Some Backyard Birds to Look For

Northern Cardinal — Cardinalis cardinalis

Fun fact: the male birds, which are bright red with a black mask and crest, feed their reddish brown female partners beak to beak during courtship. The males also feed the first brood alone while the females build their next nest.

Carolina Wren — Thryothorus ludovicianus

These quirky little birds are very vocal, with males singing up to 40 different types of songs and the female sometimes joining in for duets. They often nest in unusual places such as mailboxes and are year-round residents of Georgia.

White Breasted Nuthatch — Sitta Carolinensis

The nuthatch is a speedy flyer and known for hopping vertically down trees, thanks to an extra-long hind toe. The name originates from a Middle English term referring to the bird’s habit of wedging seeds into cavities of trees and breaking them open with its beak.

Eastern Bluebird — Sialia sialis

These friendly songbirds prefer to nest in open habitats like fields and pastures, and the young of the first brood help to raise the second brood. They rely heavily on man-made birdhouses and can be seen perching on low branches or wires and scanning the ground for prey.

Mourning Dove —Zenaida macroura

The greyish brown, medium-size bird is known and named for its mournful cooing call and prefers to forage for food on the ground, bobbing its head as it walks. When in flight, the wind rushes through its wing feathers which causes a distinct whistling sound.

Broad-winged Hawk — Buteo platypterus

These birds of prey are rather stocky and are common in eastern woodlands in the summer. Typically, they don’t stray far from the edges of the woods, swooping down to capture small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds. In the fall, thousands of these hawks migrate south and create a visual spectacle as they swarm together above ridgelines and coastlines.