BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2026 Release · 1966–2025

Alabama Breeding Birds

184 species recorded across 109 survey routes, 1966 to 2025. Browse by family or guild below.

Alabama Bird Population TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

House Sparrow has collapsed in Alabama: down 95% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Cliff Swallow has surged in Alabama: up 202× on the route-weighted index since 1971.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Yellow Warbler has collapsed in Alabama: down 95% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

House Finch has surged in Alabama: up 47× on the route-weighted index since 1989.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in Alabama: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Canada Goose has surged in Alabama: up 28× on the route-weighted index since 1973.

How Bird Guilds Are Faring in AlabamaGuild trendA mean-index aggregate across the species in this group — the structural direction of the guild, with individual-species noise smoothed out.Full methodology →

-95%

Game birds

2 species
-85%

Grassland birds

6 species
-58%

Generalists

13 species
-40%

Wetland birds

33 species
+2%

Aerial insectivores

15 species
+4%

Forest birds

59 species
+115%

Shorebirds

3 species
+210%

Birds of prey

15 species
11×

Waterfowl

4 species

Alabama Bird Survey Routes

Browse Alabama Birds By FamilyTrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →

Each species links to its trend in Alabama.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle +139%Broad-winged Hawk -4%Cooper's Hawk +251%Mississippi Kite 25×Red-shouldered Hawk +741%Red-tailed Hawk +260%Sharp-shinned Hawk -58%Swallow-tailed Kite +35%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -26%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -82%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Canada Goose 28×Mallard +37%Mottled Duck -33%Wood Duck +105%

Anhingas Anhingidae

Anhinga +6%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -68%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron +276%Great Blue Heron +350%Great Egret 18×Green Heron -45%Least Bittern -72%Little Blue Heron -66%Reddish Egret -72%Snowy Egret -49%Tricolored Heron -78%Western Cattle-Egret +216%Yellow-crowned Night Heron +7%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +44%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -65%Common Nighthawk -89%Eastern Whip-poor-will -78%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +28%Dickcissel -15%Indigo Bunting -22%Northern Cardinal -7%Scarlet Tanager +228%Summer Tanager +19%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +144%Turkey Vulture +455%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +3%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Common Ground Dove +27%Eurasian Collared-Dove 69×Mourning Dove -14%Rock Pigeon -55%White-winged Dove 22×

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +20%Blue Jay -46%Fish Crow -53%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Yellow-billed Cuckoo +1%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -26%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +39%House Finch 47×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Barn Swallow +182%Cliff Swallow 202×Northern Rough-winged Swallow +46%Purple Martin -53%Tree Swallow +469%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -65%Boat-tailed Grackle -54%Brown-headed Cowbird +15%Common Grackle -85%Eastern Meadowlark -81%Orchard Oriole -58%Red-winged Blackbird -88%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -36%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -90%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer -74%Caspian Tern -25%Forster's Tern -33%Gull-billed Tern -94%Herring Gull -76%Laughing Gull 21×Least Tern -92%Ring-billed Gull -40%Royal Tern +262%Sandwich Tern -57%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -23%Gray Catbird -70%Northern Mockingbird -40%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -94%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +818%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Carolina Chickadee +24%Tufted Titmouse +136%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -25%Black-and-white Warbler +2%Black-throated Green Warbler -37%Blue-winged Warbler -88%Cerulean Warbler -19%Common Yellowthroat -42%Hooded Warbler +392%Kentucky Warbler +31%Louisiana Waterthrush +185%Northern Parula +691%Ovenbird -82%Pine Warbler +260%Prairie Warbler -19%Prothonotary Warbler -48%Swainson's Warbler 32×Worm-eating Warbler +438%Yellow Warbler -95%Yellow-throated Warbler +80%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Bachman's Sparrow -8%Chipping Sparrow +45%Eastern Towhee -51%Field Sparrow -76%Grasshopper Sparrow -80%Lark Sparrow +103%Song Sparrow 19×

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -95%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

Brown Pelican 13×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant 86×

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Wild Turkey +633%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +9%Hairy Woodpecker +21%Pileated Woodpecker +86%Red-bellied Woodpecker +54%Red-cockaded Woodpecker -11%Red-headed Woodpecker -1%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -60%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +567%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -72%Clapper Rail -69%Common Gallinule +99%Purple Gallinule -73%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -52%Willet -89%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch -7%White-breasted Nuthatch +647%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +94%Eastern Screech-Owl -60%Great Horned Owl +89%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -40%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

White Ibis +182%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +54%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren +93%Marsh Wren -79%Northern House Wren +3%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -21%Eastern Bluebird +137%Wood Thrush -40%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +157%Eastern Kingbird -52%Eastern Phoebe +465%Eastern Wood-Pewee -34%Gray Kingbird -41%Great Crested Flycatcher +53%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo +280%Red-eyed Vireo +97%White-eyed Vireo +176%Yellow-throated Vireo +349%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-08-14.