Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
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Introduction
Location
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is located in south central Kansas near the town of Stafford. Its proximity to the Central Flyway migration route and the salt marshes on the refuge combine to endow the refuge with a large variety of birds. Many of these birds are uncommon if not unheard of in other parts of Kansas or even the central part of the continent.
Quivira - City of Gold
The name Quivira derives from a fabled American Indian city of gold. In 1541 Coronado traveled north into the plains of Kansas searching for this city of gold. He spent a month with the Quiviran indians but returned to New Mexico without ever finding it.
Seasonal Bird Highlights
Spring and Summer
Shorebirds, Pelicans, and gulls stop over at the refuge enroute to their Spring nesting grounds. Plovers, Avocets, Stilts, Ibis, and endangered Least Terns nest on the refuge during the spring and summer.
Fall
500,000 geese and ducks pass through Quivira NWR in route to the Gulf Coast and Mexico. Endangered Whooping Cranes occasionally visit the refuge on their way to their wintering grounds in Texas.
Winter
Both Bald and Golden Eagles spend the winter on the refuge.
Accidentals
These species have all been seen on rare occasions on the refuge:
- Great Flamingo
- Surf Scoter
- Greater Roadrunner
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Roseate Spoonbill
External links
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: official site (http://quivira.fws.gov)