Bird Basics

North Carolina
Common Birds of
iangle Bird Count
Resource for the Tr
rkins
Created by Deja Pe
Beginner Birders
Northern Cardinal Female
Size: Fairly large, long-tailed
songbird with a short, very thick
bill and a prominent crest.
Color: Male cardinals are
brilliant red all over, with a
reddish bill and black face
immediately around the bill.
Females are pale brown overall
with warm reddish tinges in the
wings, tail, and crest. They have
the same black face and
red-orange bill.
QUICK TIP
Behavior: Very aggressive birds,
Male and female
cardinals can oft
en be can sometimes be seen trying
rdinals
found tog ether. Ca
ers so
to attack their reflection in
are ground forag
al (M)
Northern Cardin
check for them ne
ar the windows.Cardinals often sit with
tops of
ground or at the
short trees
a hunched-over posture and
with the tail pointed straight
down.
 Size: Large crested songbird
with broad, rounded tail. Blue
Jays are smaller than crows,
but larger than robins.
Color: White or light gray
underneath, various shades of
blue, black, and white above.
QUICK TIP Behavior: Blue Jays make a
Blue Jays are bir
ds large variety of calls that carry
of forest edges. long distances. Most calls
Commonly found
produced while the jay is
near oaks Blue Jay perched within a tree. They
usually fly across open areas
silently
 Size: Plump bird with small
head and short legs
Color: Is variable; can be
dark grey with iridescence on
The grey body
the neck, grey head, black
with two black
bars on the wings
bars on the
wings is the Behavior: Often can be seen
most common
Rock Pigeon in flocks pecking for food on
color variation
the ground. When startled
they will fly up, circle around
before settling down again
 Size: Plump body, short legs,
long thin tail, small head.
Smaller than rock pigeon
Color: Greyish tan above with
QUICK TIP large black dots on the wings.
You may think
Pale peach below with a thin
you hear an owl black bill and short pink legs
in the early
morning but it’s Mourning Dove Behavior: Can be found
usually this bird perched on power lines or in
cooing mixed flock
 Size: Medium sized gull with
shorter bill
Color: Clean grey above with
QUICK TIP white body head and tail.
Make sure you sp
ot Black wingtips are spotted
the black band with white. Yellow legs and
d
around the bill an bill with a black ring
Ring-billed Gull
don’t misi de nt ify
as
this another gull Behavior: Can be found in
this one
places near water, but often
also seen in parking lots
 Size: Large with webbed feet
and a wide flat bill
Color: Brown body with paler
QUICK TIP chest and white undertail.
When flying
Long black neck and white
overhead large cheek patch
e
flocks usually mak
a v shap e.
Commonly heard
Canada Goose Behavior: Often seen feeding
on lawns or near water
honking
Female Mallard

Size: Large duck with a hefty

body, rounded heads and
wide flat bill. Tail can be seen
lifted out the water
Color: Males have dark,
iridescent-green head and
bright yellow bill. The gray
body with a brown breast and
QUICK TIP black rear. Females and
Most common bir
d juveniles are mottled brown
n
seen in ponds. Ca with orange-and-brown bills.
often be found in Both sexes have a
M/F pairs Mallard white-bordered, blue patch in
the wing.
 Size: Large round body, long
legs and fairly long tail
Color: Gray-brown backs with
QUICK TIP warm orange underparts and
These are the mo
st darks heads
ds
common urban bir
Behavior: Can often be found
American Robin on the ground across lawns
surveying their environment
 Size: Slightly smaller than a
Blue Jay; slightly larger than
a Northern Mockingbird.
Color: brown birds with
heavy, dark streaking on their
whitish underparts. The face
is gray-brown and the wings
QUICK TIP show two black-and-white
Brown Thrashers
can wingbars. They have
ying
often be heard sa
Bird,
bright-yellow eyes.
“Pretty Bird, Pretty
Pretty Bird”

Brown Thrasher Behavior: Brown Thrashers

skulk in shrubby tangles or
forage on the ground below
dense cover.
 Size: Robin sized. They have
small heads, a long, thin bill
with a hint of a downward
curve, and long legs.
Color: Overall gray-brown,
paler on the breast and belly,
with two white wingbars on
each wing. A white patch in
each wing is often visible on
perched birds, and in flight
these become large white
QUICK TIP
flashes.
have a
These birds can
. They
variety of sounds
can often mi mi c so unds Behavior: It usually sits
nt like
in their environme conspicuously on high
gBird
Northern Mockin
car alarms
vegetation, fences, eaves, or
telephone wires, or runs and
hops along the ground.
Female House Finch

Size: Small bodied finch with

fairly large beaks, long flat
heads and short wings.
Sparrow sized
QUICK TIP
In the spring there
birds Color: Adult males are rosy
can often be found
in
red around the face and
M/F pairs
upper breasts, with a streaky
House Finch (M) brown back, belly, and tail.
Behavior: Gregarious birds
with bouncy flight
 Size: 2/3rds of an american
robin. Big rounded head,
large eyes and plump body.
Long wings with short tail,
legs and bill.
Color: Vivid deep blue above
QUICK TIP and rusty orange or brick red
e in
The color of the blu on the throat and breast.
s
the birds change
light
according to the
Behavior: Will perch on erect
Eastern Bluebird wires, posts, and low
branches to scan the ground
for prey.
 Size: Twice the size of a blue
jay and ⅔ the size of a
Common Raven. Short tail is
rounded and square shaped
at the end.
QUICK TIP
American Crows
are Color: All black
s.
smaller than raven
alone
They ca n be fou nd
nging
Behavior: Aggressive can
or in groups scave

American Crow
along roadsides often be seen chasing or
mobbing larger birds. Can
also often be found in larger
flocks
 Size: Large bird with long
broad wingspan. Have
feathers that look like
“fingertips” at their wingtips.
Color: Dark brown with a
featherless red head and
pale bill. White undersides of
their feathers can be seen in
QUICK TIP flight extending to their
with
Turkey vultures fly
shape.
tertiary feathers
their wings in a v
and
They teeter back
forth in the sky an
d fly Behavior: Can soar solo or in
Turkey Vulture
lookin g unsta ble .
large groups. Can be found
along roadsides scavenging
or roosting in trees
 Vulture Comparison

Size: Smaller than a turkey

vulture but larger than a red
tailed hawk.
Color: Black all over except
QUICK TIP for white wingtips on the
Black vultures are underside of the outer
y
smaller than turke
vultures and fly ve
ry primaries. Featherless black
stable head
Black Vulture
Behavior: Flying style is
strong wingbeats followed by
short glides
 Size: large hawk with broad
rounded wings and a short
wide tail.

QUICK TIP Color: Rich brown above and

RTH can often be
found pale/white below. The tail is a
of
perched on the top
sca nn ing for
pale red below and cinnamon
light posts
prey red above
Red-tailed Hawk Behavior: They can often be
found soaring in wide circles.
 Size: Very large and tall with
a long neck and long legs

QUICK TIP Color: Greyish blue overall

ds
with orangish bills and a
These wading bir
can be found alo
ng black stripe over the eye
shorelines. When
flying they hold
Behavior: Often seen near
Great Blue Heron the shoreline hunting for
S
their necks in an
shape prey. Sometimes can be
found perched in trees
 Size: Tall long legged bird
with an s curved neck and
long dagger like bill
QUICK TIP
Be sure to sight th
e Color: White overall with
yellow bill and black legs and a yellowish bill
black legs when
identifying
Great Egret Behavior: Often found wading
near the shore hunting for
prey
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Female

Size: Sleek round headed

woodpecker about 9.4 in
QUICK TIP Color: Black and white bars
Males have a red on the back and wings with a
cap that covers pale gray underside with a
e
from the bill to th
back of the ne ck red patch on the belly. A red
while females on
ly cap covers the head.
dpecker
have red at the
back of the neck
Red-bellied Woo Behavior: Can often be seen
hopping up and down tree
trunks.
 Size: Tiny and round with a
short bill, short neck, and a
large head. Smaller than a
QUICK TIP
nuthatch
at bird
Commonly found
the
feeders or eating
budding seeds an
d fruits Color: Gray overall with a
.
at the top of trees black cap and throat and
ee
Carolina Chickad stark white cheeks.
 Size: Small chunky bird with
a round body and long tail
that cocks upwards. Smaller
than a sparrow.
Color: Bright, unpatterned
reddish-brown above and
warm buffy-orange below,
with a long white eyebrow
QUICK TIP stripe, dark bill, and white
These birds can
often be chin and throat.
the
found foraging on
l often
ground. They wil
be found with the
ir tails Behavior: Creeps/hops
up.
Carolina Wren around vegetated areas and
scoots up and down tree
trunks in search of insects
and fruit.
Intermediate Birders
 Size: Medium sized (crow
sixed) with broad rounded
wings and a long tail
QUICK TIP
Cooper’s hawks
eat Color: Adults are grey with
ey can
smaller birds. Th
sometim es be fou nd reddish brown bars on the
ders
hunting at bird fee breast. Adults also have a
Cooper’s Hawk black cap and red eyes. 3
grey/brown bands on the tail
feathers
Red-shouldered Hawk

Size: Medium sized with slim

body and fairly long tail.
Broad wings and square tips

QUICK TIP Color: Adults are reddish

RSH are smalle
r than brown breast and underparts.
red tailed hawks
and
dis h brown
Tail and flight feathers are
have mo re red
rts
on their underpa
Hawk
Red-shouldered
Behavior: Often found
soaring or perched on
branches or utility wires
 Size: Very large

QUICK TIP Color: Adults have a brown

Bald eagles eat fis
h body with a white head and
so they can m os t tail with a yellow hooked bill
ar
often be found ne and yellow feet. Juveniles are
lakes and
brown with mottled white
waterways. They
nest in large stick wings. Juveniles take 5 years
platform nests in Bald Eagle to look like an adult
large trees
Behavior: Can often be seen
soaring with slow wingbeats
 Size: Large waterbird with a
long tail and neck
Color: Black with and orange
hooked bill
QUICK TIP
Try right clicking
on a Behavior: They float low on
photo and using
"Replace Image"
to build the surface of water and dive
Double Crested
rds..
your own flash ca to catch small fish. After
Cormorant
fishing, they stand on docks,
rocks, and tree limbs with
wings spread open to dry.
 Size: Large stocky birds with
rounded heads, no ear tufts
and medium length rounded
tails
Color: Mottled brown and
white overall, with dark
brown, almost black, eyes.
QUICK TIP The underparts are mostly
marked with vertical brown
t
Barred owls mos bars
commonly say
u”
“who cooks for yo
Barred Owl
Behavior: Barred owls roost
in the day but can often be
heard calling during the
daylight hours
 Size: Small woodpecker with
a blocky head, wide
shoulders and straight
backed posture.
QUICK TIP
be Color: Checkered black and
These birds can
found at bird white with a striped head.
g
feeders or climbin Males have a small red patch
ker
Downy Woodpec
around tre es
on the back of their heads
 Size: Medium sized
woodpecker with a large
rounded head, short stiff tails
and spike like bills
Color: Adults have bright red
heads and black backs with
white patches on the wings
dpecker
Red-headed Woo Behavior: These birds also
catch insects in flight, on the
ground and fruits and seeds
Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker Female

Size: Small woodpeckers

with stout straight bills. Long
QUICK TIP wings extend halfway to the
tip of the pointed tail at rest.
Sapsuckers look
d
similar to hairy an
downy
Color: Mostly black and
woodpeckers bu
t white. Both have red
th re d
be sure to ID foreheads but males also
psucker
Yellow-bellied Sa
and yellow throat
have red throats and yellow
patches
patches near the breast.
Pileated Woodpecker Male

Size: a large woodpecker

similar to the size of the crow.
It has a long neck and
triangular crest with a bill the
QUICK TIP size of its head
These are the
largest Color: Mostly black with white
woodpeckers you stripes on the face. Males
cker
will find in NC
Pileated Woodpe have a red stripe on the
cheek
 Size: Flickers are fairly large
woodpeckers with a slim,
rounded head, slightly
downcurved bill, and long,
flared tail that tapers to a
QUICK TIP point.
rs are
These woodpecke
often confused wit
h red Color: Brownish overall with a
rs but
bellied wo od pecke
have a
white rump patch. The
note flickers don’t

Northern Flicker
red cap underside of the wing and tail
are bright yellow. The body is
splattered with brown spots
and crescents.
 Size: Cedar Waxwing is a
medium-sized, sleek bird with
a large head, short neck, and
short, wide bill. Waxwings
have a crest that often lies
flat and droops over the back
of the head.
QUICK TIP
Color: pale brown on the
These birds can
head and chest fading to soft
sometimes be
found in flocks gray on the wings. The belly
Cedar Waxwing is pale yellow, and the tail is
gray with a bright yellow tip.
The face has a narrow black
mask neatly outlined in white.
 Size: A small bird with a large
head and large eyes, thick
neck and full body.
QUICK TIP Color: Soft silvery gray above
This bird is
and white below with a rusty
s peach color on the
common at feeder
flanks/sides with a black
Tufted Titmouse patch above the bill.
White-breasted Nuthatch

Size: The largest nuthatch,

this is still a small bird with a
large head and almost no
neck. The tail is very short,
and the long, narrow bill is
straight or slightly upturned.

QUICK TIP
Color: Gray-blue on the back,
with a frosty white face and
WBNH are agile underparts. The black or gray
birds that creep
along tree trunks
cap and neck frame the face
uthatch
White-breasted N
and large and make it look like this bird
branches is wearing a hood. The lower
belly and under the tail are
often chestnut.
 Size: A tiny, compact bird. It
appears rather round thanks
to its short tail, legs, and
neck. It also has a chisel-like
QUICK TIP bill that looks a little too big
These social birds for its body.
d
can often be foun
togeth er zig Color: This bird is white
uthatch
zagging up and
down tree trunks Brown headed N below and grey above with a
brown cap.
House Sparrow Female

Size: Chunkier, fuller in the

chest, with a larger, rounded
head, shorter tail, and stouter
bill than most American
QUICK TIP sparrows.
These birds are
commonly found
in Color: Males have a black bib
urban ar ea s in with grey heads, white
parking lots and
restaurants
House Sparrow cheeks and a rufous neck.
Females are buffy brown
overall with dingy grey-brown
underparts
 Size: The size of a large
sparrow with a thick,
triangular, seed-cracking bill
as a tip-off they’re in the
sparrow family. Also notice
the chunky body and long,
rounded tail.
Color: Males are a bold sooty
QUICK TIP
black above and on the
d
These birds soun breast, with warm orange
like they are
chirping “drink yo
ur sides and white on the belly.
tea”
Eastern Towhee Females have the same
pattern, but are rich brown
where the males are black.
 Size: A slender, fairly
long-tailed sparrow with a
medium-sized bill that is a bit
small for a sparrow.
Color: rosty underparts, pale
face, black line through the
eye, topped off with a bright
Chipping Sparrow rusty crown
American Goldfinch
Female

Size: A small finch with a

short, conical bill and a small,
head, long wings, and short,
notched tail.
Color: Males are bright yellow
QUICK TIP with black forehead, black
Males in winter wings with white markings,
look more like and white patches both
females without
ch above and beneath the tail.
their brightly
colored feathers
American Goldfin Adult females are duller
yellow beneath, olive above
Brown-headed Cowbird
Female

Size: Smallish blackbirds,

with a shorter tail and thicker
head than most other
blackbirds with a finch like bill
QUICK TIP
t Color: Males are glossy black
These birds migh
be found in mixe
d with brown heads while
flock gr ou ps wi th females are brown all over
owbird
starlings and
blackbirds Brown-headed C Behavior: These birds
commonly feed on the
ground
 Size: Large, lanky blackbirds
with long legs and long tails.
The head is flat and the bill is
longer than in most
blackbirds, with the hint of a
downward curve.

QUICK TIP
Color: They appear black
from a distance but up close
Females are
slightly less gloss
y in the correct lighting their
than m ale s purple heads contrast with
Common Grackle their iridescent bodies.
Females are slightly less
glossy than males
 Size: Chunky and
blackbird-sized, but with short
tails and long, slender beaks.

QUICK TIP Color: At a distance, starlings

look black. In summer they
Starlings often
travel in large
are purplish-green iridescent
flocks with yellow beaks; in fresh
g
European Starlin winter plumage they are
brown, covered in brilliant
white spots.
 Size: Tiny songbirds with a
rounded body, short wings,
and skinny tail. They have
relatively large heads, and
their bills are short and thin.
Color: Pale olive above and
QUICK TIP gray below, with a
These birds are black-and-white striped face
usually at the tops and bright yellow-orange
e
of tall trees and ar
Kinglet crown patch. They have a
Golden-crowned
heard mor e th an
they are seen. thin white wingbar and yellow
edges to their black flight
feathers.
 Size: Tiny songbirds with a
rounded body, short wings,
and skinny tail. They have
relatively large heads, and
QUICK TIP their bills are short and thin.
The ruby spot at Color: Olive-green birds with
the crown of the
a prominent white eyering
males is only
inglet
Ruby-crowned K
occasionally seen and white wingbar. This
wingbar contrasts with an
adjacent blackish bar in the
wing.