Birds of Tennessee: The Official State Checklist
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
On this page
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency: Wildlife Species in Tennessee … Currently, there are more than 325 species of fish, 89 mammals, 61 reptiles, 70 amphibians, and 340+ birds known to inhabit or migrate through Tennessee.
This page lists 290 birds. 7 are nonnative. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency gives a total of 340; the 290 here are the birds official sources name one by one.
Which birds can hurt you
Official sources single out these birds in Tennessee, in their own words:
-
Photo: Laura Mae · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Mute Swan
Attacks (defends nests, will attack human intruders). “They will vigorous defend nests and attack human intruders.” Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
-
Photo: kcthetc1 · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Mississippi Kite
Attacks (people close to nest in urban areas). “In urban areas, Mississippi Kites are known to attack people who venture too close to their nest.” Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
-
Photo: Chrissy McClarren and Andy Reago · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Brown Thrasher
Strikes people near its nest (rare). “An aggressive defender of its nest, the Brown Thrasher has been known to (although rarely) strike people and dogs hard enough to draw blood.” Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
All 290 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 Anas americana
- American Woodcock Scolopax minor
- Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
- Bachman's Sparrow Peucaea aestivalis
- Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
- Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
- Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
- Barn Owl Tyto alba
- Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
- Barred Owl Strix varia
- Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
- Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii
- Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
- Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
- Black Scoter Melanitta nigra
- 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-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
- Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
- Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens
- 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 Anas discors
- Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera
- Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
- Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia
- Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
- Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
- Brown Creeper Certhia americana
- Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
- Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
- Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis
- Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
- Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
- 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
- Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
- 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
- Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
- Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
- Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
- Common Loon Gavia immer
- Common Merganser Mergus merganser
- Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
- Common Raven Corvus corax
- Common Tern Sterna hirundo
- Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
- Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
- Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii
- Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
- Dickcissel Spiza americana
- Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
- 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 Megascops asio
- Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eastern Whip-poor-will Antrostomus vociferus
- Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
- Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaoctoNonnative
- European Starling Sturnus vulgarisNonnative
- Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
- Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
- Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
- Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
- Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan
- Fulvous Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna bicolor
- Gadwall Anas strepera
- 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-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
- Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
- Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
- Great Egret Ardea alba
- Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
- Greater Scaup Aythya marila
- Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
- Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
- Green Heron Butorides virescens
- Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
- Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus
- Henslow's Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii
- Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
- Herring Gull Larus argentatus
- 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
- Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
- Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa
- Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
- King Rail Rallus elegans
- Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
- Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
- Laughing Gull Larus atricilla
- Le Conte's Sparrow Ammodramus leconteii
- Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis
- Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
- Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
- Least Tern Sternula antillarum
- Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
- Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
- Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
- Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
- Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
- Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
- Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
- Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
- Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
- Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
- Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
- Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
- Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
- Merlin Falco columbarius
- Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
- Mourning Warbler Geothylpis philadelphia
- Muscovy Duck Cairina moschataNonnative
- Mute Swan Cygnus olorNonnative
- Nashville Warbler Oreothlypis ruficapilla
- Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
- Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
- Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
- Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
- 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 Anas clypeata
- Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
- Orange-crowned Warbler Oreothlypis celata
- Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
- Osprey Pandion haliaetus
- Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
- Pacific Loon Gavia adamsii
- Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
- Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
- Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
- Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
- Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphics
- Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
- Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
- Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
- Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus
- Piping Plover Charadrius melodius
- Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
- Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
- Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
- Purple Martin Progne subis
- Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
- 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-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
- Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
- Red-throated Loon Gavia stellate
- Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
- Redhead Aythya americana
- Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
- Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
- Rock Pigeon Columba liviaNonnative
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
- Ross's Goose Chen rossii
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
- Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
- Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
- Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
- Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
- Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
- Sanderling Calidris alba
- Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis
- Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
- 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
- Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
- Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
- Snow Goose Chen caerulescens
- Snowy Egret Egretta thula
- Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
- Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
- Sora Porzana carolina
- Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
- Stilt Sandpiper Calidri himantopus
- Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
- Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
- Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
- Swainson's Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii
- Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
- Tennessee Warbler Oreothlypis peregrina
- 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
- Veery Catharus fuscescens
- Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
- Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
- Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
- Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
- Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
- Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
- 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-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
- White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca
- Whooping Crane Grus americana
- Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
- Willet Tringa semipalmatus
- Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
- Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
- Wilson's Snipe Gallinago gallinago
- 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 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-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
- Yellow-throated Vireo
- Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica
Birds people confuse
Turkey vulture or Black vulture?
Turkey vulture Not stated
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
.jpg){kind=link}
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
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?
.jpg){kind=link}
Red-tailed hawk Not stated
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 Tennessee
Records of birds in Tennessee peak in January to May and September. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).
If you are bitten or stung
Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.
How to report
TWRA "Report Wildlife Encounters, Incidents, or Illness" page (https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/report-wildlife.html): bear conflicts (800) 831-1174; online forms for bear sightings, sick deer, and dead or sick birds. Rare birds: [email protected] (2013 checklist). Aquatic invasive species: TWRA directs people to its Invasive Fish Species page. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
About this list
The species list comes from 2013 Field Checklist of Tennessee Birds (TWRA and Tennessee Ornithological Society) (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Tennessee Ornithological Society, 2013). 290 more entries come from other official sources named on each card.
Venom does not apply to birds.
"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Tennessee.
Sources
- Tennessee Watchable Wildlife | About Us. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
- 2013 Field Checklist of Tennessee Birds. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Tennessee Ornithological Society. 2013; checked November 3, 2026.
- Wildlife Species in Tennessee. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. archived copy, captured August 11, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“Wildlife Species in Tennessee … Currently, there are more than 325 species of fish, 89 mammals, 61 reptiles, 70 amphibians, and 340+ birds known to inhabit or migrate through Tennessee.”
- Birds » Tennessee's Birds (Tennessee Watchable Wildlife species accounts). Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (Tennessee Watchable Wildlife website). undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (3)
“They will vigorous defend nests and attack human intruders.”
“In urban areas, Mississippi Kites are known to attack people who venture too close to their nest.”
“An aggressive defender of its nest, the Brown Thrasher has been known to (although rarely) strike people and dogs hard enough to draw blood.”
- Report Wildlife Encounters, Incidents, or Illness. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. archived copy, captured August 11, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“To report bear conflicts, call (800) 831-1174”
- GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.