BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

North Carolina Breeding Birds

193 species recorded across 112 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. 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 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 →

House Finch has surged in North Carolina: up 49× 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 22× 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 →

Killdeer has surged in North Carolina: up 21× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

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
-85%

Grassland birds

7 species
-56%

Generalists

12 species
-32%

Wetland birds

31 species
-23%

Aerial insectivores

17 species
-13%

Forest birds

72 species
+332%

Birds of prey

14 species
+526%

Shorebirds

4 species
13×

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 +730%Broad-winged Hawk -13%Cooper's Hawk +102%Mississippi Kite 11×Red-shouldered Hawk 17×Red-tailed Hawk +164%Sharp-shinned Hawk -79%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark +461%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -49%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -91%Canada Goose 17×Mallard +101%Wood Duck +334%

Anhingas Anhingidae

Anhinga -23%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -59%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -51%Great Blue Heron +406%Great Egret +194%Green Heron -50%Least Bittern -77%Little Blue Heron -84%Snowy Egret -89%Tricolored Heron -76%Western Cattle-Egret -36%Yellow-crowned Night Heron -52%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +310%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow +7%Common Nighthawk -49%Eastern Whip-poor-will -56%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +50%Dickcissel -21%Indigo Bunting -23%Northern Cardinal -16%Painted Bunting -78%Rose-breasted Grosbeak -83%Scarlet Tanager +96%Summer Tanager +21%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +610%Turkey Vulture +905%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +13%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer 21×

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove +284%Mourning Dove -23%Rock Pigeon +5%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +55%Blue Jay -58%Common Raven +148%Fish Crow +244%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -82%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -20%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -82%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +276%House Finch 49×

Oystercatchers Haematopodidae

American Oystercatcher -76%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -88%Barn Swallow +186%Cliff Swallow +108%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +53%Purple Martin -15%Tree Swallow 22×

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -2%Boat-tailed Grackle +21%Brown-headed Cowbird +188%Common Grackle -69%Eastern Meadowlark -79%Orchard Oriole -31%Red-winged Blackbird -31%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -20%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -93%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer +17%Common Tern -75%Forster's Tern -32%Great Black-backed Gull -88%Gull-billed Tern -90%Herring Gull -77%Laughing Gull +293%Least Tern -39%Ring-billed Gull -79%Royal Tern -81%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -25%Gray Catbird -36%Northern Mockingbird -40%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -95%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey -4%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +26%Carolina Chickadee +78%Tufted Titmouse +97%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -39%Black-and-white Warbler +157%Black-throated Blue Warbler 13×Black-throated Green Warbler +511%Blackburnian Warbler +95%Canada Warbler +6%Cerulean Warbler -65%Chestnut-sided Warbler -11%Common Yellowthroat -46%Golden-winged Warbler -83%Hooded Warbler +40%Kentucky Warbler -63%Louisiana Waterthrush +385%Northern Parula +46%Ovenbird +192%Pine Warbler +130%Prairie Warbler -53%Prothonotary Warbler +308%Swainson's Warbler +624%Worm-eating Warbler +129%Yellow Warbler -78%Yellow-throated Warbler +91%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Bachman's Sparrow -7%Chipping Sparrow +48%Eastern Towhee -55%Field Sparrow -75%Grasshopper Sparrow +5%Henslow's Sparrow -68%Savannah Sparrow -22%Song Sparrow +54%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -91%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

Brown Pelican -56%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +147%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ruffed Grouse -41%Wild Turkey 21×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +60%Hairy Woodpecker +51%Pileated Woodpecker +198%Red-bellied Woodpecker +52%Red-cockaded Woodpecker -72%Red-headed Woodpecker -33%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -61%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +697%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Clapper Rail -47%King Rail -56%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +7%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -72%Willet -88%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch +127%Red-breasted Nuthatch +209%White-breasted Nuthatch +410%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +225%Eastern Screech-Owl -77%Great Horned Owl +36%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -52%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Glossy Ibis -90%White Ibis +148%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +52%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren +171%Northern House Wren +72%Winter Wren -50%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +29%Eastern Bluebird +413%Veery +162%Wood Thrush -68%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +122%Eastern Kingbird -30%Eastern Phoebe +119%Eastern Wood-Pewee -51%Great Crested Flycatcher +10%Least Flycatcher -72%Willow Flycatcher +0%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo 11×Red-eyed Vireo +19%Warbling Vireo -26%White-eyed Vireo +155%Yellow-throated Vireo +97%

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