Birdwatching in the Black Hills & Badlands

The Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Birding Trail covers the western third of South Dakota and includes 38 sites and more than 350 species of birds. While much of the region is open prairie grassland, varying landforms add beauty and habitat for many birds. Mountain bluebird, red-breasted nuthatch, common poorwill and spotted towhee are common in the northwestern part of the region. Rivers attract bald eagles, golden eagles and ferruginous hawks while wetlands offer a home to green-winged teal and northern pintail. There are three driving loops — the Buttes and Prairies Loop; Badlands, Lakes and Canyons Loop, and the Black Hills Loop. Each loop offers unique birding opportunities.

Bird Spotting in the Missouri River Region

The Mighty Mo' bisects South Dakota. It's also home to the Great Lakes Birding Trail. This area around central South Dakota's "great lakes" — named for three huge reservoirs created by dams on the Missouri River — is home to at least 322 bird species, 164 of which are breeding species. This trail follows the course of both the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark Trail.

On the east side of the river, the birding trail runs through gently rolling, glacially scoured land and passes by small, glacially formed pothole lakes and isolated woodlands & wetlands. On the west side of the river, mixed-grass prairie predominates.

On both sides, at the river breaks, you'll find high bluffs, steep draws filled with cedars and deciduous trees and shrubs, cottonwood groves, and miles of cliff faces and shoreline, offering striking vistas and perfect habitats for a wide variety of bird species, from songbirds to raptors. This trail gives birders an extraordinary opportunity to find several desirable species.

Sites such as the Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge, Lower Brule Indian Reservation Birding Loop, Farm Island Recreation Area, Oahe Downstream Recreation Area, West Whitlock Recreation Area and Cheyenne River Indian Reservation Birding Loop are only some of the great birding places in this region.

Birds of the Glacial Lakes & Prairies

Get a bird's-eye view of northeastern South Dakota on the Glacial Lakes and Prairies Birding Trail. Hundreds of large and small pothole lakes were formed when glaciers receded 10,000 years ago. Today you’ll find one of North America’s most productive waterfowl breeding areas. The trail includes 38 sites, ranging from state parks teeming with warblers to waterfowl production areas full of shorebirds.

There are also deciduous and coniferous woodlands and numerous marshes and wetlands where you can see woodland songbirds, marsh birds, shorebirds and raptors. Situated on the overlapping central and Mississippi migratory flyways, the area also hosts millions of migrating birds each spring and fall.

Top sites along the trail include Oakwood Lakes State Park, Waubay National Wildlife Refuge, Sica Hollow State Park and Sand Lake National Refuge.

Birding in Southeast South Dakota

The Southeast South Dakota Birding Trail provides a detailed look into birding in this region. The trail's 33 sites include woodlands — a magnet for dozens of warbler species — and prairie pothole lakes and wetlands teeming with marsh birds, shore birds and wetland species.

Southeastern South Dakota’s landscape is famous for its largely undulating prairie cut by three large rivers and tributaries. Remnants of the most western-reaching fingers of the nation’s eastern deciduous forests extend to the Big Sioux River. Prairie stands of cottonwood, ash, box elder and elm dot the James and Missouri River corridors.

Glacier-formed pothole lakes are scattered throughout the region, and significant areas of grassland habitat attract prairie species. The Missouri River provides sandbars and miles-long reservoirs with quiet bays where many species of waterfowl, gulls and terns may be found. The region’s woodlands are a magnet for three dozen species of warblers. Prairie pothole lakes and wetlands teem with marsh birds, shorebirds and wetland species. Watch for raptors soaring over the entire region. (If raptors are your thing, cruise through Raptor Alley.)

Top sites along the trail include the Outdoor Campus, Lake Herman State Park, Lake Andes National Wildlife Refuge and Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve.

Birding in South Dakota’s State Parks

Some of the best places to enjoy birding are South Dakota’s state parks and recreation areas. You’ll find a variety of habitats to explore, including oak-basswood forests, native prairies, wetlands, glacial lakes and the tail waters and reservoirs of the Missouri River.

Squarely in the middle of where eastern and western North American avifaunas (bird regions) meet, several eastern bird species reach the western limits of their breeding range in eastern South Dakota and are considered uncommon or very local summer residents. These include birds like the whippoorwill and vireo found in two of the state’s birding hotspots: Newton Hills and Hartford Beach State Parks. At Farm Island Recreation Area, located a few miles below the Missouri River dam at Pierre, the birder will find the rose-breasted grosbeak and its western counterpart, the black-headed grosbeak.

The greatest number of species gathers in parks and recreation areas during spring and fall migration. However, during spring migration male birds show off their colorful breeding plumage. Union Grove State Park is one of the best areas to observe the spring migration of wood warblers and other Neotropical migrants.

Birders should bring a good field guide showing both eastern and western species. If you see a rare or unusual bird, please report your observation to the park naturalist or manager. Note the dates and location of your observations in the park. Have fun!