BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2026 Release · 1966–2025

Maryland Breeding Birds

197 species recorded across 76 survey routes, 1966 to 2025. Browse by family or guild below.

Maryland 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 →

Ring-necked Pheasant has collapsed in Maryland: down 100% 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 Maryland: up 82× on the route-weighted index since 1978.

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 Maryland: 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 →

Black Vulture has surged in Maryland: up 53× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

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 Maryland: 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 →

Cedar Waxwing has surged in Maryland: up 29× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

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

-97%

Game birds

4 species
-73%

Grassland birds

8 species
-58%

Generalists

11 species
-42%

Wetland birds

26 species
+27%

Aerial insectivores

18 species
+49%

Forest birds

72 species
+58%

Shorebirds

4 species
+404%

Birds of prey

14 species
+573%

Waterfowl

5 species

Maryland Bird Survey Routes

Browse Maryland 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 Maryland.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle 59×Broad-winged Hawk +123%Cooper's Hawk 12×Northern Harrier -26%Red-shouldered Hawk +879%Red-tailed Hawk +478%Sharp-shinned Hawk +88%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -55%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -51%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck +2%Canada Goose 224×Mallard -6%Mute Swan +73%Wood Duck +208%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -33%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -74%Great Blue Heron +101%Great Egret +87%Green Heron -43%Least Bittern +169%Little Blue Heron -19%Snowy Egret +144%Western Cattle-Egret -83%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing 29×

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow +25%Common Nighthawk -31%Eastern Whip-poor-will -84%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +221%Dickcissel +251%Indigo Bunting +17%Northern Cardinal +70%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +724%Scarlet Tanager +41%Summer Tanager +260%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture 53×Turkey Vulture +321%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +78%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +17%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Mourning Dove +28%Rock Pigeon -60%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +3%Blue Jay -32%Common Raven 78×Fish Crow +223%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -77%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -33%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -46%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +69%House Finch 82×Purple Finch +347%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -81%Barn Swallow -28%Cliff Swallow +190%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +85%Purple Martin +93%Tree Swallow +535%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole +3%Boat-tailed Grackle -65%Bobolink +359%Brown-headed Cowbird +33%Common Grackle -75%Eastern Meadowlark -85%Orchard Oriole +99%Red-winged Blackbird -42%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -83%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Common Tern -54%Forster's Tern -62%Great Black-backed Gull +6%Herring Gull +391%Laughing Gull -53%Least Tern +136%Ring-billed Gull 11×

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -6%Gray Catbird +56%Northern Mockingbird -37%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -99%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey 12×

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee 13×Carolina Chickadee +97%Tufted Titmouse +123%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +95%Black-and-white Warbler -6%Black-throated Blue Warbler +788%Black-throated Green Warbler 16×Blackburnian Warbler +148%Blue-winged Warbler -35%Canada Warbler -58%Cerulean Warbler +123%Chestnut-sided Warbler +106%Common Yellowthroat +4%Golden-winged Warbler -38%Hooded Warbler +231%Kentucky Warbler -81%Louisiana Waterthrush +201%Magnolia Warbler +472%Northern Parula +180%Ovenbird +160%Pine Warbler +277%Prairie Warbler -71%Prothonotary Warbler +113%Worm-eating Warbler +696%Yellow Warbler +82%Yellow-throated Warbler +547%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +60%Eastern Towhee -47%Field Sparrow -76%Grasshopper Sparrow -59%Henslow's Sparrow -66%Savannah Sparrow +82%Seaside Sparrow +80%Song Sparrow +27%Swamp Sparrow +27%Vesper Sparrow -97%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -81%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +535%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -100%Ruffed Grouse -30%Wild Turkey 14×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +44%Hairy Woodpecker +250%Pileated Woodpecker 20×Red-bellied Woodpecker +121%Red-headed Woodpecker 42×

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +708%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Clapper Rail 14×Common Gallinule -27%King Rail +86%Virginia Rail +52%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +144%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -36%Spotted Sandpiper -1%Willet -31%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch +496%White-breasted Nuthatch +988%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +455%Eastern Screech-Owl -54%Great Horned Owl -46%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -44%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Glossy Ibis +702%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +138%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren +959%Marsh Wren -82%Northern House Wren +12%Winter Wren +48%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +8%Eastern Bluebird +697%Hermit Thrush +746%Veery -56%Wood Thrush -50%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +172%Alder Flycatcher -21%Eastern Kingbird -5%Eastern Phoebe +74%Eastern Wood-Pewee +102%Great Crested Flycatcher +116%Least Flycatcher -79%Willow Flycatcher +277%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo 14×Red-eyed Vireo +153%Warbling Vireo +168%White-eyed Vireo +20%Yellow-throated Vireo +111%

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