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Common Wildlife of Horicon Marsh WILDLIFE WATCHING TIPS THINGS TO WATCH FOR – Animal tracks or footprints Animal trails/runways Scat/animal droppings Animal homes such as burrows, huts/lodges & nests Animal remains MARSH ETIQUETTE – Move slowly and quietly Observe wildlife from a distance that they consider safe Limit the time you spend with wildlife Don’t feed the wildlife Leave wildlife in the wild Please respect the space of others who may be viewing the same wildlife Respect the rights of private landowners Leave wildlife habitat in better condition than you found it The following is a list of the most common wildlife seen at Horicon Marsh. Wildlife includes the insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Birds are among the most easily observed wildlife. Over the years, a total of 264 species of birds have been sighted at Horicon Marsh. Horicon Marsh consists of 32,000 acres. The northern two-thirds is a national wildlife refuge, while the southern one-third is a state wildlife area managed by the Wisconsin DNR. It is predominantly cattail marsh and is managed primarily for ducks and geese. However, the abundant habitat attracts many non-game species. There are also a number of rare, threatened and endangered species. Birdwatching and other wildlife observation is encouraged. Please obey all signs or check at the State and Federal headquarters fo current regulations and opportunities. BIRDS Pied-billed grebe, double-crested commorant, American bittern, great blue heron, great egret, black-crowned night heron, tundra(whistling) swan, Canada goose, snow goose, wood duck, mallard, green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, American wigeon, redhead, ring-necked duck, kisser scaup, ruddy duck, turke vulture, osprey, bald eagle, marsh hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, red-tailed hawk, American destrel, peregrine falcon, ring-necked pheasant, Virginia rail, sora rail, sandhill crane, common moorhen, American coot, killdeer, yellowlegs, dunlin, common snipe, ring-billed gull, herring gull, Forster’s tern, black tern, mourning dove, great horned owl, barred owl, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, eastern phoebe, great crested flycatcher, eastern kingbird, horned lark, purple martin, tree swallow, barn swallow, blue jay, American crow, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, house wren, marsh wren, wood thrush, American robin, gray catbird, brown thrasher, cedar waxwing, Europeon starling, red-eyed vireo, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, American redstart, common yellowthroat, northern cardinal, rose-breasted grosbeak, American tree sparrow, chipping sparrow, Savannah sparrow, song sparrow, swamp sparrow, white-throated sparrow, dark-eyed junco, bobolink, meadowlark, red-winged blackbird, yellow-headed blackbird, common grackle, brown-headed cowbird, American goldfinch, house sparrow, white pelican AMPHIBIANS Western chorus frog, leopard frog, American toad REPTILES Painted turtle, snapping turtle, red-bellied snake, garter snake, milk snake UPLAND MAMMALS Opossum, cottontail rabbit, meadow vole, 13-lined ground squirrel, chipmunk, gray squirrel, woodchuck, little brown bat, skunk, raccoon, red fox, coyote, white-tailed deer LOWLAND MAMMALS Muskrat, beaver, river otter, mink | ||
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