BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2026 Release · 1966–2025

Delaware Breeding Birds

159 species recorded across 17 survey routes, 1966 to 2025. Browse by family or guild below.

Delaware 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 →

Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in Delaware: down 97% 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 Delaware: up 56× on the route-weighted index since 1970.

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 →

Eastern Meadowlark has collapsed in Delaware: 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 →

Pileated Woodpecker has surged in Delaware: up 35× 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 →

Common Tern has collapsed in Delaware: down 90% 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 Delaware: up 33× on the route-weighted index since 1980.

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

-90%

Game birds

3 species
-21%

Generalists

10 species
+3%

Grassland birds

4 species
+18%

Shorebirds

3 species
+35%

Wetland birds

23 species
+91%

Forest birds

53 species
+177%

Aerial insectivores

15 species
+270%

Birds of prey

11 species
27×

Waterfowl

4 species

Delaware Bird Survey Routes

Browse Delaware 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 Delaware.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle 26×Cooper's Hawk +257%Northern Harrier +26%Red-shouldered Hawk 11×Red-tailed Hawk +485%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark +60%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher +4%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck +114%Canada Goose 56×Mallard +266%Wood Duck +73%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -38%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron +34%Great Blue Heron 32×Great Egret +331%Green Heron +56%Little Blue Heron +21%Snowy Egret 18×Western Cattle-Egret -46%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +160%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow +42%Common Nighthawk -88%Eastern Whip-poor-will -87%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +579%Indigo Bunting +192%Northern Cardinal +141%Scarlet Tanager -31%Summer Tanager 12×

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +611%Turkey Vulture +482%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +88%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Mourning Dove +207%Rock Pigeon -0%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +21%Blue Jay -2%Fish Crow +107%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -57%Yellow-billed Cuckoo +39%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -76%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +137%House Finch 33×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -58%Barn Swallow +74%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -60%Purple Martin +959%Tree Swallow +670%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -80%Boat-tailed Grackle -2%Brown-headed Cowbird +418%Common Grackle -44%Eastern Meadowlark -95%Orchard Oriole +265%Red-winged Blackbird -22%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -30%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer +184%Common Tern -90%Forster's Tern 14×Great Black-backed Gull -69%Herring Gull -80%Laughing Gull -5%Least Tern -85%Ring-billed Gull -70%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher +60%Gray Catbird +22%Northern Mockingbird +2%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -97%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +656%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Carolina Chickadee +449%Tufted Titmouse +103%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -57%Black-and-white Warbler -52%Common Yellowthroat +77%Hooded Warbler -24%Kentucky Warbler -80%Louisiana Waterthrush +41%Ovenbird +236%Pine Warbler +412%Prairie Warbler -63%Prothonotary Warbler +370%Worm-eating Warbler +548%Yellow Warbler -17%Yellow-throated Warbler +253%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +56%Eastern Towhee -82%Field Sparrow -56%Grasshopper Sparrow +146%Seaside Sparrow +660%Song Sparrow -12%Swamp Sparrow +7%Vesper Sparrow -86%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -78%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +233%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -64%Wild Turkey 12×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +172%Hairy Woodpecker +350%Pileated Woodpecker 35×Red-bellied Woodpecker +185%Red-headed Woodpecker +269%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 17×

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Clapper Rail +141%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

Black-necked Stilt +14%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Willet +29%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch +363%White-breasted Nuthatch +751%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +98%Great Horned Owl +88%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +26%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Glossy Ibis +28%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +167%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren 12×Marsh Wren +233%Northern House Wren -5%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +59%Eastern Bluebird 18×Wood Thrush -11%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +217%Eastern Kingbird -2%Eastern Phoebe -54%Eastern Wood-Pewee +128%Great Crested Flycatcher +180%Willow Flycatcher +54%

Vireos Vireonidae

Red-eyed Vireo +66%Warbling Vireo -44%White-eyed Vireo +38%Yellow-throated Vireo -61%

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