The Red Bird River is one of two

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

at the head of the South Fork of the Kentucky River, the other being the Goose Creek. It is located in the

Daniel Boone National Forest The Daniel Boone National Forest (originally the Cumberland National Forest) is a national forest in Kentucky. Established in 1937, it includes of federally owned land within a proclamation boundary. The name of the forest was changed in 1966 ...

in extreme southeastern portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. It is U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data
The National Map
accessed June 13, 2011 long and drains an area of .U.S. Geological Survey.

National Hydrography Dataset The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is a digital database of surface water features used to make maps. It contains features such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, canals, dams and stream gages for the United States. Description Cartographers ...

, area data covering Red Bird River watershed, 10-digit

Hydrologic Unit Code A hydrological code or hydrologic unit code is a sequence of numbers or letters (a '' geocode'') that identify a hydrological unit or feature, such as a river, river reach, lake, or area like a drainage basin (also called watershed in North Ameri ...

0510020302
The National Map
retrieved 2015-10-27 Red Bird was the name of a Native American who was murdered near the river.

Course

It rises as Red Bird Creek in northeastern Bell County, then becomes the Red Bird River at the confluence of the Phillips Fork just south of Queendale in

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

. Continuing north, it forms the boundary between Clay and Leslie counties, eventually coming to a

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with Goose Creek at

Oneida Oneida may refer to: Native American/First Nations * Oneida people, a Native American/First Nations people and one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy * Oneida language * Oneida Indian Nation, based in New York * Oneida Na ...

to form the South Fork of the Kentucky River. At its mouth, the Red Bird River's mean annual discharge is .

Tributaries

* Big Creek, its own tributaries in that article * Bear Creek * Sugar Creek, one location of Marcum post office * Gilbert Creek, another location of Marcum post office * Little Double Creek * Big Double Creek, location of Peabody post office

Localites on the river

* Red Bird River Petroglyphs * Eriline, a post office located at various points

Cross-reference

Sources

External links