BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 28

Appalachian Mountains

An ecological region spanning Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New-jersey, New-york, North-carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South-carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West-virginia, with 405 survey routes. BCRs are the natural unit for bird trends.

What Is Moving Here

long arc declinecomputed index

Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in Appalachian Mountains: down 99% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed index

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has surged in Appalachian Mountains: up 23× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc declinecomputed index

Ring-necked Pheasant has collapsed in Appalachian Mountains: down 99% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed index

Common Raven has surged in Appalachian Mountains: up 23× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc declinecomputed index

Golden-winged Warbler has collapsed in Appalachian Mountains: down 98% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed index

Blue-headed Vireo has surged in Appalachian Mountains: up 19× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

How Guilds Are Faring

-93%

Game birds

4 species
-78%

Grassland birds

10 species
-73%

Wetland birds

16 species
-63%

Generalists

12 species
-36%

Shorebirds

4 species
-9%

Aerial insectivores

18 species
+14%

Forest birds

85 species
+206%

Birds of prey

15 species
+677%

Waterfowl

7 species

Survey Routes

Species By Family

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk -58%Bald Eagle 12×Broad-winged Hawk +33%Cooper's Hawk +209%Northern Harrier -49%Red-shouldered Hawk 13×Red-tailed Hawk +335%Sharp-shinned Hawk +59%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -86%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -46%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -91%Canada Goose 107×Common Merganser 19×Hooded Merganser -10%Mallard +101%Mute Swan -12%Wood Duck +76%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -54%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -74%Black-crowned Night Heron -72%Great Blue Heron +437%Great Egret +868%Green Heron -65%Little Blue Heron -70%Western Cattle-Egret -11%Yellow-crowned Night Heron -78%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +320%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -81%Common Nighthawk -94%Eastern Whip-poor-will -45%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak -13%Dickcissel -54%Indigo Bunting -29%Northern Cardinal +21%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +39%Scarlet Tanager +91%Summer Tanager -70%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +691%Turkey Vulture +330%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper 15×

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -24%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove +884%Mourning Dove +77%Rock Pigeon -49%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow -1%Blue Jay +1%Common Raven 23×Fish Crow +461%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -65%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -16%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -2%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -22%House Finch 108×Pine Siskin -76%Purple Finch -40%Red Crossbill +468%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -95%Barn Swallow -18%Cliff Swallow +690%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +43%Purple Martin -64%Tree Swallow +236%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -44%Bobolink -19%Brown-headed Cowbird -46%Common Grackle -82%Eastern Meadowlark -85%Orchard Oriole -47%Red-winged Blackbird -67%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -84%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -95%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Herring Gull -68%Ring-billed Gull 15×

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -36%Gray Catbird +46%Northern Mockingbird -38%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -99%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey 14×

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +133%Carolina Chickadee +29%Tufted Titmouse +97%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +189%Black-and-white Warbler +68%Black-throated Blue Warbler +799%Black-throated Green Warbler +490%Blackburnian Warbler +586%Blue-winged Warbler -16%Canada Warbler +73%Cerulean Warbler -8%Chestnut-sided Warbler +117%Common Yellowthroat -20%Golden-winged Warbler -98%Hooded Warbler +352%Kentucky Warbler -63%Louisiana Waterthrush +129%Magnolia Warbler +590%Mourning Warbler +60%Nashville Warbler -88%Northern Parula +363%Northern Waterthrush -4%Ovenbird +307%Pine Warbler +127%Prairie Warbler -73%Prothonotary Warbler -57%Swainson's Warbler 20×Worm-eating Warbler +213%Yellow Warbler -12%Yellow-throated Warbler +284%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Bachman's Sparrow -51%Chipping Sparrow -14%Eastern Towhee -13%Field Sparrow -67%Grasshopper Sparrow -92%Henslow's Sparrow -95%Savannah Sparrow -78%Song Sparrow +7%Swamp Sparrow +92%Vesper Sparrow -97%White-throated Sparrow -87%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -82%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant 14×

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -99%Ruffed Grouse -77%Wild Turkey 27×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +39%Hairy Woodpecker +127%Pileated Woodpecker +158%Red-bellied Woodpecker +392%Red-cockaded Woodpecker -14%Red-headed Woodpecker +76%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 23×

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -67%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +78%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -31%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet 24×

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -80%Spotted Sandpiper -96%Upland Sandpiper -96%Wilson's Snipe -39%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch -19%Red-breasted Nuthatch 14×White-breasted Nuthatch +263%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +440%Eastern Screech-Owl -69%Great Horned Owl +21%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -61%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +141%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren -97%Carolina Wren +219%Marsh Wren -69%Northern House Wren +5%Winter Wren 25×

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -7%Eastern Bluebird +34%Hermit Thrush +264%Swainson's Thrush +83%Veery +37%Wood Thrush -19%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +84%Alder Flycatcher +507%Eastern Kingbird -32%Eastern Phoebe +34%Eastern Wood-Pewee +24%Great Crested Flycatcher -32%Least Flycatcher -45%Willow Flycatcher +82%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo 19×Red-eyed Vireo +170%Warbling Vireo +3%White-eyed Vireo -6%Yellow-throated Vireo +48%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.