Shorebirds of Southern Nevada

Author name

Shorebirds are truly impressive flyers – their bodies are sleek, their wings pointed and long. They move quickly and powerfully across the sky with fast, shallow wingbeats, propelled forward by powerful pectoral muscles. In 2022, one species of shorebird had its moment in the national news cycle as major newspapers picked up on impressive results from a study which tagged shorebirds called Bar-tailed Godwits. A few godwits in Alaska were captured by biologists, tagged with low-weight tracking beacons, and released. These birds breed in Alaska, but head down to New Zealand or Tasmania for the winter. Until birds could be tracked using modern, light-weight systems, no one could say for certain how long it takes for these migratory birds to get from one place to another, and which routes they take. But the results from the biologists’ tracking and reporting on their birds were newsworthy: one bird had flown from Alaska to New Zealand, flying across most of the Pacific Ocean, a route of more than 8,400 miles, in just eleven days. The bird was four months old.


Anyone who caught this news, even biologists and birders already paying attention to shorebirds, would have likely been impressed. But while the godwit may be a world superlative, we here in Nevada are also in luck, as our area plays host to its own impressive assemblage of long-distance athletes. To see them, you’ll need to visit the right habitats at the right time of year.

The word “shorebird” refers to a related group of bird families, and includes jacanas, avocets, stilts, plovers, and the richly diverse sandpipers. Some of the plovers and most of the sandpipers are long-distance migrants, meaning that their populations will cover vast amounts of ground throughout the year depending on the season. Yellowlegs breed in the spruce forests of Alaska and Canada and spend the winter in the southern states, Mexico, and tropical America. Western Sandpipers breed in open tundra in Alaska and then head to coastal Mexico. Long-billed Curlews breed in arid prairies across the west, but head to the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico to feed on crabs for the winter.


There are about fifty species of shorebirds whose populations can be found in North America at some point during the year. Some species rarely leave the coastlines of the Pacific or Atlantic, but most shorebirds that criss-cross the continent’s interior will show up in Nevada. When they do, most will assuredly be near water. Aside from the Killdeer and Long-billed Curlew, Nevada's shorebirds will need to locate a water source for finding food and security. Wetlands, pond and lake edges, and shallow flooded areas, like Ash Meadows NWR, Las Vegas Wash, and Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, are the preferred stopover habitats for shorebirds that migrate through Nevada twice a year. During the late summer or early fall, you may also find shorebirds feeding in flooded dry lake beds. Monsoons can fill ancient lakes with water, inviting small tadpole shrimp out of dormancy in the dried sediment.


To find and observe shorebirds, visit wetlands or flooded areas with expansive, shallow water and mudflats. Most shorebirds avoid areas close to dense vegetation, where predators can ambush them. Spring migration may begin in March, peak in late April, and continue into May. Fall migration can begin as early as late July, gain momentum in August, and peak in early September. Small number of Greater Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitchers may overwinter in wetlands, while Killdeer are in the region throughout the year. At all times of the year, shorebirds will mix and mingle, often congregating where the water levels are optimal and the found bountiful.

We don’t get more than a few optimal weeks per year to observe shorebirds. Many of them look similar, and they’re often skittish and sometimes observed only from a distance. For these and other reasons, shorebirds can be challenging to birders of all skill levels. Try doing the following when you see a shorebird this spring: first, get an impression of the shape of the bird. Look at the shape of the beak, as well as the beak length relative to the size of the bird’s head. Unless the bird is wading, you should be able to see the length of the bird’s legs. Note the leg color, and get a sense of the bird’s back and wing colors. Check the breast or flanks for any patterns and their colors.


Watch the bird’s forward movements, and how the bird appears to look for food. Yellowlegs stride and pick at the surface, dowitchers move slowly along as they aggressively probe in the mud, and short-legged Western Sandpipers run quickly at the edge of any shallow water source.


Finally, listen for any vocalizations that the bird may make. During migration, shorebirds are usually only giving simple calls, but most are recognizable to species by these sounds. Some shorebirds make simple notes, often repeated, while some may chatter quickly. Most plovers tend to give long whistling notes.


By getting a sense of the bird’s beak and body shape, how the bird moves and forages, where in the water or shore the bird feeds, and a sense of color and pattern of the bird, you will collect many of the key pieces to identifying most shorebirds under most circumstances. Continue to hone in on the personalities and subtle patterns of these birds, and you’ll find yourself always looking to discover something new about shorebirds. Head to wetlands and begin searching around muddy areas bordered by shallow water. These areas are critical stopover habitats for shorebirds and other water birds that migrate through the arid west, where late April-early May is the window for peak numbers and diversity.


Photo: Least Sandpiper by Alex Harper

RECENT ARTICLES

Corn Creek

April 30, 2025
By Jackson Roth We decided to go to Corn Creek for the first time because I had seen some incredible pictures of desert birds from the website www.birdandhike.com . Unlike going to Henderson Bird Preserve or Floyd Lamb Park, we would be spending the entire time in a desert habitat and therefore hopefully seeing the birds that mainly thrive there like Horned Larks and Swainson’s Hawks. We explored the area, and, while the Corn Creek ranch was a cool historical site and the hikes in the barren desert were beautiful, the sparrows, ravens, and mockingbirds there did not excite us. While the afternoon at Corn Creek had been lovely, we hadn’t seen many interesting birds or bird behaviors. On our way back we had seen some small shapes flitting up in the sky, too far to identify, but then, as we walked out of a cluster of trees, we suddenly saw that there was a group of them, swooping low to a lake. We now recognized them as lesser nighthawks. Above them, swallows were calling while the nighthawks were gliding low to the lake. The nighthawks gracefully flitted and dived, swooped and dodged around each other in a chaotic dance. There were around twenty, together creating a swirling mass of excitement. As they flew around each other and over us, we got a clear view, even in the dim light, of their vibrant white wing streaks. Their reflections in the lake made a beautiful mirror image, and the blooming sunset, also reflected, was a gorgeous backdrop to the scene. We were stunned. What was this behavior? It was captivating, whatever it was. Later, we researched what this behavior was, and we think they were either skimming the lake for bugs, drinking out of the lake, or both. Nighthawks are crepuscular creatures, so it would make sense that they were feeding in the evening. There were quite a few species of birds around the lake, showing that it was one of the few water sources in this desert area, making it less surprising that a large group of birds was feeding together in this way. While it was stunning to us at the time, they were probably just doing their usual feeding behavior, which shows that sometimes when birds do simple things, it looks incredible to humans.

May Birding Forecast

April 30, 2025
by Alex Harper  May is perhaps the most exciting month for birders in Southern Nevada. The first two weeks of the month can be exceptionally dynamic in terms of bird activity and species diversity. With the progressively longer and warmer days, more and more birds pour in from various areas from the south while others continue to depart after spending the winter here. Shorebirds and dozens of species of songbirds that have been absent since last fall begin moving into the area. They look for suitable habitat to rest, find water, and fuel up. What is suitable habitat depends on the species and its preferences, and it may be a well-vegetated yard, park, golf course, or natural area. These birds are often looking to refuel, rest and find water. They must do these while avoiding native predators like Cooper’ Hawks, nonnative predators like cats, and avoid obstacles such as reflective windows, transmission lines, and buildings. Amongst these songbirds are numerous flycatchers, vireos, Swainson’s Thrushes, wood warblers, sparrows, tanagers, orioles, grosbeaks, buntings, and sparrows. Look for these birds anywhere at any time. You may find that on some days that songbirds are in your neighborhood. Palo Verde trees, with their abundant yellow flowers, can be especially enticing to some of these songbirds. The staple spring migration sites to visit amongst birders have been and continue to be Corn Creek Field Station, Floyd Lamb Park and Clark County Wetlands. Other artificial oases include the interstate community of Primm or the town of Indian Springs. These beacons of green amongst the desert landscape attract thirsty songbirds and birds that prefer foraging in trees. Songbirds are colorful, diverse, and often accessible to those living in the metropolitan area. One may not need to travel far from home to catch these birds as they pass through. But there is more to May than songbirds. Shorebirds continue to pass through the region. Anyone visiting the Las Vegas Wash, Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, Bowman Reservoir and other sites may be able to catch members of this diverse order of birds that includes plovers, stilts, avocets and sandpipers. Shorebirds are often considered to be amongst the most difficult of groups of birds to learn if one focuses too much on their plumage or patterns, but pay attention to bill shape, bill size, leg length, and feeding behavior of these birds and you will start to get the swing of the identification process. Shorebirds are mystifying in that they may migrate at high altitudes and cover long distances between wintering and breeding grounds. Most of the shorebirds passing through Southern Nevada may be coming from Mexico, Central, and South America on their way towards the Arctic tundra of Alaska or Canada. You will also notice that the neighborhood birds have begun to tend to young birds leaving the nests. The sounds of fledglings and nestlings may catch your ear amongst the sounds of passing planes, cars and other artificial sounds. Up in the nearby mountains, however, birds are a few weeks behind. At locations like Deer Creek and Fletcher Canyon in the Spring Mountains, birds may just be arriving to tending to territories. By the end of May, head into the mountains to observe the breeding bird activity in parks of Ponderosa Pines or stands of aspens. .

American Avocets

March 28, 2025
By Jackson Roth Last Fall we went to Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve to find some migratory birds to add to our life list. There is an informative woman at the front desk who often gives advice about the recently seen birds in the preserve. As we were chatting, she mentioned that there were some avocets in an area of the preserve that we had never visited. I looked at the Merlin and Audubon field guides, and, seeing how beautiful and elegant they were, I instantly wanted to see them. I was excited but cautious, since it was migration season, and the avocets might have already flown away. Nevertheless, I suggested that we pass by it during our excursion into the preserve. After a bit of walking around, we crossed the preserve and got to the turn in the path that we had never gone to before. With high expectations, we turned left at the fork and went along the path. I was assuming there would be clear views onto a lake bursting full of waterfowl. But, as we walked, my high expectations started to falter. It was unexpectedly hot, we were dusty, and there was no lake vista beyond the trees. Eventually we saw our first sign of a lake, some Northern Shovelers chilling on the banks in a small peeking area in the trees. We watched them for a while, but we had seen shovelers all morning, so we moved on, expecting to see the avocets at any step. But, again, I was disappointed. The trees were just too dense; there was no view of the lake. The entire path was trees on one side and a neighborhood on the other. As we walked a bit farther, I finally offered a suggestion. “Maybe we should just turn back. Maybe that peek of the shovelers was the only view we’ll get.” But my parents convinced me that we should keep going; there might be a better view of the lake later on. The heat was getting us in a bit of a going-home mood, but finally we turned a corner, and there it was, a beautiful shining lake. And the avocets. The avocets were everywhere. Sitting, standing, pecking, chattering. It was amazing to see the large flock of them all clustering and communicating. My mom pulled out her camera and started frantically snapping pictures. While the pictures made the avocets look like fuzzy white blobs, it was a good way to remember that incredible day. My dad and I pulled out our binoculars, furiously swooping back and forth, trying to see all of the action in this avocet flock. We came back about a week later, and they were gone. That is one of the joys of migration season: see a beautiful sight one week, and it's gone the next. It leaves you with a feeling of “wow, I saw something that will happen in a year or might never happen again. I saw something rare. And really cool.”