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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in North Carolina

Our list for North Carolina has 221 bird species recorded regularly there: 60 residents, 44 summer visitors, 71 winter visitors, 45 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor

The list comes from 20 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
221
In October
159
Common
55
Busiest month
May

What's special about North Carolina

vs United States

The birds recorded far more often here than across United States, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones North Carolina is worth visiting for.

  1. Great ShearwaterGreat Shearwater5.0×Summer visitor · 0.04% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  2. Northern GannetNorthern Gannet3.2×Winter visitor · 0.14% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  3. Prothonotary WarblerProthonotary Warbler3.2×Summer visitor · 0.25% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  4. Eastern BluebirdEastern Bluebird3.0×Resident · 3.7% of records here, 1.2% across United States
  5. Sandwich TernSandwich Tern2.8×Summer visitor · 0.11% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  6. Tundra SwanTundra Swan2.6×Winter visitor · 0.19% of records here, 0.07% across United States
  7. Blue-headed VireoBlue-headed Vireo2.5×Summer visitor · 0.47% of records here, 0.19% across United States
  8. Black-throated Blue WarblerBlack-throated Blue Warbler2.4×Summer visitor · 0.30% of records here, 0.13% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal3.65%
  2. Blue JayBlue Jay3.38%
  3. American CrowAmerican Crow3.22%
  4. Tufted TitmouseTufted Titmouse2.92%
  5. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker2.91%
  6. Downy WoodpeckerDowny Woodpecker2.45%

Arriving now

  1. Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerWinter visitorSep 0.04% → Oct 1.50%
  2. Ruby-crowned KingletRuby-crowned KingletWinter visitorSep 0.09% → Oct 1.28%
  3. Yellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerWinter visitorSep 0.04% → Oct 0.77%
  4. Swamp SparrowSwamp SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.47%
  5. Hermit ThrushHermit ThrushWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.21%
  6. Pine SiskinPine SiskinWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.16%

Share of all bird records in North Carolina in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for North Carolina

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in North Carolina

Records by month
Bird records in North Carolina by month, 2019–2024
January1,563,412
February1,638,324
March1,618,218
April2,445,195
May2,662,171
June1,657,182
July1,203,596
August1,117,904
September1,465,898
October1,548,489
November1,238,588
December1,480,410

May has the most records (2.7 million). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 29
All 29 families in North Carolina

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 221 birds, A to Z

Show all 221 birds

Questions

4

What birds is North Carolina known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, North Carolina stands out for Great Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Prothonotary Warbler and Eastern Bluebird. Each is recorded at least 3 times as often here as across United States, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for North Carolina?

221 species, each recorded regularly in North Carolina (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 60 residents, 44 summer visitors, 71 winter visitors, 45 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in North Carolina, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in North Carolina in October?

159 species on our list for North Carolina are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tufted Titmouse and Red-bellied Woodpecker.

What are the most common birds in North Carolina?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in North Carolina are Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove and American Crow.

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

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