Northern Minnesota wildlife is one of the best reasons to slow down and explore the Rainy Lake area. Around Rainy Lake and Voyageurs National Park, visitors may spot whitetail deer, black bears, moose, bobcats, wolves, beavers, foxes, and many kinds of birds.

However, some of the area’s most rewarding wildlife sightings happen above the forest floor. Bring binoculars, take your time on the trails, and watch for birds around shorelines, wetlands, forests, and treetops.

Northern Minnesota Wildlife Around Rainy Lake

For visitors interested in Northern Minnesota wildlife, birding is one of the easiest ways to notice the variety of life around the lake.

Birding in Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park is an important place for birds. The National Audubon Society identified the park as an Important Birding Area because of its wide mix of habitats.

In fact, more than 240 bird species have been recorded in the area. In addition, some of those birds are listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need or Species of Conservation Concern.

Northern Minnesota Wildlife and Birding Checklist

For birdwatchers, this Northern Minnesota wildlife checklist can help track common and seasonal species found throughout the Rainy Lake area. In addition, the list is useful for casual visitors who want to identify birds they see near the water, trails, or campsites.

Northern Minnesota Water Birds DUCKS, GEESE & SWANS ❑ Snow Goose ❑ Canada Goose ❑ Trumpeter Swan ❑ Tundra Swan ❑ Wood Duck ❑ Gadwall ❑ American Wigeon ❑ American Black Duck ❑ Mallard ❑ Blue-winged Teal ❑ Northern Shoveler ❑ Northern Pintail ❑ Green-winged Teal ❑ Canvasback ❑ Redhead ❑ Ring-necked Duck ❑ Greater Scaup ❑ Lesser Scaup ❑ Surf Scoter ❑ White-winged Scoter ❑ Black Scoter ❑ Long-tailed Duck ❑ Bufflehead ❑ Common Goldeneye ❑ Hooded Merganser ❑ Common Merganser ❑ Red-breasted Merganser ❑ Ruddy Duck GROUSE ❑ Ruffed Grouse ❑ Spruce Grouse ❑ Sharp-tailed Grouse LOONS ❑ Common Loon ❑ Red-throated Loon GREBES ❑ Pied-billed Grebe ❑ Horned Grebe ❑ Red-necked Grebe ❑ Western Grebe PELICANS ❑ American White Pelican CORMORANTS ❑ Double-crested Cormorant HERONS, BITTERNS ❑ American Bittern ❑ Great Blue Heron ❑ American Tree Sparrow ❑ Chipping Sparrow ❑ Clay-colored Sparrow ❑ Vesper Sparrow ❑ Savannah Sparrow ❑ Le Conte’s Sparrow ❑ Fox Sparrow ❑ Song Sparrow ❑ Lincoln’s Sparrow ❑ Swamp Sparrow ❑ White-throated Sparrow ❑ Harris’ Sparrow ❑ White-crowned Sparrow ❑ Dark-eyed Junco ❑ Lapland Longspur ❑ Snow Bunting CARDINALS & ALLIES ❑ Rose-breasted Grosbeak ❑ Indigo Bunting Songbirds and Seasonal Wildlife BLACKBIRDS ❑ Bobolink ❑ Red-winged Blackbird ❑ Eastern Meadowlark ❑ Western Meadowlark ❑ Yellow-headed Blackbird ❑ Rusty Blackbird ❑ Brewer’s Blackbird ❑ Common Grackle ❑ Brown-headed Cowbird ❑ Baltimore Oriole FINCHES ❑ Pine Grosbeak ❑ Purple Finch ❑ Red Crossbill ❑ White-winged Crossbill ❑ Common Redpoll ❑ Hoary Redpoll ❑ Pine Siskin ❑ American Goldfinch ❑ Evening Grosbeak OLD WORLD SPARROWS ❑ House Sparrow

Raptors, Owls and Shorebirds VULTURES, HAWKS & EAGLES ❑ Turkey Vulture ❑ Osprey ❑ Bald Eagle ❑ Northern Harrier ❑ Sharp-shinned Hawk ❑ Cooper’s Hawk ❑ Northern Goshawk ❑ Broad-winged Hawk ❑ Red-tailed Hawk ❑ Rough-legged Hawk ❑ Golden Eagle FALCONS ❑ American Kestrel ❑ Merlin ❑ Peregrine Falcon ❑ Gyrfalcon RAILS & COOTS ❑ Yellow Rail ❑ Virginia Rail ❑ Sora ❑ American Coot CRANES ❑ Sandhill Crane PLOVERS ❑ Black-bellied Plover ❑ American Golden-plover ❑ Semipalmated Plover ❑ Piping Plover ❑ Killdeer SANDPIPERS & ALLIES ❑ Greater Yellowlegs ❑ Lesser Yellowlegs ❑ Solitary Sandpiper ❑ Willet ❑ Spotted Sandpiper ❑ Upland Sanpiper ❑ Whimbrel ❑ Hudsonian Godwit ❑ Marbled Godwit ❑ Ruddy Turnstone ❑ Sanderling ❑Semipalmated Sandpiper ❑ Western Sandpiper ❑ Least Sandpiper ❑ White-rumped Sandpiper ❑ Baird’s Sandpiper ❑ Pectoral Sandpiper ❑ Dunlin ❑ Long-billed Dowitcher ❑ Wilson’s Snipe❑ Swainson’s Thrush ❑ Hermit Thrush ❑ Wood Thrush ❑ American Robin ❑ Varied Thrush MOCKINGBIRDS & THRASHERS ❑ Gray Catbird ❑ Northern Mockingbird ❑ Brown Thrasher STARLINGS ❑ European Starling PIPITS ❑ American Pipit WAXWINGS ❑ Bohemian Waxwing ❑ Cedar Waxwing WOOD-WARBLERS ❑ Golden-winged Warbler ❑ Tennessee Warbler ❑ Orange-crowned Warbler ❑ Nashville Warbler ❑ Northern Parula ❑ Yellow Warbler ❑ Chestnut-sided Warbler ❑ Magnolia Warbler ❑ Cape May Warbler ❑ Black-throated Blue Warbler ❑ Yellow-rumped Warbler ❑ Black-throated Green Warbler ❑ Blackburnian Warbler ❑ Pine Warbler ❑ Palm Warbler ❑ Bay-breasted Warbler ❑ Blackpoll Warbler ❑ Black-and-white Warbler ❑ American Redstart ❑ Ovenbird ❑ Northern Waterthrush ❑ Connecticut Warbler ❑ Mourning Warbler ❑ Common Yellowthroat ❑ Wilson’s Warbler ❑ Canada Warbler TANAGERS ❑ Scarlet Tanager SPARROWS & ALLIES ❑ Eastern Towhee

❑ American Woodcock ❑ Wilson’s Phalarope GULLS & TERNS ❑ Franklin’s Gull ❑ Bonaparte’s Gull ❑ Ring-billed Gull ❑ Herring Gull ❑ Caspian Tern ❑ Common Tern ❑ Black Tern PIGEONS & DOVES ❑ Rock Pigeon ❑ Mourning Dove CUCKOOS ❑ Black-billed Cuckoo ❑ Yellow-billed Cuckoo OWLS ❑ Great Horned Owl ❑ Snowy Owl ❑ Northern Hawk Owl ❑ Barred Owl ❑ Great Gray Owl ❑ Long-eared Owl ❑ Short-eared Owl ❑ Boreal Owl ❑ Northern Saw-whet Owl GOATSUCKERS ❑ Common Nighthawk ❑ Whip-poor-will SWIFTS ❑ Chimney Swift HUMMINGBIRDS ❑ Ruby-throated Hummingbird ❑ Rufous Hummingbird KINGFISHERS ❑ Belted Kingfisher Forest Birds Around Rainy Lake WOODPECKERS ❑ Red-headed Woodpecker ❑ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ❑ Downy Woodpecker ❑ Hairy Woodpecker ❑ Three-toed Woodpecker ❑ Black-backed Woodpecker ❑ Northern Flicker ❑ Pileated Woodpecker TYRANT FLYCATCHERS ❑ Olive-sided Flycatcher ❑ Eastern Wood-pewee ❑ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ❑ Alder Flycatcher ❑ Least Flycatcher ❑ Eastern Phoebe ❑ Great Crested Flycatcher ❑ Eastern Kingbird SHRIKES ❑ Northern Shrike VIREOS ❑ Blue-headed Vireo ❑ Warbling Vireo ❑ Philadelphia Vireo ❑ Red-eyed Vireo JAYS & CROWS ❑ Gray Jay ❑ Blue Jay ❑ Black-billed Magpie ❑ American Crow ❑ Common Raven LARKS ❑ Horned Lark SWALLOWS ❑ Purple Martin ❑ Tree Swallow ❑ Northern Rough-winged Swallow ❑ Bank Swallow ❑ Cliff Swallow ❑ Barn Swallow CHICKADEES ❑ Black-capped Chickadee ❑ Boreal Chickadee NUTHATCHES ❑ Red-breasted Nuthatch ❑ White-breasted Nuthatch CREEPERS ❑ Brown Creeper WRENS ❑ House Wren ❑ Winter Wren ❑ Sedge Wren ❑ Marsh Wren KINGLETS ❑ Golden-crowned Kinglet ❑ Ruby-crowned Kinglet THRUSHES ❑ Eastern Bluebird ❑ Townsend’s Solitaire ❑ Veery ❑ Gray-cheeked Thrush

Wildlife Photos from the Rainy Lake Area

Beautiful photos by
​Up North Anything Photography
​Ben Sunne