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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in South Carolina

Our list for South Carolina has 191 bird species recorded regularly there: 55 residents, 20 summer visitors, 64 winter visitors, 43 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors

The list comes from 8.9 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
191
In October
140
Common
53
Busiest month
Apr

What's special about South 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 South Carolina is worth visiting for.

  1. Red-cockaded WoodpeckerRed-cockaded Woodpecker12×Resident · 0.09% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  2. Painted BuntingPainted Bunting11×Summer visitor · 0.80% of records here, 0.07% across United States
  3. Gull-billed TernGull-billed Tern7.0×Summer visitor · 0.12% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  4. Red KnotRed Knot4.5×Resident · 0.09% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  5. Forster's TernForster's Tern3.5×Resident · 0.74% of records here, 0.21% across United States
  6. Sandwich TernSandwich Tern3.4×Summer visitor · 0.13% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  7. Piping PloverPiping Plover3.4×Winter visitor · 0.12% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  8. WilletWillet3.3×Resident · 0.76% of records here, 0.23% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal3.73%
  2. Blue JayBlue Jay3.17%
  3. Northern MockingbirdNorthern Mockingbird2.94%
  4. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker2.80%
  5. American CrowAmerican Crow2.77%
  6. Tufted TitmouseTufted Titmouse2.65%

Arriving now

  1. Ruby-crowned KingletRuby-crowned KingletWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 1.07%
  2. Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.93%
  3. Yellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.75%
  4. Song SparrowSong SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.03% → Oct 0.44%
  5. Swamp SparrowSwamp SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.30%
  6. DunlinDunlinWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.18%

Share of all bird records in South 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 South 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 South Carolina

Records by month
Bird records in South Carolina by month, 2019–2024
January889,059
February864,753
March882,139
April1,085,928
May940,128
June550,608
July466,267
August476,174
September624,813
October794,940
November605,199
December747,695

April has the most records (1.1 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 26
All 26 families in South Carolina

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 191 birds, A to Z

Show all 191 birds

Questions

4

What birds is South Carolina known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, South Carolina stands out for Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Painted Bunting, Gull-billed Tern and Red Knot. Each is recorded at least 4.4 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 South Carolina?

191 species, each recorded regularly in South Carolina (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 55 residents, 20 summer visitors, 64 winter visitors, 43 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in South Carolina, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in South Carolina in October?

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

What are the most common birds in South Carolina?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in South Carolina are Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Tufted Titmouse.

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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