Grasslands
Almost half of the state of Kansas is covered in grassland, making it a prairie state. Grasslands are areas covered in different height grasses and plants with few or no trees. The last and largest area of tallgrass prairie left in the United States is in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Here is the National Park System's only grassland National Park—the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The Flint Hills are the western edge of the great prairie ecosystem that once covered 400 million acres of central North America from Canada to Texas and the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. Only 1% of the original tallgrass prairie is left today.
Wetlands
Kansas is also home to the largest inland marsh in the United States. Cheyenne Bottoms near Great Bend, Kansas has 41,000 acres and provides habitat for 330 species of birds migrating by the tens of thousands between their summer breeding grounds and winter homes. Another preserve near by, the Quivira National Wildlife Preserve, adds 22,000 acres of salt marsh, prairie, sand dunes and forest to the protected natural habitats of Kansas. Western Kansas also has more than 10,000 playas - round, shallow wetlands that fill with water after rainfall.
Forest
Kansas is not a state known for its forests, yet forests do grow in the floodplains along Kansas's waterways. The most common tree in Kansas is cottonwood, but there are also hackberry, green ash, black walnut, red cedar and bur oak.
Mammals Now Extinct in Kansas:
For more information about Kansas's mammals (including Latin names) click on individual animal links or for another (off-site) resource: LINK
Amphibians
For more information about Kansas amphibians (including Latin names) click on individual animal links or for another (off-site) resource: LINK
Reptiles
avocet (American)
anhinga
ani (groove-billed)
bittern (American)
bittern (least)
blackbird (Brewer's)
blackbird (red-winged)
blackbird (rusty)
blackbird (yellow-headed)
bluebird (eastern)
bluebird (mountain)
bluebird (western) - rare
bobolink
bobwhite (northern)
bunting (indigo)
bunting (lark)
bunting (Lazuli)
bunting (painted)
bunting (snow)
bushtit
cardinal (northern)
catbird (gray)
chickadee (black-capped)
chickadee (Carolina)
chickadee (mountain)
chuck-will's-widow
coot (American)
cormorant (double-crested)
cormorant (neotropical)
cowbird (brown-headed)
crane (sandhill)
crane (whooping)
creeper (brown)
crossbill (red)
crossbill (white-winged)
crow (American)
crow (fish) - rare
cuckoo (black-billed)
cuckoo (yellow-billed)
curlew (Eskimo)
curlew (long-billed)
dickcissel
dove (common ground)
dove (eastern collared-) - rare
dove (Inca)
dove (mourning)
dove (rock)
dove (white-winged)
dowitcher (long-billed)
dowitcher (short-billed)
duck (American black)
duck (American wigeon)
duck (Barrow's goldeneye)
duck (black-bellied whistling) - rare
duck (black scoter)
duck (blue-winged teal)
duck (bufflehead)
duck (canvasback)
duck (cinnamon teal)
duck (common eider) - rare
duck (common goldeneye)
duck (Eurasian wigeon) - rare
duck (fulvous whistling)
duck (gadwall)
duck (garganey) - rare
duck (greater scaup)
duck (green-winged teal)
duck (king eider) - rare
duck (lesser scaup)
duck (mallard)
duck (mottled)
duck (northern pintail)
duck (northern shoveler)
duck (oldsquaw)
duck (redhead)
duck (ring-necked)
duck (ruddy)
duck (surf scoter)
duck (tufted) - rare
duck (white-winged scoter)
duck (wood)
dunlin
eagle (bald)
eagle (golden)
egret (cattle)
egret (great)
egret (snowy)
falcon (gyrfalcon) - rare
falcon (peregrine)
falcon (prairie)
finch (Cassin's)
finch (house)
finch (purple)
flamingo (greater) - rare
flicker (northern)
frigatebird (magnificent) - rare
flycatcher (Acadian)
flycatcher (alder)
flycatcher (ash-throated)
flycatcher (Cordilleran) - rare
flycatcher (dusky)
flycatcher (fork-tailed) - rare
flycatcher (gray) - rare
flycatcher (great-crested)
flycatcher (Hammond's) - rare
flycatcher (least)
flycatcher (olive-sided)
flycatcher (scissor-tailed)
flycatcher (vermilion)
flycatcher (willow)
flycatcher (yellow-bellied)
gallinule (purple)
gnatcatcher (blue-gray)
godwit (Hudsonian)
godwit (marbled)
goldfinch (American)
goldfinch (lesser)
goose (brant)
goose (Canada)
goose (greater white-fronted)
goose (Ross's)
goose (snow)
goshawk (northern)
grackle (common)
grackle (great-tailed)
grebe (Clark's)
grebe (eared)
grebe (horned)
grebe (pied-billed)
grebe (red-necked)
grebe (western)
grosbeak (black-headed)
grosbeak (blue)
grosbeak (evening)
grosbeak (pine)
grosbeak (rose-breasted)
grouse (ruffed)
grouse (sharp-tailed)
gull (black-headed) - rare
gull (Bonaparte's)
gull (California)
gull (Franklin's)
gull (glaucous)
gull (glaucous-winged) - rare
gull (great black-backed) - rare
gull (herring)
gull (Iceland) - rare
gull (laughing)
gull (lesser black-backed) - rare
gull (little)
gull (mew) - rare
gull (ring-billed)
gull (Sabine's)
gull (Thayer's)
gyrfalcon - rare
harrier (northern)
hawk (broad-winged)
hawk (Cooper's)
hawk (ferruginous)
hawk (gray) - rare
hawk (Harris's) - rare
hawk (red-shouldered)
hawk (red-tailed)
hawk (rough-legged)
hawk (sharp-shinned)
hawk (Swainson's)
heron (black-crowned night)
heron (great blue)
heron (little blue)
heron (green)
heron (tricolored)
heron (yellow-crowned night)
hummingbird (Allen's) - rare
hummingbird (Anna's) - rare
hummingbird (black-chinned) - rare
hummingbird (broad-tailed) - rare
hummingbird (calliope) - rare
hummingbird (Costa's) - rare
hummingbird (magnificent)
hummingbird (ruby-throated)
hummingbird (rufous)
ibis (glossy) - rare
ibis (white)
ibis (white-faced)
jaeger (long-tailed) - rare
jaeger (parasitic)
jaeger (pomarine) - rare
jay (blue)
jay (Mexican) - rare
jay (pinyon)
jay (Stellar)
jay (western scrub)
junco (dark-eyed)
kestrel (American)
killdeer
kingbird (Cassin's)
kingbird (eastern)
kingbird (western)
kingfisher (belted)
kinglet (golden-crowned)
kinglet (ruby-crowned)
kiskadee (great) - rare
kite (Mississippi)
kite (swallow-tailed)
kite (white-tailed) - rare
kittiwake (black-legged)
lark (horned)
longspur (chestnut-collared)
longspur (Lapland)
longspur (McCown's)
longspur (Smith's)
loon (common)
loon (Pacific)
loon (red throated)
loon (yellow-billed) - rare
magpie (black-billed)
marten (purple)
meadowlark (eastern)
meadowlark (western)
merganser (common)
merganser (hooded)
merganser (red-breasted)
merlin
mockingbird (northern)
moorhen (common)
murrelet (long-billed) - rare
nighthawk (common)
nutcracker (Clark's)
nuthatch (brown-headed) - rare
nuthatch (pygmy) - rare
nuthatch (red-breasted)
nuthatch (white-breasted)
oriole (Baltimore)
oriole (Bullock's)
oriole (orchard)
oriole (Scott's)
osprey
ovenbird
owl (barn)
owl (barred)
owl (burrowing)
owl (eastern screech)
owl (great horned)
owl (long-eared)
owl (northern saw-whet)
owl (short-eared)
owl (snowy)
owl (western screech)
parula (northern)
pelican (American white)
pelican (brown)
phainopepla - rare
phalarope (red)
phalarope (red-necked)
phalarope (Wilson's)
pheasant (ring-necked)
phoebe (black) - rare
phoebe (eastern)
phoebe (Say's)
pigeon (band-tailed) - rare
pine siskin
pipit (American)
pipit (Sprague's)
plover (American golden)
plover (black-bellied)
plover (mountain)
plover (piping)
plover (semipalmated)
plover (snowy)
plover (Wilson's) - rare
poorwill (common)
prairie-chicken (greater)
prairie-chicken (lesser)
pyrrhuloxia - rare
quail (scaled)
rail (black)
rail (king)
rail (Virginia)
rail (yellow)
raven (Chihuahan)
raven (common)
red knot
redpoll (common)
redshank (spotted) - rare
redstart (American)
roadrunner (greater)
robin (American)
ruff
sanderling
sandpiper (Baird's)
sandpiper (buff-breasted)
sandpiper (curlew) - rare
sandpiper (least)
sandpiper (pectoral)
sandpiper (semipalmated)
sandpiper (solitary)
sandpiper (spotted)
sandpiper (stilt)
sandpiper (upland)
sandpiper (western)
sandpiper (white-rumped)
shrike (loggerhead)
shrike (northern)
skimmer (black) - rare
snipe (common)
solitaire (Townsend's)
sora
sparrow (American tree)
sparrow (Bachman's) - rare
sparrow (Baird's)
sparrow (black-throated) - rare
sparrow (Brewer's)
sparrow (Cassin's)
sparrow (chipping)
sparrow (clay-colored)
sparrow (field)
sparrow (fox)
sparrow (golden-crowned)
sparrow (grasshopper)
sparrow (Harris's)
sparrow (Henslow's)
sparrow (house)
sparrow (lark)
sparrow (LeConte's)
sparrow (Lincoln's)
sparrow (Nelson's sharp-tailed)
sparrow (rufous-crowned)
sparrow (sage) - rare
sparrow (savannah)
sparrow (song)
sparrow (swamp)
sparrow (vesper)
sparrow (white-crowned)
sparrow (white-throated)
spoonbill (roseate) - rare
starling (European)
stilt (black-necked)
stork (wood) - rare
swallow (bank)
swallow (barn)
swallow (cliff)
swallow (north rough-winged)
swallow (tree)
swallow (violet-green)
swan (trumpeter)
swan (tundra)
swift (chimney)
swift (white-throated) - rare
tanager (scarlet)
tanager (summer)
tanager (western)
tern (Arctic) - rare
tern (black)
tern (Caspian)
tern (common)
tern (Forster's)
tern (gull-billed) - rare
tern (least)
titmouse (tufted)
towhee (canyon)
towhee (eastern)
towhee (green-tailed)
towhee (spotted)
thrasher (brown)
thrasher (curve-billed)
thrasher (sage)
thrush (gray-cheeked)
thrush (hermit)
thrush (Swainson's)
thrush (varied)
thrush (wood)
turkey (wild)
turnstone (ruddy)
veery
vireo (Bell's)
vireo (blue-headed)
vireo (Cassin's) - rare
vireo (Gray's) - rare
vireo (Philadelphia)
vireo (plumbeous) - rare
vireo (red-eyed)
vireo (warbling)
vireo (white-eyed)
vireo (yellow-throated)
vulture (black)
vulture (turkey)
warbler (bay-breasted)
warbler (black and white)
warbler (Blackburnian)
warbler (blackpoll)
warbler (black-throated blue)
warbler (black-throated gray)
warbler (black-throated green)
warbler (black and white)
warbler (blue-winged)
warbler (Canada)
warbler (Cape May)
warbler (cerulean)
warbler (chestnut-sided)
warbler (Connecticut)
warbler (golden-winged)
warbler (hermit) - rare
warbler (hooded)
warbler (Kentucky)
warbler (MacGillivray's)
warbler (magnolia)
warbler (mourning)
warbler (Nashville)
warbler (orange-crowned)
warbler (prairie)
warbler (palm)
warbler (pine)
warbler (prothonotary)
warbler (Swainson's) - rare
warbler (Tennessee)
warbler (Townsend's)
warbler (Virginia)
warbler (Wilson's)
warbler (worm-eating)
warbler (yellow)
warbler (yellow-breasted)
warbler (yellow-rumped)
warbler (yellow-throated)
waterthrush (Louisiana)
waterthrush (northern)
waxwing (Bohemian)
waxwing (cedar)
wheatear (northern)
whimbrel
whip-poor-will
willet
woodcock (American)
woodpecker (downy)
woodpecker (hairy)
woodpecker (ladder-backed)
woodpecker (Lewis's) - rare
woodpecker (pileated)
woodpecker (red-bellied)
woodpecker (red-headed)
woodpecker (yellow-bellied sapsucker)
woodpecker (Williamson's sapsucker) - rare
wood-pewee (eastern)
wood-pewee (western)
wren (Bewick's)
wren (canyon) - rare
wren (Carolina)
wren (house)
wren (marsh)
wren (rock)
wren (sedge)
wren (winter)
yellowlegs (greater)
yellowlegs (lesser)
yellowthroat (common)
When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association).
When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.
Author Last Name, First Name(s). "Title: Subtitle of Part of Web Page, if appropriate." Title: Subtitle: Section of Page if appropriate. Sponsoring/Publishing Agency, If Given. Additional significant descriptive information. Date of Electronic Publication or other Date, such as Last Updated. Day Month Year of access < URL >.
Amsel, Sheri. "Kansas Habitats, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2024. December 18, 2024
< http://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/830 >
