Family Laniidae
Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
Status and abundance: Occasional to locally uncommon year-round resident; formerly fairly common.
Habitat: Brushy fields and hedgerows. Perches along roadsides on telephone wires and fences.
Records and remarks: Declining. Agricultural intensification that removes hedgerows, shrublands, and, probably, extensive use of pesticides has led to widespread declines. Shrikes forage on large insects and sometimes very small mammals and birds. When prey is plentiful, they cache food on thorns or barbed wire fences.
SPRING—Migration probably begins in late February and extends into early April, with a peak during late March (Graber et al. 1973). To what extent the region's breeding population is supplemented by migrants from the south remains unclear, but the summer population is definitely higher than the winter population. Average daily counts are now very low, being much less than 1.
SUMMER—Shrikes build a bulky stick nest in thorny bushes and trees, cedars, and vine tangles. They nest early with eggs being laid from late March through June, but most breeding takes place in April and early May. Average clutch size is 5.7 eggs (Graber et al. 1973). Shrikes are not successfully parasitized by cowbirds. Average daily counts are usually very low unless one happens to be near a nesting pair.
AUTUMN—Most migrants have probably departed by early October, because numbers seem to stabilize for the duration of the winter after that time.
WINTER—During winter, shrikes are most numerous in the Shawnee Hills and the southern Floodplains and least numerous in the Till Plain. Shrikes sometimes attack small birds at feeders. High counts from CBC efforts have plummeted over the last few decades as the species has experienced significant declines across its range. In most years on many CBCs no shrikes are found at all.
48, Horseshoe Lake CBC, 21 Dec 1982
35, Crab Orchard NWR CBC, 28 Dec 1974
26, Union Co. CBC, 31 Dec 1972
9, Rend Lake CBC, 31 Dec 1988
Documentation: Specimen—ad., 2 miles s.e. of Murphysboro, Jackson Co., 4 Feb 1971 (SIU A-1728).
Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
Status and abundance: Very rare visitor.
Habitat: Similar to that used by Loggerhead Shrikes.
Records and remarks: One sighting documented by photos at Peabody-River King State Fish and Wildlife Area, Randolph County, 13 Feb 2010 (A. Reago, C. McClarren, m.ob.).
Documentation: Photograph—ad., Randolph County, 13 Feb 2010 (https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S28622317).
Family Vireonidae
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
Mid-April - Early October
Status and abundance: Common migrant and summer resident.
Habitat: Old fields with scattered shrubs, hedgerows, woodland edge, and treefall gaps in forests.
Records and remarks: These loud songsters are the source of one of the most familiar sounds of southern Illinois spring and summer. They begin singing immediately upon spring arrival and sing all day, everyday, until late in the summer.
SPRING—In most years, the first spring migrants arrive in mid-April, but sometimes a few are detected during the first week of the month. Migration peaks in early May, when a few dozen
can be easily counted by a single observer in a day. Most migrants have probably departed by 20 May.
1, Mermet Lake, 19 Mar 2012 (KM)
1, Pomona, 30 Mar 2005 (KM)
62, Giant City SP, 12 May 1984 (WDR)
SUMMER—Nest building begins by late April. Heavily parasitized by cowbirds, 39 percent of fifty-one nests in Union and Alexander Counties received an average of 1.5 cowbird eggs per nest (INHS). Parasitism and high nest predation rates combine to severely reduce vireo reproductive success. Less than 15 percent of White-eyed Vireos banded at Trail of Tears SF during the late summers of 1990-1992 were juveniles.
27, Devil's Kitchen Lake, Williamson Co., 27 May 1985 (WDR)
35, Union Co., 13 Jun 2012 (E. Gyllenhaal)
AUTUMN—Fall migration is inconspicuous because of the large breeding population, but numbers begin to increase during late August.
By early October, most white-eyes have departed. 14, n. Union Co., 21 Sep 1986 (WDR)
2, Crab Orchard NWR, 9 Oct 1982 (JCR)
1, Pine Hills, Union Co., 13 Oct 2016 (P. Hunt)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, 2 miles n. of Cobden, Union Co., 9 May 1966 (SIU A-1348).
Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii
Very late April - Early September
Status and abundance: Locally uncommon migrant and summer resident in the Till Plain. Rare to locally uncommon migrant and summer resident in the Floodplains. Rare migrant in the Shawnee Hills.
Habitat: Fields with scattered shrubs and hedgerows. Regularly found on reclaimed strip mines with some scattered trees and shrubs, particularly in the Till Plain.
Records and remarks: Males sing all summer, even during the hottest part of the day. The best places to find these vireos are in the Till Plain, especially around Rend Lake and Pyramid SP.
SPRING—Some arrive the last few of days of April, but most do not arrive until the first week of May. Few are seen away from the breeding areas.
1, Cypress Creek NWR, 25 Apr 2009 (D. Stotz)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 25 Apr 2013 (W. Wood)
2, Mermet Lake CA, 5 May 1984 (WDR)
1, Pope Co., 3 June 1984 (JCR)
SUMMER—This is probably one of the few species that has benefited to some extent from strip-mining. Reclaimed strip mines with extensive, savannah-like habitat are one of the best places to find Bell's Vireos. Whether they are productive there or not remains to be studied, because they are common victims of cowbird parasitism.
10, Pyramid SP, 12 Jun 2016 (HD)
5, Williamson Co., 10 July 1983 (JCR)
7, Rend Lake, 19 July 1981 (MMl)
AUTUMN—Rarely detected during fall, Bell's Vireos seem to simply disappear until the following spring. Most migrants probably pass through (or over) the region in August, but are observed.
1, s.e. Saline Co., 18 Aug 1994 (JD)
1, Gallatin Co., 6 Sep 1986 (WDR)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 11 Sep 2016 (DM)
1, Jackson Co., 20 Sep 1984 (TF)
1, n. Union Co., 21 Sep 1986 (WDR)
Documentation: Specimen—imm. female, Carbondale, Jackson Co., 1 Sep 1966 (SIU A-1683).
Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius
Late April - Early May
Mid-September - Late October
Status and abundance: Uncommon migrant.
Habitat: Deciduous woodland and woodland edge; sometimes coniferous woods.
Records and remarks: Although this vireo is uncommon, it may be overlooked because its song is similar to the more common Red-eyed Vireo. Yet, songs of Blue-headed Vireos are higher-pitched, sweeter, and have longer pauses between the phrases. Blue-headed Vireos usually forage in the canopy or upper levels of the understory, which adds to the difficulty of detecting them. They forage by scanning foliage and bark from a perched position, then fly to glean prey. If they are even seen in a day, counts of one to three birds are the norm. The former species, Solitary Vireo, was split into Blue-headed, Cassin’s (V. cassinii) and Plumbeous Vireos (V. plumbeus). We currently have no confirmed records of the latter two, which are species of the western United States. Although they both are very unlikely to occur, any such vireos should be photographed thoroughly as some of the identifying visual marks are subtly different among the three species. Voice recordings are also useful.
SPRING—Most arrival dates are in the last few days of April, but some return in mid-April. Their peak passage is during the first week of May. Most have departed by 10 May, but George
(1968) lists 19 May as the latest departure date.
1, Carbondale, 14 Apr 1986 (TF)
1, Heron Pond, Johnson Co., 15 Apr 2004 (KM)
3, Fort Massac SP, 3 May 2017 (WDR, T. Hallman, J. Curtis)
7, Union Co., 4 May 1991 (SBC)
1, Crainville, Williamson Co., 11 May 2016 (JG)
AUTUMN—Fall migration is even less conspicuous than spring, because these vireos do not sing much during autumn. They can sometimes be seen in mixed-species flocks of warblers. Peak fall migration is during the last week of September and early October.
1, LaRue Pine Hills, 30 Aug 1990 (BD)
1, Carbondale, 12 Sep 1986 (WDR)
1, Giant City SP, 28 Oct 1984 (JCR)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, 2 miles n. of Cobden, UnionCo., 27 Apr 1966 (SIU A-1350).
Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
Early April – Early October
Status and abundance: Fairly common migrant and summer resident.
Habitat: Upland and bottomland deciduous woods.
Records and remarks: Yellow-throated Vireos forage by gleaning arthropod prey off the bark of large branches and foliage in the forest canopy. If not for their distinctive, hoarse, slow vireo song, they would be mostly overlooked. These vireos seem to occur at fairly low densities in
extensive forest tracts, but their territories are large and evenly dispersed throughout the forest.
SPRING—The first arrivals usually appear early in the second week of April. Peak passage of migrants occurs in late April and early May. Because of the large breeding population, the end of spring migration is difficult to determine.
1, Fort Massac SP, 28 Mar 2004 (KM)
1, Cache River SNA, Johnson Co., 30 Mar 2008 (MML)
26, Cache River, Johnson Co., 24 Apr 1973 (VK, HDB)
SUMMER—Nests are placed in the fork of a horizontal branch from five to twenty-five meters above ground. Most nests are placed in the canopy, so there is not much data on nesting success from the region. The limited data available suggest that these vireos are heavily parasitized by cowbirds.
AUTUMN—Like many other species with substantial breeding populations in our region, the fall migration is not remarkable. They sometimes sing during fall. Most have flown south by the last days of September.
1, n. Union Co., 21 Sep 1986 (WDR)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 9 Oct 1982 (JCR)
1, Pine Hills, Union Co., 10 Oct 2010 (T. Snieder)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. female, Bald Knob, Union Co., 10 Apr 1966 (SIU A-1349).
Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
Mid-April - Late September
Status and abundance: Common migrant and summer resident.
Habitat: Open, park-like woods near streams and lakes, riparian woods along rivers, and occasionally residential areas.
Records and remarks: Warbling Vireos forage by gleaning insects from foliage in the understory and canopy of trees, especially along the edges of lakes and rivers. Graber et al. (1985) suggested that they are more common in the western regions of southern Illinois than in the eastern regions.
SPRING—Most early arrivals have been found in riparian willows. Migration peaks in early May. Most migrants have departed by mid-May.
1, Mermet Lake, Massac Co., 31 Mar 2012 (KM)
1, Union Co. CA, 10 Apr 1992 (TF)
11, Union Co. CA, 19 Apr 2004 (KM)
1 in upland forest (presumed migrant), Trail of Tears SF, 18 May 1990 (WDR)
SUMMER—The breeding population seems to be highest in the forest corridor along the Mississippi River. Few nest data are available, but what is known suggests Warbling Vireos are common victims of cowbird parasitism, although the intensity seems to be less than in the forest vireos. Nests are placed from three to twenty-five meters above ground. Eggs are laid from late April through late June.
55, Randolph Co., 19 May 1988 (WDR)
AUTUMN—Few are seen after the breeding season, especially from late July through mid-August, probably because of the decrease in singing, which makes them hard to detect.
Generally, less than three birds are seen per day.
8, Lake Murphysboro SP, 4 Sep 2016 (DM)
1, Giant City SP, 24 Sep 1983 (JCR)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 30 Sep 1972 (VK)
Documentation: Specimen-ad. male, 2 miles n. of Cobden, Union Co., 27 Apr 1966 (SIU A-1350).
Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus
Early May - Late May
Early September - Early October
Status and abundance: Occasional migrant.
Habitat: Upland and bottomland deciduous forest.
Records and remarks: Easily overlooked because its song is so similar to that of the Red-eyed Vireo. Philadelphia Vireos tend to repeat their phrases more often, and their songs are somewhat higher pitched with longer pauses between phrases. “Phillies” forage from
mid-understory to high in the forest canopy.
SPRING—The first arrivals of the year are usually seen around the first of May; peak numbers pass through the region in mid-May, but daily counts are normally less than five birds. Most have departed by 20 May, with a few lingering even into June.
1, Pomona, 26 Apr 2009 (KM)
2, Pine Hills, Union Co., 28 Apr 2007 (SDB, TM, m.ob.)
1, Ozark, Johnson Co., 30 Apr 1989 (TF)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 3 May 1984 (JCR)
5, Massac Co., 4 May 1985 (WDR)
1, near Jonesboro, Union Co., 25 May 1990 (Robinson and Robinson 1992)
male, s. Randolph Co., 11 Jun 1989 (WDR)
AUTUMN—Fall arrivals may appear as early as August, but most are not detected until September. Few are seen during fall, because they are usually silent and forage in the canopy. Daily high counts rarely exceed one bird and most days none are found.
1, Rend Lake, 16 Aug 1986 (RP)
1, Gallatin Co., 6 Sep 1986 (WDR)
2 banded, Carbondale, 17 Sep 1971 (VK)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 17 Oct 2013 (JG)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, 2 miles n. of Cobden, Union Co., 19 May 1966 (SIU A-1393).
Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
Late April - Early October
Status and abundance: Common migrant and summer resident.
Habitat: Upland and bottomland deciduous forests.
Records and remarks: One of our most common forest birds, its monotonous, persistent song is a familiar sound of southern Illinois woodlands from April through August.
SPRING—The first migrants appear in mid-April in some years, but usually the first Red-eyed Vireos are detected after 20 April. Migration peaks in early May. Numbers substantially decrease after 20 May. Red-eyed Vireos seem to form small aggregations of singing males in large forest tracts during the breeding season. In other words, their distribution is clumped not even.
3, Pomona, 10 Apr 2001 (KM)
1, Fort Massac SP, 13 Apr 2006 (KM)
SUMMER—Red-eyed Vireos are common hosts of cowbirds. Their nests are usually parasitized and each nest contains an average of 2.4 cowbird eggs (INHS). As a result, few Red-eyed Vireo nests fledge vireo young in our region. Graber et al. (1985) discuss the nesting cycle. Daily counts in good habitat often exceed 30 birds.
AUTUMN—Presence of the breeding population obscures arrival of the first migrants. Migration is inconspicuous, even during peak passage in September. Daily counts of less than eight birds are normal. The last migrants are typically gone by 10 October, but a few may linger longer.
4, s.e. Jackson Co., 8 Oct 1986 (WDR)
1, Jackson Co., 14 Oct 2017 (JT)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 15 Oct 1984 (JCR)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, Crab Orchard NWR, Williamson Co., 16 Apr 1961 (SIU A-1208).
Family Corvidae
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
Status and abundance: Common year-round resident.
Habitat: Woodlands, including deciduous, coniferous, and residential areas.
Records and remarks: Blue Jays are one of our most unique and characteristic birds. They frequently attend bird feeders and tolerate humans and how we change landscapes. Although present year-round, extensive migration occurs. Most, if not all, of the migration is diurnal. An interesting phenomenon, day-time migration of jays occurs in small flocks as they fly at treetop level along river valleys. During the spring and summer, jays are important predators on songbird eggs and nestlings. Some researchers have speculated that the impact of jay predation on songbird populations may continue to increase, because overwinter survival of jays is enhanced by the ready availability of seeds and suet at winter feeding stations (Terborgh 1989).
SPRING—Northward movements probably begin by mid-March and extend at least through 10 May, possibly later, with peak numbers in late April and early May. Some birds are still migrating while our resident birds have active nests. Migrating birds generally occur in smaller flocks than they do during fall migration, but occasionally larger counts are made.
150, Oakwood Bottoms, Jackson Co., 27 Apr 1975 (BP)
189, Hamilton Co., 29 Apr 2013 (KM, MS)
10 migrating, Mermet Lake, Massac Co., 10 May 1986 (WDR)
SUMMER—Jays begin nesting by early April if conditions are favorable. In towns, nests are often placed 12 to 30 feet above ground, but in forest, nests are usually placed higher than 30 feet. The height, in combination with the secretive behavior of nesting jays, makes forest nests difficult to locate. Jays are not successfully parasitized by cowbirds.
AUTUMN—Fall migration is obscured by the presence of the large breeding population, but is sometimes conspicuous as small flocks of birds move south, usually along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers (Graber et al. 1987). First fall arrivals are generally present by mid-September, and migration continues until early November.
WINTER—The region's winter population is supplemented by migrants from the north. Jays are common feeder visitors, consuming large amounts of sunflower, corn, and other grains. Typical daily high counts in good habitat can be between 50 and 100.
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, near Carbondale, Jackson Co., 12 Mar 1961 (SIU A-1165).
American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
Status and abundance: Common year-round resident.
Habitat: Very widespread, but usually associated with agricultural lands.
Records and remarks: There is some migration, but the movements are difficult to detect because of the daily wanderings of flocks of crows at all seasons. The spring migration probably begins in late February and continues throughout March, whereas the fall migration seems most noticeable in October and November. Apparently crows were formerly more numerous, because none of the huge roosts reported from the early 1900s are still extant. The decline might be due to improved grain harvesting efficiency, which significantly decreased the amount of waste grain left in agricultural fields. Nevertheless, crows are still so common that few observers bother reporting their observations. Most high count records are therefore old, or from organized surveys like CBCs. Typical daily high counts during winter are in the range of 50 to 100 unless near a roost.
WINTER—100,000 in roost, near Rockwood, Randolph Co., winters of 1918-1938 (Black 1941)
40,000 in roost, near Cairo, Alexander Co., winters of 1935-1938 (Black 1941)
400, Hardin Co., 9 Feb 1988 (WDR)
Documentation: Specimen—Carbondale, Jackson Co., 1935 (SIU uncatalogued).
Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
Late February – Early November
Status and abundance: Common migrant and summer resident in the Mississippi River Floodplain. Progressively decreases in abundance moving eastward up the Ohio River Floodplain (common at Cairo, uncommon at Shawneetown). Uncommon spring migrant inland at the larger reservoirs. Rare winter visitor, primarily in the Floodplains.
Habitat: Major rivers and reservoirs and in nearby agricultural areas and woodlands.
Records and remarks: Continuing to increase and expand their geographic range, Fish Crows can also be found in prime locations (the western Floodplains) at almost any time of year now. Fish Crows invaded the region from the southern U.S. via the Mississippi River Floodplain in the early 1960s. They may have been present historically, because bone fragments have been found in Randolph County archaeological deposits dated at 10,000 years before the present (Parmalee 1967), but there is speculation that these bones may have been traded with native Americans of the South.
SPRING—First spring migrants typically arrive by March, but they continue to appear earlier and earlier each year, perhaps as the wintering range extends northward along the Mississippi River toward Illinois. Migration continues into mid- or late May.
3, Union Co. CA, 4 Feb 1991 (TF)
11, Union Co., 18 Feb 1990 (BD)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 19 Feb 2014 (JG)
61, Alexander Co., 19 Mar 1993 (TF)
1, Rend Lake, Franklin Co., 19 May 1988 (WDR)
SUMMER—Has probably bred in the region for many years, yet the first nest was not found until 1992. Like other corvids, Fish Crows are very secretive near their nests, which makes discovery of a nest quite the challenge.
unsuccessful nest, Fort Massac SP, Massac Co., June 1992 (Kleen and Schwegman 1993)
nest, Dear Pond, Union Co., 4 May 2002 (SB)
AUTUMN—Post-breeding aggregations form in July, but it is unclear when southward migration begins. Some Fish Crows seem to be departing the region later and later each fall. Most are gone by mid-Nov, but a few linger late into the winter months.
112, Black Bottoms, Massac Co., 30 Aug 1989 (TF)
29, Rend Lake, 31 Aug 2002 (LH, KM, FB)
100, Union Co. CA, 15 Sep 1991 (TF, JD, DK, C. Watkins)
WINTER—The first winter records were obtained in 1991-92.
3, Horseshoe Lake CA, 17 Dec 1991 (SB, VK, TF), and 1 there, 20 Jan 1992 (TF)
1, Rend Lake, Franklin Co., 2 Dec 2016 (DM)
1, Oakwood Bottoms, 12 Dec 2015 (HD)
2, Horseshoe Lake CA, 27 Jan 17, could perhaps be spring arrivals (M. Haas)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. female, levee road s. of Mound City, Pulaski Co., 20 Apr 1968 (SIU A-1643).