2024 REPORT OF THE KANSAS BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE

 

This report summarizes the activities of the Committee for the calendar year 2024. The Committee evaluated 24 reports, recording the occurrence of 26 different birds. All reports, whether evaluated or not, are archived by the Kansas Bird Records Committee and are available for review upon request of the secretary.

 

Submissions are assigned a sequential number in the order in which they are received, with the year of receipt as a prefix. Submissions that are not on the review list, or not considered extraordinary, may not be circulated to the Committee. Birds are listed in phylogenetic order under each of two categories: Records Accepted and Records Not Accepted. Taxonomy and nomenclature follow the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds, 7th Edition (American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American Birds: The Species of Birds of North America from the Arctic through Panama, Including the West Indies and Hawaiian Islands. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. Check-list of North American Birds [online]. American Ornithological Society https://checklist.americanornithology.org/), updated through the 65th Supplement (R Terry Chesser, Shawn M Billerman, Kevin J Burns, Carla Cicero, Jon L Dunn, Blanca E Hernández-Baños, Rosa Alicia Jiménez, Oscar Johnson, Andrew W Kratter, Nicholas A Mason, Pamela C Rasmussen, J V Remsen, Jr. 2024. Ornithology, Volume 141, Issue 3, 1 July 2024, ukae019, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukae019.)

 

After the English and scientific name, the following, if available, are provided: KBRC record number; the number of individuals seen, with age, sex or plumage notes; date(s) of observation; locality, including county; observer(s), with those documenting the record listed first; supporting physical evidence; and finally, pertinent comments on changes to the species status on the Kansas Ornithological Society (KOS) check-list. Records that were not accepted by the Committee have observer(s) names omitted, with a brief explanation of the rationale behind that decision.

 

Authors, when citing KBRC records from this report, are encouraged to give credit to the observer(s) associated with the observation along with a full citation of this report.

 

RECORDS ACCEPTED

 

Mexican Duck, (Anas diazi), 2024-12, adult, 2–9 May 2024, at North Anderson Road Playa, north of Garden City, Finney County, by Franklin Miller. First observed by Mark Peterson, also seen by Pete Janzen, Henry Armknecht and others. Documented with photographs. Second state record.

 

Black-chinned Hummingbird, (Archilochus alexandri), 2024-13, adult male, 6–25 June 2024, at a rural residence southwest of Ellsworth, Russell County, by Dave Klema and many other observers. Documented with photographs. Fifteenth accepted record.

 

Anna’s Hummingbird, (Calypte anna), 2024-01, second year male, mid November 2023 to 13 January 2024, at a residential backyard feeder in Oskaloosa, Jefferson County, by Sherry Jaap. Documented with photographs. Sixteenth accepted record.

 

Limpkin, (Aramus guarauna ), 2024-09, unknown age, 17 November 2023, at Fall River Wildlife Area, Greenwood County, by Franklin Miller, Anthony Miller, Dwight Miller, and Michael Miller. Documented with photographs. Twenty-second state record.

 

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, (Calidris acuminata), 2024-23, immature, 1 November 2024, Big Salt Marsh, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, Stafford County, by Valentina Roumi, documented with photographs. This is the first record of this species in Kansas and will be added to the KOS Check-list.

 

Pomarine Jaeger, (Stercorarius pomarinus), 2024-05, unknown age, 4-5 November 2023, Tuttle Creek Cove Park area of Tuttle Creek Lake, Riley County, by Logan Anderson, also seen by Jeff Calhoun and Greg Enns. Documented with photographs and video. Seventh accepted record.

 

Yellow-billed Loon, (Gavia adamsii), 2024-02, unknown age, 7 January 2024, at Cheney Reservoir in both Reno and Sedgwick Counties, by Mark Nolen. Documented with photographs. Seventh state record.

 

Black Vulture, (Coragyps atratus), 2024-10, unknown age, 3 May 2024, observed soaring over Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, by Dave Williams.

 

Black Vulture, (Coragyps atratus), 2024-14, unknown age, 24 June 2024, observed soaring over Manhattan, Riley County, reported by Logan Anderson, first seen by Sam Schermerhorn and Gloria Gibler. Documented with photographs.

 

Black Vulture, (Coragyps atratus), 2024-18, two unknown age, 10 July 2024, observed at La Cygne Wildlife Area, Miami County, by Malcolm Gold and Michaela Gold. Documented with photographs.

 

Red-naped Sapsucker, (Sphyrapicus nuchalis), 2024-15, one immature and one adult, 10 October 2024, in a residential yard in Dodge City, Ford County, by Christi McMillen. Documented with photographs. Twelfth accepted record.

 

Hammond’s Flycatcher, (Empidonax hammondii), 2024-20, unknown age, 14 September 2024, at Middle Springs area of Cimarron National Grasslands, Morton County, by Mark Nolen. Documented with photographs. Fourteenth accepted record.

 

Gray Flycatcher, (Empidonax wrightii), 2024-21, unknown age, 14 September 2024, at the Boy Scout area of Cimarron National Grasslands, Morton County, by Mark Nolen. Documented with photographs and video. Thirteenth accepted record.

 

Vermilion Flycatcher, (Pyrocephalus rubinus), 2024-08, adult female, 13 March 2024, at a rural farmstead near Nickerson, Reno County, by Joseph Miller, also seen by Franklin Miller and Anthony Miller. Documented with photographs.

 

Cassin’s Vireo, (Vireo cassinii), 2024-16, unknown age, 24 September 2024, at Palmer Park, Scott City, Scott County, by Mark Peterson. Documented with photographs.

 

Philadelphia Vireo, (Vireo philadelphicus), 2024-11, adult, 11 May 2024, at a rural residence northeast of Johnson, Stanton County, by Olivia Seger. Documented with photographs.

 

Violet-green Swallow, (Tachycineta thalassina), 2024-19, adult, 26 October 2024, at Antioch Marsh area of Hillsdale Lake, Miami County, by Malcolm Gold, also seen by Kevin Keltner.

 

Pacific Wren, (Troglodytes pacificus), 2024-24, unknown age, 22 November 2024 at Riverside Recreation Golf Course near Saint Francis, Cheyenne County, by Kevin Groeneweg. Documented with photographs, video and audio recordings. Third state record.

 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow, (Passer montanus), 2024-04, adult male, 23 November 2023 to mid-August 2024, in a residential yard north of Topeka, Shawnee County, by Dallas Alexander and seen by many other observers. Documented with photographs. This bird mated with a female House Sparrow and hybrid young were observed. This is the first record of this species in Kansas and will be added to the KOS Check-list.

 

Brambling, (Fringilla montifringilla), 2024-17, unknown age, 29-31 October 2024, residential yard in Lawrence, Douglas County, by Maureen Winkler and seen by many other observers. Documented with photographs. Third state record.

 

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, (Leucosticte tephrocotis), 2024-07, adult, 11 March 2024, at a bird feeding station in Chisholm Creek Park, Wichita, Sedgwick County by Phyllis Richert. Documented with photographs. Second state record and the first verified with physical evidence. Hypothetical status removed.

 

Sagebrush Sparrow, (Artemisiospiza nevadensis), 2024-06, adult, 6 March 2024, Cimarron National Grasslands, Morton County, by Franklin Miller. Documented with photographs. This is the fourth state record, the first confirmed sighting since 1974.

 

Canyon Towhee, (Melozone fusca), 2024-22, unknown age, 14–15 September 2024, at Point of Rocks area of Cimarron National Grasslands, by Mark Nolen. Documented with photographs. Eighth accepted record.

 

RECORDS NOT ACCEPTED

 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow, (Passer montanus), 2024-04, unknown age, 19 March 2016, visiting feeders at a rural residence west of Wathena, Doniphan County. Insufficient details to confirm identification or to eliminate a possible hybrid.

 

NOTES

The addition of Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Eurasian Tree Sparrow, brings the official Kansas Check-list to 488 documented species that have occurred in Kansas. Three species are not included on the active check-list because they no longer occur. The Passenger Pigeon and Carolina Parakeet are extinct, and the Gunnison Sage-Grouse has been extirpated from the state.

 

A record for Taiga/Tundra Bean Goose (Anser fabalis/Anser serrirostris) was accepted in 2020. However, since it wasn’t accepted at the species level it was not added to the KOS Check-list.

 

The current Kansas check-list can be viewed at: https://www.ksbirds.org/checklist/KansasChecklist.pdf

 

Members of the KBRC voting on these records:

 

Matt Gearheart

Andrew George

Malcolm Gold

Kevin Groeneweg

Mark Nolen

Chuck Otte (Secretary, Alternate)

Mike Rader

Max Thompson (Chair)

Eugene A. Young (Alternate)

 

Submitted by Chuck Otte, KBRC Secretary