Bird Watching in the North Carolina Mountains

North Carolina is a premier bird watching state. Birders have long known that North Carolina has some of the finest birding hot spots in the region. Through the mountains of western North Carolina, the Tar Heel state provides birders with an unbeatable combination of superb natural area protection with high-quality habitat for bird watching. There are many other activities that also include nature here such as whitewater rafting, horseback riding, viewing waterfalls, hiking, and gem mining. These activities will entertain your family while you take in the sights of the flying creatures above.

Spotting our year round resident and State bird, the Cardinal, is just glorious. You will truly enjoy seeing the bright red coloring of the male. If you'll be visiting the North Carolina mountains you may find this website interesting CarolinaNature.com to view photos of native Carolina birds, plants, bugs and all sorts of interesting finds while you are out birding. You can also see our State flower, the Dogwood, in the Spring and on through the Summer and watch for the gray squirrel and the honey bee, our other State symbols.

For those of you hard-core birders, you may want to visit Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. You will be able to spend time with fellow birders that enjoy coming to the North Carolina mountains to watch for bird species.

For those of you beginner birders, handy items to have with you are:

• Bird watching guide
• Spotting scope or binoculars
• Sunscreen
• Water
• Notebook

Birders everywhere can then head to Western North Carolina Mountains Birding Trail to view 105 approved birding sites.  See the map of Western North Carolina with maps and site descriptions for the specific area you wish to bird.

Courtesy of the local Highlands Audubon Society there is a list of the local birds found at the bottom of this article.  Just published is a new edition of the "Important Birds of North America".  It is now available to purchase on the NCAudubonBlog.

Two reasons our bird population flouishes are the altitude in our area and our many different kinds of floral and fauna found in our plateau environment. A favorite event to finish the birding season is the Christmas bird count.  Come be a part of it.  Check out the downloadable "Highlands Bird Check List with Season."

You may not want to leave, so check out Western NC mountain real estate for your future home purchase. If you have further questions or need additional NC mountain real estate information, please contact us.

GREBES
Pied-billed

WADING BIRDS
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron

GEESE & DUCKS
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
American Black Duck
Gadwall
Northern Pintail
American Wigeon
Blue-Winged Teal
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck

DIURNAL RAPTORS
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Bald Eagle
Osprey
Merlin
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon

GAME BIRDS
Northern Bobwhite
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey

COOTS
American Coot
SHOREBIRDS
Killdeer
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
American Woodcock
Common Snipe

PIGEONS & DOVES
Mourning Dove
Rock Dove

CUCKOOS
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo

OWLS
Great Horned Owl
Barred Owl
Eastern Screech Owl

NIGHTJARS & NIGHHAWKS
Whip-poor-will
Chuck-will’s-widow
Common Nighthawk

SWIFTS
Chimney Swift

HUMMINGBIRDS
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

WOODPECKERS
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker

FLYCATCHERS
Eastern Wood-pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird

VIREOS
Red-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo

JAYS
Blue Jay

CROWS & RAVENS
American Crow
Common Raven

MARTINS & SWALLOWS
Purple Martin
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow

TITMICE & CHICKADEES
Tufted Titmouse
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Chickadee

NUTHATCHES & CREEPERS
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper

KINGLETS & GNATCATCHERS
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

THRUSHES
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Wood Trush
Veery
Swainson’s Thrush
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Hermit Thrush

THRASHERS
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher

WOOD-WARBLERS
Northern Parula
Orange-crowned Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Pine Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler
Black & White Warbler
American Redstart
Swainson’s Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson’s Warbler
Canada Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat

WRENS
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren

STARLINGS & WAXWINGS
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing

TANAGERS
Summer tanager
Scarlet Tanager

CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS, & BUNTINGS
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

SPARROWS
Eastern Towhee
Field Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
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MEADOWLARKS, BLACKBIRDS, & ORIOLES
Eastern Meadowlark
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
Orchard Oriole

FINCHES
Evening Grosbeak
Purple Finch
House Finch
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch

OLD WORLD SPARROWS
House Sparrow