BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

South Carolina Breeding Birds

157 species recorded across 51 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. Browse by family or guild below.

South 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 →

House Sparrow has collapsed in South 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 →

American Goldfinch has surged in South Carolina: up 22× 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 →

Marsh Wren has collapsed in South 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 →

Mississippi Kite has surged in South Carolina: up 15× on the route-weighted index since 1988.

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 →

European Starling has collapsed in South Carolina: down 94% 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 South Carolina: up 988% on the route-weighted index since 1991.

How Bird Guilds Are Faring in South 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

2 species
-91%

Grassland birds

5 species
-82%

Wetland birds

21 species
-61%

Generalists

12 species
-30%

Aerial insectivores

13 species
-21%

Forest birds

55 species
+129%

Waterfowl

3 species
+153%

Birds of prey

13 species
+222%

Shorebirds

2 species

South Carolina Bird Survey Routes

Browse South 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 South Carolina.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Broad-winged Hawk -63%Cooper's Hawk -37%Mississippi Kite 15×Red-shouldered Hawk +147%Red-tailed Hawk +6%Swallow-tailed Kite +72%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -65%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -54%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Canada Goose +562%Mallard -31%Wood Duck -58%

Anhingas Anhingidae

Anhinga +128%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -77%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -66%Great Blue Heron +57%Great Egret -52%Green Heron -56%Little Blue Heron -87%Snowy Egret -16%Tricolored Heron -61%Western Cattle-Egret -55%Yellow-crowned Night Heron -10%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +39%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -28%Common Nighthawk -39%Eastern Whip-poor-will +46%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak -4%Dickcissel -52%Indigo Bunting -42%Northern Cardinal -21%Painted Bunting -24%Scarlet Tanager +102%Summer Tanager -4%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +340%Turkey Vulture +528%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +95%

Storks Ciconiidae

Wood Stork -64%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Common Ground Dove -66%Eurasian Collared-Dove +643%Mourning Dove +8%Rock Pigeon -70%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +33%Blue Jay -41%Fish Crow +200%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Yellow-billed Cuckoo -23%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -17%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch 22×House Finch +988%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Barn Swallow +398%Cliff Swallow +175%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +239%Purple Martin -59%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Boat-tailed Grackle -62%Brown-headed Cowbird +565%Common Grackle -86%Eastern Meadowlark -90%Orchard Oriole -64%Red-winged Blackbird -94%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -47%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -85%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Laughing Gull +145%Least Tern -22%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -46%Gray Catbird -74%Northern Mockingbird -48%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -94%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +456%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Carolina Chickadee +53%Tufted Titmouse +273%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -9%Black-and-white Warbler +661%Common Yellowthroat -72%Hooded Warbler -14%Kentucky Warbler +62%Louisiana Waterthrush -35%Northern Parula -33%Ovenbird +351%Pine Warbler +353%Prairie Warbler -45%Prothonotary Warbler -39%Swainson's Warbler +91%Worm-eating Warbler -47%Yellow-throated Warbler +176%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Bachman's Sparrow -65%Chipping Sparrow +48%Eastern Towhee -60%Field Sparrow -90%Grasshopper Sparrow -69%Song Sparrow +12%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -96%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +50%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Wild Turkey +756%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +35%Hairy Woodpecker -85%Pileated Woodpecker +48%Red-bellied Woodpecker +2%Red-cockaded Woodpecker +92%Red-headed Woodpecker +21%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +297%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Clapper Rail -75%Common Gallinule +175%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -53%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Brown-headed Nuthatch +26%White-breasted Nuthatch +353%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl -29%Eastern Screech-Owl -53%Great Horned Owl +6%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -94%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Glossy Ibis +20%White Ibis -26%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird -65%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren +8%Marsh Wren -95%Northern House Wren +61%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -11%Eastern Bluebird +105%Wood Thrush -82%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher -4%Eastern Kingbird -47%Eastern Phoebe +562%Eastern Wood-Pewee +22%Great Crested Flycatcher +4%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo +428%Red-eyed Vireo +7%White-eyed Vireo +143%Yellow-throated Vireo +208%

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