montana bird distribution
- Montana Bird Distribution Online
- Montana Bird Distribution, Sixth Edition (print version)
- Montana Bird Records Committee
Montana Bird Distribution Online
The Montana Bird Distribution (MBD) database contains information on the distribution and seasonal occurrence for each species of bird found in the state. The database is housed at the Montana Natural Heritage Program and is a cooperative project of Montana Audubon, the Montana Natural Heritage Program, and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The online system is called Tracker and is available for online use at the link below. Contact the Montana Natural Heritage Program for instructions on how to sign in to Tracker.
Enter the Montana Bird Distribution Database - Tracker.
Montana Bird Distribution, Sixth Edition - Publication
About every 5 years, birdwatchers throughout Montana dig through their bird books, notebooks, journals, and files, to find scraps of paper where they have written down their bird lists from various trips around the state. The cause of this once every 5-year event? The publication of Montana Bird Distribution.
The long awaited, newly revised, 6th edition of P.D. Skaar’s Montana Bird Distribution is available. The book is an excellent companion to a field guide because it shows where birds are found in Montana. For every bird species ever observed in the state, maps show breeding and wintering areas.
The book can also be useful to government agencies, landowners, consultants, and biologists. It can show what birds may be impacted by projects or management decisions. A complete checklist of Montana’s birds appears in an appendix, as well as a list of species that are threatened, endangered, and species of concern.
New in this edition:
Seventeen birds are new to the 6th edition of Montana Bird Distribution: Mississippi Kite, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Little Gull, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Costa’s Hummingbird, Gray Flycatcher, Vermilion Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Western Scrub-Jay, Hooded Warbler, Pyrrhuloxia, Northern Cardinal, Great-tailed Grackle, Hooded Oriole, and Lesser Goldfinch.
Other tidbits from the book and updated information in Montana Bird Distribution:
- 421 species of bird have been recorded in Montana, of which 105 species are considered rare in the state (fewer than 20 documented observations)
- More than 260 species of birds are confirmed to breed in the state.
- 163 species of birds overwinter in Montana.
- More than 240 birders from around the state contributed more than 39,000 records to this edition of the book.
- This book contains the latest species changes accepted by scientists, which gave Montana the following new birds: Plumbeous Vireo, Cassin’s Vireo, and Blue-headed Vireo (all formerly the Solitary Vireo).
More Information:
- The book is more user-friendly than previous editions, using color-coded bird distribution maps.
- The 6th edition summarizes submitted bird sightings through December 2002.
- The book uses thousands of bird sightings submitted by volunteers and professionals to identify where birds are found in the state; it is a compilation of approximately 88,000 bird observation records.
- The next edition of the book should be released in the year 2010.
- Montana Bird Distribution was first published by P.D. Skaar in 1975. The 6th edition is a cooperative project between Montana Audubon, the Montana Natural Heritage Program, and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
To Purchase a Copy of Montana Bird Distribution:
To obtain a copy, please send a check for $15 to Montana Audubon, P.O. Box 595, Helena, MT 59624. The cost includes postage.
For wholesale orders and shipping charges for multiple orders, call us at 406-443-3949. For more information contact Steve Hoffman, Executive Director, at 406-443-3949 or shoffman@mtaudubon.org