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. Click/tap the bird name to go to the page for the species. 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.”

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
Mississippi Kite * C
• Broad-winged Hawk M,SR
• Red-shouldered Hawk M,PR
• 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)
• 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
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 – Summer 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]

 

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

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 5/12/2025