Alaska - Kenai National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife

Bird List

COMMON LOON

Common Loon. USFWS The Kenai NWR supports a variety of bird species including several species of waterbirds in its hundreds of lakes and ponds. The refuge has one of the highest densities of nesting common loons in North America. The loon is among the strongest and deepest swimmers in the bird world, reaching depths of 600 ft. where they look for fish and crustaceans to eat. Loons have heavier bones than most birds, allowing them to overcome buoyancy. They can also squeeze all the air from under their feathers and deflate their lungs to further facilitate diving. Because their specific gravity is so close to that of water, they can sink straight down with hardly a surface ripple.

TRUMPETER SWAN

Trumpeter Swan. USFWS Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl on earth: males average 28 lbs. but can weigh up to 40 lbs.; females are slightly smaller. Although not abundant, trumpeter swans are found throughout lakes, streams, and ponds on the Kenai NWR. Banding and telemetry studies have documented local movements of swans among lakes on the Refuge, and their migratory movements to British Columbia and northwest Washington state where many overwinter. A small number of swans also overwinter at the outlet of Skilak Lake during mild winters.

SNOW GOOSE

Snow Goose. USFWS The Kenai River Flats is a vital refueling stop for snow geese as they migrate north in the spring. The flats are one of the first habitats in Southcentral Alaska to become ice- free (mid-April), and provide an abundance of freshly sprouting greens and starchy plant roots. As many as 50,000 - 100,000 snow geese may pass through and over the Kenai River Flats during their northward migration to nest on Wrangell Island in Siberia.

BALD EAGLE

Bald Eagle. USFWS Bald eagles are a common sight on the Kenai NWR, nesting in tall cottonwoods, birch and sometimes spruce trees. Fish comprise the majority of the diet, although eagles will sometimes take small mammals and waterfowl. Eagles will commonly scavenge carrion, which is why they are often times seen standing by roadkills. Juvenile bald eagles are usually covered in mottled brown plumage and do not molt into distinctive white heads and tails until they are about 4-5 years old -about the time they are sexually mature. Known to live 20 or more years, bald eagles establish long term pair bonds and, when possible, return to the same nest year after year. Up to 600 bald eagles have been observed overwintering along the upper Kenai river.

SPRUCE GROUSE

Spruce Grouse. USFWS The spruce grouse is common on the Kenai NWR, but populations vary from year to year. It prefers spruce-birch forests with lush understory plants. The spruce grouse eludes winter starvation by subsisting on spruce needles. Special bacteria in their gut help the birds digest winter roughage until they can return to the more palatable spring diet of berries, insects, plants and seeds.

ARCTIC TERN

Arctic terns travel up to 24,000 miles/year: migrating from the Antarctic to the Arctic in Spring, then back again in the Fall. On the Kenai NWR, arctic terns nest in relatively small colonies on tide flats, beaches, and meadows. These birds defend their nests aggressively and seem willing to attack any intruder. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the young when they hatch. Less than 3 months later, the parents and offspring begin the southward migration.

BELTED KINGFISHER

The belted kingfisher is one of the few bird species in North America in which the female has more color than the male. They are found year round along the Kenai River (some apparently do not migrate to the southern coast of Alaska), and catch fish by diving in the water head first. Nests are 3-7 ft. long tunnels, 3-4 inches in diameter, excavated by both the male and female in sandy or gravel-like banks.

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER

Olive-sided flycatchers occur in low numbers in mature forests on the Kenai NWR. This flycatcher has become a "species of concern" since the Breeding Bird surveys have shown that their numbers have steadily declined in recent years. A singing Olive-sided flycatcher can be easily recognized by its unique 3-note call "Quick- three -beers".

BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE

Black-capped Chickadee. USFWS Black-capped chickadees reside year round on the Kenai NWR. At extremely low temperatures, chickadees must eat at least 20 times more than usual to maintain their body heat and stay alive. Chickadees spend cold nights in a state of controlled hypothermia, maintaining lowered body temperatures with periodic fits of shivering. Flocks of 6-12 birds, composed of a 1-2 established pairs, some newly paired juveniles, and a few floaters will gather into a flock that stays together throughout the winter. The birds help each other find food and watch for predators, and at night they roost together for warmth in protected pockets of spruce boughs. Flocks generally break up into pairs for the summer.

AMERICAN DIPPER

The dipper is the only truly aquatic songbird in the world, and can swim underwater -- but once submerged, it prefers to walk along the bottom, grasping rocks with its toes, head bent into the current, looking for fish, or aquatic insects to eat. The dipper is found along the Kenai River and in nearby creeks and streams throughout the year. Their nests look like huts woven from moss, and are built on rocks or cliffs.

Last updated: September 11, 2008