Rare and Accidental Visitors to Minnesota

Full Name Type Families Scientific Name Habitat
Groove-billed Ani Cormorant Cuculidae Crotophaga sulcirostris Texas Thickets Second Growth
Neotropic Cormorant Cormorant Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax brasilianus Lakes Rivers Ponds
Whooping Crane Crane Gruidae Grus americana Salt Marsh
American Dipper Dipper Cinclidae Cinclus mexicanus Fast Moving Streams
Common Ground-Dove Dove Columbidae Columbina passerina Thicket Second Growth
White-winged Dove Dove Columbidae Zenaida asiatica Texas Thickets Second Growth
Dovekie Dovekie Alcidae Alle alle Sea Shore
Garganey Duck Anatidae Anas querquedula Freshwater Marshes
Fulvous Whistling-Duck Duck Anatidae Dendrocygna bicolor Fresh Water Marshes
Common Eider Duck Anatidae Somateria mollissima Sea Shore
Cassin's Finch Finch Fringillidae Carpodacus cassinii Coniferous Forest
Brambling Finch Fringillidae Fringilla montifringilla Open Forest
Gray-crowned Rosy Finch Finch Fringillidae Leucosticte tephrocotis Open Areas
Western Wood-Pewee Flycatcher Tyrannidae Contopus sordidulus Deciduous Forest
Ash-throated Flycatcher Flycatcher Tyrannidae Myiarchus cinerascens Texas Thickets Second Growth
Vermilion Flycatcher Flycatcher Tyrannidae Pyrocephalus rubinus Texas Thickets Second Growth
Fork-tailed Flycatcher Flycatcher Tyrannidae Tyrannus savana Open Areas
Magnificent Frigatebird Frigatebird Fregatidae Fregata maginficens Sea Shore
Chuck-will's-widow Goatsucker Caprimulgidae Caprimulgus carolimensis Deciduous Forest
Common Poorwill Goatsucker Caprimulgidae Phalaenoptilus nuttallii Deciduous Forest
Brant Goose Anatidae Branta bernicla Salt Marsh
Willow Ptarmigan Grouse Tetraonidae Lagopus lagopus Coniferous Forest
Rock Ptarmigan Grouse Tetraonidae Lagopus mutus Coniferous Forest
Mew Gull Gull Laridae Larus canus Lakes Rivers Ponds
Glaucous-winged Gull Gull Laridae Larus glaucescens Sea Shore
Ivory Gull Gull Laridae Pagophila eburnea Sea Shore
Ross's Gull Gull Laridae Rhodostethia rosea Tundra Ponds
Anna's Hummingbird Hummingbird Trochilidae Calypte anna City Suburban
Costa's Hummingbird Hummingbird Trochilidae Calypte costae City Suburban
Green Violet-ear Hummingbird Trochilidae Colibri thalassinus
Magnificent Hummingbird Hummingbird Trochilidae Eugenes fulgens Mixed Forest
Rufous Hummingbird Hummingbird Trochilidae Selasphorus rufus City Suburban
Calliope Hummingbird Hummingbird Trochilidae Stellula calliope
White Ibis Ibis Threskiornithidae Eudocimus albus Salt Marsh
Glossy Ibis Ibis Threskiornithidae Plegadis falcinellus Salt Marsh
Long-tailed Jaeger Jaeger Stercorariidae Stercorarius longicaudus Open Ocean
Clark's Nutcracker Jay Corvidae Nucifraga columbiana Coniferous Forest
McCown's Longspur Longspur Fringillidae Calcarius mccownii Grassland
Yellow-billed Loon Loon Gaviidae Gavia adamsii Lakes Rivers Ponds
Ancient Murrelet Murrelet Alcidae Synthliboramphus antiquus Sea Shore
Pygmy Nuthatch Nuthatch Sittidae Sitta pygmaea Coniferous Forest
Bullock's Oriole Oriole Icteridae Icterus bullockii Deciduous Forest
Scott's Oriole Oriole Icteridae Icterus parisorum Deciduous Forest
Barn Owl Owl Tytonidae Tyto alba Grassland
Snowy Plover Plover Charadriidae Charadrius alexandrinus Sea Shore
Wilson's Plover Plover Charadriidae Charadrius wilsonia Sea Shore
Black Rail Rail Rallidae Laterallus jamaicensis Salt Marsh
Purple Gallinule Rail Rallidae Porphyrula martinica Fresh Water Marshes
King Rail Rail Rallidae Rallus elegans Fresh Water Marshes
Swallow-tailed Kite Raptor Accipitridae Elanoides forficatus Lakes Rivers Ponds
White-tailed Kite Raptor Accipitridae Elanus leucurus Grassland
Crested Caracara Raptor Falconidae Caracara cheriway Grassland
Black-necked Stilt Sandpiper Recurvirostridae Himantopus mexicanus Salt Marsh
Curlew Sandpiper Sandpiper Scolopacidae Calidris ferruginea Sea Shore
Purple Sandpiper Sandpiper Scolopacidae Calidris maritima Sea Shore
Western Sandpiper Sandpiper Scolopacidae Calidris mauri Sea Shore
Long-billed Curlew Sandpiper Scolopacidae Numenius americanus Salt Marsh
Green-tailed Towhee Sparrow Emberizidae Pipilo chlorurus Thicket Second Growth
Brewer's Sparrow Sparrow Emberizidae Spizella breweri Open Areas
Golden-crowned Sparrow Sparrow Emberizidae Zonotrichia atricapilla Thicket Second Growth
Baird's Sparrow Sparrow Emberizine Ammodramus bairdii Grassland
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Sparrow Ploceidae Passer montanus City Suburban
Fieldfare Sparrow Turdidae Turdus pilaris Forest Edge
Wood Stork Stork Ciconiidae Mycteria americana Florida Keys Swamps
Violet-green Swallow Swallow Hirundinidae Tachycineta thalassina Open Areas
White-throated Swift Swift Apodidae Aeronautes saxatalis Not given
Sandwich Tern Tern Laridae Sterna sandvicensis Sea Shore
Curve-billed Thrasher Thrasher Mimidae Toxostoma curvirostre Texas Thickets Second Growth
Northern Wheatear Thrush Turdidae Oenanthe oenanthe Grassland
Black Vulture Vulture Cathartidae Coragyps atratus Deciduous Forest
Black-throated Gray Warbler Warbler Parulidae Dendroica caerulescens Deciduous Forest
Kirtland's Warbler Warbler Parulidae Dendroica kirtlandii Coniferous Forest
Hermit Warbler Warbler Parulidae Dendroica occidentalis Coniferous Forest
Townsend's Warbler Warbler Parulidae Dendroica townsendi Coniferous Forest
Painted Redstart Warbler Parulidae Myioborus pictus Open Forest
MacGillivray's Warbler Warbler Parulidae Oporornis tolmiei Deciduous Forest
Lewis' Woodpecker Woodpecker Picidae Melanerpes lewis Deciduous Forest
Williamson's Sapsucker Woodpecker Picidae Sphyrapicus thyroideus Woodlands
Bewick's Wren Wren Troglodytidae Thryomanes bewickii Thicket Second Growth

The Smew, Mergus albellus is listed on the MOU website as an accidental visitor but is ignored on this list. Its ability to cross breed with local wild populations of the Goldeneye duck leads me to believe this is a rare visitor whos genetics will be lost in the natural gene pool very fast, and therefore doesnt warrent a listing here. Further information on the Smew can be found here:
Smew -Wikipedia

Some birds included on other lists but not this one, is the Brown Pelican , and the Slaty-backed Gull. Again, these birds are not included on this list due to the conflicting information between various web sources and their apparent extreme rarity in the state of Minnesota.

To the best of my knowledge, this information is up to date as of 2005 *the most current information I could obtain. If you see any errors please fill out a comments form at the sites Main Page


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