	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus		O	M	Apr. 6	May 10	Oct. 14	Nov 4.
Notes			Wood Duck	Aix sponsa		C	B	Apr. 17	-	-	Oct. 11
Notes		+	Gadwall	Anas strepera		O	B	May 11	-	-	Aug. 25
Notes			American Wigeon	Anas americana		C	B	Apr. 18	-	-	Oct. 16
Notes			American Black Duck	Anas rubripes		C	B	Apr. 7	-	-	Nov. 7
Notes			Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos		A	B	Apr. 21	-	-	Nov. 3
Notes			Blue-winged Teal	Anas discors		C	B	Apr. 27	-	-	Oct. 4
Notes			Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata		C	B	Apr. 24	-	-	Sept. 1
Notes			Northern Pintail	Anas acuta		C	M	Mar. 1	May 17	Oct. 10	Nov. 15
Notes			Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca		C	B	Apr. 27	-	-	Oct. 7
Notes		+	Canvasback	Aythya valisineria		R	M	Apr. 16	Apr. 16	Oct. 6	Oct. 29
Notes		+	Redhead	Aythya americana		R	M	Jan. 10	Apr. 17	Sept. 13	Oct. 31
Notes			Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris		C	B	Apr. 19	-	-	Oct. 20
Notes		+	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila		O	B	Mar. 11	-	-	Nov. 21
Notes			Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis		C	B	Apr. 12	-	-	Dec. 7
Notes		+	White-winged Scoter	Melanitta fusca		R	M	May 15	June 15	Sept. 11	Oct. 26
Notes		+	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis		O	M	Mar. 6	May 20	Oct. 25	Dec. 11
Notes			Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola		C	M	Apr. 15	May 16	Oct. 29	Dec. 17
Notes			Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula		C	B	Mar. 12	-	-	Dec. 6
Notes		»	Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica		X	M		Jan. 5	Nov. 25
Notes			Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus		C	B	Apr. 4	-	-	Nov. 18
Notes			Common Merganser	Mergus merganser		C	B	Apr. 10	-	-	Nov. 17
Notes			Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator		C	B	Apr. 19	-	-	Nov. 4
Notes		+	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis		O	B		-	-	Oct. 15
Notes			Ruffed Grouse	Bonasa umbellus		C	R	-	-	-	-
Notes			Spruce Grouse	Falcipennis canadensis		U	R	-	-	-	-
	Loons, Grebes, Fulmar, Cormorants, Herons and Bitterns
Notes		+	Red-throated Loon	Gavia stellata		R	M			Sept. 15	Nov. 17
Notes		+	Pacific Loon	Gavia pacifica		R	M
Notes			Common Loon	Gavia immer		C	B	Apr. 1	-	-	Nov. 13
Notes			Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps		C	B	Apr. 7	-	-	Sept. 4
Notes		+	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus		O	M	Apr. 21	May 16	Aug. 5	Oct. 3
Notes		+	Red-necked Grebe	Podiceps grisegena		O	M	Feb. 23	May 12	Aug. 13	Oct. 1
Notes		»	Eared Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis		X	M
Notes		»	Northern Fulmar	Fulmarus glacialis		X	M
Notes		»	Northern Gannet	Morus bassanus		X	M
Notes		+	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos		R	M
Notes			Double-crested Cormorant	Phalacrocorax auritus		U	M	Apr. 23	-	-	Dec. 29
Notes			American Bittern	Botaurus lentiginosus		C	B	Apr. 23	-	-	Sept. 19
Notes		»	Great Egret	Ardea alba		X	M
Notes			Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias		C	B	Apr. 5	-	-	Nov. 10
Notes		»	Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis		X	M
	Vultures, Hawks, Falcons and Eagles
Notes			Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura		U	B	Apr. 20	-	-	Sept. 19
Notes			Osprey	Pandion haliaetus		U	B	Apr. 24	-	-	Sept. 11
Notes		+	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus		O	B	Feb. 3	-	-	Nov. 22
Notes			Northern Harrier	Circus cyaneus		C	B	Apr. 8	-	-	Oct. 22
Notes			Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus		U	B	Apr. 27	-	-	Oct. 2
Notes		+	Cooper's Hawk	Accipiter cooperii		O	B	Apr. 26	-	-	Nov. 11
Notes			Northern Goshawk	Accipiter gentilis		U	B	Feb. 5	-	-	Nov. 12
Notes		+	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus		O	B	Apr. 13	-	-	Sept. 18
Notes			Broad-winged Hawk	Buteo platypterus		C	B	Apr. 21	-	-	Sept. 9
Notes			Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis		O	B	Mar. 29	-	-	Nov. 8
Notes			Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus		C	M	Apr. 12	-	-	Nov. 17
Notes		+	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos		R	M	Feb. 13	May21	Aug. 29	Dec. 10
Notes			American Kestrel	Falco sparverius		C	B	Apr. 7	-	-	Oct. 3
Notes			Merlin	Falco columbarius		U	B	Apr. 1	-	-	Oct. 1
Notes		+	Gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus		R	M	Mar. 11	May 4	Oct. 18	Dec. 22
Notes		+	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus		O	B	Apr. 15	-	-	Sept. 25
	Rails, Coots, Cranes, Shorebirds
Notes		+	Yellow Rail	Coturnicops noveboracensis		O	B		-	-
Notes			Virginia Rail	Rallus limicola		O	B	May 2	-	-	Aug. 23
Notes			Sora	Porzana carolina		C	B	May 18	-	-	Sept. 17
Notes		»	Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus		X	M	May 11	-	-	Sept. 18
Notes			American Coot	Fulica americana		C	B	May 10	-	-	Sept. 19
Notes			Sandhill Crane	Grus canadensis		A	B	May 23	-	-	Aug. 5
Notes		+	Black-bellied Plover	Pluvialis squatarola		U	M	May 23	June 8	Aug. 27	Sept. 30
Notes		+	American Golden-Plover	Pluvialis dominica		U	M			Sept. 7	Oct. 19
Notes			Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus		U	B	May 23	-	-	Aug. 28
Notes			Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus		C	B	May 28	-	-	Oct. 5
Notes			Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius		C	B	May 9	-	-	Sept. 2
Notes			Solitary Sandpiper	Tringa solitaria		U	B	May 14	-	-	Sept. 13
Notes			Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca		C	M	May 1	May 16	Aug. 3	Oct. 12
Notes		»	Willet	Tringa semipalmata		R	M			Aug. 25	Aug. 25
Notes			Lesser Yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes		C	M	May 8	May 23	Aug. 7	Aug. 29
Notes		+	Upland Sandpiper	Bartramia longicauda		R	B	May 11	-	-	Aug. 1
Notes		+	Hudsonian Godwit	Limosa haemastica		R	M
Notes		+	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres		R	M	May 24	May 25	Sept. 9	Oct. 24
Notes		+	Red Knot	Calidris canutus		R	M
Notes			Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla		O	M	May 27	June 6	Aug. 11	Oct. 5
Notes			Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla		C	B	May 17	-	-	Sept. 25
Notes			White-rumped Sandpiper	Calidris fuscicollis		O	M	June 8	June 8	Aug. 7	Oct. 8
Notes		+	Baird's Sandpiper	Calidris bairdii		R	M			Aug. 19	Aug. 19
Notes			Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos		U	M	May 13	May 13	July 15	Oct. 8
Notes			Dunlin	Calidris alpina		C	M	May 20	May 31	Sept. 17	Oct. 13
Notes			Short-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus griseus		O	M	May 7	May 17	Aug. 4	Aug. 4
Notes		+	Long-billed Dowitcher	Limnodromus scolopaceus		R	M	May 7	May 17	Aug. 4	Aug. 4
Notes			Wilson's Snipe*	Gallinago delicata		C	B	Apr. 15	-	-	Oct. 15
Notes			American Woodcock	Scolopax minor		C	B	Apr. 5	-	-	Oct. 13
Notes		+	Wilson's Phalarope	Phalaropus tricolor		U	M	May 24			Aug. 3
Notes		+	Red-necked Phalarope	Phalaropus lobatus		R	M			Aug. 18	Sept. 17
	Gulls, Terns and Alcids
Notes			Bonaparte's Gull	Larus philadelphia		C	B	May 11	-	-	Sept. 28
Notes			Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis		A	B	Mar. 21	-	-	Oct. 5
Notes			Herring Gull	Larus argentatus		C	B	Mar. 26	-	-	Nov. 17
Notes		+	Iceland Gull	Larus glaucoides		R	M
Notes		»	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus		X	M
Notes		+	Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus		R	M		Jan. 9	Oct. 30
Notes		+	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus		R	M			Oct. 11	Nov. 2
Notes		+	Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia		R	M
Notes		+	Black Tern	Chlidonias niger		U	B	May 13	-	-	Sept. 16
Notes			Common Tern	Sterna hirundo		U	B	May 17	-	-	Sept. 14
Notes			Arctic Tern	Sterna paradisaea		O	M
Notes		»	Thick-billed Murre	Uria lomvia		X
	Doves, Cuckoos, Owls, Goatsuckers and Swifts
Notes			Rock Pigeon*	Columba livia		A	R	-	-	-	-
Notes			Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura		C	R	-	-	-	-
Notes		+	Yellow-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus americanus		R	A	June 9	-	-	Sept. 10
Notes		+	Black-billed Cuckoo	Coccyzus erythropthalmus		R	B	May 25	-	-	Aug. 29
Notes		»	Eastern Screech Owl	Megascops asio		X	B	Feb. 4	-	-	Aug. 20
Notes			Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus		U	R	-	-	-	-
Notes		+	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiaca		R	W		Apr. 19	Oct. 24
Notes		+	Northern Hawk Owl	Surnia ulula		O	W		Mar. 12	Oct. 17
Notes			Barred Owl	Strix varia		U	B	Feb. 4	-	-	Nov. 24
Notes		+	Great Gray Owl	Strix nebulosa		O	B	Feb. 9	-	-	Dec. 20
Notes		+	Long-eared Owl	Asio otus		O	B	May 8	-	-	Dec. 1
Notes		+	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus		R	B	June 28	-	-	Sept. 26
Notes		+	Boreal Owl	Aegolius funereus		U	W	Feb. 1	Mar. 8	Nov. 14	Dec. 20
Notes		+	Northern Saw-whet Owl	Aegolius acadicus		C	M	Feb. 23	Apr. 28	Aug. 3	Nov. 11
Notes			Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor		U	B	May 17	-	-	Aug. 28
Notes			Whip-poor-will	Caprimulgus vociferus		O	B	May 6	-	-	Sept. 6
Notes			Chimney Swift	Chaetura pelagica		U	B	May 9	-	-	Aug. 22
	Hummingbirds, Woodpeckers and Flycatchers
Notes			Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris		C	B	May 15	-	-	Sept. 3
Notes		»N	Rufous Hummingbird	Selasphorus rufus		X	A
Notes			Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon		C	B	Apr. 28	-	-	Oct. 28
Notes		»	Lewis's Woodpecker	Melanerpes lewis		X	A
Notes		+	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus		R	A	May 3	-	-	Oct. 1
Notes			Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius		C	B	Apr. 17	-	-	Sept. 17
Notes			Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens		C	R	-	-	-	-
Notes			Hairy Woodpecker	Picoides villosus		C	R	-	-	-	-
Notes		+	American Three-toed Woodpecker *	Picoides dorsalis		O	R	-	-	-	-
Notes		+	Black-backed Woodpecker	Picoides arcticus		O	R	-	-	-	-
Notes			Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus		C	B	Apr. 14	-	-	Sept. 29
Notes			Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus		U	R	-	-	-	-
Notes		+	Olive-sided Flycatcher	Contopus cooperi		O	B	May 20	-	-	Aug. 22
Notes		+	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens		O	B	May 20	-	-	Sept. 5
Notes			Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	Empidonax flaviventris		U	B	May 24	-	-	Aug. 27
Notes			Alder Flycatcher	Empidonax alnorum		C	B	May 16	-	-	Aug. 29
Notes			Least Flycatcher	Empidonax minimus		C	B	May 11	-	-	Aug. 26
Notes		+	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe		O	B	Apr. 15	-	-	Sept. 11
Notes		+	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus		R	B	May 14	-	-	Aug. 26
Notes			Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus		C	B	May 12	-	-	Aug. 26
Notes		»	Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	Tyrannus forficatus