Illinois Important Bird Areas:

Yellow-headed Blackbird

On October 6, 2004, 48 Illinois IBAs were announced. An additional 18 sites were announced in May of 2007. In June of 2010, 26 more sites were announced and 17 existing sites were accepted for additional Bird Species of Conservation Concern. The list of Illinois IBAs that have been designated as of June, 2010 is shown below.

IBA's HOME About IBA's Nominate an IBA Migrant IBA's Adopt an IBA

Current Illinois IBA's:

Thanks to all who took the time to nominate a site. Below is a list of current Illinois IBA's that have been accepted.

Detailed information about each site can be found on Audubon's Illinois IBA page.

Illinois Important Bird Areas
Acpt. Site Criteria
Newly Accepted IBAs
Jun '10 Alexander County - Least Tern Habitat Least Tern
Jun '10 American Golden-Plover Stopover-Arcola Shorebirds
Jun '10 American Golden-Plover Stopover-Dalton City Shorebirds
Jun '10 American Golden-Plover Stopover-Newman Shorebirds
Jun '10 Burning Star Mine Waterfowl, Henslow's Sparrow, Wintering Trumpeter Swan
Jun '10 Carlyle Lake Complex Waterfowl, Wading Birds, Shorebirds, Migrant Landbirds, Wintering Rusty Blackbird
Jun '10 Clear Lake Shorebirds, Waterfowl, Wading Birds
Jun '10 Ferne Clyffe State Park Chuck-will's-widow
Jun '10 Goose Lake, Putnam County Waterfowl
Jun '10 Granite City - Wilson Park Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Jun '10 Horseshoe Lake State Park (Madison County) Pied-billed Grebe, Common Moorhen
Jun '10 Kennekuk County Park Blue-winged Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat
Jun '10 Lake Michigan Waterfowl
Jun '10 Mermet Lake Wintering Rusty Blackbird
Jun '10 Nachusa Grasslands Henslow's Sparrow
Jun '10 Plum Creek Forest Preserve Henslow's Sparrow
Jun '10 Pool 19 - Mississippi River (Hancock, Henderson) Waterfowl
Jun '10 Port Louisa NWR - Mercer Co (Milan Btm., Bogus Is.) Wading Birds, Wintering Bald Eagle
Jun '10 Rend Lake Waterfowl, Wintering Rusty Blackbird
Jun '10 Salt Creek Woods NP - Bob Mann Woods Migrant Landbirds
Jun '10 Sand Ridge State Forest Whip-poor-will
Jun '10 Siloam Springs Area Bewick's Wren
Jun '10 Spring Creek Valley Forest Preserve Henslow’s Sparrow, Blue-winged Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, Willow Flycatcher
Jun '10 Springbrook Prairie Henslow's Sparrow, Bobolink
Jun '10 Thebes Area - Mississippi Kite Complex Mississippi Kite
Jun '10 Wabash - Least Tern Habitat Least Tern
     
Adjacent Area Added to Previously Recognized IBA
Oct '04 Double T FWA, Canton Municipal Sanitary District Henslow's Sparrow, Bobolink, Upland Sandpiper
     
Previously Recognized, New Criteria Added (Bold)
Oct '04 Cache River IBA Wading Birds, Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl (winter), Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Brown Creeper, Prairie Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Cerulean Warbler
May '07 Chicago Lakefront Migrant Landbirds, Black-crowned Night-heron
Oct '04 Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge Waterfowl, Barn Owl, Henslow's Sparrow, Orchard Oriole, Prothonotary Warbler
Oct '04 Emiquon NWR (Spoon River) Waterfowl, Pied-billed Grebe, Black-crowned Night-heron
Oct '04 Goose Lake Prairie State Park American Bittern, King Rail, Wilson's Snipe, Sedge Wren, Henslow's Sparrow, Least Bittern
Oct '04 Hennepin and Hopper Lake Waterfowl, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Moorhen
Oct '04 Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area Waterfowl, Brown Creeper, Wintering Rusty Blackbird
Oct '04 Illinois Beach State Park Raptors, Piping Plover, Black Rail
Oct '04 Iroquois County State Conservation Area Red-headed Woodpecker, Sedge Wren, Henslow's Sparrow
Oct '04 Kaskaskia River Corridor Brown Creeper, Cerulean Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler
May '07 Paul Douglas Forest Preserve Yellow-headed Blackbird, Henslow's Sparrow, Bobolink
Oct '04 Pratt's Wayne /Phillip State Park Grassland Complex Sandhill Crane, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Henslow's Sparrow, American Bittern, Least Bittern, King Rail
Oct '04 Pyramid State Park Waterfowl, Willow Flycatcher, Bell's Vireo, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel, Loggerhead Shrike, Henslow's Sparrow, Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl (winter), Yellow-breasted Chat, wintering Rusty Blackbird
Oct '04 Rollins Savanna Yellow-headed Blackbird, Henslow's Sparrow, Common Moorhen
Oct '04 Union County State Conservation Area Waterfowl, Mississippi Kite, Prothonotary Warbler, Wintering Rusty Blackbird
Oct '04 Two Rivers NWR/ Red's Landing and Mississippi River SFWA Waterfowl, Wading Birds, Brown Creeper, Prothonotary Warbler, Shorebirds
     
Previously Recognized IBAs
May '07 Alorton Thicket Wading Birds, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron
Oct '04 Anderson Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area Waterfowl
May '07 Baker's Lake Nature Preserve Wading Birds
Oct '04 Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area Shorebirds
Oct '04 Bartel Grassland Bobolink
May '07 Beall Woods Migrant Landbirds
May '07 Bergman Slough Osprey
May '07 Carpenter Park Nature Preserve and surrounding areas Migrant Landbirds
Oct '04 Castle Rock State Park & Lowden-Miller SF Cerulean Warbler
Oct '04 Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge Shorebirds, Waterfowl, Wading Birds
May '07 Clinton Lake State Recreation Area Waterfowl
Oct '04 Crab Orchard NWR Waterfowl, Wading Birds
Oct '04 Des Plaines State Conservation Area Orchard Oriole
Oct '04 Donnelly and Lake Depue State Fish and Wildlife Areas Wading Birds
Oct '04 Douglas - Goose Lake & Woodford CCA Waterfowl
May '07 Elsen's Hill/West DuPage Woods FP Migrant Landbirds
May '07 Forest Glen County Preserve Migrant Landbirds
Oct '04 Great River NWR Long Island Division Wading Birds, Shorebirds, Waterfowl
May '07 Herrick Lake / Danada West Wading Birds, Willow Flycatcher
Oct '04 Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area Yellow-breasted Chat, Dickcissel
Oct '04 Kane/McHenry Swainson's Hawk Habitat Swainson's Hawk
Oct '04 Lake Calumet Area Black-crowned Night-heron, Common Moorhen, Willow Flycatcher
May '07 Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Wading Birds
May '07 Lake Senachwine Conservation Area Waterfowl
Oct '04 Lake-McHenry wetlands complex Pied-billed Grebe, Least Bittern, Sandhill Crane, Common Moorhen, Forster's Tern, Willow Flycatcher, Yellow-headed Blackbird
Oct '04 LaRue-Pine Hills Ecological Station, Shawnee National Forest Kentucky Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler
May '07 LaSalle Lake Waterfowl
Oct '04 Lost Mound Unit, Savanna District of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge Waterfowl, Raptors, Wading Birds, Upland Sandpiper, Red-headed Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, Loggerhead Shrike, Grasshopper Sparrow
Oct '04 Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area Waterfowl
May '07 McGinnis Slough Black-crowned Night-heron
Oct '04 Meredosia Lake Waterfowl
Oct '04 Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Upland Sandpiper, Willow Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Bell's Vireo, Grasshopper Sparrow, Bobolink
Oct '04 Mississippi Palisades State Park Raptors, Cerulean Warbler
Oct '04 Naval Station Great Lakes Common Tern
Oct '04 Oakwood Bottoms, Shawnee National Forest Waterfowl, Shorebirds, Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Oct '04 Pekin Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area Wading Birds
May '07 Pembroke Township Red-headed Woodpecker
Oct '04 Pomona Nongame Bird Management Area Cerulean Warbler, Kentucky Warbler
Oct '04 Prairie Ridge State Natural Area - Jasper unit and Marion Unit Shorebirds, Greater Prairie-chicken, American Bittern, King Rail, Upland Sandpiper, Northern Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Sedge Wren, Loggerhead Shrike, Henslow's Sparrow, Dickcissel
Oct '04 Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area Shorebirds
Oct '04 Sand Prairie Scrub Oak Red-headed Woodpecker
Oct '04 Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area Waterfowl, Wading Birds
May '07 Tony's Pond Yellow-headed Blackbird
Oct '04 Trail of Tears State Forest Kentucky Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler
Oct '04 Trelease Woods Research Site
May '07 Upper Des Plaines River Corridor Migrants
Oct '04 Upper Mississippi NWR Waterfowl, Wading Birds, Shorebirds, Raptors, Sandhill Crane, Red-headed Woodpecker, Brown Creeper

Eagle Optics generously donated prizes to show its support for this conservation effort:

  1. Eagle Optics Raven spotting scope with a 20-60 zoom and case was won by Jody Zamirowski, who completed the greatest number of nominations.
  2. Audubon 8x40 Waterproof binocular was won by Don Goerne (random drawing from those who submitted nominations).
  3. Vortex 8x26 Typhoon binocular was won by Tom Lerczak (random drawing from those who submitted nominations).
Upland Sandpiper

Nominations In Progress:

In addition to the sites already accepted above, additional sites have been nominated or are in the process of being reviewed. The IBA Committee will be meeting soon to evaluate and confirm many of these sites.

Nominate an IBA!

If you didn't get around to it yet, you still have another chance to help us out now. If you have knowledge of any important migrant stopover sites or other sites that have not yet been nominated, we would greatly appreciate your information. Learn more about how you can Nominate a Site as an IBA.

Adopt an IBA!

Through the IBA Stewards initiative, an individual or a local group (such as an Audubon chapter, local land trust, bird club, school group, etc.) adopts an IBA and facilitates others to get involved at the site in an environmentally sensitive way.

Becoming an IBA Steward - Take initiative at an IBA near your home by becoming a Site Steward or monitoring birds at a site.

Contact Us:

Please contact the IBA coordinator if you plan to submit an application or for additional information:

Judy Pollock
Audubon Chicago Region
1718 Sherman Avenue #210
Evanston, IL 60201
Phone: 847.328.1250
Fax: 847.328.4146