There is comparatively little literature dealing with the avifauna of Idaho, mostly because relatively few persons have done field work in the state. In the ornithological literature, there is nothing even comparable to a “state list,” so that when birds supposedly unreported previously from Idaho are found, it is difficult to know whether or not they should be recorded as “new” to the state. The present paper has been prepared in the hope that it will stimulate additions to, and corrections of, the list. It is, admittedly, a beginning.

Material for the present article was obtained from personal collecting in the five years and ten months in which I resided in the state (October, 1938-September, 1944). Also, the published reports that could be found have been drawn upon; these publications are listed in the appended bibliography. Taxonomic problems, of which many are unsolved, are not here considered, since this is merely a list indicating whether or not the species or subspecies, as now understood, is known to be present, whether it is common, and where it might be found.

The nomenclature is that of the Fourth Edition of the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list and its supplements, except where a revision has been made that is seemingly valid but which has not yet been acted upon by the A. O. U. Committee. For each species or subspecies the objective is to give at least one reference to occurrence, as to date and place, as accurately as possible.

Reference is made to southern, central, and northern Idaho. These references denote the Snake River Plains, characterized by sagebrush desert; the wooded regions immediately to the north of this and in the foothills, extending to Idaho County in the west; and the so-called Panhandle, respectively. In all, 292 kinds of birds are recorded in the following list.