Birds of Delaware: The Official State Checklist

All 434 birds on the list

• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• Allen’s Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin
• American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
• American Barn Owl Tyto furcata
• American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
• American Black Duck Anas rubripes
• American Coot Fulica americana
• American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
• American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• American Goshawk Astur atricapillus
• American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Mareca americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Ancient Murrelet Synthliborampus antiquus
• Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
• Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica
• Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Band-rumped Storm-Petrel Hydrobates castro
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
• Bell’s Vireo Vireo bellii
• Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
• Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus bicknelli
• Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle
• Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis
• Black Scoter Melanitta americana
• Black Skimmer Rynchops niger
• Black Tern Chlidonias niger
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
• Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata
• Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
• Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Black-headed Gull Chroicephalus ridibundus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
• Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens
• Black-throated Gray Warbler Setophaga nigrescens
• Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
• Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca
• Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata
• Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea
• Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
• Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius
• Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors
• Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera
• Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major
• Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Bonaparte's Gull Chroicephalus philadelphia
• Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonicus
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus
• Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
• Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
• Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
• Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• California Gull Larus californicus
• Calliope Humingbird Selasphorus calliope
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Carolina Chickadee Poecile carolinensis
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
• Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva
• Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
• Cerulean Warbler Setophaga cerulea
• Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
• Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
• Chuck-will's-widow Antrostomus carolinensis
• Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
• Clapper Rail Rallus crepitans
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Common Eider Somateria mollissima
• Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina
• Common Gull/Short-billed Gull Larus canus/L. brachyrhynchus
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Common Murre Uria aalge
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper's Hawk Astur cooperii
• Cory's Shearwater Calonectris borealis
• Crested Caracara Caracara plancus
• Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum
• Dovekie Alle alle
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
• Dunlin Calidris alpina
• Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri
• Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
• Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
• Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
• Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
• Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
• Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio
• Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
• Eastern Whip-poor-will Antrostomus vociferus
• Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
• Elegant Tern Thalasseus elegans
• Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
• Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
• European Golden-Plover Pluvialis apricaria
• European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
• Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
• Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana
• Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor
• Gadwall Mareca strepera
• Garganey Spatula querquedula
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
• Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Gray Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii
• Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
• Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
• Great Egret Ardea alba
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis
• Great Skua Stercorarius skua
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
• Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Hammond’s Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris’s Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow’s Sparrow Centronyx henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
• House Sparrow Passer domesticus
• Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
• Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
• Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• King Eider Somateria spectabilis
• King Rail Rallus elegans
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
• Leach's Storm-Petrel Hydrobates leucorhous
• Least Bittern Botaurus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sternula antillarum
• LeConte's Sparrow Ammospiza leconteii
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
• Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta
• Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
• Little Stint Calidris minuta
• Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
• Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
• Long-eared Owl Asio otus
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
• Long-tailed Jaeger Sterorarius longicaudus
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Masked Booby Sula dactylatra
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olor
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson's Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
• Neotropic Cormorant Nannopterum brasilianum
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
• Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
• Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
• Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
• Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
• Northern Parula Setophaga americana
• Northern Pintail Anas acuta
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
• Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
• Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
• Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
• Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
• Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
• Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva
• Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
• Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
• Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus
• Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
• Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
• Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator
• Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
• Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus
• Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Razorbill Alca torda
• Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
• Red Knot Calidris canutus
• Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
• Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
• Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
• Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
• Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
• Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
• Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
• Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
• Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis
• Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
• Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
• Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
• Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
• Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens
• Redhead Aythya americana
• Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
• Rock Pigeon Columba livia
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
• Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii
• Ross's Goose Anser rossii
• Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea
• Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
• Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Corthylio calendula
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Ruff Calidris pugnax
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini
• Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
• Saltmarsh Sparrow Ammospiza caudacuta
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
• Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
• Sargasso Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Seaside Sparrow Ammospiza maritima
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris
• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
• Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata
• Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sooty Shearwater Ardenna grisea
• Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus
• Sora Porzana carolina
• South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• Swainson’s Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
• Swainson’s Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii
• Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
• Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina
• Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia
• Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend's Warbler Setophaga townsendi
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
• Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
• Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Cattle-Egret Ardea ibis
• Western Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida
• White Ibis Eudocimus albus
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
• White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
• White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
• White-faced Storm-Petrel Pelagodroma marina
• White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
• White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus
• White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
• White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi
• White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson’s Plover Anarhynchus wilsonia
• Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus
• Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
• Wood Stork Mycteria americana
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
• Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum
• Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis
• Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
• Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea
• Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
• Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica
• Zone-tailed Hawk Buteo albonotatus

Birds people confuse

Turkey vulture or Black vulture?

Turkey vulture Not stated

No confirmed photo of Black vulture

Black vulture Not stated

Black vulture: grayish-black head, shorter tail, a white patch near the wing tips (seen from below), and wings held nearly horizontal when soaring, with frequent flapping (Missouri). Tennessee and NPS Everglades say the same: black head, white patch at the wing tips, wings held flat. Turkey vulture: red head (adults), two-toned wings held in a V, rarely flaps. Note: juvenile turkey vultures also have dark heads.

Turkey vulture or Eagle?

Turkey vulture Not stated

Eagle Not stated

An eagle holds its wings flat and they are uniformly black; a turkey vulture's are held in a slight V and are two-toned.

Bald eagle or Golden eagle?

Bald eagle Not stated

No confirmed photo of Golden eagle

Golden eagle Not stated

Young bald eagles lack the white head and tail and are often mistaken for golden eagles. Bald eagles have unfeathered lower legs and hold their wings flat when soaring; TWRA says golden eagles have feathered legs, limited white under the wing, and lift the outer wing in a slight V.

Red-tailed hawk or Red-shouldered hawk?

Red-tailed hawk Not stated

No confirmed photo of Red-shouldered hawk

Red-shouldered hawk Not stated

A red-tail's rust-colored, broad, short tail distinguishes it from the smaller red-shouldered hawk (North Carolina). Tennessee: the red-shouldered hawk has a black and white banded tail and appears more uniformly colored.

Northern cardinal or Summer tanager?

Northern cardinal Not stated

Summer tanager Not stated

MDC: the adult male summer tanager is entirely rosy red, slightly darker on wings and tail, and is a summer resident; the adult male northern cardinal has a crest and a black area around its large red bill and is present year-round. TWRA says the summer tanager is the only other all-red songbird in Tennessee.

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When birds are active in Delaware

Records of birds in Delaware peak in April to May and July to October. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).

• Horseshoe crabs spawn in May and June on Delaware Bay beaches; the shorebird migration peaks in May. DNREC

If you see one

Official advice from DNREC:

• If you meet a black bear, stay calm and back away slowly; do not run. DNREC

How to report

Invasive aquatic species: report to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife by phone, email or the online Invasive Fish Tracker. Invasive terrestrial species: Wildlife Section, 302-739-9912. Sick or dead wildlife (five or more at one place): 302-735-3600 ext. 2. Wildlife damage biologist: 302-735-8683. DNREC

About this list

The species list comes from Delaware State List of Bird Species (Delaware Bird Records Committee) (Delaware Bird Records Committee, Delaware Ornithological Society, Updated July 2025).

Venom does not apply to birds.