BBS Route · South Dakota · BCR 17
Railroad Butte Bird Survey Route
A standard 50-stop Breeding Bird Survey route. 71 species recorded across 23 survey years, still active.
71Species Recorded
23Years Surveyed
1995–2022Span
3Observers
Bird Species Found on South Dakota Railroad Butte
Top 40 of 71 species by most recent count. Each links to its species trend.
| History | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Meadowlark | Icteridae | 160 | 2022 | -51% | 1997 | |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Icteridae | 59 | 2022 | +427% | 1997 | |
| Mourning Dove | Columbidae | 50 | 2022 | -24% | 1997 | |
| Common Nighthawk | Caprimulgidae | 38 | 2022 | +150% | 1997 | |
| Upland Sandpiper | Scolopacidae | 26 | 2022 | +3% | 1997 | |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | Passerellidae | 24 | 2022 | -54% | 1997 | |
| Horned Lark | Alaudidae | 15 | 2022 | -31% | 1997 | |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundinidae | 11 | 2022 | -30% | 1997 | |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Icteridae | 10 | 2022 | -15% | 1997 | |
| European Starling | Sturnidae | 10 | 2018 | +94% | 2005 | |
| Cliff Swallow | Hirundinidae | 10 | 2022 | +900% | 2010 | |
| Mallard | Anatidae | 6 | 2018 | -69% | 1998 | |
| Killdeer | Charadriidae | 6 | 2022 | +0% | 1997 | |
| Field Sparrow | Passerellidae | 5 | 2022 | n/a | n/a | |
| Lark Sparrow | Passerellidae | 4 | 2022 | -8% | 1998 | |
| Wilson's Phalarope | Scolopacidae | 4 | 1998 | n/a | n/a | |
| Blue Grosbeak | Cardinalidae | 4 | 2022 | +300% | 2018 | |
| Brown Thrasher | Mimidae | 3 | 2022 | +150% | 2001 | |
| Northern Pintail | Anatidae | 3 | 2011 | +67% | 2001 | |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Icteridae | 3 | 2022 | +25% | 1999 | |
| Wood Duck | Anatidae | 3 | 1998 | n/a | n/a | |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Cardinalidae | 3 | 2004 | +200% | 2001 | |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Laniidae | 3 | 2022 | +150% | 2008 | |
| Rock Pigeon | Columbidae | 3 | 2010 | n/a | n/a | |
| American Coot | Rallidae | 2 | 2018 | +25% | 1999 | |
| Swainson's Hawk | Accipitridae | 2 | 2016 | +100% | 1997 | |
| American Kestrel | Falconidae | 2 | 2017 | +75% | 1997 | |
| Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannidae | 2 | 2022 | +43% | 1997 | |
| Chipping Sparrow | Passerellidae | 2 | 1995 | n/a | n/a | |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Phasianidae | 2 | 2022 | -29% | 1998 | |
| Western Kingbird | Tyrannidae | 2 | 2018 | +0% | 1998 | |
| Long-billed Curlew | Scolopacidae | 2 | 2018 | +0% | 1999 | |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Picidae | 2 | 2017 | +100% | 1998 | |
| American Wigeon | Anatidae | 2 | 2000 | +0% | 1999 | |
| Northern Shoveler | Anatidae | 2 | 2018 | +33% | 2002 | |
| Burrowing Owl | Strigidae | 2 | 2022 | +0% | 2007 | |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostridae | 2 | 2016 | -50% | 2005 | |
| Canada Goose | Anatidae | 2 | 2007 | n/a | n/a | |
| Gray Partridge | Phasianidae | 2 | 2011 | n/a | n/a | |
| Yellow Warbler | Parulidae | 2 | 2011 | n/a | n/a |
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. A route is a sample, not a census.