Modern Vertebrate Fauna

of the Dempsey Divide

Thurmond Ranch, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma

Alphabetized by Taxonomic Name

Most of the amphibian and reptilian species were identified during a survey of the Thurmond Ranch by Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History biologists Laurie Vitt and Janalee Caldwell in August of 1996. The remainder of the species on this list have been identified by Pete and Susie Thurmond since 1992.

Many of the avian species are migratory, and are therefore present in the study area only seasonally. However, as the local winters have moderated since the 1960s, we are seeing many migratory birds overwinter that formerly went further south during the cold season. The numerous artificial ponds and large acreages of winter wheat in the region are attractive to migratory waterfowl.

Bison, elk, black bear, and wolf were present up to the late 19^th century, and their bones are found in local Late Holocene valley fills. Bison were extirpated in the vicinity by 1877. Cougar, deer, beaver, and turkey were extirpated by the 1890s settlers. All returned to the brushy canyonlands of the area in the latter half of the 20^th century. Rio Grande turkeys were imported from South Texas and released by local ranchers in the 1950s. Deer and beaver have filtered back from the east, and cougar from the west. Turkey, deer, and beaver are now abundant. Sightings of cougar have been increasing since the late 1980s, and the big cats are breeding in the area.

The lesser prairie chicken is virtually extinct in Roger Mills County, although a breeding population hangs on across the border in Texas. Intriguingly, the decline of the prairie chicken has happened over the last fifty years, during a time when the human population and area of cultivated land in the county have both steadily declined.

Rattlesnakes are surprisingly uncommon in Roger Mills County. Prairie rattler and western massasauga should be present here. However, while we have seen cougars on the ranch multiple times in the last ten years, there has not been a sighting of a rattlesnake in decades.

Armadillo seem not to have been present before the 20^th century, but are now quite common. African cattle egrets just made it into the area in the 1990s.

This list does not yet include fish.

JPT 06/11/2001

Amphibians

Genus	Species	Common Name
Acris	crepitans blanchardi	Blanchard's cricket frog
Ambystoma	tigrinum mavortium	barred tiger salamander
Bufo	cognatus	Great Plains toad
Bufo	punctatus	red-spotted toad
Bufo	woodhousii woodhousii	Woodhouse's toad
Rana	catesbeiana	bull frog
Rana	blairi	Plains leopard frog
Scaphiopus	bombifrons	Plains spadefoot toad

Lizards

Genus	Species	Common Name
Cnemidophorus	sexlineatus viridis	prairie racerunner
Cnemidophorus	gularis gularis	Texas spotted whiptail
Crotaphytus	collaris collaris	eastern collared lizard
Eumeces	obsoletus	Great Plains skink
Holbrookia	maculata maculata	northern earless lizard
Phrynosoma	cornutum	Texas horned lizard
Sceloporus	undulatus garmani	northern prairie lizard
Scinella	lateralis	ground skink

Snakes

Genus	Species	Common Name
Agkistrodon	contortrix laticinctus	broad-banded copperhead
Arizona	elegans elegans	Kansas glossy snake
Coluber	constrictor flaviventris	eastern yellowbelly racer
Elaphe	guttata emoryi	Great Plains rat snake
Heterodon	nasicus	Plains hognose snake
Hypsiglena	torquata	Texas night snake
Lampropeltis	calligaster calligaster	Plains kingsnake
Lampropeltis	getula holbrooki	speckled king snake
Leptotyphlops	dulcis dissectus	New Mexico blind snake
Masticophis	flagellum testaceus	western coachwhip
Nerodia	erythrogaster transversa	blotched water snake
Nerodia	rhombifer rhombifer	diamondback water snake
Pituophis	melanoleucus sayi	bullsnake
Regina	grahamii	Graham's crayfish snake
Storeria	dekayi texana	Texas brown snake
Tantilla	nigriceps	Plains blackhead snake
Thamnophis	proximus ssp.	ribbon snake
Thamnophis	sirtalis annectens	Texas garter snake

Turtles

Genus	Species	Common Name
Apalone	mutica	midland smooth softshell
Apalone	spinifera hartwegi	western spiny softshell
Chelydra	serpentina	common snapping turtle
Kinosternon	flavescens	yellow mud turtle
Terrapene	ornata ornata	ornate box turtle
Trachemys	scripta elegans	red-eared slider

Birds of Prey

Genus	Species	Common Name
Bubo	virginianus	great horned owl
Buteo	jamaicensis	red-tailed hawk
Buteo	swainsoni	Swainson's hawk
Cathartes	aura	turkey vulture
Circus	cyaneus	northern harrier
Falco	sparverius	American kestrel
Ictinia	mississippiensis	Mississippi kite
Otus	asio	eastern screech-owl
Tyto	alba	barn owl

Perching, Tree-Climbing, & Upland Ground Birds

Genus	Species	Common Name
Agelaius	phoeniceus	red-winged blackbird
Aimophila	cassinii	Cassin's sparrow
Archilochus	alexandri	black-chinned hummingbird
Archilochus	colubris	ruby-throated hummingbird
Cardinalis	cardinalis	northern cardinal
Carduelis	tristis	American goldfinch
Catherpes	mexicanus	canyon wren
Certhia	americana	brown creeper
Chordeiles	minor	common nighthawk
Coccothraustes	vespertinus	evening grosbeak
Colaptes	auratus	northern flicker
Colinus	virginianus	bobwhite quail
Corvus	brachyrhynchos	American crow
Cyanocitta	cristata	blue jay
Dendroica	coronata	yellow-rumped warbler
Empidonax	traillii	willow flycatcher
Geococcyx	californianus	roadrunner
Hirundo	rustica	barn swallow
Hirundo	pyrrhonota	cliff swallow
Hylocichla	mustelina	hermit thrush
Icterus	galbula	northern oriole
Junco	hyemalis	dark-eyed junco
Lanius	ludovicianus	loggerhead shrike
Melanerpes	carolinus	red-bellied woodpecker
Melanerpes	erythrocephalus	red-headed woodpecker
Meleagris	gallopavo	Rio Grande turkey
Melospiza	lincolnii	Lincoln's sparrow
Melospiza	melodia	song sparrow
Mimus	polyglottos	northern mockingbird
Molothrus	ater	brown-headed cowbird
Muscivora	forficata	scissor-tailed flycatcher
Parus	carolinensis	Carolina chickadee
Parus	bicolor	tufted titmouse
Passer	domesticus	house sparrow
Passerculus	sandwichensis	savannah sparrow
Phalaenoptilus	nuttalli	common poorwill
Picoides	scalaris	ladder-backed woodpecker
Pipilo	erythrophthalmus	rufous-sided towhee
Polioptila	caerulea	blue-gray gnatcatcher
Regulus	satrapa	golden-crowned kinglet
Regulus	calendula	ruby-crowned kinglet
Salpinctes	obsoletus	rock wren
Sayornis	phoebe	eastern phoebe
Sialia	currucoides	mountain bluebird
Sialia	sialis	eastern bluebird
Spinus	psaltria	lesser goldfinch
Spiza	americana	dickcissel
Spizella	passerina	chipping sparrow
Sturnella	neglecta	western meadowlark
Thyromanes	bewickii	Bewick's wren
Toxostoma	rufum	brown thrasher
Turdus	migratorius