Arkansas winters are mild enough that the biggest winter crowd in the state is ducks (they're so important here that the Mallard got its own state title in 2025, which is more official recognition than I've ever received). Most winter birds in Arkansas aren't toughing it out. They're arriving: sparrows and kinglets from Canada, eagles from the Great Lakes, and snow geese by the hundreds of thousands in the Delta.
The state bird is a homebody, though. The Northern Mockingbird has been Arkansas's official state bird since 1929, and it doesn't migrate, so it's here all winter, usually guarding a berry bush from everyone else in the neighborhood.
Types of Winter Birds in Arkansas
There are 3 types of winter birds in Arkansas you'll see on this list:
- Resident Arkansas Birds – species that live here all year and make up most of the feeder crowd, from cardinals and chickadees to mockingbirds and wrens
- Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north and spend the cold months in Arkansas. This is the big group: juncos, sparrows, kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, ducks, geese, pelicans, eagles, and a few hummingbirds
- Irruptive Species – birds like Purple Finches and Pine Siskins that show up in big numbers some winters and barely at all in others, depending on seed crops up north
The feeder birds come first, roughly in order of Project FeederWatch's South Central rankings, followed by the winter arrivals and the birds you'll need to leave the yard for. If you've ever wondered why half of Canada seems to end up in your backyard, here's where birds go in the winter.
1. Northern Cardinal
- Family – Cardinalidae
- Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Northern Cardinal was the number one bird in FeederWatch's South Central counts, showing up at nearly 94% of sites. It's a seed eater with a thick, orange bill made for cracking sunflower hulls, and it adds berries and the odd insect when it can find them.
Males are bright red with a black face around the bill. The female Northern Cardinal is a soft tan with red edging on the wings, tail, and crest, plus the same orange bill. Both keep that pointed crest, which always looks like it's been freshly gelled.
The Northern Cardinal song is a loud, clear whistle, written as cheer-cheer-cheer or birdie-birdie-birdie, and both sexes sing. The call is a sharp, metallic chip you'll hear from inside a shrub before you see the bird.
In Arkansas winters, cardinals are everywhere: yards, woodland edges, farm hedgerows, and thickets from the Ozarks to the Delta. They feed early and late, so the first and last light of the day is your best window. For more on keeping them around, see Cardinals in Winter: Where They Go, What They Eat, and How to Attract Them.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn on a platform
2. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Mourning Dove was the second most common feeder bird in the South Central region, and it's the bird most likely to be sitting on your fence looking completely unbothered by everything. It eats seeds almost exclusively, swallowing them fast and storing them in its crop to digest later somewhere safer.
It's slim and soft gray-brown, with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail edged in white. Males have a faint pinkish breast and a bluish-gray crown, while females are a little browner overall.
The Mourning Dove call is a low, sad coo-OO-oo, oo, oo that people often mistake for an owl. Their wings make a sharp whistling sound when they take off.
In Arkansas winters, doves are common statewide, especially around farm fields, feedlots, and suburbs, where they gather in loose flocks on the ground.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on the ground or a platform
3. Carolina Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Carolina Chickadee is the only chickadee in Arkansas, so if you see a tiny bird with a black cap anywhere in the state, you can skip the field guide argument. It's the ringleader of winter mixed flocks, with titmice, nuthatches, kinglets, and warblers tagging along behind it.
It's small and gray with a black cap, black bib, and white cheeks. Males and females look the same.
The Carolina Chickadee call is a fast, buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the song is a four-note whistle, fee-bee fee-bay. Chickadees add more dee notes when they spot a predator, so a long string of them is worth a look around.
In Arkansas winters, it's common statewide in woods, parks, and wooded neighborhoods. Chickadees grab one seed, fly off to eat or hide it, and come right back, so one bird can feel like a whole flock.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts
4. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird (more numerous in winter)
The American Goldfinch you see in January is not the lemon-yellow bird from the seed bag. In winter it molts into a dull olive-tan, and numbers in Arkansas jump as northern goldfinches move in, which is why so many people suddenly think they've found a mystery finch.
In winter, males have a yellowish face and throat and black wings with crisp white bars, while females are grayer and plainer with browner wings. Both have a small, pale, cone-shaped bill.
The American Goldfinch call is a cheerful po-ta-to-chip, given in their bouncy, roller-coaster flight.
In Arkansas winters, goldfinches turn up statewide in weedy fields, woodland edges, and any yard with a tube feeder, usually in chattering flocks.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower
5. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The House Finch started out as a western bird and spread across the East after cage birds were released on Long Island in the 1940s. It's a social seed eater that loves busy feeders and usually travels in noisy little groups.
Males have a red to orange-red head and breast with blurry brown streaks on the belly, while females are plain gray-brown and streaky all over, with no strong face pattern.
The House Finch song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends on a buzzy, rising note, and its call is a chirpy cheep.
In Arkansas winters, House Finches live in towns, suburbs, and farmyards statewide, rarely far from people (or, more accurately, from people's bird feeders).
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
6. Blue Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta cristata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Blue Jay is loud, clever, and convinced it's the main character. It eats acorns, seeds, fruit, and insects, and it buries acorns to eat later. The ones it forgets help plant new oaks, so Arkansas's hardwood forests owe a little something to jays with bad memories.
Both sexes are bright blue above and white below, with a black necklace and a crest. Males and females look alike, though males average slightly larger.
The Blue Jay call is a harsh jay-jay, but it also gives soft gurgles, squeaky-gate notes, and a convincing imitation of a Red-shouldered Hawk.
In Arkansas winters, jays are found statewide in oak woods, neighborhoods, and parks.
Feeder favorites: peanuts in the shell, black oil sunflower, suet
7. Northern Mockingbird
- Family – Mimidae
- Species – Mimus polyglottos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Arkansas State Bird (resident)
The Northern Mockingbird is Arkansas's state bird, and it lives up to the job by never leaving. In winter it switches to a mostly fruit diet and picks one holly, pyracantha, or cedar to defend from every other bird in the yard. It's less a bird and more a bouncer with a guest list.
It's slim and gray with a long tail and big white wing patches that flash when it flies or "wing-flashes" on the ground. Males and females look alike.
The Northern Mockingbird song is a long medley of other birds' songs (and the occasional car alarm), with each phrase usually repeated three or more times. In winter you'll mostly hear a harsh chack call, though some sing on warm days.
In Arkansas winters, mockingbirds are common statewide in yards, parks, pastures, and roadsides with shrubs and fruiting trees.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms, chopped fruit
8. Carolina Wren
- Family – Troglodytidae
- Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Carolina Wren is a small bird with a voice built for a much bigger one. It mostly eats insects and spiders, poking into brush piles, porch corners, and hanging planters, and it'll come to suet when the bugs run out.
It's warm rusty brown above and buffy orange below, with a bold white eyebrow and a tail it often cocks upward. Males and females look alike.
The Carolina Wren song is a loud, rolling teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, and it's one of the few birds you'll hear singing on a cold January morning. Pairs stay together all year and often call back and forth.
In Arkansas winters, it's found statewide in brushy yards, thickets, and woodland edges. Hard winters can knock local numbers down, so a brush pile in the corner of the yard is a real favor to them.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms, peanut pieces
9. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Dark-eyed Junco is the classic "snowbird," and in Arkansas it's a pure winter visitor, arriving from the north in fall and leaving by spring. It ranked tenth in FeederWatch's South Central counts, mostly hopping around under feeders and picking up what messier birds drop.
Arkansas's juncos are mostly the slate-colored type: dark gray above, white belly, pale pink bill. Males are a crisp, dark slate, while females are paler gray with a brownish wash. Both flash white outer tail feathers when they flush.
The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tick or smack, and the song is a quick, musical trill.
In Arkansas winters, juncos are found statewide in yards, woodland edges, and brushy fields, usually in small flocks on the ground.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
10. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Tufted Titmouse is the chickadee's slightly bigger, slightly bossier friend. It eats insects, seeds, and nuts, and it's known to take one sunflower seed at a time, fly to a branch, and hammer it open like it's personally offended by the shell.
It's soft gray above and pale below with peachy flanks, a pointed crest, and big dark eyes. Males and females are identical.
The Tufted Titmouse song is a whistled peter-peter-peter, and its scolding call sounds like a raspy chickadee.
In Arkansas winters, titmice are common statewide in deciduous and mixed woods, parks, and leafy yards, usually traveling with chickadees.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
11. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America, light enough to work weed stems and thin twigs that bigger woodpeckers can't use. It eats insects and larvae and is a regular at suet feeders.
It's black and white with a white stripe down the back and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, while females don't. The look-alike Hairy Woodpecker is bigger, with a bill nearly as long as its head.
The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik, plus a high, whinnying rattle that falls in pitch.
In Arkansas winters, it's found statewide in woods, parks, and backyards, often traveling with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
12. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is named for a faint pinkish wash on its lower belly that you'll almost never see, while the bright red on its head goes completely unmentioned. (It's like being named after your elbow.) It eats insects, acorns, nuts, and fruit, and it wedges food into bark cracks for later.
It has a black-and-white barred "ladder" back and a pale face. Males have red from the bill over the crown to the nape, while females have red only on the nape.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker call is a rolling kwirr or churr, plus a sharp chiv-chiv.
In Arkansas winters, it's common statewide in hardwood forests, river bottoms, and suburbs with mature trees.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
13. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird (more numerous in winter)
The American Robin in Arkansas is both a local and a tourist. Robins nest here, but in winter big flocks of northern robins pour in, and they swap worms for berries, roaming from cedar to holly to hackberry. A lawn full of robins in February doesn't mean spring came early. It means the berries ran out.
They have a warm orange breast, a gray-brown back, and a dark head. Males have darker heads and richer orange breasts, while females are paler overall.
The American Robin call in winter is a clucking tut-tut-tut and a high see-lip, and you may hear the full cheerily-cheer-up song on mild days.
In Arkansas winters, look statewide in woods, river bottoms, and neighborhoods with fruiting trees and shrubs.
Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, mealworms
14. Chipping Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Spizella passerina
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird (more numerous in winter)
The Chipping Sparrow is easy to know in spring and surprisingly sneaky in winter. Arkansas has breeding chippies, and in winter they're joined by northern birds that form flocks on lawns, pastures, and the ground under feeders.
In spring it has a bright rusty cap and a black line through the eye. In winter the cap fades to brown and streaky and the face goes duller, so look for the dark eye line and plain gray breast. Males and females look alike.
The Chipping Sparrow call is a thin tsip, and the song is a dry, rapid trill you'll mostly hear as spring comes on.
In Arkansas winters, flocks are common statewide in open woods, pine stands, farm edges, and suburban lawns.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
15. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Family – Regulidae
- Species – Corthylio calendula
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny, olive-green winter visitor that flicks its wings nonstop, like it's trying to dry nail polish. It picks tiny insects and spiders off twigs and leaves, and it made FeederWatch's South Central top 25, mostly by visiting suet.
It's olive above with a broken white eye ring and a white wing bar beside a dark patch. Males have a red crown patch, but they keep it hidden most of the time and flash it when they're excited or annoyed. Females don't have the red.
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet call is a husky, two-part ji-dit. Its surprisingly loud song is mostly saved for spring.
In Arkansas winters, it's common statewide in woods, thickets, and shrubby yards, and it often joins chickadee flocks.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms
16. Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Family – Parulidae
- Species – Setophaga coronata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
Most warblers leave the country for winter, but the Yellow-rumped Warbler stops in the South, and it's the warbler you're most likely to see in Arkansas between November and March. It can digest the waxy berries of wax myrtle and poison ivy, which most birds can't, so it doesn't have to chase insects all winter.
In winter, both sexes are streaky brown-gray with a bright yellow rump and a little yellow on each side. Males are crisper and grayer, while females are browner. Birders call them "butter butts," a nickname they've earned and will never live down.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler call is a sharp, flat check, given often as they forage.
In Arkansas winters, it's found statewide in woodland edges, river bottoms, cedar glades, and suburban yards, often in loose flocks.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanut butter mixes, mealworms
17. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Sphyrapicus varius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is a woodpecker that drills neat rows of small holes in tree bark, then comes back to drink the sap and eat the insects stuck in it. Kinglets, warblers, and even wintering hummingbirds help themselves at these sap wells, which makes the sapsucker the unofficial bartender of the winter woods.
It's black and white with a bold white stripe on the wing, a red forehead, and a pale yellow wash on the belly. Males have a red throat, while females have a white throat.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker call is a nasal, cat-like mew. Its drumming starts fast and trails off unevenly.
In Arkansas winters, it's found statewide in woods and yards. Check trunks for tidy horizontal rows of holes.
Feeder favorites: suet
18. White-throated Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The White-throated Sparrow is one of the most common winter sparrows in Arkansas, arriving from Canada and the northern woods in fall. It scratches through leaf litter with a two-footed hop-and-kick that sounds like something much bigger is rummaging in the bushes.
Look for a clean white throat, a gray breast, and a striped head with a yellow spot between the eye and bill. Some birds have white head stripes and some have tan ones. That's not a male-female difference: both sexes come in both forms.
Its whistled song, Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada, is a nice reminder of where it spends the summer. In winter you'll also hear a sharp chink and a thin tseet.
In Arkansas winters, it's common statewide in thickets, brush piles, and woodland edges, and it loves the ground under a feeder.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
19. White-crowned Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia leucophrys
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The White-crowned Sparrow is a tidy, upright sparrow that winters in open, brushy country across Arkansas. It eats seeds of weeds and grasses and tends to stick close to hedgerows and thickets so it can dive for cover.
Adults have bold black-and-white stripes on the head, a gray face and breast, and a pink to orange bill. First-winter birds have brown-and-tan head stripes instead, so a mixed flock can look like two different species. Males and females look alike.
The White-crowned Sparrow call is a sharp pink, and the song is a mix of clear whistles and buzzy trills that some birds start singing in late winter.
In Arkansas winters, look for small flocks in fencerows, overgrown fields, and farm edges, especially in open country with dense shrubs nearby.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
20. Harris's Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia querula
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, mostly western Arkansas)
The Harris's Sparrow is the biggest sparrow in North America and one of the most sought-after winter birds in Arkansas. It's the only songbird that breeds only in Canada, and Arkansas sits on the eastern edge of its winter range, so one under your feeder is a genuine bragging-rights moment.
Adults have a black crown, face, and bib and a pink bill, which makes them look like a sparrow that walked through wet paint face-first. First-winter birds show less black and more brown and buff on the head. Males and females look alike.
The Harris's Sparrow call is a metallic chink, and its song is a set of clear, quavering whistles on one pitch.
In Arkansas winters, it's uncommon and most likely in the western half of the state, in brushy fencerows and hedges, often mixed in with White-crowned Sparrows.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
21. Eastern Bluebird
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Sialia sialis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird
The Eastern Bluebird is a small thrush that hunts insects from low perches and switches to berries when it's cold. Bluebirds also pile into nest boxes on freezing nights to share body heat, so a box left up after nesting season can turn into a winter bunkhouse.
Males are bright blue above with a rusty-orange throat and breast. Females are grayer, with blue in the wings and tail and a paler orange breast.
The Eastern Bluebird call is a soft, rising tu-a-wee, and the song is a short, gentle warble.
In Arkansas winters, look for small flocks statewide in open country with scattered trees: pastures, cemeteries, golf courses, and rural roadsides.
Feeder favorites: mealworms, suet nuggets, chopped fruit
22. Cedar Waxwing
- Family – Bombycillidae
- Species – Bombycilla cedrorum
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Cedar Waxwing is a fruit specialist that travels in tight, roving flocks. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission calls it one of the state's most distinctive winter residents, and it's easy to see why: a flock lands in a berry tree all at once, strips it, and vanishes just as fast.
It's sleek and silky tan with a crest, a black mask, a pale yellow belly, and a yellow-tipped tail. Many have bright red, waxy tips on the wing feathers. Males and females look alike.
The Cedar Waxwing call is a very high, thin sree, so high that some people can't hear it at all.
In Arkansas winters, look for flocks wherever there are Eastern redcedars, hollies, hackberries, or other fruiting trees, from city parks to rural fencerows.
Feeder favorites: they rarely use feeders, but they'll visit bird baths and berry-producing shrubs
23. Purple Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous purpureus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (uncommon most winters)
The Purple Finch is an irruptive winter visitor that rounded out FeederWatch's South Central top 25, so some winters it shows up at feeders all over Arkansas and some winters you'll barely see one. It eats seeds, buds, and fruit.
Males look like they've been dipped in raspberry juice, with color across the head, back, and breast. Females are brown and streaky with a bold white eyebrow and a strong face pattern. Next to a House Finch, the male Purple Finch is a cleaner raspberry with less streaking on the belly.
The Purple Finch call is a short, sharp pik, and the song is a quick, rich warble.
In Arkansas winters, look for them at feeders and woodland edges, mostly in irruption years.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips
24. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that only shows up in good numbers in Arkansas when cone crops fail up north. When they come, they come in flocks and empty a nyjer feeder faster than you can refill it.
It's brown and heavily streaked, with a thin, pointed bill and flashes of yellow in the wings and tail. Males tend to show more yellow than females.
The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeee, like someone slowly closing a tiny zipper. Flocks keep up a constant twittering chatter.
In Arkansas winters, siskins can appear anywhere in irruption years, especially at feeders and in pines and sweetgums.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
25. Rusty Blackbird
- Family – Icteridae
- Species – Euphagus carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon)
The Rusty Blackbird is one of the specialty winter birds birders come to Arkansas for, and a species whose numbers have dropped steeply in recent decades. It winters in flooded bottomland forests, flipping wet leaves at the water's edge for insects, snails, and seeds.
In winter, males are black with rusty edges on the feathers and a pale yellow eye. Females are gray-brown with rusty-cinnamon tones and a buffy eyebrow. By spring both wear the rust off and look much plainer.
The Rusty Blackbird call is a low chack, and the song sounds like a squeaky gate hinge that really needs oil.
In Arkansas winters, look in wet woods, swamps, and flooded timber in the Delta and other river bottoms, often in small flocks apart from the big mixed blackbird roosts.
26. Smith's Longspur
- Family – Calcariidae
- Species – Calcarius pictus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, local)
The Smith's Longspur is a small Arctic songbird with a very limited winter range, and Arkansas is one of the places it reliably turns up. It eats grass seeds in open, short-grass fields, and it's famously hard to see well until it flushes from right under your boots.
In winter, both sexes are buffy and streaky with a warm, buff wash on the underparts and white outer tail feathers. Males often show a small white shoulder patch. The black-and-white face and orange belly come later, on the breeding grounds.
The Smith's Longspur call is a dry, ticking rattle, given as birds flush and circle.
In Arkansas winters, it's a local find in open, short-grass fields, most famously at the Stuttgart airport on the Grand Prairie. Please stay outside any restricted areas and scan from public roads.
27. Rufous Hummingbird
- Family – Trochilidae
- Species – Selasphorus rufus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (rare to uncommon)
Yes, Arkansas gets hummingbirds in winter. Most Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are gone by mid-October, but the Rufous Hummingbird is the hummer most often seen in Arkansas in winter, a western bird that wanders east instead of heading to Mexico.
Males are bright orange-rufous with a glowing red-orange throat. Females and young birds are green above with rusty flanks and rust at the base of the tail. Young birds can be tough to tell from other species, which is why winter hummers are often banded.
The Rufous Hummingbird call is a hard chip, and adult males make a buzzy whistle with their wings.
In Arkansas winters, they turn up at backyard nectar feeders statewide. One thing you don't need is a special heated feeder. Wild Birds Unlimited in Little Rock suggests an outdoor clamp light with a 40-watt bulb under your regular feeder to keep the nectar from freezing, and leaving feeders up won't stop a migrant from leaving on schedule.
Feeder favorites: sugar water (1 part sugar to 4 parts water), no red dye
28. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird (plus many winter visitors)
The Bald Eagle is the headliner of winter birding in Arkansas. Some eagles live here all year, and in winter a big wave arrives from Canada and the northern states. Arkansas Tourism lists December through February as peak eagle season, with mid to late morning the best time to watch them soar.
Adults have a dark brown body, white head and tail, and a heavy yellow bill. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and take about five years to get the full adult look. Females are larger than males.
The Bald Eagle call is a thin, high series of chirps and whistles, surprisingly squeaky for the national bird (Hollywood usually dubs in a Red-tailed Hawk instead).
In Arkansas winters, look on big lakes and rivers, especially in the north: Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, Beaver Lake, Bull Shoals, and Lake Dardanelle, where state parks run eagle cruises.
29. Red-tailed Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo jamaicensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Arkansas Bird (plus winter visitors)
The Red-tailed Hawk is the big hawk on the highway light pole, and in winter Arkansas's resident red-tails are joined by birds from farther north. It hunts mostly voles, mice, and rabbits from a high perch, then drops on them.
Adults have a brick-red tail, a pale chest, and a band of dark streaks across the belly. Plumage varies a lot, from very pale to nearly all dark. Males and females look alike, but females are bigger.
The Red-tailed Hawk call is a raspy, screaming kee-eeeer, the sound you've heard in every movie with a desert in it.
In Arkansas winters, look along rural roads, pastures, and the edges of farm fields statewide, especially in the open Delta and the River Valley.
30. Northern Harrier
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Circus hudsonius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Northern Harrier hunts by gliding low over fields and marshes, tilting side to side and listening for voles. It has an owl-like facial disk that helps it hunt by sound, which is a neat trick for a hawk.
Adult males are pale gray above and white below with black wingtips, earning the nickname "gray ghost." Females are brown and streaky. Both have a bright white rump patch that's easy to pick out as they cruise away.
Harriers are mostly quiet in winter, though they'll give a fast kek-kek-kek when disturbed.
In Arkansas winters, they're widespread in open farmland, rice fields, prairies, and marsh edges, especially in the Delta and on the Grand Prairie.
31. Short-eared Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Asio flammeus
- Primary Activity Time – Dusk
- Crepuscular
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon)
The Short-eared Owl is the owl for people who don't love staying up late. It hunts at dusk over open grassland, flying low with floppy, moth-like wingbeats while it looks for voles.
It's buffy-brown and streaky with a pale facial disk, yellow eyes rimmed in black, and ear tufts so short you'll rarely see them. In flight, look for a buffy patch near the wrist on the upper wing. Females are usually darker and browner than males.
Short-eared Owls are mostly quiet in winter, but they sometimes give a raspy, barking kee-yow.
In Arkansas winters, they turn up in prairies, big hayfields, and reclaimed grasslands. Audubon's guide to birding in Arkansas notes they sometimes use the grassy areas at Holla Bend, and it's worth watching any big open field in the last half hour of daylight.
32. Mallard
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Anas platyrhynchos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (Arkansas State Duck)
The Mallard became Arkansas's official state duck in 2025, which feels fair, since eastern Arkansas hosts some of the largest concentrations of wintering Mallards in the country. In AGFC's January 2025 aerial survey, the Delta held about 452,000 Mallards out of roughly 925,000 ducks. They feed on waste rice, acorns, and seeds in flooded fields and timber.
Males have a glossy green head, a white neck ring, and a chestnut breast. Females are mottled brown with an orange bill smudged with black. Both have a blue wing patch with white edges.
The classic loud quack is the female. The male gives a quieter, raspy rhaeb, which feels like a missed opportunity.
In Arkansas winters, look on flooded rice fields, green-tree reservoirs, and wildlife refuges in the Delta and on the Grand Prairie around Stuttgart, plus the big reservoirs elsewhere.
33. Snow Goose
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Anser caerulescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Snow Goose is the reason a field in eastern Arkansas can look like it snowed when it didn't. In AGFC's January 2019 survey, the Delta held more than 1.5 million light geese (Snow and Ross's Geese together). They graze on waste grain and young shoots and travel in huge, noisy flocks.
Most are white with black wingtips and a pink bill with a dark "grin patch." The "blue goose" form is dark gray-brown with a white head. Males and females look alike, and young birds are grayer.
The Snow Goose call is a high, nasal honk, and a big flock sounds like a stadium crowd that just saw a bad call.
In Arkansas winters, look in rice fields and refuges across the Delta and the Grand Prairie. Holla Bend also draws hundreds of geese and ducks from fall through spring.
34. American White Pelican
- Family – Pelecanidae
- Species – Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The American White Pelican is the bird that makes people pull over on the Big Dam Bridge. They breed in the northern U.S. and Canada, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says some stay here for the winter because it's mild enough, feeding below dams on shad stunned by the gates.
It's huge and white with black flight feathers and a long orange bill and pouch, and some adults weigh about 30 pounds with wingspans near 10 feet. Males and females look alike, though males are bigger. In late winter, breeding adults grow an odd flat "horn" on top of the bill, like a fin they forgot to take off.
Pelicans are mostly silent away from their nesting colonies.
In Arkansas winters, look at reservoirs and dams along the Arkansas River, Lake Conway, Lake Chicot, and Lake Dardanelle. Brown Pelicans are very rare in Arkansas, so a white one is the safe bet.
Birds of Arkansas in Winter: FAQ
What Arkansas birds stay all winter?
Year-round residents like the Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue Jay, and Northern Mockingbird stay put. They're joined by winter visitors including Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Heading north? Our guide to winter birds in Missouri covers who shows up there.
What are the most common birds in Arkansas in winter?
At feeders, the top South Central birds in FeederWatch counts were Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Carolina Chickadee, American Goldfinch, House Finch, House Sparrow, Blue Jay, Northern Mockingbird, Carolina Wren, and Dark-eyed Junco. Away from feeders, the most numerous birds of Arkansas in winter are ducks and geese, with hundreds of thousands of Mallards and well over a million light geese in the Delta in a good year.
What is the state bird of Arkansas, and does it stay in winter?
The Northern Mockingbird, adopted on March 5, 1929. It doesn't migrate, so you'll see it all winter, usually defending a fruiting shrub. Arkansas also named the Mallard its state duck in 2025.
Do hummingbirds stay in Arkansas in winter?
A few do. Most winter hummingbirds in Arkansas are Rufous Hummingbirds from the West. If one shows up between November and March, keep the feeder clean and unfrozen, and consider reporting it so a bander can identify it.
When is the best time to see Bald Eagles in Arkansas?
December through February is peak season, with mid to late morning the best time of day. Holla Bend NWR, Beaver Lake, Bull Shoals, and Lake Dardanelle are all reliable, and several state parks run eagle cruises. If you're near the southern border, our guide to winter birds in Louisiana covers the eagles and waterfowl downstream.
What Arkansas Birds Have You Seen This Winter?
Winter is the best season of the year to bird the Natural State, from a feeder full of juncos to a sky full of snow geese. Share what's visiting your yard on the Sparkbird App, and find other birders near you to swap sightings and carpool to the next eagle cruise.
And if you spend all January chasing a Harris's Sparrow and only find White-crowned Sparrows, take heart. At least you're in the right genus.
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