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Check out our list of twenty seven birds common to our great state of Georgia and how to attract them to your backyard.
NORTHERN CARDINAL
The Northern Cardinal is the most common bird you will find in Georgia.
It is petty typical in the bird universe for the male bird to be brighter and more colorful. As for the Northern Cardinal this is certainly true. The male northern cardinals are the bright red you would likely most picture when you think of these birds. The females are a brownish color with light red tips on their heads, wings and tail. Both have striking red orange beaks and a little mohawk of feathers on their heads.
The Northern Cardinal is mostly monogamous. Once they pair up it is usually for life. However, the divorce rate is about 20% where pairs will split up and search for new mates.
Mating pairs can have up to three broods in our area of about between three to five eggs each every season. They usually build their nests in thick shrubs or privet around the edges of your yard. Both cardinal parents work together to raise the young.
These guys are typically pretty easy to attract to your yard. They are medium sized birds and so would appreciate a sturdy feeder like a large hopper, tube or platform. They typically feed hopping along the ground in open areas looking for bugs in the grass so a great option would be a ground feeder. Black oil sunflower seeds seem to be a fav but are known to eat many kinds of seeds and grains. They also enjoy fruits and may be drawn to a patch of wild blackberry.
The males are very territorial during breeding season and will even try to fight their own reflection in a window or car door.
There is an old saying about these birds, “cardinals appear when angels are near”. This is because many people believe that seeing a cardinal is a visit from a passed loved one.
AMERICAN ROBIN
Male and female robins share the same patterns in their appearance. They both have a black head, orange chest, yellow bill, a brownish grey back and wings. They also have distinctive white rings around their eyes. Although their patterns are the same, the male American Robin’s colors are brighter while the female tends to be a more pale shade.
Once robins pair up they tend to be monogamous for the nesting season. Over the winter months they don’t remain a pair and often find a new mate in spring at the start of the nesting season. Occasionally though, if they cross paths in the spring they will mate again. They can have two or three sets of broods during a season and lay about five to seven eggs at a time.
If you would like to see more American Robins in your yard, then try providing a platform or ground feeder filled with mealworms as they guys also spend a lot of time searching through the grass for worms and other bugs.
If you are even woken up by the noisy chatter of a bird and find the sun hasn’t even come up yet, it is probably this guy. The American Robin is the quintessential “early bird”. They are one of the first one of the first ones out and about, often even before sunrise.
CAROLINA WREN
Small and round is the Carolina Wren. Both male and female share the same coloring. They have a bright reddish brown head, back and wings. What may be the most recognizable feature of this bird is the white stripe along the front and side of their head, just above the eye, almost like an eyebrow. The throat is white and the belly is a light orange, sherbet color.
Once these birds pair up they will typically stay together for their entire lives. Or at least the entire life of one of them. Should one of them die the remaining mate will repair with another Carolina Wren.
They usually raise two or three broods in a season and lay about four eggs each time. They usually take up a hole of some sort to build a nest, like a tree cavity. But have been known to make a nest in places like your porch, hanging basket, even a door wreath.
The Carolina Wren is another ground forager, looking for insects of all kinds. They will also enjoy a ground feeder or platform feeder filled with mealworms. They are non-migratory and so are permanent Georgia residents all year long. During the winter when bugs are scarce they will certainly visit a suet cage or tube or hopper feeder filled with sunflower seeds. They will also take advantage of a bird bath if provided.
While the female Carolina Wren gives a variety of calls to communicate, it is the male Carolina Wren who does all the song performances.
BLUE JAY
The Blue Jay is an easily recognizable larger bird with bright shades of, you guessed it, blue on their back and wings. They have white bellies and black markings on their face and neck. The black markings are individual to each bird and every one is different. Male and female Blue Jays look just the same as far as coloring goes, but the males tend to be slightly larger.
Blue Jay couples also remain together for their entire lives. Although they are very social with other Blue Jays and live together in large flocks. They typically raise just one brood each year and lay somewhere between three to six eggs.
They don’t really sing, but have a wide vocabulary of calls and sounds to communicate with each other. What is pretty cool is that they can mimic the sound of a hawk, perhaps to ward off other predators.
These guys go nuts for nuts, feeding on acorns in your yard. So if you are trying to bring them in for a closer view stock your feeder with peanuts and peanut hearts. Although, they will take advantage of just about any seed, fruit or mealworm offered. Just make sure you provide a sturdy feeder since they are on the larger size. A platform, large tube or large hopper feeder is what you need.
TUFTED TITMOUSE
The Tufted Titmouse is another small and round bird. Male and females look similar with greyish blue heads and backs. They have white bellies with a splash of orange on the sides and large round black eyes.
These are another species of monogamous birds that mate for their entire lives. Some of their young even hang around and help raise younger siblings. They usually have 1 or 2 broods a year. They build their nests in holes and cavities and love to line them with fur. In fact, they are fur thieves and will steal your dogs fur to make their home comfy and cozy.
The Tufted Titmouse is a song bird with lyrics that sound something like, peter-peter-peter. The male is the more vocal with the female singing a softer tune.
They are a frequent visitor to backyard bird feeders. They will be attracted to just about any sort of feeder offered and any kind of feed, especially in the winter. These little guys are planners and will actually start storing away your offerings not far from the feeder.
EASTERN BLUEBIRD
Similar to cardinals and some other birds, the Eastern Bluebird male is more colorful than the female. The male will have bright blue wings, back and head with a bright orange chest. The female has a more muted orange chest and light blue wings with a greyish head and back.
The Eastern Bluebird is mostly monogamous. Most of the Eastern Bluebird population pairs mate for life with a single partner. However, for a smaller percentage of this species it seems anything goes. Everything from instances of infidelity resulting in broods with different dads to open relationships where multiple females or males work together to breed and raise chicks. Although these instances are fairly rare.
These birds aren’t very common visitors to feeders, but they can be tempted by platform feeder with mealworms, especially live mealworms. They feed mainly on insects, but not by foraging on the ground like Cardinals and Carolina Wrens. They usually scope out ground from above and drop down when they’ve spotted something.
They are protective of their nests and will dive bomb a cat, dog or even people if they feel threatened.
MOURNING DOVE
Mourning Doves are medium-sized birds that look similar in shape to pigeons. But they have a light brown color, long pointed tails and small heads. They also have a blue ring around their eyes like some sort of 1980’s eyeliner. Males stand out by having a dull pink shade to their chest.
Most mate for life and are actually known to be rather affectionate to their mate. They can mate year-round and have as many as six broods a year, more than any other bird in North America. Perhaps this is why they are pretty lazy nest builders. They tend to construct fairly loose and flimsy nests. Additionally, they are not picky about the location either. Trees or an open patio floor, whatever feels right in the moment I suppose.
Their diet is almost strictly seeds making them a popular visitor to feeders. They usually feed close to the ground and can be found cleaning up dropped seeds under a feeder. Hopper or ground feeders make a great option if you are trying to bring more of these guys to your yard. Fill them with millet, nyjer, sunflower seeds and milo.
Their sounds are often mistaken for the hoot of an owl and sounds more like a coo.
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER
The Red-Bellied Woodpecker is a medium sized bird with black and white zebra like wings. Given its name you would assume their bellies were bright red, but you would be wrong. It is more of a light pinkish color, almost white really. The male has a red head from the beak to the back of the neck. But the female only has red on the back of her neck.
While a few pairs will stay together for more than a single nesting season, most will not. They will remain monogamous for the nesting season, but find a new mate next year. They hollow out tree trunks, limbs or wooden posts for their nests. Their abandoned nesting spots are used by many other birds who take up residence after the woodpecker has moved on. The Red-Bellied Woodpecker will have one or two broods a season.
If you want to get a closer look at these birds, try offering suet feeders or bark butter feeders in your in your yard. They will also be drawn to a hopper feeder filled with peanuts and cracked corn.
They use their long, sticky tongue to seek out insects inside tree trunks. They have been known to visit your hummingbird feeder and drink up some sugar water in this way as well.
They make a few purring calls and other notes, but they are most known for their drumming skills. They tap away on objects that offer sound projections like gutters and chimneys. They even communicate with each other through tapping. The bird version of Morse code.
DOWNY WOODPECKER
The Downy Woodpecker is very small, in fact the smallest species of woodpecker in Georgia. They only weigh about 25 grams or about as much as a AA battery. They have black and white checkered patterns on their wings. A white back and belly and white stripes on their head. The male has a red patch on the back of his head.
Just like their Red-Bellied Woodpecker cousin, these birds will pair up for the nesting season and then find a new mate next year. A few though will pair up again. They usually just have one brood per year, but in our warm Georgia climate they may raise a second brood.
They are common visitors to backyard feeders. Also, like their Red-bellied cousins they will be drawn to a suet feeder, hummingbird feeder as well as a hopper or platform feeder with black oil sunflower seeds, safflower, peanuts and mealworms.
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH
The American Goldfinch is a small bird. During breeding season, the males are bright yellow with black and white wings and a black forehead. In winter his colors fade and becomes a more pale version of himself. The female also has black and white wings but a light yellow on her belly and more of a greenish yellow on her back.
These birds usually only pair up for a single breeding season and then go their separate ways. In fact the female may go her separate way sooner rather than later and leave the male to care for her first brood while she starts a second family with another male.
They are song birds with males singing long songs with random notes. The sound you may hear most often is their contact call that sounds like “potato chip”.
They will visit almost any type of feeder as long as it is packed with nyjer and black oil sunflower seeds. You can also attract them by planting flowers that seed such as sunflowers and, my favorite, zinnias.
The American Goldfinch travels in flocks and prefer to feed in groups at feeders.
HOUSE FINCH
Like many other birds, the male is more colorful than the female. The House Finch are small birds. The males have a pinkish face and chest with a brownish, black back and wings. Females are a fairly plain grey, brown and black color.
The House Finch is monogamous, but only for the season. Come winter they start looking at their other options. A mating pair usually raise 3 broods in a season but can have as many as six.
Just like the American Goldfinch, the House Finch tends to gather in flocks at your feeders and love snacking on small seeds like black oil sunflower.
They are songbirds with males singling long and loud to attract a girl. Their song is described as being jumbled and a bit buzzy.
Their population grew in our area after several were released in New York back in 1940. They began spreading and breeding quickly and are now a common sighting in our area.
BROWN THRASHER
The state bird of Georgia! They are a larger sized bird with an light brown, almost white belly and darker brown heads and backs. They have unique dark brown streaks almost like dashes on their belly, similar to a hawk. They also have distinct beady, yellow eyes.
They are usually monogamous during the mating season, but not always. They have been known to swap up mates during the season. They typically have one or two broods with up to six eggs each.
They are songbirds that are known to imitate other birds, like their mockingbird cousins. The males are recorded to be able to sing over 1900 different songs, giving the Mockingbird a run for their money as far as songbooks go.
They tend to hang out on the edge of wooded areas or heavy brush. A tree lined yard would be appealing for these birds. Especially, trees that bear fruit like our native Dogwood tree or raspberry thicket.
A ground or platform feeder works well for these bigger guys. Fill it with cracked corn, black oil sunflower seeds or hulled sunflower seeds and you might get a visit.
CAROLINA CHICKADEE
The Carolina Chickadee is a small bird with a greyish back and wings. It has a black head and chin with white cheeks. For this bird species the male and females look similar.
They are mostly monogamous for life. But divorce is occasional and in that case will find a new mate after a season. They usually only have one brook a year with a clutch of about 6 eggs.
Their songs tend to be whistled in just 4 notes. But they also have a varied vocabular of calls to communicate with each other.
They live in flocks in the winter of eight to ten birds with a hierarchy system. The higher ranking bird gets to keep their nest in the established territory while others may have to find new spots to nest. The lowest ranking bird may not even nest that particular season.
Carolina Chickadees are curious little guys and may be drawn to check out the sound a splashing fountain in your garden. They have a wide menu of favs. So feeders with sunflower seeds, peanuts and even raisins will bring them in.
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD
Northern Mockingbirds are medium sized songbirds. They are a greyish brown, with darker grey wings and an almost white belly. They also have somewhat of a dark streak from its beak to its eye.
They are usually a one partner at a time kind of mate, but usually only during the breeding season. Next year they will likely find someone new. They can have two to four broods per season.
The Northern Mockingbird is a major copycat. They can imitate the sounds of other birds, other animals like the bark of a dog and even inanimate objects like a squeaking door. They are super noisy and often sing through the night. Although this is usually done by a single guy announcing his availability.
They have a reputation for a being a playground bully and don’t usually play nice at the feeders. They will try to push other birds around who try to visit the same feeder. It has been recommended to have multiple feeders to keep them occupied so the others can feed. You could also opt to keep a feeder stocked with their favorites, sort of a Mockingbird distractor. Packing one full of dried fruit, raisins and grapes may keep them enticed enough to worry with other feeders.
Not only are they bird feeder bullies, but they are territorial as well. They have an ability to recognize people and faces and will bully people who seem to have a habit of getting too close for comfort by divebombing them. If a cat or dog hangs nearby they will do this to them as well.
EASTERN TOWHEE
The male Eastern Towhee have a black neck, head and back. They have white underparts and bright rust colored sides. The females have similar markings but with a brown colored neck, head and back.
These birds usually mate for life. They build their nests on the ground or in low shrubs or vines. The Eastern Towhee has between one and three broods a season with anywhere from two to six each.
The male is known to sing a song that sounds something like “drink-your-tea”.
These guys like to stay close to the tree line and thickets. To attract them to your yard your best bet is a ground feeder close to the tree line. Fill it full of a variety of seeds like shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower seeds, millet and mealworms.
While the Eastern Towhee isn’t the noisiest singer in the yard, they are noisy feeders. They feed on the ground and can be heard rustling around in leaves and under brush looking for insects and berries.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW
The White-throated Sparrow has a brown back and wings with a grey belly. A white throat, probably could have guessed that. They also have a bright yellow patch between its eye and beak, almost like a fuzzy eyebrow. What is unique about this bird is it is that some have white stripes and some have tannish color stripes on their head.
These birds are monogamous during the breeding season and will find a new mate next year. Opposites must attract, because a bird with the white stripes usually pair up with a bird with the brown stripes on their heads. Opposites must really attract because occasionally they have been known to cross breed with a Dark-Eyed Junco to produce a hybrid breed. They will have just one or two broods per season.
They are regulars to the backyard feeders. They enjoy millet and sunflower seeds. White-throated Sparrows are not partial to either a hanging feeder or ground feeder and will visit both.
The females with the brown stripes must be the introvert in the group, because she is the only one that doesn’t sing. Both males and the female with white stripes will perform songs.
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD
My favorite! Both male and female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have almost iridescent looking feathers on their backs and wings with a sort of white belly. But, only the male actually has the ruby colored throat.
While most birds seem to be monogamous, at least for the breeding season, that is not the case with these guys. They live a polygyny lifestyle. This is because there are usually more females in an area or territory than males. So a male will mate with several females in a season.
She will usually only lay about two eggs at a time and will raise two broods a season. The nest is made of spider webs among other things and is only about the size of a golf ball.
The males are very territorial and can be heard giving loud chirps and squeaks to defend a territory or feeder.
To bring the hummingbirds in for a closer view, hang a hummingbird feeder filled with sugar water. Or hummingbird water. Be sure to freshen the water often. I prefer the feeders that have rubber flowers to the ones that have metal, like these. It is a good idea to hang a couple since the males will fight over them. He can’t possibly defend two at a time. They are also attracted to several varieties of flowers, like coral honeysuckle. I seem them regularly visiting the Cana Lilies in my yard.
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird are migratory birds. They arrive in Georgia beginning in about March. They prepare in August for their trek back across the Gulf to places like Central America and Southern Mexico. This tends to be when I see them most active and vocal at my feeders as well.
Their wings beat about 53 times a second and sound more like a bee buzzing by you than a bird.
CHIPPING SPARROW
Male and female Chipping Sparrows have similar colors and patterns. The most distinguishing feature is the orangish cap on their head. They have whitish bodies and faces, with the exception of a black streak through its eyes. The wings are a light brown with darker brown markings. The Chipping Sparrows are brighter colored in the summer when breeding than in the winter.
It has been long thought that the Chipping Sparrow was monogamous during the breeding season. However, recent studies are finding there are occasions where the male will mate with other females outside of his pairing. Scandalous! The Chipping Sparrows will raise one or two broods per season.
If you aren’t sure if you have spotted a Chipping Sparrow, you have likely heard them. They are a common sound in your yard. The male makes long, almost rapid fire of repeated, short whistles.
They are usually seen hopping around on the ground looking for insects and seeds. These birds are drawn to feeders like, hoppers, platform or ground feeders. They like all kinds of seeds, including sunflower and millet.
They are common targets of parasitism by Cowbirds. This means a Cowbird will often lay one of their own eggs among the eggs of the Chipping Sparrow in hopes it will be raised alongside her hatchlings. But, sometimes, an unwilling mama Chipping Sparrow will scrap the whole clutch and start over.
EASTERN PHOEBE
The Eastern Phoebe are small birds with greyish white bellies and throats, dark grey heads and light grey wings.
They are monogamous, but they are not cuddly couples. In fact, they don’t spend much time together. They also are not social with other Eastern Phoebes.
The Eastern Phoebe seems to really like their name! Their call sounds like they are saying fee-bee, fee-bee.
They are known as flycatchers as they mainly eat flying insects and catch them in mid-air. Although they will snack on a spider or tick as well. Since they mainly eat bugs, they don’t visit feeders much. But you may entice them to visit one filled with live mealworms. Birdbaths are also a recommend addition to get these guys to hang out in your yard.
It is believed that they may have a mutual relationship with whitetail deer. They have been observed perching on them and eating insects off of them, which the deer appreciate. They have also been seen following them to feed on bugs that are stirred up when they walk through grass or brush.
BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH
They are a small round bird. True to their name it has a brown cap with a dark brown streak across its eye. Wings are grey and its belly is a brownish white that kind of fades into a soft grey.
They are monogamous during the breeding season and typically longer. Theses birds are social and often forage in flocks. Sometimes a young relative may help raise hatchlings.
The Brown-headed Nuthatch will nest in tree cavities, usually making a home out of abandoned woodpecker holes. They will raise two or three broods each season.
These birds make a squeezy wheezy sounds like squeezing a rubber ducky.
They are not at all picky and will eat from just about any kind of feeder. They seem to enjoy sunflower seeds, mealworms, peanuts and suet.
They are smarty pants who have been known to hold pieces of bark in their beak and use it to pull up other pieces of bark and find bugs. Crafty little tool users!
PURPLE FINCH
These little birds look very similar to the House Finch. Just like with the house finch and some other birds, the female is not as colorful as the male. She is kind of a plain brown and white, but with a lot more distinct markings than the female house finch. The male gets the fancy purple color. Think of red wine, that purpley – red color. This color covers most of his head, back and a lighter version on his belly. The wings are a brown color.
The Purple Finch will pair up for the season and find new mates next year. They will raise one or two broods a year.
Black Oil Sunflower seeds are a fav of these guys. But Millet and Nyjer also make the list. You will find them visiting tube, hopper and platform feeders.
A group of finches is called a charm.
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
Both male and female Yellow-rumped Warblers have yellow patches on their sides. The male may have an additional yellow spot on his head and will have a cool blend of grey and white through out this face and body. This wings are a brown color with another little spot of yellow on the tail. The female has more brown on her head and body than grey and lacks the yellow hat.
They seem to enjoy a variety of food. From raisins, mealworms, suet and even sugar water from your hummingbird feeder. A variety of feeders work for these guys too including tube, suet cage, hoppers and platform.
The Yellow-rumped warbler actually has two subspecies. The Audubon which is found more in the west. And the Myrtle which is what we would typically see in our Georgia yards.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD
The male Red-winged Blackbirds are black with a red and yellow patch at the top of his wings. The females are brown and white with with fairly striking markings on their bellies.
Another bird that lives a polygyny lifestyle. In fact, one male may have as many as ten nesting females in a territory. Each may raise one to two broods each season.
They like grains and seeds and mostly prefer to feed on the ground. So you can simply sprinkle these on the ground in your yard or use a ground or put out a platform feeder. Use millet, oats and black oil sunflower seeds to welcome these birds to your yard.
While we can see them usually year round in Georgia, many do migrate to the Northern US and Canada in spring. And then back to the Southern US and Mexico in winter. Passing through flocks will certainly take advantage of stocked feeders for their journey.
They travel in flocks that can be a massive collection of millions of birds. These flocks can be a mix of red winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grackles and a few others.
COMMON GRACKLE
They look black from far away and sort of resemble a crow. But up they have a purple, blue iridescent thing happening.
These are usually monogamous for a single season. But some males have been known to mate with additional females while another is nesting.
They make all kinds of sounds from whistles to short chirps and chips.
They will eat anything from seeds and corn to frogs and mice to trash. While they are not picky eaters, they do usually feed on the ground.
Like their red winged blackbird relative, they have a reputation for emptying feeders and scaring off smaller birds. If you take the “can’t beat them, join them” route you can add a caged feeder or two that saves some feed for the little guy.
A flock of Common Grackles is called a plague.
HOUSE SPARROW
The males have a strip of grey of grey that goes from front to back with brown patches on either side of his head. Looking a little bit like his hair was buzzed right down the middle or he is balding. He has a black patch on his chest. The female has a much more muted appearance with varying shades of brown.
The males are generally monogamous for a mating season, the females not so much. They have a tendency to cheat on their mate. While male birds tend to be territorial over a nesting or feeding area, these guys have to keep a close watch on their females.
They make an almost constant cheep cheep cheep sounds.
They prefer to live around humans and are very common in residential areas. They even usually nest in light posts, signs and nooks of buildings. So providing nest boxes are a sure way to get them hanging out in your yard.
They feed along the ground, so platform or ground feeders are great. But they will eat from tube or hoppers too. Millet, black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn are all good fill options. However, just about any run of the mill bird seed blend will bring these guys in.
These are likely the little guys you see hopping around in parking lots or restaurant patios cleaning up crumbs and scraps.
AMERICAN CROW
Both male and female crows are large and solid black.
Couples usually stay together season after season and often for the rest of their lives. In fact, their young hang around for several years creating large families and extended families of siblings and in-laws. Crows don’t usually mate until they are older than 2 years old. Instead they stay with their parents and help with younger siblings.
Their loud squawking and caw sounds are the most recognizable noises they make.
Although these are really interesting birds, I am not sure it usually tops the list of ones you are hoping to spot at a feeder. That’s ok, they don’t usually hang out at feeders anyway. They will check out your trash or pet food though. They also feed on berries, nuts and worms. You will most certainly spot these guys foraging parking lots for littered fast food bags. They have a bad reputation for stealing the eggs and hatchlings of other birds.
American Crows birds are responsible for at least 2 coined phrases. One being “Crows Nest” which was a barrel or platform on the mast of a ship to get a better vantage point or visibility. Some believe this came from Vikings who would keep a crow in a cage on the mast of the ship. When visibility was low they would release the bird and chart their course based on the direction it flew.
Which leads to the next phrase “as a crow flies”. Some think that this phrase came from the same origin as the crows nest. In that after the crow was released the Vikings trusted it was flying towards land and would re-chart their course “as the crow flies”. Also, crows are very intelligent creatures and would be expected to fly directly towards a food source in a straight path. So you may say the store is 5 miles from my house, but only 3 as a crow flies. Charles Dickens made the phrase popular when he used it in Oliver Twist.
RED TAIL HAWK
The Red Tail Hawk has variations of brown and white on the back and top side of the wings with a mostly white belly and underside of the wings. They have a reddish orange tail. While the markings of both male and females are very similar, the female tends to be larger than the male. Usually about 25% larger.
They are monogamous and partner for life. They usually only raise one brood per season.
While you can see them perched on fences or power lines scanning for small creatures, you won’t catch these guys at your feeders. At least not to feed on seeds and fruit. They are carnivores and hunt for their food. They eat squirrels, mice, birds, snakes…that kind of thing.
They can fly at speeds as fast at 40 MPH. When they are diving they can clock speeds up to 120 MPH. Their eye sight is about 8 times better than the average person.
THAT’S A WRAP
I hope you learned an interesting fact or two about the feathered creatures that hop, swoop or soar through our backyards. Also, if you are hoping to get a better view of your favorite then I hope some of the tips for different feeders and seeds were helpful.
Do you have a favorite Georgia backyard bird that we missed or tip for creating a backyard bird haven, then let us know in the comments!