BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2026 Release · 1966–2025

North Carolina Breeding Birds

194 species recorded across 112 survey routes, 1966 to 2025. Browse by family or guild below.

North Carolina 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 North Carolina: down 96% 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 North Carolina: up 52× on the route-weighted index since 1987.

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 →

Loggerhead Shrike has collapsed in North Carolina: down 93% 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 →

Tree Swallow has surged in North Carolina: up 24× on the route-weighted index since 1972.

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 →

American Black Duck has collapsed in North Carolina: down 91% on the route-weighted index since 1975.

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 North Carolina: up 21× on the route-weighted index since 1971.

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

-96%

Game birds

3 species
-86%

Grassland birds

7 species
-57%

Generalists

12 species
-30%

Wetland birds

31 species
-21%

Aerial insectivores

17 species
-12%

Forest birds

73 species
+295%

Birds of prey

14 species
+830%

Shorebirds

4 species
14×

Waterfowl

4 species

North Carolina Bird Survey Routes

Browse North Carolina 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 North Carolina.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle +529%Broad-winged Hawk -11%Cooper's Hawk +99%Mississippi Kite +864%Red-shouldered Hawk 17×Red-tailed Hawk +168%Sharp-shinned Hawk -83%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark +442%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -53%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -91%Canada Goose 20×Mallard +75%Wood Duck +198%

Anhingas Anhingidae

Anhinga -25%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -61%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -51%Great Blue Heron +389%Great Egret +148%Green Heron -53%Least Bittern -77%Little Blue Heron -82%Snowy Egret -85%Tricolored Heron -62%Western Cattle-Egret -26%Yellow-crowned Night Heron -52%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +319%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow +25%Common Nighthawk -53%Eastern Whip-poor-will -62%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +52%Dickcissel -21%Indigo Bunting -20%Northern Cardinal -13%Painted Bunting -72%Rose-breasted Grosbeak -81%Scarlet Tanager +98%Summer Tanager +29%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +566%Turkey Vulture +772%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +37%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer 20×

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove +286%Mourning Dove -24%Rock Pigeon -4%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +59%Blue Jay -56%Common Raven +176%Fish Crow +253%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -82%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -9%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -77%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +294%House Finch 52×

Oystercatchers Haematopodidae

American Oystercatcher -76%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -88%Barn Swallow +175%Cliff Swallow +164%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +28%Purple Martin -15%Tree Swallow 24×

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -40%Boat-tailed Grackle +38%Brown-headed Cowbird +203%Common Grackle -76%Eastern Meadowlark -79%Orchard Oriole -31%Red-winged Blackbird -29%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -19%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -93%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer +17%Common Tern -75%Forster's Tern -40%Great Black-backed Gull -88%Gull-billed Tern -90%Herring Gull -77%Laughing Gull +183%Least Tern -39%Ring-billed Gull -79%Royal Tern -80%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -25%Gray Catbird -29%Northern Mockingbird -41%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -96%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey -10%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee -21%Carolina Chickadee +83%Tufted Titmouse +116%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -46%Black-and-white Warbler +189%Black-throated Blue Warbler 12×Black-throated Green Warbler +540%Blackburnian Warbler +65%Canada Warbler -7%Cerulean Warbler -65%Chestnut-sided Warbler +10%Common Yellowthroat -44%Golden-winged Warbler -82%Hooded Warbler +52%Kentucky Warbler -63%Louisiana Waterthrush +447%Northern Parula +63%Ovenbird +210%Pine Warbler +136%Prairie Warbler -50%Prothonotary Warbler +325%Swainson's Warbler +860%Worm-eating Warbler +124%Yellow Warbler -78%Yellow-throated Warbler +108%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Bachman's Sparrow +9%Chipping Sparrow +55%Eastern Towhee -52%Field Sparrow -74%Grasshopper Sparrow -3%Henslow's Sparrow -68%Savannah Sparrow -30%Song Sparrow +71%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -91%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

Brown Pelican -48%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +144%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ruffed Grouse -41%Wild Turkey 21×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +63%Hairy Woodpecker +47%Pileated Woodpecker +204%Red-bellied Woodpecker +56%Red-cockaded Woodpecker -50%Red-headed Woodpecker -28%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker +66%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -61%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +735%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Clapper Rail -46%King Rail -56%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet -17%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -72%Willet -88%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch +130%Red-breasted Nuthatch +175%White-breasted Nuthatch +475%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +333%Eastern Screech-Owl -75%Great Horned Owl +35%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -52%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Glossy Ibis -90%White Ibis +195%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +41%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren +167%Northern House Wren +84%Winter Wren -51%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +32%Eastern Bluebird +392%Veery +125%Wood Thrush -65%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +149%Eastern Kingbird -35%Eastern Phoebe +122%Eastern Wood-Pewee -44%Great Crested Flycatcher +19%Least Flycatcher -75%Willow Flycatcher +4%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo +899%Red-eyed Vireo +30%Warbling Vireo -36%White-eyed Vireo +161%Yellow-throated Vireo +112%

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