Charlotte Bird List

• Long-tailed songbird with a short, very thick bill and a prominent crest
• Male brilliant red all over with a black face around a red-orange bill; female pale brown with reddish tinges
• Sits low in shrubs and forages on or near the ground, often in pairs; gives a loud metallic chip

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• Small chunky round bird with a long, slender, downcurved bill
• Bright unpatterned reddish-brown above, warm buffy-orange below, with a long white eyebrow stripe
• Cocks its tail upward while foraging and sings loudly and constantly to defend its territory

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• Tiny spherical-bodied bird with a short neck, large head, and fairly long narrow tail
• Black cap and bib separated by stark white cheeks; soft gray back, wings, and tail
• Inquisitive and acrobatic, roaming in mixed feeding flocks with other small birds

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• Pointed gray crest and stout bill identify it even in silhouette
• Silvery gray above and white below with a rusty-peach wash on the flanks and a black patch above the bill
• Acrobatic but methodical forager that flocks with chickadees and is assertive at feeders

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• Large crested songbird with a broad, rounded tail, smaller than a crow and larger than a robin
• Blue, black, and white above; white to light gray underneath
• Very vocal with far-carrying calls, but usually flies across open areas silently; caches food in a throat pouch

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• Large thick-necked bird with a heavy straight bill and short, squared-off tail
• All black, including the legs and bill
• Very social, forming flocks up to the thousands; bold problem-solver that mobs hawks and owls

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• Standard crow shape but very slightly smaller than an American Crow
• All black; immatures duller and brownish as feathers wear
• Best told by its distinctive nasal call, often given while puffing out a ragged ruff of throat feathers

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• Slender gray songbird with a long tail, small head, and long legs
• Gray-brown with two white wingbars; white wing patches and outer tail feathers flash in flight
• Sits conspicuously on high perches, fences, and wires and aggressively chases intruders

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• Fairly large, slender songbird with a long, slightly downcurved bill and a long tail often cocked upward
• Foxy brown above with heavy dark streaking on whitish underparts and bright yellow eyes
• Skulks in shrubby tangles and forages on the ground, singing loud paired musical phrases from treetops

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• Small plump thrush with a big rounded head, short tail, and alert upright posture
• Male deep blue above with rusty brick-red throat and breast; female grayish with bluish wings and tail
• Perches erect on wires and posts in open country, dropping to the ground for insects

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• Large round-bodied songbird with long legs and fairly long tail; the largest North American thrush
• Gray-brown above with warm orange underparts and a dark head
• Bounds across lawns standing erect, and flicks its tail downward when landing; forms large flocks in winter

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• Plump body with a small head and a long, pointed tail unique among North American doves
• Delicate brown to buffy-tan overall with black spots on the wings and white-tipped tail feathers
• Flies fast on powerful wingbeats with sudden ascents, descents, and dodges

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• Sleek, round-headed, pale-looking woodpecker with a boldly black-and-white striped back
• Flashing red cap and nape; white patches near the wingtips visible in flight
• Hitches along branches and trunks, picking at bark more than drilling, with undulating flight

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• Small woodpecker with a straight chisel-like bill that looks small for a woodpecker
• Checkered black-and-white with a boldly striped head and a broad white stripe down the back; male has a small red nape patch
• Moves acrobatically on limbs and even tall weeds; shrill whinnying call and undulating flight

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• Very large, nearly crow-sized woodpecker with a long neck and triangular crest
• Mostly black with white face and neck stripes and a flaming-red crest; big white underwing patches in flight
• Drills distinctive rectangular holes in rotten wood for carpenter ants; loud whinnying calls and deep slow drumming

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• Medium-sized hawk with broad rounded wings held slightly forward in a distinctive reaching posture
• Dark-and-white checkered wings, warm reddish barring on the breast, and a black tail with narrow white bands
• Soars over forests giving a rising whistled kee-rah, and shows pale crescents near the wingtips in flight

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• Large hawk with very broad rounded wings and a short, wide tail
• Rich brown above, pale below with a streaked belly; adult tail cinnamon-red above
• Soars in wide circles over open fields with heavy wingbeats, sometimes hovering into the wind

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• Classic accipiter shape: broad rounded wings, very long rounded tail, and a large-looking head
• Adult steely blue-gray above with warm reddish barring below and thick dark tail bands
• Flies with a flap-flap-glide pattern and ambushes prey by flying fast and low over obstructions

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• Very large dark bird that soars with wings raised in a shallow V
• Dark brown with a featherless red head; two-toned underwings with paler flight feathers
• Teetering, unsteady soaring with very few wingbeats, often low to the ground sniffing for carrion

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• Large raptor with broad rounded wings held flat and a very short rounded tail
• Uniform black with white 'stars' on the underside of the wingtips and a bare black head
• Strong wingbeats followed by short glides give a batlike flight; soars in flocks, often with Turkey Vultures

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• Mottled brown and white with vertical brown bars on the belly and horizontal bars across the upper breast
• Large, stocky owl with a rounded head, no ear tufts, and dark, almost black eyes
• Gives an instantly recognizable 'Who cooks for you?' hooting call, mostly at night

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• Males are rosy red on the face and upper breast with a streaky brown back and belly
• Females are plain grayish-brown with thick, blurry streaks and an indistinct face
• Gregarious at feeders, with a bouncy, undulating flight

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• Breeding males are bright yellow with a black forehead and black wings with white markings
• Small finch with a short conical bill and short, notched tail
• Active and acrobatic, clinging to weeds and flying in a bouncy, undulating pattern while calling

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• Crisp bright rusty crown over a pale face with a black line through the eye
• Slender, fairly long-tailed sparrow with frosty, unstreaked underparts
• Feeds on the ground in loose groups and sings from the tops of small trees

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• Streaky brown overall with thick streaks on a white chest and flanks
• Head is a mix of warm red-brown and slaty gray
• Flits through low vegetation with short, fluttering flights, pumping its tail downward

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• Males are bold sooty black above and on the breast, with warm rufous sides and a white belly
• Chunky, large sparrow with a thick triangular bill and long, rounded tail
• Scratches at leaf litter with both feet at once in a backwards hop

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• Black head and neck with white cheeks and chinstrap
• Big waterbird with a long neck, tan breast, and brown back
• Grazes in fields and lawns, flying in V-formation flocks

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• Males have an iridescent-green head, yellow bill, and gray body between a brown breast and black rear
• Females are mottled brown with an orange-and-brown bill; both sexes show a white-bordered blue wing patch
• Dabbles by tipping forward to graze underwater plants, almost never diving

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• Males have a glossy green crested head cut with white stripes, chestnut breast, and buffy sides
• Unique boxy, crested head on a thin neck with a long, broad tail
• Perches and nests in trees, flying maneuverably through woods unlike most waterfowl

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• Blue-gray overall with a wide black stripe over the eye
• Very large, with long legs, a sinuous neck, and a thick daggerlike bill
• Wades slowly or stands statue-still, then stabs prey with a lightning-fast neck thrust; flies with the neck curled in an S

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• Blue-gray above and white below with a broad blue breast band; females add a rusty belly band
• Stocky and large-headed with a shaggy crest and a straight, thick, pointed bill
• Perches alone over water and plunge-dives for fish, giving loud rattling calls in flight

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• Brownish-tan above and white below with two black bands across the white chest
• Slender, lanky plover with a large round head, large eye, and short bill
• Runs a few steps, stops to look, then runs on; circles overhead calling repeatedly when disturbed

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• Gray-blue back with a frosty white face and underparts; black or gray cap frames the face like a hood
• Small bird with a large head, almost no neck, very short tail, and a long, narrow bill
• Creeps along trunks and branches, often sideways or upside down, without leaning on its tail

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• White below and gray above with a brown cap and a white spot on the back of the head
• Tiny, compact, and round, with a chisel-like bill that looks too big for its body
• Zigzags up and down pine trunks in squeaky, social groups

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• Brownish-gray above and off-white below, with the head the darkest part of the upperparts
• Plump, large-headed flycatcher with a short, thin bill
• Perches low, sallies out for insects, and constantly wags its tail down and up

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• Typically bluish gray with two black wing bars and a black-tipped tail, though color is variable
• Tubby body with a small head, short legs, and iridescent throat feathers
• Gathers in flocks, walking and pecking on the ground; alarmed flocks circle overhead

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• Looks black at a distance; purplish-green iridescent with a yellow beak in summer, brown with white spots in winter
• Chunky with a short tail and long slender beak; pointed wings give a four-pointed star shape in flight
• Boisterous and loud, traveling in large flocks and probing lawns beak-down

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• Males have a gray crown, white cheeks, black bib, and rufous neck; females are plain buffy-brown with a striped back
• Chunkier and fuller-chested than native sparrows, with a rounded head and stout bill
• Noisy flocks flutter from eaves to hop and peck at crumbs, nesting in holes behind signs and lights

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• Appears black from afar, but up close a glossy purple head contrasts with a bronzy-iridescent body
• Large, lanky blackbird with long legs, a long tail, and a bright golden eye
• Struts on lawns in large flocks and dominates smaller birds at feeders

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• Males are glossy black with red-and-yellow shoulder badges
• Females are dark brown and crisply streaked, often with a whitish eyebrow
• Males belt out conk-la-ree from high perches; winter flocks can be huge

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• Bright emerald-green back and crown with gray-white underparts; male's iridescent red throat looks dark in poor light.
• Slender, slightly downcurved bill on a tiny body.
• Hovers and darts with pinpoint control, stopping instantly and even flying backwards at feeders and tube-shaped flowers.

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• Cigar-shaped body with very long, narrow, curved wings and a short tapered tail.
• Dark gray-brown all over, slightly paler at the throat; looks all black against the sky.
• Flies almost constantly with stiff, rapid wingbeats and a high chattering call; clings to chimney walls rather than perching.

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• Steely blue back and long, deeply forked tail with white spots visible in flight.
• Cinnamon-rufous underparts with rusty forehead and throat contrasting the blue crown.
• Feeds on the wing low over fields and water with fluid wingbeats and quick, tight turns; builds mud nests under eaves and bridges.

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• Gray throat and breast with a bright lemon-yellow belly.
• Reddish-brown above with rufous-orange flashes in the wings and tail; big-headed with a peaked crown.
• Sits high on exposed perches and sallies out after flying insects, giving a loud rising 'reep' call.

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• Breeding male is blue all over, slightly richer blue on the head, with a silver-gray conical bill.
• Stocky and sparrow-sized with a short tail; females are plain brown with faint breast streaks.
• Males sing all summer from treetops, shrubs, and telephone lines, often swishing the tail side to side.

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• Adult male is entirely bright rose-red; female is yellow-green with a pale bill.
• Chunky big-headed songbird with a large, thick, blunt-tipped bill.
• Stays high in the forest canopy, sallying out to catch bees and wasps in midair; gives a distinctive 'pit-ti-tuck' call.

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• Small, stocky heron with deep green back and crown and a rich chestnut neck and breast; looks all dark at a distance.
• Thick neck usually drawn in against the body, with a long daggerlike bill and short legs.
• Stands motionless at the water's edge hunting from shore or vegetation rather than wading like larger herons.

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• White head and tail contrasting with a dark brown body and wings; bright yellow bill and legs.
• Very large raptor with heavy body and long hooked bill; holds broad wings flat like a board when soaring.
• Scavenges carrion and harasses other birds for food; eats mainly fish near lakes, rivers, and coasts.

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• Very large, plump, dark game bird with bronze-green iridescence and white-barred wings.
• Small bare head on a long slim neck, with skin varying from red to blue to gray.
• Travels in flocks scratching leaf litter for food; males fan the tail and strut while gobbling; roosts in trees at night.

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• Brownish woodpecker richly patterned with black spots, bars, and crescents, plus a black chest band.
• Conspicuous white rump patch in flight; eastern birds flash bright yellow under the wings and tail.
• Spends much of its time foraging on the ground for ants, flying off in an up-and-down path.

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• Entire head bright crimson-red on adults, with a black back and snow-white underparts.
• Large white wing patches make the lower back look all white when perched.
• Catches insects in midair flycatcher-style and caches food in bark crevices; sexes look alike.

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• Boldly striped black and white overall, including a striped crown; males show a black cheek patch.
• Creeps up, down, and around trunks and branches like a nuthatch, probing bark for insects.
• Thin, slightly downcurved bill; undertail coverts have distinctive large black spots.

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• Adult male is mostly black with bright orange patches on the sides, wings, and tail; females swap orange for yellow with a gray head.
• Constantly fans its long, expressive tail, flashing the orange or yellow patches to startle insects.
• Hyperactive insectivore that darts after flushed prey and grabs it in midair.

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• Male is black and white with a brilliant rose-red chevron down the center of the breast.
• Stocky songbird with a very large, pale triangular bill; females are brown-streaked with a bold white eyebrow.
• Frequent feeder visitor cracking sunflower seeds; song is a sweet rambling robin-like warble with sharp 'chink' calls.

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• Chunky olive-green warbler with bold black spotting on the breast and a black-and-orange striped crown.
• White eyering gives it a wide-eyed, surprised expression; pink legs.
• Walks the forest floor with a herky-jerky stroll and sings a loud, rising 'teacher-teacher-teacher'.

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