United States Ramsar wetland
Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
286 bird species recorded; the most in May and in September.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
109 species in January.108 species in February.137 species in March.213 species in April.244 species in May.193 species in June.169 species in July.202 species in August.225 species in September.204 species in October.154 species in November.129 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
286 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 286Speciesrecorded more than once
- 207Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 11ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 183,365Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 133 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 13Raptors
- 6Owls
- 34Waders
- 15Gulls & seabirds
- 32Ducks & geese
- 18Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 139Songbirds
- 28Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 286 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
Owls6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Northern Saw-Whet OwlAegolius acadicus
Waders34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Bartram's SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
Gulls & seabirds15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
Ducks & geese32 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- RedheadAythya americana
- Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinator
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Green-winged tealAnas carolinensis
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
Herons, ibises & grebes18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Western GrebeAechmophorus occidentalis
- Least BitternIxobrychus exilis
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds139 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Henslow's SparrowCentronyx henslowii
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Blue-winged warblerVermivora cyanoptera
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysopteraNT
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Bell's VireoVireo bellii
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Grey-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
- Sage ThrasherOreoscoptes montanus
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
- Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacilla
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
- Cerulean WarblerSetophaga ceruleaNT
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- Sturnella neglectaSturnella neglecta
- Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosa
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalusNT
- LeConte's SparrowAmmospiza leconteii
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrina
- Connecticut WarblerOporornis agilis
- Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens
- Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
- Smith's LongspurCalcarius pictus
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
Other birds28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- American CootFulica americana
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- LimpkinAramus guarauna
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Eastern Whip-poor-willAntrostomus vociferusNT
- Colinus virginianusColinus virginianus
- Rallus elegansRallus elegans
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Chuck-will's-widowAntrostomus carolinensisNT
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May and in September.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan0°/-9°49 mm
- Feb2°/-8°49 mm
- Mar9°/-2°65 mm
- Apr17°/4°97 mm
- May22°/11°116 mm
- Jun27°/17°110 mm
- Jul29°/19°96 mm
- Aug29°/18°97 mm
- Sep25°/13°87 mm
- Oct17°/6°83 mm
- Nov10°/-1°60 mm
- Dec2°/-6°57 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Dixon Waterfowl Refuge.
Wetland preserve in Putnam County, Illinois
Dixon Waterfowl Refuge is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States.
286 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 183,365 open records.
The most recorded are the Northern Cardinal, the Agelaius phoeniceus and the Canada Goose.
139 species come for the summer, 62 for the winter and 6 only pass through.
11 are threatened worldwide, including Chimney Swift, Lesser yellowlegs and Rusty Blackbird.
The most species are recorded in May and in September.
Get there and watch
- Hennepin Canal Lock 6 Campgroundcampsite · 12 km · 1 within 10 km
- Hennepinnearest town · 3.8 km in a straight line
- General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (PIA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 69 km in a straight lineCar hire at PIA airport (Peoria)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1campsites within 10 kmHennepin Canal Lock 6 Campground
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- marked trails within 4 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- places to stay within 10 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Dixon Waterfowl Refuge.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas2 mountains within 25 kmOwls Head · 14 kmPiety Hill · 23 km
Lakeyas3 lakes within 15 kmLake Rawson0.8 km² · 8.6 kmLake Thunderbird0.3 km² · 8.6 kmDepue Lake1.2 km² · 10 km
Riveryasthe river nearbyIllinois River432 km · 657 m³/s↗Big Bureau Creek
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Dixon Waterfowl Refuge
United States
- 88Birdyas Score
- 286Species
- 207Migrants
- 11Threatened
Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 118 km
- 89Birdyas Score
- 302Species
- 222Migrants
- 13Threatened
Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary
United States · 164 km
- 89Birdyas Score
- 354Species
- 261Migrants
- 14Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q19876046) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 183,365 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
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Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit