BIRDS OF CONCERN

The Birds of Concern in the Chicago Wilderness (CW) region is a list of species needing priority attention and management. This BOC list was developed using regional lists of species of concern in the Partners in Flight (PIF) Species Assessment Database (2020). The CW region is on the edge of two PIF Bird Conservation Regions, BCR 22 and 23. PIF priority levels from both BCRs were adjusted using population trends, distribution, threats, and breeding success data for the CW region. The migrants list was created by evaluating PIF scores in regions north of the CW area. A number of listed species not ranked by PIF are from other data sources including the Upper Mississippi River & Great Lakes Joint Venture's Habitat Strategies for Shorebirds, Waterfowl and Waterbirds, and endangered and threatened species from: IL, IN, WI, & MI. To request more information, please Contact BCN.

For additional details about the methods used to produce the list below, please read the full Review Process (coming soon).

Grassland  |  Shrubland  |  Woodland  |  Wetland  |  Urban/Introduced  |  Migrants

    Immediate Management Needed: Species having high regional threats and experiencing large population declines. Conservation action needed to reverse or stabilize long-term declines.  
         
    Species experiencing moderate to strong declines and/or threats to breeding. Management or other actions needed to stabilize/increase populations or reverse threats.  
         
    Declines or threats to regional populations. Require management and monitoring. Includes certain widespread species plus species using only limited/localized habitats.  
         
    Rare or Recently Extirpated. A species not of regional importance in the Midwest, but threatened or endangered in at least one of the states in the Chicago Wilderness Region.  
         
  Frequency   % of all BCN Survey points where the species was detected at least once. A gauge of how common or uncommon a species is in the CW region. The dots are a visual key to that relative abundance.  
         
  Additional Statuses   State-E: State Endangered; State-T: State Threatened; State-SC: State Species of Concern; BCC: USFWS Breeding Bird of Concern; PIF-#: Adjusted Partners in Flight score of 14 or higher.  
GRASSLANDS
Grasslands
Cons. Status
Frequency
Additional statuses
Lvl 1
26%
•••
IN-E, WI-T, MI-E, BCC, PIF-16
Lvl 1
32%
••••
BCC, PIF-16
Lvl 2
30%
•••
IN-SC, BCC, PIF-16
Lvl 2
16%
••
IN-E, PIF-15
Lvl 2
2%
IL-E, IN-E, WI-T, BCC, PIF-16
Lvl 2
40%
•••••
PIF-16
Lvl 3
34%
••••
PIF-15
Lvl 3
1%
IL-E, IN-E, PIF-14
Swainson's Hawk
Lvl 3
IL-E,
Lvl 3
2%
Lvl 3
0%
IN-SC,
Lvl 3
0%
Barn Owl
RRE
IN-E, MI-E,
SHRUBLANDS
Shrublands
Cons. Status
Frequency
Additional statuses
Lvl 1
2%
IL-T, IN-SC, BCC, PIF-17
Lvl 2
22%
•••
PIF-16
Lvl 2
45%
•••••
PIF-16
Lvl 2
21%
•••
PIF-15
Lvl 2
1%
IN-SC, PIF-16
Lvl 3
3%
PIF-14
Lvl 3
1%
IL-E, IN-E, WI-E, MI-E, BCC, PIF-14
Lvl 3
4%
Lvl 3
1%
WI-T,
Lvl 3
25%
•••
PIF-14
Prairie Warbler
RRE
MI-E,
Golden-winged Warbler
RRE
IN-E, BCC,
WOODLANDS
Woodlands
Cons. Status
Frequency
Additional statuses
Lvl 1
6%
BCC, PIF-17
Lvl 1
0%
IL-T, IN-E, WI-T, MI-T, BCC, PIF-16
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Lvl 1
IN-SC, BCC, PIF-16
Lvl 2
8%
PIF-15
Lvl 2
13%
••
BCC, PIF-16
Lvl 2
1%
IN-SC, PIF-14
Lvl 2
15%
••
BCC,
Lvl 3
40%
••••
PIF-15
Lvl 3
1%
IN-SC,
Lvl 3
0%
WI-T, BCC,
Lvl 3
0%
BCC,
Lvl 3
3%
IN-SC, WI-T,
Lvl 3
1%
WI-T,
Lvl 3
5%
Lvl 3
0%
WI-T, MI-T,
RRE
0%
WI-E, MI-T,
WETLANDS
Wetlands
Cons. Status
Frequency
Additional statuses
Piping Plover
Lvl 1
IL-E, IN-E, WI-E, MI-E, PIF-16
Black Rail
Lvl 1
IL-E, IN-E, PIF-16
King Rail
Lvl 1
IL-E, IN-E, MI-E, BCC, PIF-16
Lvl 1
0%
IL-E, IN-E, PIF-15
Common Tern
Lvl 1
IL-E, WI-E, MI-T,
Black Tern
Lvl 1
IL-E, IN-E, WI-E, BCC, PIF-14
Lvl 2
1%
IL-E, IN-E, PIF-14
Lvl 2
0%
IL-T, IN-E, MI-T, PIF-14
Lvl 2
0%
Lvl 3
1%
IL-E, IN-E,
Lvl 3
0%
IL-E, IN-E, MI-T,
Lvl 3
1%
IN-E, PIF-16
Lvl 3
2%
PIF-14
Lvl 3
8%
IN-E, PIF-14
Lvl 3
2%
Osprey
Lvl 3
IL-T, IN-SC,
Lvl 3
2%
WI-E, MI-T,
Lvl 3
12%
••
IN-SC, WI-T,
Bald Eagle
Lvl 3
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
RRE
IL-E, IN-E, WI-T,
Little Blue Heron
RRE
IL-E,
Snowy Egret
RRE
IL-E,
Forster's Tern
RRE
IL-E, WI-E, MI-T,
RRE
0%
IL-E, IN-SC,
Trumpeter Swan
RRE
IN-E, MI-T,
URBAN & INTRODUCED
Urband and Introduced
Cons. Status
Frequency
Additional statuses
Lvl 3
0%
IN-SC,
Lvl 3
IN-SC, WI-E, MI-E,
MIGRANTS
Migrants
American Black Duck
Canvasback
Lesser Scaup
Common Loon
Yellow Rail
Whooping Crane
American Golden-Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Hudsonian Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Red Knot
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-eared Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Philadelphia Vireo
Golden-winged Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Canada Warbler
American Tree Sparrow
LeConte's Sparrow
Nelson's Sparrow
Smith's Longspur
Rusty Blackbird
Purple Finch