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Sugar Creek Watershed Characteristics - Animals

ANIMALS - BEAVERS & DEER/ REPTILES/ FISH & AMPHIBIANS/ COWS/ SONG BIRDS

Important Wildlife that can be found in the Sugar Creek Watershed include many species of mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. Waterfowl use the ponds and reservoirs behind the flood retarding structures during migration season. There are numerous farm ponds in the watershed, and most of them are suitable for fish production. Below are lists of many species, courtesy of Red Rock Canyon State Park.

MAMMALS REPTILES FISH AMPHIBIANS
BEAVER BLACK RAT SNAKE BLUEGILL SUNFISH AMERICAN TOAD
COYOTE BULL SNAKE CHANNEL CATFISH SOUTHERN LEOPARD FROG
EASTERN COTTONTAIL COACHWHIP SNAKE COMMON CARP SPADEFOOT TOAD
EASTERN MOLE COPPERHEAD SNAKE GREEN SUNFISH TIGER SALAMANDER
EASTERN FOX SQUIRREL EASTERN COLLARED LIZARD HYBRID SUNFISH WOODHOUSE'S TOAD
GRAY FOX EASTERN FENCE LIZARD LARGEMOUTH BLACK BASS
NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO EASTERN HOGNOSE SNAKE YELLOW BULLHEAD
OPOSSUM PRAIRIE KING SNAKE
PLAINS POCKET GOPHER PRAIRIE LINED RACERUNNER
RACOON RED EARED TURTLE
RED BAT RED-SIDED GARTER SNAKE
STRIPED SKUNK ROUGH GREEN SNAKE
WHITETAIL DEER SNAPPING TURTLE

Cattle are also an integral element to the response of Sugar Creek's waters to the bank stability problem. More so on Sugar Creek's tributaries than on the main stem. Un-vegetated banks, in the sense of little to no woody and/or shrub communities, offer little resistance and thus suffer far worse during bankfull and higher flows, than vegetated banks. Also, cattle crossings and direct access to the water, offers no protection from animal wastes entering the waters directly.

Along Sugar Creek's banks and floodplains, can be found many species of birds during the growing and migration seasons.

HERONS OWLS JAYS & CROWS WARBLERS
CATTLE EGRET BARRED OWL BLUE JAY BLACK & WHITE WARBLER
GREAT BLUE HERON EASTERN SCREECH OWL AMERICAN CROW YELLOW RUMPED WARBLER
CRANES GREAT HORNED OWL TITMICE & CHICKADEES LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH
SANDHILL CRANE SWIFTS TUFTED TITMOUSE SPARROWS
PLOVERS CHIMNEY SWIFT CAROLINA CHICKADEE DICKCISSEL
KILLDEER HUMMINGBIRDS WRENS FIELD SPARROW
VULTURES RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD BEWICK'S WREN HARRIS SPARROW
TURKEY VULTURE WOODPECKERS CAROLINA WREN LARK SPARROW
KITES & HAWKS COMMON FLICKER HOUSE WREN NORTHERN CARDINAL
MISSISSIPPI KITE DOWNY WOODPECKER THRUSHES NORTHERN JUNCO
RED TAILED HAWK HAIRY WOODPECKER AMERICAN ROBIN RUFOUS-SIDED TOWHEE
GROUSE RED BELLIED WOODPECKER BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER WHITE THROATED SPARROW
COMMON BOBWHITE TYRANT FLYCATCHERS EASTERN BLUEBIRD BLACKBIRDS & ORIOLES
WILD TURKEY EASTERN PHOEBE MIMIC THRUSHES BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD
DOVES GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER BROWN THRASHER COMMON GRACKLE
MOURNING DOVE OLIVE SIDED FLYCATCHER NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD MEADOWLARK
CUCKOOS WESTERN KINGBIRD WAXWINGS NORTHERN ORIOLE
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO SWALLOWS CEDAR WAXWING RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
GREATER ROADRUNNER BARN SWALLOW STARLINGS SUMMER TANAGER
NIGHTJARS CLIFF SWALLOW EUROPEAN STARLING FINCHES
CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW WEAVERS AMERICAN GOLDFINCH
COMMON NIGHTHAWK PURPLE MARTIN HOUSE SPARROW

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