Birds of Indiana: The Official State Checklist

All 424 birds on the list

• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
• American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
• American Black Duck Anas rubripes
• American Coot Fulica americana
• American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Mareca americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
• Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Audubon's Oriole Icterus graduacauda
• Bachman's Sparrow Peucaea aestivalis
• Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Band-rumped Storm-Petrel Hydrobates castro
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Barn Owl Tyto alba
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
• Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
• Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii
• Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
• Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• 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-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
• Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
• Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
• Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris
• 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
• Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus
• Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia
• Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonicus
• Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• 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
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
• Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
• Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii
• Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• California Gull Larus californicus
• California/Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma sp.
• Calliope Hummingbird 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
• Cassin's Sparrow Peucaea cassinii
• Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
• 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
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Common Crane Grus grus
• Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii
• Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway
• Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
• Dunlin Calidris alpina
• 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
• Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaoctoNonnative
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanusNonnative
• Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
• European Starling Sturnus vulgarisNonnative
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• 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
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
• Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
• Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
• Great Egret Ardea alba
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
• Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
• 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
• Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
• Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow's Sparrow Centronyx henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Herring Gull Larus argentatus
• Hoary Redpoll Acanthis hornemanni
• Hooded Crane Grus monacha
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanusNonnative
• House Sparrow Passer domesticusNonnative
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• 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
• Kirtland's Warbler Setophaga kirtlandii
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
• Le Conte's Sparrow Ammospiza leconteii
• Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sternula antillarum
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Lesser Sand-Plover Charadrius mongolus
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
• Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
• Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
• Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
• Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
• Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
• Long-billed Murrelet Brachyramphus perdix
• Long-eared Owl Asio otus
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
• Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• McCown's Longspur Rhynchophanes mccownii
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mew Gull Larus canus
• Mexican Violetear Colibri thalassinus
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachusNonnative
• Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olorNonnative
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson's Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
• Neotropic Cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
• Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
• Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
• 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 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
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Pygmy/Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta sp.
• 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
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicusNonnative
• Rock Pigeon Columba liviaNonnative
• Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
• 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 Regulus calendula
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Ruff Calidris pugnax
• Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Sabine's Gull Xema sabini
• Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis
• 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
• Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus
• Smith's Longspur Calcarius pictus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• Snowy Plover Charadrius nivosus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus
• Sora Porzana carolina
• Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
• 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
• Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend's Warbler Setophaga townsendi
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
• 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
• Wandering Tattler Tringa incana
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• 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-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
• White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus
• 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
• Whooping Crane Grus americana
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson's Plover Charadrius wilsonia
• Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• 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-billed Loon Gavia adamsii
• 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

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 Indiana

Records of birds in Indiana peak in March to June and September to October. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).

How to report

Invasive species: report online via EDDMapS or the GLEDN app; terrestrial invasives 1-866-NO-EXOTIC (1-866-663-9684), [email protected]; aquatic invasives [email protected]. Nuisance wildlife: DNR does not remove wildlife; hire a licensed wildlife control operator; DNR Customer Service 317-232-4200 or [email protected]. Mammal sightings (armadillo, mountain lion, etc.): DNR Report a Mammal form. Gecko / wall lizard sightings: [email protected]. Indiana Department of Natural Resources

About this list

The species list comes from Birds of Indiana List (Indiana DNR, compiled by the state Ornithologist) (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife, Revised September 2021).

Venom does not apply to birds.

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Indiana.