Birds of Aztec Ruins National Monument
The riparian and pinon-juniper woodland areas, along with patches of once-cultivated grassy fields, orchards, and desert scrub all provide diverse habitats for birdlife in the park.
As part of the National Park Service’s Natural Resources Initiative, ornithologists conducted bird inventories in the park in 2001 and 2002. In addition, a multi-park grant from the National Park Foundation and Hawks Aloft provided for a survey in 2002 of neotropical migrant breeding birds. Prior to these recent inventories, volunteers from the local Audubon Society had compiled a bird checklist for the park that listed 74 species.
During the 2001 field season, a total of 53 species were detected. Of these species, 40 were in riparian habitats, and 14 of those were detected only in riparian zones. Thirty-seven species were detected in upland habitat, 12 of which were only found in uplands. Although no federally listed species of concern were detected, one State of New Mexico species of concern was detected, the yellow-billed cuckoo.
During the 2002 breeding season, a total of 58 species were detected, including six species previously undetected in the park. The yellow-billed cuckoo was not detected during this season. The two years of inventory yielded a detection of 63 species within the park.
Species detected in 2001-2002 during the bird inventory are listed below:
American Robin
American Kestrel
American Crow
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Barn Owl
Barn Swallow
Bewick’s Wren
Black-billed Magpie
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-headed Grosbeak
Black-throated Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brewer’s Blackbird
Brewer’s Sparrow
Bullock’s Oriole
Canada Goose
Cassin’s Kingbird
Chipping Sparrow
Cliff Swallow
Common Raven
Common Nighthawk
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Meadowlark
European Starling
Evening Grosbeak
Gambel’s Quail
Greater Roadrunner
Great-horned Owl
House Finch
House Sparrow
Juniper Titmouse
Killdeer
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Lark Sparrow
Lazuli Bunting
Lesser Goldfinch
Mallard
Mountain Chickadee
Mourning Dove
Northern Flicker
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Pinyon Jay
Prairie Falcon
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-necked Pheasant
Say’s Phoebe
Spotted Sandpiper
Spotted Towhee
Turkey Vulture
Violet-green Swallow
Virginia’s Warbler
Western Bluebird
Western Kingbird
Western Meadowlark
Western Scrub Jay
Western Tanager
Western Wood-Pewee
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
Wilson’s Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-rumped Warbler
