BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Alabama Breeding Birds

184 species recorded across 109 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. 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 173× 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 →

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 →

House Finch has surged in Alabama: up 42× 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 →

Gull-billed Tern has collapsed in Alabama: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1985.

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 32× 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
-59%

Generalists

13 species
-49%

Wetland birds

33 species
-2%

Aerial insectivores

15 species
-0%

Forest birds

59 species
+104%

Shorebirds

3 species
+212%

Birds of prey

15 species
13×

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 +150%Broad-winged Hawk +1%Cooper's Hawk +255%Mississippi Kite 14×Red-shouldered Hawk +723%Red-tailed Hawk +337%Sharp-shinned Hawk -49%Swallow-tailed Kite +75%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -25%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -76%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Canada Goose 32×Mallard +91%Mottled Duck -33%Wood Duck +150%

Anhingas Anhingidae

Anhinga +43%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -70%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron +194%Great Blue Heron +259%Great Egret +840%Green Heron -54%Least Bittern -72%Little Blue Heron -70%Reddish Egret -72%Snowy Egret -18%Tricolored Heron -78%Western Cattle-Egret +192%Yellow-crowned Night Heron +6%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +46%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -67%Common Nighthawk -90%Eastern Whip-poor-will -67%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +19%Dickcissel +4%Indigo Bunting -22%Northern Cardinal -12%Scarlet Tanager +220%Summer Tanager +18%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +173%Turkey Vulture +475%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -2%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Common Ground Dove +57%Eurasian Collared-Dove 70×Mourning Dove -14%Rock Pigeon -62%White-winged Dove 19×

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +19%Blue Jay -46%Fish Crow -58%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Yellow-billed Cuckoo -8%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -55%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +41%House Finch 42×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Barn Swallow +176%Cliff Swallow 173×Northern Rough-winged Swallow +39%Purple Martin -51%Tree Swallow +300%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -65%Boat-tailed Grackle -54%Brown-headed Cowbird +6%Common Grackle -85%Eastern Meadowlark -80%Orchard Oriole -63%Red-winged Blackbird -88%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -38%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -91%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer -74%Caspian Tern -30%Forster's Tern -33%Gull-billed Tern -94%Herring Gull -76%Laughing Gull 29×Least Tern -92%Ring-billed Gull -40%Royal Tern +262%Sandwich Tern -57%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -26%Gray Catbird -73%Northern Mockingbird -42%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -94%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +713%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Carolina Chickadee +17%Tufted Titmouse +114%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -43%Black-and-white Warbler -16%Black-throated Green Warbler -16%Blue-winged Warbler -87%Cerulean Warbler -19%Common Yellowthroat -39%Hooded Warbler +347%Kentucky Warbler +24%Louisiana Waterthrush +189%Northern Parula +599%Ovenbird -82%Pine Warbler +276%Prairie Warbler -25%Prothonotary Warbler -56%Swainson's Warbler 24×Worm-eating Warbler +346%Yellow Warbler -92%Yellow-throated Warbler +79%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Bachman's Sparrow -3%Chipping Sparrow +41%Eastern Towhee -47%Field Sparrow -72%Grasshopper Sparrow -87%Lark Sparrow +68%Song Sparrow 21×

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -95%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

Brown Pelican 13×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant 38×

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Wild Turkey +709%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +6%Hairy Woodpecker +7%Pileated Woodpecker +67%Red-bellied Woodpecker +51%Red-cockaded Woodpecker -22%Red-headed Woodpecker -4%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -60%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +440%

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 -5%White-breasted Nuthatch +642%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +66%Eastern Screech-Owl -59%Great Horned Owl +94%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -48%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

White Ibis +318%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +67%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren +99%Marsh Wren -79%Northern House Wren -26%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -22%Eastern Bluebird +138%Wood Thrush -43%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +128%Eastern Kingbird -51%Eastern Phoebe +464%Eastern Wood-Pewee -36%Gray Kingbird -41%Great Crested Flycatcher +41%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo +287%Red-eyed Vireo +96%White-eyed Vireo +152%Yellow-throated Vireo +284%

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