Peaks Island's Birds

Peaks Island's woods, marshes, ponds and shore attract over 100 identified varieties of birds. The list below names them all, the ones you see everyday and others that are a bit more shy. You can download this list with the link at the right.

We will be adding information to the list about the characteristics and habits of each, and how to identify them. Click on the underlined bird name for this information. Check back from time to time to follow our progress.

Peaks Island

Bird List 2019

Bird List by Michelle Brown

Community Field Checklist

of Peaks Island Birds

Originally compiled by Michelle Brown. Updates and Species Accounts (in green below) by Patty Wainright:

GEESE and DUCKS (ANATIDAE)

Brant
Canada Goose

Domestic Goose

Wood Duck

Mallard
American Black Duck
Northern Pintail
American Wigeon

Green-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Lesser Scaup

Greater Scaup

Harlequin Duck
Common Eider

King Eider

Long-tailed Duck

Scoters:

Black Scoter
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter

Goldeneyes:

Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser

GROUSE, QUAIL, PHEASANTS

(GRACIDAE, ODONTOPHORIDAE, PHASIANIDAE)
Ring-necked Pheasant

Ruffed Grouse

TURKEYS (MELEAGRIDIDAE)
Wild Turkey

LOONS (GAVIIDAE)
Common Loon

Red-throated Loon

GREBES (PODICIPEDIDAE)

Red-necked Grebe

Horned Grebe

SHEARWATERS (PROCELLARIIDAE)
Sooty Shearwater

GANNETS and BOOBIES (SULIDAE)
Northern Gannet

CORMORANTS (PHALACROCORACIDAE)
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant

BITTERNS and HERONS (ARDEIDAE)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret

Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron

IBISES (THRESKIORNITHIDAE)
Glossy Ibis

VULTURES (CATHARTIDAE)
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture

HAWKS AND EAGLES (ACCIPITRIDAE)
Osprey

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk

Northern Goshawk

Northern Harrier

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Bald Eagle

RAILS and ALLIES (RALLIDAE)
Virginia Rail

Sora

PLOVERS (CHARADRIIDAE)

Semipalmated Plover

Killdeer

OYSTERCATCHERS (HAEMATOPODIDAE)
American Oystercatcher

SANDPIPERS (SCOLOPACIDAE)

Greater Yellowlegs

Spotted Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone (Outer Green Island)

Purple Sandpiper

Dunlin

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Sanderling

Pectoral Sandpiper

American Woodcock

GULLS and TERNS (LARIIDAE)

GULLS:

Black-legged Kittiwake

Bonaparte's Gull

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Iceland Gull

Glaucous Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

TERNS:
Common Tern

Caspian Tern

ALCIDS (ALCIDAE)

Black Guillemot

Dovekie
Common Murre

Razorbill

PIGEONS and DOVES (COLUMBIDAE)
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove

CUCKOOS (CUCULIDAE)

Black-billed Cuckoo (B. Sullins)

OWLS (STRIGIDAE)

Short-eared Owl
Great Horned Owl
Snowy Owl
Barred Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

NIGHTJARS (Goatsuckers) (CAPRIMULGIDAE)
Whip-poor-will

HUMMINGBIRDS (TROCHILIDAE)
Red-throated Hummingbird

KINGFISHERS (ALCEDINIDAE)

Belted Kingfisher

WOODPECKERS (PICIDAE)
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker

FALCONS (FALCONIDAE)

Peregrine Falcon

American Kestrel

Merlin

FLYCATCHERS (TYRANNIDAE)

Willow Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird

Great Crested Flycatcher

SHRIKES (LANIIDAE)

Northern Shrike

VIREOS (VIREONIDAE)

Yellow-throated Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

JAYS and CROWS (CORVIDAE)
Blue Jay

Common Raven
American Crow

Fish Crow

LARKS (ALAUDIDAE)

Horned Lark

SWALLOWS (HIRUNDINIDAE)
Barn Swallow

Tree Swallow

Bank Swallow

CHICKADEES (PARIDAE)
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse

NUTHATCHES (SITTIDAE)
White-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

CREEPERS (CERTHIIDAE)
Brown Creeper

WRENS (TROGLODYTIDAE)

Carolina Wren
Winter Wren

House Wren

KINGLETS (REGULIDAE)

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

THRUSHES (TURDIDAE)

Veery

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush
American Robin

Eastern Bluebird

MIMICS (MIMIDAE)
Northern Mockingbird
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher

STARLINGS (STURNIDAE)
European Starling

WAXWINGS (BOMBYCILLIDAE)

Cedar Waxwing

PIPITS (MOTACILLIDAE)

American Pipit

SNOW BUNTINGS AND LONGSPURS(CALCARIIDAE)

Snow Bunting
Lapland Longspur

WOOD WARBLERS (PARULIDAE)

Ovenbird

Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler

Kentucky Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

American Redstart

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Palm Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle Warbler)

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

NEW WORLD SPARROWS (EMBERIZIDAE)
Eastern Towhee

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

American Tree Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow

TANAGERS, CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, BUNTINGS (true), DICKCISSEL (CARDINALIDAE)
Northern Cardinal

Scarlet Tanager

Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

Dickcissel

BLACKBIRDS (ICTERIDAE)
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole

FINCHES (FRINGILLIDAE)

Pine Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak

Purple Finch

House Finch

Common Redpoll

Red Crossbill

White-winged Crossbill

Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch

OLD WORLD SPARROWS (PASSERIDAE)
House Sparrow