Unit IX: Water Birds in Kansas
Information
American Coot
American Coot
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Family: Rallidae, the Rails, Gallinules and Coots.
Found in every county in Kansas.
Most common from late February through
November, but has been seen all year.
Found in marshes, ponds, rivers and lakes.
Not nearly as shy as the other rails.
Also called “mudhen”.
Eats mostly plants, but sometimes insects and
molluscs.
Canada Goose
Canada Geese
Canada Goose
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Several subspecies, characterized by different sizes and
coloration.
Found across Kansas, breeds locally, main migrations
occur in fall with groups staying until the water freezes,
then they move south and return again when water
thaws. Then main groups return north in the spring.
Usually pair for life.
Eats primarily natural grasses or cultivated cereals such
as wheat, often at some distance from their resting
areas. Also eat aquatic plants by dipping in shallow
water.
Greater White-fronted Goose
Greater White-fronted Goose
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Seen on ground, they look like small, dark
geese, up close you can see the pink bill, white
face and speckled belly.
Peak migrations in mid-November and late
February.
Graze on grasses, millet, wheat, waste grain,
submerged roots.
Bufflehead
Bufflehead
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Main migration in mid-November, and again in
late March-early April.
Some will stay around in winter until water
freezes.
Looks like it has a very large head, and is easily
identified by the large white patch (females have
a smaller patch on sides of head).
Diving duck, dives for invertebrates and some
fish, also eats a some aquatic vegetation.
Gadwall
Gadwall
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Found across Kansas.
Peak migration is in late March and early April,
and again in late October. Some stay in winter
until water freezes. Some may nest in summer,
especially in western half of state.
Eats primarily pond weeds, and seeds of grasses
and sedges.
Common Goldeneye
Common Goldeneye
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Winter resident, mostly found mid-December
through mid-March, as long as water is not
frozen.
Green sheen to head, gold eye, and white patch
between eye and bill is distinctive.
Strong diver, eats mostly crustaceans, mollusks,
insects, some fish, and also some seeds and
aquatic plants.
Hooded Merganser
Hooded Merganser
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
More common in eastern half than western half
of state.
Found during migration in spring and fall.
Prefers quiet waters with trees nearby.
Mergansers have characteristically small, thin,
dainty bills.
Eats fishes, frogs, crustaceans, insects obtained
by diving.
Mallard
Mallard
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Found throughout the state, nests here and is
found in winter until water freezes.
Our most wide-spread duck.
Peak migrations in late February – early March,
and then again in late November.
Eats mostly seeds and other plant parts, will also
eat insects and other invertebrates.
Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Found across state, nests here and can be found
in winter when water is not frozen.
Peak migration in early March and early
November.
A slim, elegant, well-known duck in Kansas.
Eats primarily vegetations, with some
invertebrates.
Ringneck Duck
Ringneck Duck
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Common spring migrant across state, uncommon in fall,
and can sometimes be found in winter when water is not
frozen.
Peak migration in late March, and in late October and
early November.
Birds are said to choose their favorite ponds or areas in
a marsh and return to them consistently.
Eats mostly aquatic vegetation, along with some
invertebrates caught while diving.
Redhead
Redhead
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and
Swans.
A common migrant statewide, can also be
found occasionally in summer and winter.
Peak migration in mid-March, and again
from mid-October to mid-November.
Eats mostly aquatic plants and algae, with
some insects.
Greater Scaup
Greater Scaup
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Very similar to Lesser Scaup, which is much more
common.
A migrant and winter resident.
In very good lighting conditions, the male Greater Scaup
has a green sheen to its head, and a more smoothly
rounded head than the purple head of the Lesser Scaup.
60% of diet is seeds and other parts of pondweeds,
aquatic plants, sedges, and grasses. Remainder is
animal food, chiefly amphipods, snails, other molluscs,
and insects.
Common Merganser
Common Merganser
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Common across Kansas during migration.
Most arrive in early November, and remain as
long as there is open water. When water
freezes, they move south, and then return when
water thaws. They depart northward in late
March.
Recognized by their loon-like appearance, and
long, slim bill.
Eats mostly animal food it catches while diving.
Lesser Scaup
Lesser Scaup
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Found across Kansas.
Common migrant in spring and fall, occurs occasionally
in summer and winter.
Peak migration in late March and mid-December.
In very good lighting conditions, the male has a purple
sheen to its head, and has a more peaked crown than
the Greater Scaup.
60% of diet is seeds and other parts of pondweeds,
aquatic plants, sedges, and grasses. Remainder is
animal food, chiefly amphipods, snails, other molluscs,
and insects.
American White Pelican
American White Pelican
American White Pelican
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Family: Pelecanidae, the Pelicans
Common bird found at Cheyenne Bottoms and
on the large reservoirs.
Migration peaks in April, and again in late
September to early October. Have been found in
summer and winter.
Unmistakable because it is so large (10-17 lbs),
white and has a large orange bill.
Has a 9-foot wingspan and can soar for hours.
Feeds in shallow waters on mostly fish.
Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
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Family: Phalacrocoracidae, the Cormorants
Regular spring and fall transient, especially in eastern
and central Kansas.
Migration peaks in mid-April and early October.
Have been found in summer and winter.
Normally occur in flocks and prefer lakes or ponds with
snags and dead trees.
Perch upright, often with wings extended in a “drying”
posture.
Has a 9-foot wingspan and can soar for hours.
Feeds almost entirely on fishes captured when they
swim underwater.
Pied-billed Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
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Family: Podicipediae, the Grebes.
Common throughout Kansas, has been found in all
months of the year.
Most migration falls in March, April and May; some
remain to breed; migrates again in September, October
and November; some remain through winter as long as
water is open.
Usually dives when disturbed, but can also “sink” out of
sight.
Eats small fish and invertebrates, caught while diving,
and also eats some plants.
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
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Family: Laridae, the Gulls, Terns and Skimmers.
Common throughout state, especially in central Kansas.
Have been reported all months of the year, but most
common mid-April to mid-June and late September to
late November.
Found around lakes, rivers, marshes, sometimes garbage
dumps.
Opportunistic feeder, eats anything from garbage to
insects, rodents and other small vertebrates.
Franklin’s Gull
Franklin’s Gull
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Family: Laridae, the Gulls, Terns and Skimmers.
Common throughout state, especially in central Kansas.
Have been reported all months of the year, but most
common mid-April to mid-June and late September to
late November.
A familiar sight to most Kansans, especially in spring
when thousands cross our state heading north.
Feeds primarily on insects, invertebrates, and sometimes
small rodents, often found as flocks of birds follow
tractors that are working fields. Also hunt in burned
prairies and along marshes.
Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Abundant migrant across the state, nests at Cheyenne
Bottoms, and is casual in winter.
Migration peaks from early to mid-April, and then from
mid-September to mid-October.
Breeding males are unmistakable with the white crescent
on their face, and males and females both have blue
patch on forewing.
Eats mostly seeds of aquatic plants, sedges and grasses,
but also their stems and leaves, along with mollusks,
crustaceans and insects.
Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler
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Family: Anatidae, the Ducks, Geese and Swans.
Common throughout Kansas, has been seen all months
but rare in winter.
Migration peaks in mid-April and early November, some
breed in the summer.
Eat by straining the surface of the water through their
bills.
Easily recognized by large sloping head and oversized
bill.
Eats mostly seeds and other plant parts strained from
the water surface, also some invertebrates.
References
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National Geographic Field Guide to North
American Birds.
Birds in Kansas, Volumes I and II, by Max
Thompson and Charles Ely.