BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Maine Breeding Birds

192 species recorded across 78 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. Browse by family or guild below.

Maine 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 →

Eastern Meadowlark has collapsed in Maine: down 99% 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 →

Pine Warbler has surged in Maine: up 80× on the route-weighted index since 1973.

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 →

Vesper Sparrow has collapsed in Maine: down 99% 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 →

Northern Cardinal has surged in Maine: up 49× on the route-weighted index since 1974.

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 Towhee has collapsed in Maine: 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 →

Wild Turkey has surged in Maine: up 29× on the route-weighted index since 1999.

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

-86%

Shorebirds

4 species
-74%

Aerial insectivores

18 species
-66%

Grassland birds

6 species
-64%

Wetland birds

16 species
-61%

Generalists

10 species
-59%

Birds of prey

14 species
-15%

Forest birds

77 species
+109%

Waterfowl

9 species
+329%

Game birds

3 species

Maine Bird Survey Routes

Browse Maine 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 Maine.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk +23%Bald Eagle +575%Broad-winged Hawk +134%Cooper's Hawk +33%Northern Harrier -56%Red-shouldered Hawk -12%Red-tailed Hawk +500%Sharp-shinned Hawk -20%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -83%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -50%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -88%Canada Goose +623%Common Eider 26×Common Goldeneye -93%Common Merganser +67%Hooded Merganser +233%Mallard 14×Ring-necked Duck -64%Wood Duck +7%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -56%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -68%Black-crowned Night Heron -66%Great Blue Heron -33%Green Heron -77%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +57%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -54%Eastern Whip-poor-will -86%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Indigo Bunting +283%Northern Cardinal 49×Rose-breasted Grosbeak -61%Scarlet Tanager -28%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture +632%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +120%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -91%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Mourning Dove 21×Rock Pigeon +246%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +75%Blue Jay -21%Canada Jay -47%Common Raven -24%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -71%Yellow-billed Cuckoo +96%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -80%Merlin +50%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -46%Evening Grosbeak -86%House Finch +568%Pine Siskin -53%Purple Finch -84%Red Crossbill +243%White-winged Crossbill +71%

Loons Gaviidae

Common Loon +111%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -92%Barn Swallow -90%Cliff Swallow -95%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -92%Purple Martin -60%Tree Swallow -87%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -46%Bobolink -84%Brown-headed Cowbird -81%Common Grackle -67%Eastern Meadowlark -99%Red-winged Blackbird -66%Rusty Blackbird -88%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Common Tern -62%Great Black-backed Gull +111%Herring Gull -88%Ring-billed Gull +73%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -84%Gray Catbird -17%Northern Mockingbird -46%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +80%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +106%Boreal Chickadee -90%Tufted Titmouse 214×

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -19%Bay-breasted Warbler -74%Black-and-white Warbler +111%Black-throated Blue Warbler +96%Black-throated Green Warbler +38%Blackburnian Warbler +65%Blackpoll Warbler -83%Canada Warbler -85%Cape May Warbler -74%Chestnut-sided Warbler +9%Common Yellowthroat -16%Magnolia Warbler -66%Mourning Warbler -72%Nashville Warbler -66%Northern Parula +383%Northern Waterthrush -64%Ovenbird +108%Palm Warbler +16%Pine Warbler 80×Prairie Warbler +196%Tennessee Warbler -87%Wilson's Warbler -84%Yellow Warbler -42%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +97%Eastern Towhee -97%Field Sparrow -87%Fox Sparrow +20%Lincoln's Sparrow -77%Savannah Sparrow -48%Song Sparrow -47%Swamp Sparrow +48%Vesper Sparrow -99%White-throated Sparrow -73%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -52%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +42%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -73%Ruffed Grouse -54%Wild Turkey 29×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Black-backed Woodpecker -53%Downy Woodpecker +126%Hairy Woodpecker +62%Pileated Woodpecker +113%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker -19%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe +62%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Virginia Rail -83%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet -18%Ruby-crowned Kinglet -89%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -86%Spotted Sandpiper +2%Upland Sandpiper -96%Wilson's Snipe -84%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch +111%White-breasted Nuthatch +257%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +33%Great Horned Owl -32%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -87%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird -15%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren 15×Marsh Wren -8%Northern House Wren +22%Winter Wren +8%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -53%Eastern Bluebird +199%Hermit Thrush -25%Swainson's Thrush -52%Veery -44%Wood Thrush -86%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Alder Flycatcher -45%Eastern Kingbird -77%Eastern Phoebe +101%Eastern Wood-Pewee -38%Great Crested Flycatcher +136%Least Flycatcher -60%Olive-sided Flycatcher -90%Willow Flycatcher -80%Yellow-bellied Flycatcher -89%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo +253%Philadelphia Vireo +109%Red-eyed Vireo +221%Warbling Vireo +133%Yellow-throated Vireo -71%

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