National Wildlife Refuges National Parks Acreage of Important Bird Areas 8 6 6,636,755 Missouri represents an ornithological crossroads. It transitions from southern and eastern environments to those of the Midwest, with a corresponding range of breeding birds. Swainson’s Hawk, Greater Roadrunner, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and Painted Bunting nest here, as do Northern Harrier, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Bobolink. Protected areas include vast tracts of diverse habitat: bald-cypress bottomland swamp in the southeast, high-quality tallgrass prairie in the west, pine-oak-hickory forests on the Ozark Plateau, and waterfowl-rich wetlands throughout the state. In the winter, birders head for spots along the Mississippi River to watch for rare gulls, and to Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge to observe thousands of migrant Snow Geese and hundreds of Bald Eagles. The rich woods of the Ozark Plateau, crisscrossed by lovely...