The following is a list of birds seen at Jewel Cave National Monument. Not all of the birds listed below are commonly spotted at the Monument; even the rare birds are included. The list is arranged in the order found in most field guides.

Abbreviation code:

Frequency of birds found in the park:

a = abundant, occurs in large numbers

c = common, occurs regularly in moderate numbers

u = uncommon, occurs regularly in numbers in proper habitat

r = rare or accidental


R = permanent resident

S = summer resident

W = winter resident

M = migrant, spring and/or fall

Bird (Frequency/Residency)

Great Blue Heron (r/S)

Turkey Vulture (u/S)

Mallard (c/M)

Blue-winged Teal (u/M)

Red-headed Merganser (r/S)

Gadwall (r/M)

Bald Eagle (u/W)

Sharp-shinned Hawk (u/S)

Cooper’s Hawk (u/S)

Northern Goshawk (u/R)

Red-tailed Hawk (u/S)

Golden Eagle (u/R)

American Kestrel (u/S)

Wild Turkey (c/R)

Semipalmated plover (r/M)

Killdeer (u/S)

Greater Yellowlegs (r/M)

Solitary Sandpiper (r/M)

Spotted Sandpiper (u/S)

Wilson’s Phalarope (r/M)

Franklin’s Gull (r/M)

Rock Pigeon (c/R)

Mourning Dove (u/S)

Great Horned Owl (c/R)

Long-eared Owl (u/S)

Northern Saw-whet Owl (u/S)

Common Nighthawk (c/S)

Common Poorwill (u/S)

White-throated Swift (u/S)

Rufous Hummingbird (u/S)

Lewis’ Woodpecker (u/S)

Red-headed Woodpecker (u/S)

Downy Woodpecker (u/R)

Hairy Woodpecker (c/R)

Black-backed Woodpecker (u/R)

Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted and red-shafted) (u/S)

Western Wood Pewee (c/S)

Dusky Flycatcher (c/S)

Cordilleran Flycatcher (u/S)

Western Kingbird (u/S)

Eastern Kingbird (u/S)

Loggerhead Shrike (u/S)

Plumbeous Vireo (u/S)

Warbling Vireo (u/S)

Red-eyed Vireo (u/S)

Gray Jay (u/R)

Blue Jay (u/R)

Pinyon Jay (u/R)

Clark’s Nutcracker (u/R)

Black-billed Magpie (u/R)

American Crow (c/R)

Tree Swallow(u/S)

Violet-green Swallow (c/S)

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (u/S)

Cliff Swallow (c/S)

Barn Swallow (c/S)

Black-capped Chickadee (c/R)

Red-breasted nuthatch (a/R)

White-breasted nuthatch (c/R)

Brown Creeper (u/R)

Rock Wren (c/S)

Canyon Wren (u/R)

House Wren (u/S)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (u/S)

Eastern Bluebird (u/S)

Mountain Bluebird (u/S)

Townsend’s Solitaire (c/R)

Swainson’s Thrush (u/M)

American Robin (c/S)

Cedar Waxwing (u/M)

Tennessee Warbler (r/M)

Orange-crowned Warbler (u/M)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (a/S)

American Redstart (u/M)

Ovenbird (c/S)

MacGillivray’s Warbler (u/S)

Common Yellowthroat (u/S)

Yellow-breasted Chat (u/S)

Western Tanager (c/S)

Black-headed Grosbeak (u/S)

Lazuli Bunting (u/S)

Indigo Bunting (r/S)

Spotted Towhee (u/S)

Chipping Sparrow (a/S)

Clay-colored Sparrow (u/M)

Field Sparrow (u/S)

Vesper sparrow (u/S)

Lark Sparrow (u/S)

Lincoln’s Sparrow (u/M)

Dark-eyed Junco (c/R)

Red-winged Blackbird (u/R)

Western Meadowlark (u/S)

Brewer’s Blackbird (c/S)

Brown-headed Cowbird (c/S)

Northern Oriole (r/M)

Cassin’s Finch (u/S)

Red Crossbill (a/R)

Pine Siskin (c/R)

American Goldfinch (u/S)

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Mailing Address:

11149 U.S. Hwy. 16
Building B12

Custer, SD 57730


(605) 673-8300
Park Information

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