Falco columbarius columbarius, F. c. richardsonii Status: Uncommon regular spring and fall migrant statewide. Rare casual breeder northwest (richardsonii). Uncommon regular winter visitor statewide (richardsonii), south (columbarius). Documentation: Specimens: UNSM ZM12536, 20 Oct 1906 Omaha, Douglas Co (richardsonii), UNSM ZM7702, 1 Oct 1940 Stapleton, Logan Co (columbarius). Taxonomy: Nine subspecies are recognized, six in Eurasia […]
DOWNY WOODPECKER
Dryobates pubescens medianus, D. p. leucurus Status: Common regular resident east and central, fairly common west. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM12374, 25 Nov 1893 Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: Genus Dryobates includes species previously assigned to genera Dendrocopos and Picoides, including Nuttall’s, Ladder-backed, and Downy Woodpeckers of North America (Fuchs and Pons 2015, Chesser et al 2018). There are […]
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER
Melanerpes erythrocephalus Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant east and central, fairly common west. Common regular breeder east and central, uncommon west. Uncommon regular winter visitor extreme southeast, rare elsewhere east and east central, rare casual elsewhere. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM6290, 5 Jun 1981 Gage Co. Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025). Spring: […]
WILLIAMSON’S SAPSUCKER
Sphyrapicus thyroideus Status: Rare casual spring and fall visitor east and central. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM15986, 13 May 1988 Omaha, Douglas Co. Taxonomy: Two subspecies are recognized (AviList 2025), thyroideus of the Pacific Coast region and nataliae of the Rocky Mountains. Spring: There are five reports, three documented: 24 Mar 1939, male at Hastings, Adams […]
SHORT-EARED OWL
Asio flammeus flammeus Status: Rare regular resident north and west. Uncommon regular winter visitor statewide. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM7740, 4 Dec 1902 Kirkwood, Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: There are 11 subspecies currently recognized, only one, flammeus, occurring in North America, the other 10 subspecies are distributed worldwide except for Australia; several are island endemics (AviList 2025). […]
LONG-EARED OWL
Asio otus wilsonianus, A. o. tuftsi Status: Fairly common regular winter visitor statewide. Uncommon regular resident north, rare south. Documentation: Specimen: UNSM ZM12786, 9 May 1892 Waverly, Lancaster Co. Taxonomy: Four subspecies are recognized, one each in Eurasia and Africa, and two in North America, tuftsi from western Canada to northern Mexico, and wilsonianus from south-central […]