Colaptes auratus auratus, C. A. LUTEUS, C. a. cANESCENS Status: “yellow-shafted flicker”: Common spring and fall migrant east and central, uncommon west. Common breeder east and central, uncommon west (Pine Ridge, North and South Platte river valleys). Fairly common winter visitor east and central, uncommon west. “red-shafted flicker”: Common winter visitor (altitudinal movement from Rocky Mountains) […]
WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE
COntopus sordidulus veliei Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant west, locally rare west central, rare casual elsewhere. Common regular breeder west, locally rare west central. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6396, 24 May 1900 Monroe Canyon, Sioux Co. Taxonomy: Four subspecies are recognized, two north of Mexico: saturatus from southeast Alaska to western Oregon, and veliei, […]
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
Contopus cooperi cooperi Status: Uncommon regular spring and fall migrant east, west, and Platte River Valley, rare elsewhere in central. Documentation: UNSM 6401, 14 Jun 1901 Warbonnet Canyon, Sioux Co. Taxonomy: AOU (1998) noted that this species was previously placed in the monotypic genus Nuttallornis, as N. borealis. Nuttallornis is now merged with Contopus, where […]
PEREGRINE FALCON
Falco peregrinus anatum, F. p. tundrius Status: Uncommon regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Locally uncommon regular resident east, extirpated west. Rare casual winter visitor statewide. Documentation: Specimens: UNSM ZM7696 (anatum) 14 May 1915 Garden Co; UNSM ZM7695 (tundrius) 5 May 1935 near Stapleton, Logan Co. Taxonomy: There are 16-19 subspecies recognized world-wide, three of […]
AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER
Picoides dorsalis dorsalis Status: Rare casual summer visitor west. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6345, 16 Jun 1916 Scotts Bluff Co (Swenk 1918). Taxonomy: Nearctic three-toed woodpeckers (Picoides dorsalis, American Three-toed Woodpecker, and P. arcticus, Black-backed Woodpecker) are split from the Palearctic species (P. tridactylus, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker) based on genetic and vocal differences (Banks et al 2003). American […]
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
Melanerpes carolinus Status: Common regular resident east and south, uncommon north, rare west. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6285, 9 Apr 1903 Roca, Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: No subspecies are currently recognized (Gill et al 2022). AOU (1957) listed four subspecies, the range of the northernmost, zebra, including Nebraska. Changes Since 2000: This species has continued to expand its […]