Birds of the Basin

Each year, 7 to 9 million ducks and 3 to 5 million geese stop in the Rainwater Basin.

They arrive in late February or early March and stay for about three weeks. In any one wetland, it is possible to see concentrations of one million birds or more!

The duck and goose population includes:

90% of the mid-continent white-fronted goose population
50% of the mid-continent mallard population
30% of the continent’s northern pintail population
50% of the mid-continent snow goose population

At least 257 species of birds have been observed in the Rainwater Basin including:

25 species of waterfowl
27 species of shorebirds
5 threatened and endangered species including whooping cranes, bald eagles, least terns, piping plovers and peregrine falcons

Other wildlife in the wetlands include whitetail deer, coyotes, red foxes, muskrats and prairie dogs.

	White-fronted Goose This bird is named for the distinctive white band found at the base of the bill. The head, neck and upper back are grayish brown, while the lower back and rump are dark brown. The dark brown tail is edged with white. The majority of white-fronted geese breed near the Arctic Circle from Alaska to central Canada.
	Mallard The mallard is one of the most recognized of all ducks. The male mallard’s white neck ring separates the green head from the chestnut brown chest. Mallards have one of the most extensive breeding ranges of any duck in North America. The greatest concentrations migrate from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to the Mississippi Alluvial Valley.
	Northern Pintail Pintails are long, slender ducks with long, narrow wings. They are named for their elongated central tail feather which makes up about one-fourth of a drake’s body length. Pintails using the Central Flyway winter in the Texas Panhandle and the Gulf Coast of Texas and western Louisiana.
	Lesser Snow Goose These vocal birds can be heard from more than a mile away. They have two color phases: a dark (blue) plumage and white (snow) plumage. In the white phase, they are completely white except for black wing tips. Their pinkish bills are enhanced by a black “grinning patch.” Lesser snow geese can hybridize with Ross’ geese, which are similar in appearance.
	Ross’ Goose The smallest of the three varieties of white geese that breed in North America, the Ross’ goose lacks the black “grinning patch” that is typical of the greater and lesser snow geese. They can be distinguished from snow geese by their smaller size, more rapid wing beat and higher pitched call.