Birds of Massachusetts: The Official State Checklist

All 448 birds on the list

• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• Allen’s Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin
• 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 Carduelis tristis
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Anas americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Arctic/Pacific Loon Gavia arctica/pacifica
• Ash-throated Flycatcher Miarchus cinerascens
• Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arcticus
• Audubon’s Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri
• Baird’s Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Band-tailed Pigeon Columba fasciata
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
• Barn Owl Tyto alba
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Barrow’s Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
• Bay-breasted Warbler Dendroica castanea
• Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon
• Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus bicknelli
• Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle
• Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis
• Black Scoter Melanitta nigra
• 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-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapilla
• Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
• Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
• Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens
• Black-throated Gray Warbler Dendroica nigrescens
• Black-throated Green Warbler Dendroica virens
• Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica fusca
• Blackpoll Warbler Dendroica striata
• Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea
• Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
• Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius
• Blue-winged Teal Anas discors
• Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora pinus
• Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus
• Bonaparte’s Gull Larus philadelphia
• Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonica
• Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Brewer’s Sparrow Spizella breweri
• Bridled Tern Sterna anaethetus
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Brown Noddy Anous stolidus
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
• Brown-chested Martin Progne tapera
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis
• Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
• Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullockii
• Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Warbler Wilsonia canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Cape May Warbler Dendroica tigrina
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
• Cassin’s Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
• Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
• Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
• Cerulean Warbler Dendroica cerulea
• Chestnut-collared Longspur Calcarius ornatus
• Chestnut-sided Warbler Dendroica pensylvanica
• Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
• Chuck-will’s-widow Caprimulgus carolinensis
• Clapper Rail Rallus longirostris
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
• Common Eider Somateria mollissima
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
• Common Murre Uria aalge
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea
• Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii
• Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea
• Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
• Dovekie Alle alle
• Downy Woodpecker Picoides 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 Otus asio
• Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
• Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
• Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis
• Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata
• Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula
• Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
• Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
• European Starling Sturnus vulgarisNonnative
• 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 Larus pipixcan
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor
• Gadwall Anas 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 Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii
• Gray Jay Perisoreus canadensis
• Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Great Auk Pinguinus impennis
• Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
• Great Crested Flycatcher Miarchus crinitus
• Great Egret Ardea alba
• Great Gray Owl Strix nebulosa
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Great Skua Stercorarius skua
• Greater Prairie-Chicken (Heath Hen) Tympanuchus cupido cupido
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater Shearwater Puffinus gravis
• 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 Sterna nilotica
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus
• Hammond’s Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris’s Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow’s Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Hermit Warbler Dendroica occidentalis
• Herring Gull Larus argentatus
• Hoary Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Wilsonia citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus
• House Sparrow Passer domesticusNonnative
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
• Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea
• Kentucky Warbler Oporornis formosus
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• King Eider Somateria spectabilis
• King Rail Rallus elegans
• Labrador Duck Camptorhynchus labradorius
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Larus atricilla
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa
• Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sterna antillarum
• LeConte’s Sparrow Ammodramus leconteii
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Lewis’s Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
• Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta
• Little Gull Larus minutus
• Little Stint Calidris minuta
• 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 Seiurus motacilla
• Lucy’s Warbler Vermivora luciae
• MacGillivray’s Warbler Oporornis tolmiei
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
• Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus
• McCown’s Longspur Calcarius mccownii
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mew Gull Larus canus
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Oporornis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olorNonnative
• Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla
• Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow Ammodramus nelsoni
• No. Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
• Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
• Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
• Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
• Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
• Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
• Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
• Northern Parula Parula americana
• Northern Pintail Anas acuta
• Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
• Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
• Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor
• Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis
• Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapillus
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Painted Redstart Myioborus pictus
• Palm Warbler Dendroica palmarum
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius
• 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 Carduelis pinus
• Pine Warbler Dendroica pinus
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Warbler Dendroica discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrula martinica
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Razorbill Alca torda
• Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
• Red Knot Calidris canutus
• Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicaria
• Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
• Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus
• 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 Dove Columba liviaNonnative
• Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii
• Ross’s Goose Chen rossii
• Ross’s Gull Rhodostethia rosea
• Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
• Royal Tern Sterna maxima
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Ruff Philomachus pugnax
• Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini
• Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
• Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Ammodramus caudacutus
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis
• Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Seaside Sparrow Ammodramus maritimus
• 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
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Chen caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca
• Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus
• Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata
• Sora Porzana carolina
• South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki
• Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
• Sprague’s Pipit Anthus spragueii
• Steller’s Eider Polysticta stelleri
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Streaked/Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher Myiodynastes maculatus/luteiventris
• 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 Vermivora peregrina
• Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia
• Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus
• Townsend’s Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend’s Warbler Dendroica townsendi
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• 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
• Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalissina
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Wandering Tattler Heteroscelus incanus
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
• Western Reef-Heron Egretta gularis
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• Whip-poor-will Caprimulgus vociferus
• 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 Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla
• White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus
• White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
• White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca
• White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson’s Plover Charadrius wilsonia
• Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus
• Wilson’s Warbler Wilsonia pusilla
• Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• Wood Stork Mycteria americana
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
• Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorus
• Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis
• Yellow Warbler Dendroica 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 Dendroica coronata
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Yellow-throated Warbler Dendroica 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 Massachusetts

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

If you see one

Official advice from MassWildlife:

• Bears: talk calmly and back away slowly, do not run, never come between a female and cubs; fight back if a black bear makes contact. MassWildlife
• Do not feed wildlife; secure garbage and compost; feed pets indoors; remove bird feeders. MassWildlife

About this list

The species list comes from Bird List for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), printed June 2002 ("5M 6/02"); taxonomy per AOU Check-list 7th ed. through 42nd Supplement (2000)).

Venom does not apply to birds.

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