While floating down one of the many rivers in Missouri, besides enjoying the great outdoors a person can also partake of some excellent bird watching opportunities. Whether in a canoe, raft or kayak, floating is a pleasurable and fun activity which provides many hours of enjoyment for people of all ages. With the clear and beautiful water, gently moving through densely wooded forests, a person is likely to see some incredible sites and make memories which will last a lifetime.
Bird watching is a hobby which many people enjoy, and it has become one of the most common of all spectator sports in America. There are more than 800 different species of birds in the United States and more than 400 have been identified in the state of Missouri. The reason for the large amounts of birds in the state is because of the wide open spaces and diverse habitats, and as a result, there is a multitude of birds to watch in any season.
With the oak and hickory filled forests and pure rivers, lakes and streams, it is possible to see many different types of birds whether floating or camping on the Missouri rivers. The following is a sample list of some the different types of birds which either migrate or make their home in Missouri (but not all are included here):
- Black-bellied Whistling Duck
- Greater White-fronted Goose
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck
- Brant
- Ross’s Goose
- Barnacle Goose
- Wood Duck
- Cackling Goose
- Canada Goose
- Tundra Swan
- Gadwall
- Mute Swan
- Trumpeter Swan
- Mallard
- American Black Duck
- Eurasian Wigeon
- American Wigeon
- Wild Turkey
- Mottled Duck
- Greater Prairie-Chicken
- Blue-winged Teal
- Cinnamon Teal
- Ruffed Grouse
- Northern Shoveler
- Northern Pintail
- Ring-necked Pheasant
- Garganey
- Northern Bobwhite
- Ruddy Duck
- Green-winged Teal
- Canvasback
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Common Merganser
- Hooded Merganser
- Smew
- Redhead
- Ring-necked Duck
- Greater Scaup
- Lesser Scaup
- Barrow’s Goldeneye
- Common Goldeneye
- Long-tailed Duck
- Harlequin Duck
- Black Scoter
- White-winged Scoter
- Surf Scoter
- Yellow-crowned Night Heron
- Red-throated Loon
- Pacific Loon
- Yellow-billed Loon
- Black-crowned Night Heron
- Green Heron
- Tricolored Heron
- Little Blue Heron
- Snowy Egret
- Great Egret
- Brown Pelican
- American White Pelican
- Neotropic Cormorant
- Magnificent Frigatebird
- Wood Stork
- Clark’s Grebe
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Broad-winged Hawk
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Northern Goshawk
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Swainson’s Hawk
- Ferruginous Hawk
- White-faced Ibis
- Roseate Spoonbill
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
- Osprey
- Swallow-tailed Kite
- Mississippi Kite
- White-tailed Kite
- Bald Eagle
- American Coot
- Purple Gallinule
- Piping Plover
- Kildeer
- Black-necked Stilt
- Whooping Crane
- Prairie Falcon
- King Rail
- Yellow Rail
- Virginia Rail
- Mountain Plover
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Solitary Sandpiper
- American Kestrel
- Golden Eagle
- American Bald Eagle
- Sora
- Red Knot
- Sanderling
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Semipalmated Sandpiper
- Red-necked/Little Stint
- Stilt Sandpiper
- Whimbrel
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Willet
- Eskimo Curlew
- Dunlin
- Ruff
- American Avocet
- Sabine’s Gull
- Wilson’s Snipe
- American Woodcock
- Wilson’s Phalarope
- Black-headed Gull
- Franklin’s Gull
- Thayer’s Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
No matter what time of year it might be, the state of Missouri is a veritable birdwatchers haven for viewing a wide array of different species. While the above mentioned list is just a brief overview of a few of the hundreds of different species, if you enjoy bird watching, pack up the binoculars and take along your bird field guide because you’re in for a real treat when you incorporate bird watching into your float trip down one of the Missouri rivers.
