BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Maryland Breeding Birds

197 species recorded across 76 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. 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 73× 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 63× 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 98% 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 20× 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
-59%

Generalists

11 species
-45%

Wetland birds

26 species
+23%

Aerial insectivores

18 species
+46%

Forest birds

72 species
+50%

Shorebirds

4 species
+424%

Birds of prey

14 species
+606%

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 60×Broad-winged Hawk +75%Cooper's Hawk 13×Northern Harrier -26%Red-shouldered Hawk 13×Red-tailed Hawk +635%Sharp-shinned Hawk +88%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -51%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -58%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -48%Canada Goose 231×Mallard +29%Mute Swan +73%Wood Duck +329%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -35%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -75%Great Blue Heron +99%Great Egret +117%Green Heron -45%Least Bittern +182%Little Blue Heron -19%Snowy Egret +93%Western Cattle-Egret -83%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing 20×

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -2%Common Nighthawk -31%Eastern Whip-poor-will -83%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +209%Dickcissel +197%Indigo Bunting +20%Northern Cardinal +68%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +818%Scarlet Tanager +41%Summer Tanager +219%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture 63×Turkey Vulture +392%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +78%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +15%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Mourning Dove +26%Rock Pigeon -59%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +2%Blue Jay -33%Common Raven 87×Fish Crow +240%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -77%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -14%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -41%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +66%House Finch 73×Purple Finch +412%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -82%Barn Swallow -23%Cliff Swallow +32%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +88%Purple Martin +79%Tree Swallow +518%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole +0%Boat-tailed Grackle -65%Bobolink +509%Brown-headed Cowbird +37%Common Grackle -77%Eastern Meadowlark -86%Orchard Oriole +114%Red-winged Blackbird -47%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -84%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Common Tern -54%Forster's Tern -62%Great Black-backed Gull +6%Herring Gull +119%Laughing Gull -38%Least Tern -34%Ring-billed Gull 11×

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -9%Gray Catbird +58%Northern Mockingbird -37%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -99%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey 12×

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee 12×Carolina Chickadee +86%Tufted Titmouse +113%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +90%Black-and-white Warbler +3%Black-throated Blue Warbler +578%Black-throated Green Warbler 17×Blackburnian Warbler +198%Blue-winged Warbler -35%Canada Warbler -49%Cerulean Warbler +117%Chestnut-sided Warbler +114%Common Yellowthroat +2%Golden-winged Warbler -38%Hooded Warbler +241%Kentucky Warbler -74%Louisiana Waterthrush +249%Magnolia Warbler +411%Northern Parula +172%Ovenbird +166%Pine Warbler +278%Prairie Warbler -64%Prothonotary Warbler +129%Worm-eating Warbler +699%Yellow Warbler +99%Yellow-throated Warbler +538%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +59%Eastern Towhee -43%Field Sparrow -76%Grasshopper Sparrow -60%Henslow's Sparrow -66%Savannah Sparrow +86%Seaside Sparrow +44%Song Sparrow +31%Swamp Sparrow +40%Vesper Sparrow -98%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -80%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +683%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -100%Ruffed Grouse -30%Wild Turkey 15×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +59%Hairy Woodpecker +328%Pileated Woodpecker 20×Red-bellied Woodpecker +120%Red-headed Woodpecker 37×

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +660%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Clapper Rail 14×Common Gallinule -27%King Rail +85%Virginia Rail +51%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +144%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -36%Spotted Sandpiper -1%Willet -67%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch +251%White-breasted Nuthatch 11×

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +490%Eastern Screech-Owl -54%Great Horned Owl -46%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -43%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Glossy Ibis +804%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +169%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren 11×Marsh Wren -82%Northern House Wren +20%Winter Wren +48%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +6%Eastern Bluebird +742%Hermit Thrush +878%Veery -69%Wood Thrush -49%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +181%Alder Flycatcher -21%Eastern Kingbird -2%Eastern Phoebe +82%Eastern Wood-Pewee +93%Great Crested Flycatcher +101%Least Flycatcher -75%Willow Flycatcher +239%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo 17×Red-eyed Vireo +160%Warbling Vireo +233%White-eyed Vireo +28%Yellow-throated Vireo +146%

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