Official Field Checklist of Birds of Howard County, MD

See key at bottom of page. Download printable pdf

Birds are arranged in eBird phylogenetic order. Quickly go to the name on desktops and laptops by using  the keyboard shortcut for “find” (<Ctrl>+F in Windows, <Cmd>+F in Apple) and insert a part or all of the common name in the search box. Be sure the punctuation and spelling is correct, e.g. “Eastern Screech-Owl,” not “… Screech Owl.”

Click/tap the bird name to go to the page in the Bird Photo Gallery for the species.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck A
Snow Goose M,WV
Ross’s Goose * C
Greater White-fronted Goose * C
Pink-footed Goose * A
Brant * H
Cackling Goose WV
• Canada Goose M,PR
• Mute Swan * C
Trumpeter Swan A
Tundra Swan M,WV
• Wood Duck M,SR,WV
Blue-winged Teal M
Northern Shoveler M,WV
• Gadwall M,WV
Eurasian Wigeon * A
American Wigeon M,WV
• Mallard M,PR
• American Black Duck M,WV
Northern Pintail M,WV
Green-winged Teal M,WV
Canvasback M,WV
Redhead M,WV
Ring-necked Duck M,WV
Greater Scaup M,WV
Lesser Scaup M,WV
King Eider * A
Surf Scoter * C
White-winged Scoter * C
Black Scoter * C
Long-tailed Duck M,WV
Bufflehead M,WV
Common Goldeneye M,WV
• Hooded Merganser M,WV
• Common Merganser M,WR
Red-breasted Merganser M,WV
Ruddy Duck M,WV
• Northern Bobwhite * PR
• Wild Turkey PR
• Ring-necked Pheasant * PR
• Rock Pigeon PR
Eurasian Collared-Dove * A
White-winged Dove * A
• Mourning Dove PR
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo M,SR
• Black-billed Cuckoo M,SR
Common Nighthawk M
Chuck-will’s-widow * C
• Eastern Whip-poor-will M,SR?
• Chimney Swift M,SR
Mexican Violetear * A
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird M,SR
Rufous Hummingbird * A
King Rail * C
Clapper Rail * A
• Virginia Rail M, SR
• Sora M
• Common Gallinule * C
American Coot M,WV
Black Rail * A
Limpkin * A
Sandhill Crane * C
Black-necked Stilt * A
American Avocet * C
Black-bellied Plover M
American Golden-Plover M
• Killdeer M,PR
Semipalmated Plover M
Piping Plover * A
Upland Sandpiper C
Whimbrel* H
Short-billed Dowitcher * C
Long-billed Dowitcher * A
• American Woodcock M,SR,WV
Wilson’s Snipe M,WV
Wilson’s Phalarope * A
Red Phalarope * A
• Spotted Sandpiper M,SV
Solitary Sandpiper M,SV
Lesser Yellowlegs M,SV
. Greater Yellowlegs M,SV
Ruddy Turnstone * H
Red Knot * H
Stilt Sandpiper * C
Buff-breasted Sandpiper * C
Sanderling C
Dunlin C
Baird’s Sandpiper * C
White-rumped Sandpiper * C
Least Sandpiper M,SV
Pectoral Sandpiper M,SV
Western Sandpiper * C
Semipalmated Sandpiper M,SV
Little Gull * A
Black-legged Kittiwake * A
Sabine’s Gull * A
Bonaparte’s Gull M,WV
Laughing Gull M
Ring-billed Gull M,SV,WR
American Herring Gull M,WR
Great Black-backed Gull M,WV
Glaucous Gull * C
Lesser Black-backed Gull * C
Iceland Gull * C
Least Tern * A
Caspian Tern M,SV
Black Tern C
Forster’s Tern M
Common Tern * C
Pied-billed Grebe M,WV
Horned Grebe M,WV
Red-necked Grebe * C
Eared Grebe * A
Western Grebe * H
Red-throated Loon * C
Common Loon M,WV
Wood Stork A
Anhinga * A
Double-crested Cormorant M,SV,WV
White Ibis * C
Glossy Ibis C
American Bittern M
Least Bittern * C
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron SV
Black-crowned Night Heron M,SV
Little Blue Heron M,SV
Tricolored Heron * A
Snowy Egret * C
• Green Heron M,SR
Western Cattle Egret M,SV
Great Egret M,SV
• Great Blue Heron M,PR
• Black Vulture M,PR
• Turkey Vulture M,PR
• Osprey M,SV
Swallow-tailed Kite * A
Golden Eagle * C
Sharp-shinned Hawk M,WR
• Cooper’s Hawk M,PR
American Goshawk * M,WV
Northern Harrier * M,WV
• Bald Eagle M,PR
• Broad-winged Hawk M,SR
• Red-shouldered Hawk M,PR
Mississippi Kite * C
• Red-tailed Hawk M,PR
Rough-legged Hawk * M,WV
• American Barn Owl * C
• Eastern Screech-Owl PR
Snowy Owl * A
• Great Horned Owl PR
• Barred Owl PR
Long-eared Owl C
Short-eared Owl C
Northern Saw-whet Owl C
• Belted Kingfisher PR
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker M,WV
• Red-headed Woodpecker M,WV, SR
• Red-bellied Woodpecker PR
• Downy Woodpecker PR
• Hairy Woodpecker PR
• Pileated Woodpecker PR
• Northern Flicker M,PR
• American Kestrel M,PR
. Merlin M,WV
Peregrine Falcon M,WV
Olive-sided Flycatcher M
• Eastern Wood-Pewee M,SR
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher M
• Acadian Flycatcher M,SR
. Alder Flycatcher * C
• Willow Flycatcher M,SR
• Least Flycatcher M,SV
• Eastern Phoebe M,SR,WV
• Ash-throated Flycatcher A
• Great Crested Flycatcher M,SR
.. Western Kingbird .A
• Eastern Kingbird M,SR
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher A
• White-eyed Vireo M,SR
• Yellow-throated Vireo M,SR
Blue-headed Vireo M
.. Philadelphia Vireo M (fall)
• Eastern Warbling Vireo M,SR
• Red-eyed Vireo M,SR
Loggerhead Shrike * C
Northern Shrike * A
• Blue Jay M,PR
•. American Crow PR
• Fish Crow PR
• Common Raven C,PR
• Carolina Chickadee PR
Black-capped Chickadee * C,WV
• Tufted Titmouse PR
.• Horned Lark M,PR
• Bank Swallow M,SV
• Tree Swallow M,SR
• Purple Martin M,SR
• N. Rough-winged Swallow M,SR
• Barn Swallow M,SR
..• Cliff Swallow M,SR
Ruby-crowned Kinglet M,WV
Golden-crowned Kinglet M,WR
• White-breasted Nuthatch M,PR
Red-breasted Nuthatch M,WV
Brown Creeper M,WR
•. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher M,SR
• Northern House Wren M,SR
Winter Wren M,WR
Sedge Wren * C
Marsh Wren M
• Carolina Wren PR
•.. European Starling PR
• Gray Catbird M,SR,WV
• Brown Thrasher M,SR,WV
• Northern Mockingbird PR
• Eastern Bluebird PR
Mountain Bluebird* A
. Varied Thrush * A
• Veery M,SR
Gray-cheeked Thrush M
Bicknell’s Thrush * A,M
Swainson’s Thrush M
Hermit Thrush M,WR
• Wood Thrush M,SR
• American Robin M,PR
• Cedar Waxwing M,PR
• House Sparrow PR
American Pipit M,WV
Evening Grosbeak * C
.• House Finch PR
Purple Finch M,WV
Common Redpoll * C
Red Crossbill * C
White-winged Crossbill * C
Pine Siskin M,WV
.•. American Goldfinch PR
Lapland Longspur * C
Snow Bunting * C
Grasshopper Sparrow M,SR
• Chipping Sparrow M,SR,WV
Clay-colored Sparrow * C
•. Field Sparrow M,PR
Lark Sparrow * A
American Tree Sparrow M,WR
Fox Sparrow M,WR
Dark-eyed Junco M,WR
White-crowned Sparrow M,WR
.. Harris’s Sparrow * A
White-throated Sparrow M,WR
• Vesper Sparrow M,SR
LeConte’s Sparrow * A
Nelson’s Sparrow * M
• Savannah Sparrow M,WR,SR?
.. Henslow’s Sparrow * C
• Song Sparrow M,PR
Lincoln’s Sparrow M
Swamp Sparrow M,WR
• Eastern Towhee M,PR
• Yellow-breasted Chat M,SR
… Yellow-headed Blackbird * A
. Bobolink M
• Eastern Meadowlark PR
• Orchard Oriole M,SR
• Baltimore Oriole M,SR
• Red-winged Blackbird M,PR
• Brown-headed Cowbird M,PR
. Rusty Blackbird M,WV
Brewer’s Blackbird * A
• Common Grackle M,PR
• Ovenbird M,SR
• Worm-eating Warbler M,SR
.• Louisiana Waterthrush M,SR
Northern Waterthrush M
Golden-winged Warbler M
• Blue-winged Warbler M,SR
• Black-and-white Warbler M,SR
• Prothonotary Warbler M,SR
Tennessee Warbler M
. Orange-crowned Warbler M,WV
Nashville Warbler M
Connecticut Warbler M (fall)
Mourning Warbler M
• Kentucky Warbler M,SR
.• Common Yellowthroat M,SR
• Hooded Warbler M,SR
• American Redstart M,SR
Cape May Warbler M
• Cerulean Warbler M,SR
• Northern Parula M,SR
. Magnolia Warbler M
Bay-breasted Warbler M
Blackburnian Warbler M
• Yellow Warbler M,SR
Chestnut-sided Warbler M
Blackpoll Warbler M
. Black-throated Blue Warbler M
. Palm Warbler M
• Pine Warbler M,SR
Yellow-rumped Warbler M,WV
• Yellow-throated Warbler M,SR
• Prairie Warbler M,SR
Black-throated Green Warbler M
Canada Warbler M
Wilson’s Warbler M
Summer Tanager M,SV
• Scarlet Tanager M,SR
Western Tanager A
•.. Northern Cardinal PR
Rose-breasted Grosbeak M
• Blue Grosbeak M,SR
• Indigo Bunting M,SR
Painted Bunting * A
• Dickcissel * M,SV,WV

• Breeding evidence (may be a single record)

* Asterisk indicates written details or a photograph are required.

PR – Permanent Resident

SR – Summer Resident

SV – Su.mmer Visitor

WR – Winter Resident

WV – Winter Visitor

M – Migrant’

C – Casual – (at least 6 records; highly irregular occurrence)

A – Accidental – (1-5 records with photo or specimen; 3-5 without)

H – Hypothetical – (1-2 records without a photograph, specimen, or Maryland/District of Columbia Records Committee acceptance)

[For C, A, or…. H categories, use the Contact Us tab at the top of the howardbirds.website page on the web]

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Hybrids

Brewster’s Warbler *

Lawrence’s Warbler *

 

Extirpated

Ruffed Grouse
Passenger Pigeon
Bewick’s Wren
Historical Record: Bachman’s Sparrow – record 1955
Spring – March-May

Summer – June-July

 Autumn – August-November

Winter – December-February

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Compiled by the Howard County Bird Club, a chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society based on almost 60 years of records. [eBird phylogenetic order] Revised 12/18/2025