Kansas City's Best Birdwatching Hotspots

With its abundance of woods, prairies, and lakes, the Kansas City metropolitan area features many birdwatching hotspots. We've listed some of our favorites here. If you have a birdwatching location to add to our list, please share it in the comments below!

• Baker Wetlands

  Named the most beautiful place in Kansas by House Beautiful, Baker Wetlands contains 278 different bird species, including the great blue heron, great egret, yellow-billed cuckoo, and killdeer.

• Hidden Valley Park

  This gorgeous park contains a natural area that is home to birds such as the dark-eyed junco, cedar waxwing, mourning dove, and eastern bluebird. A four-mile trail features additional wildlife.

• James A. Reed Memorial Wildlife Area

  This vast area contains a variety of landscapes and over 200 bird species. Double-crested cormorants and buffleheads are a common sight at the ponds, while orioles and meadowlarks occupy the woods and grasslands.

• Lake Jacomo

  A boat trip across this lake provides an opportunity to see an assortment of waterbirds, including gulls, egrets, ducks, and pelicans. The surrounding woodlands also feature the occasional bald eagle.

• Maple Woods Natural Area

  Migrating songbirds frequent this natural area, which is beloved for its spring wildflowers and autumn leaves. Some of the many birds you may see here include yellow-rumped warblers, common grackles, greater white-fronted geese, and blue jays.

• Martha LaFite Thompson Nature Sanctuary

  A highlight of this location is its accessible asphalt trail, which allows wheelchair-users to admire the wildlife. Whip-por-wills, flickers, ruby-crowned kinglets, and green herons are just a few of the area's many birds.

• Smithville Lake

  With lakes, beaches, and 25 miles of trails, this area contains a variety of habitats for birds. In addition to being a popular place for great horned owls, yellowlegs, and purple finches, the area has had a few bald eagle sightings.

• Wyandotte County Lake

  This 400-acre lake is not just a great place for fishing and boating. It also features a number of interesting birds, including American redstarts, grebes, sandpipers, and hawks.