Maryland's state bird does exactly what the baseball team does: it leaves Baltimore when the weather turns and comes back in spring (I'd follow both to Florida if anyone asked). The good news is that winter birds in Maryland more than make up for it, because this is a state people fly to for the winter, at least if you're a duck.
The Baltimore Oriole really is gone, though. Baltimore Orioles rarely winter in Maryland, according to the Maryland DNR, and spend the cold months in Central and South America. In their place, the state fills up with arrivals: White-throated Sparrows and juncos under the feeders, kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers in the pines, and hundreds of thousands of swans, geese, and ducks on the Chesapeake Bay. The year-round locals (cardinals, wrens, titmice, and a lot of woodpeckers) stay put and keep the feeders busy in between.
Types of Winter Birds in Maryland
There are 3 types of winter birds in Maryland you'll see on this list:
- Resident Maryland Birds – found year-round, and many of them visit feeders
- Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north and spend the winter here. Look for them in hot spots like Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, where Tundra Swans, Canada and Snow Geese, and more than 20 kinds of ducks winter between mid-October and mid-March
- Irruptive Species – birds that show up in big numbers some winters and barely at all in others, usually when seed and cone crops fail up north
Each of these winter birds of Maryland comes with ID tips, male vs female differences, calls, where to find it in the state, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you're wondering where the summer crowd went, here's where birds go in the winter.
1. Northern Cardinal
- Family – Cardinalidae
- Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Northern Cardinal is the most dependable bird at a Maryland feeder, the one that shows up first in the morning and is still poking around at dusk. It eats seeds, fruit, and insects, and in winter it leans on sunflower, safflower, and whatever berries are left on the holly.
Males are solid red with a black face around a thick orange-red bill. Females are warm buff-brown with red tinges on the crest, wings, and tail, and the same orange bill. Both raise and lower the crest depending on how they feel about you.
The song is a run of loud, clear whistles, often written as cheer-cheer-cheer or birdie-birdie-birdie, and the call is a sharp metallic chip. Females sing too, which not every songbird can say.
Cardinals live statewide, from Silver Spring backyards to hedgerows on the Eastern Shore, anywhere with dense shrubs to hide in. For more on keeping them around, read 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. Carolina Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
Nearly every chickadee you'll see in Maryland is a Carolina Chickadee. It's a tiny gray bird with a black cap, a black bib, and white cheeks, and it eats insects, seeds, and berries, stashing extra food in bark crevices to find later.
Males and females look the same. The Black-capped Chickadee is the one to double-check: the Maryland Biodiversity Project lists it as a common resident only in Garrett and Allegany Counties, and an irruptive, uncommon-to-rare visitor elsewhere in some winters. Black-capped birds show brighter white edges on the wing feathers, but the voice is the easier tell.
The Carolina's song is four whistled notes, fee-bee fee-bay, while the Black-capped sings just two. Both give the chick-a-dee-dee-dee call, and the more dees, the bigger the threat.
Carolina Chickadees are statewide in woods, parks, and neighborhoods outside the far western mountains, usually leading a mixed winter flock of titmice, nuthatches, and woodpeckers.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts
3. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Tufted Titmouse is the chickadee's crested sidekick: soft gray above, pale below, peachy flanks, big black eyes, and a pointed crest. It takes one seed at a time, flies to a branch to hammer it open, and comes straight back for another, like a toddler at a snack bowl.
Males and females look alike.
The song is a loud, whistled peter-peter-peter, often one of the first songs you'll hear on a sunny February morning. The scold is a harsh, nasal version of a chickadee's call.
Titmice are common statewide in deciduous woods, older suburbs, and stream valleys. They nest in tree cavities and boxes, so a roosting box can earn its keep in winter too.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
4. Carolina Wren
- Family – Troglodytidae
- Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Carolina Wren is a round, rusty-brown bird with a bold white eyebrow, a buffy belly, and a tail it likes to cock upward. It mostly eats insects and spiders, which it finds by rummaging through brush piles, woodpiles, gutters, and the back of your garage.
Males and females look alike. Pairs stay together year-round and hold the same territory through the winter.
For something the size of a tangerine, it's extraordinarily loud. The male's song is a rolling teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, and the pair trades scolding chatters and rattles all day.
Carolina Wrens are statewide, but a hard winter knocks their numbers down, especially in western Maryland, so a wren at your suet in January is a small victory.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms, peanut pieces
5. White-throated Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The White-throated Sparrow is the sparrow most Marylanders actually notice in winter. It breeds in the forests of Canada and northern New England and arrives in fall to scratch through leaf litter for seeds, often in loose flocks under feeders.
Look for a crisp white throat, a striped head, and a yellow spot between the eye and bill. White-throats come in two forms, one with white head stripes and one with tan stripes, and the forms aren't tied to sex, so males and females can look identical.
The song is a thin, whistled Oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada (or Old Sam Peabody, depending on who taught you). The call is a sharp pink and a high tseet. They often sing on mild winter days, which is the most cheerful thing about February.
You'll find them statewide in brushy edges, hedgerows, and yards with thick shrubs or a brush pile, usually on the ground.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn scattered on the ground
6. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (a few breed in Garrett County)
The Dark-eyed Junco is the classic "snowbird," and in most of Maryland it really is a winter-only bird. Juncos arrive in fall and spend the season hopping under feeders in small flocks, picking up seed that messier eaters drop.
Maryland's juncos are the slate-colored type: dark gray above, white belly, pale pink bill. Males are a deeper, crisper slate, while females are paler gray with a brownish wash. Both flash white outer tail feathers when they flush.
The call is a sharp tick or smack, and flocks twitter as they move. The song is a quick, musical trill.
Juncos winter statewide in yards, woodland edges, and weedy fields. In summer, a few nest in the high country of Garrett County, so western Maryland gets them year-round.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground
7. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is named for the one feature you'll almost never see, a faint pinkish blush on its belly. What you'll notice is the bold black-and-white barred back and the red on its head. It eats insects, acorns, nuts, and fruit, and it hides food in bark cracks for later.
Males have red from the bill all the way over the crown to the nape. Females have red only on the nape, with a gray crown. Both have pale gray faces and underparts.
The call is a rolling churr or kwirr that carries through bare winter woods, and its drumming comes in quick, steady bursts.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers are common statewide in woods, suburbs, and parks. In a lot of Maryland neighborhoods, it's the woodpecker people call "the red-headed one." (It isn't, but I've made worse naming decisions.)
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
8. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America and probably the most familiar one at Maryland feeders. It works small branches, weed stalks, and even goldenrod galls for insect larvae, and it'll hang upside down on a suet cage without complaint.
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. Females don't.
The call is a soft pik, and its whinny is a quick, descending rattle.
Downies are statewide in woods, backyards, and city parks, often traveling with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts
9. Hairy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates villosus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Hairy Woodpecker wears the same black-and-white pattern as the Downy, which is why so many Downy sightings are secretly Hairy sightings (and vice versa). It's bigger, about robin-sized, and prefers larger trees and more mature woods.
The trick is the bill. On a Hairy, it's almost as long as the head. On a Downy, it's a short little chisel. Males have a red patch on the back of the head, while females are all black and white.
The call is a loud, sharp peek, clearly stronger than the Downy's pik, and the rattle is one even-pitched burst.
Hairy Woodpeckers are statewide but less common than Downies, best found in larger wooded parks and forests from Garrett County to the Pocomoke River.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
10. Northern Flicker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Colaptes auratus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird & Winter Migrant
The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker that would rather be on the ground. It's a big brown bird with a barred back, a spotted belly, a black bib, and a white rump patch that flashes when it flies. Maryland's flickers are the "yellow-shafted" kind, with bright yellow under the wings and tail.
Flickers dig ants and beetles out of the lawn, then switch to berries like poison ivy and dogwood in winter. Males have a black "mustache" stripe on the cheek, and females don't.
The call is a loud, single kyeer, and the song is a long wick-wick-wick-wick that sounds like a woodpecker laughing at its own joke.
Flickers are found statewide year-round, and more arrive from the north to winter here, especially on the Coastal Plain and Eastern Shore.
Feeder favorites: suet, especially near a patch of open lawn
11. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Sphyrapicus varius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is mostly a winter bird in Maryland, and you'll often find its work before you find the bird. It drills neat, horizontal rows of small holes in tree bark, then comes back to lick the sap and eat the insects that get stuck in it.
It's black and white with a red forehead, a white stripe along the folded wing, and a pale yellow wash on the belly. Males have a red throat, while females have a white one.
The call is a nasal, catlike mew, and its drumming is irregular, a few quick taps, then slower ones, like someone sending Morse code.
Sapsuckers winter statewide in woods, parks, and yards with mature trees. Check fruit trees, pines, and maples for those rows of sap wells.
Feeder favorites: suet, now and then
12. White-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The White-breasted Nuthatch spends its day walking headfirst down tree trunks, which gives it a view of the bark that woodpeckers climbing up tend to miss. It wedges seeds and nuts into crevices and whacks them open, which is where the "nuthatch" name comes from.
It's blue-gray above, white on the face and breast, with a rusty wash under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap, while females usually have a grayer one, though in this region the difference can be subtle.
The call is a nasal yank or quank, often given in a series.
White-breasted Nuthatches are statewide in deciduous woods and neighborhoods with big oaks and maples, often joining mixed flocks with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
13. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is the smaller, punchier nuthatch, and in Maryland it's a winter visitor that comes and goes with the cone crops up north. Some winters you'll see them at every other feeder, and some winters you won't see one.
Look for a bold black eye line under a white eyebrow, blue-gray back, and cinnamon underparts. Males have a black cap and deeper rusty breast, while females have a grayer cap and paler underparts.
The call is a high, tinny yank-yank, like a toy horn, higher and more nasal than the White-breasted Nuthatch.
In irruption years they turn up statewide, especially in pines and spruces, so check conifers in parks, cemeteries, and your neighbor's yard.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower
14. Blue Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta cristata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird & Partial Migrant
The Blue Jay is the loudest bird at most Maryland feeders and possibly the most opinionated. It eats acorns, nuts, seeds, and insects, and buries acorns by the thousand in fall, which makes it one of the oak tree's best (if forgetful) gardeners.
Males and females look the same: bright blue above with black bars on the wings and tail, white below, and a black necklace. Males are a touch larger, but you won't tell that in the field.
The calls run from a harsh jay-jay scream to quiet clicks and whistles, plus a convincing Red-shouldered Hawk impression that fools people every winter.
Some Blue Jays migrate and some don't, but you'll find them statewide in winter in oak woods, suburbs, and parks.
Feeder favorites: peanuts in the shell, black oil sunflower, suet
15. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Mourning Dove is the gentle, slightly round bird sitting under your feeder like it's waiting for a table. It eats seeds almost exclusively, swallowing them fast to store in its crop, then digesting later somewhere safer.
It's soft gray-brown with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail edged in white. Males have a faint rosy breast and a bluish-gray crown, while females are a little browner overall.
The song is a slow, mournful coo-OO-oo-oo-oo that people often mistake for an owl, and the wings whistle loudly on takeoff.
Mourning Doves are common statewide, especially in farm country and suburbs, and they gather in flocks at feeders and on bare ground in winter.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground
16. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The American Goldfinch sticks around all winter, but in a much quieter outfit. Summer's lemon yellow fades into a dull olive-brown, so plenty of people think their goldfinches left when they're actually right there in disguise.
In winter, males keep yellow on the face and throat and have black wings with white bars, while females are grayer and plainer. Both have short pale bills built for seeds.
The flight call is a bouncy po-ta-to-chip, given as the birds dip up and down through the air.
Goldfinches are statewide in winter, in weedy fields, woodland edges, and anywhere there's a tube feeder.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower
17. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The House Finch is a western bird that arrived in the East in the 1940s and now lives in nearly every Maryland town. It eats seeds, buds, and fruit, and it's a regular at tube feeders all winter.
Males have a red, orange, or occasionally yellowish wash on the head and breast, with brown streaks on the sides. Females are plain brown with blurry streaking and no strong face pattern.
The song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends on a buzzy, rising note, and the call is a cheerful cheep.
House Finches are found statewide, most of all in towns and suburbs.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
18. Purple Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous purpureus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (numbers vary year to year)
The Purple Finch is a winter visitor from the north, and like a few birds on this list, it's more common some winters than others. It eats seeds, buds, and fruit, and it often turns up at feeders mixed in with House Finches, which is where the confusion starts.
Males look like they've been dunked in raspberry sorbet, with color across the head, back, and breast, and no brown streaks on the belly. Females are brown and white, with a bold white eyebrow and a dark cheek patch, much crisper than a female House Finch.
The call is a sharp tick in flight, and the song is a fast, rich warble.
Purple Finches winter statewide when they come south, in mixed woods, forest edges, and backyards with feeders.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips
19. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky brown finch that shows up in Maryland in irruption years, sometimes in big, noisy flocks, and then vanishes for a winter or two. It eats conifer, alder, and birch seeds, and it'll empty a nyjer feeder with surprising speed.
Look for heavy streaking, a thin pointed bill, and flashes of yellow in the wings and tail. Males and females look similar, though some males show more yellow.
The call is a rising, buzzy zreeee, like someone slowly unzipping a coat, plus a lot of twittering.
In irruption years, siskins can turn up statewide at feeders and in conifers. Keep feeders clean when they're around, since siskins are prone to salmonella outbreaks at crowded feeders.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
20. Song Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Melospiza melodia
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird & Winter Migrant
The Song Sparrow is the most common streaky brown sparrow in Maryland, the kind of bird you've probably seen a hundred times and never named. Locals stay all year, and more arrive from the north to winter here, so numbers go up when it gets cold.
It's brown and streaky with a big dark spot in the center of its breast and a long, rounded tail it pumps as it flies. Males and females look alike.
The call is a husky chimp, and the song is a few sharp notes and then a jumble of buzzes and trills. It'll sing on warm winter days.
Song Sparrows winter statewide in brushy edges, marsh borders, weedy fields, and yards with low cover.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground
21. Fox Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Passerella iliaca
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon)
The Fox Sparrow is a big, rusty sparrow that winters in Maryland in smaller numbers than the White-throats. It feeds with a two-footed backward hop, kicking leaves aside to uncover seeds and insects, so the first clue is often a rustling noise under a thicket.
Ours are the "red" type: fox-red wings and tail, gray on the face and back, and heavy reddish spots that merge into a blotch on the breast. Males and females look alike.
The call is a loud smack, and the song, which you'll sometimes hear in late winter, is a rich, whistled warble.
Fox Sparrows winter statewide in dense thickets, woodland edges, and under feeders near cover. Cold snaps often push more of them into backyards.
Feeder favorites: millet and cracked corn scattered on the ground near shrubs
22. Eastern Towhee
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Pipilo erythrophthalmus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Eastern Towhee is a large, flashy sparrow that spends the winter scratching in leaf litter, like the Fox Sparrow, with a loud two-footed hop. It eats seeds, berries, and insects.
Males are black on the head, back, and tail, with rusty sides and a white belly. Females have the same pattern, but chocolate brown instead of black. Both have red eyes in the East.
The call is a rising chewink (or tow-hee), and the spring song is the famous drink-your-tea.
Towhees are found statewide, though they're easiest to see in winter on the Coastal Plain and Eastern Shore, in thickets, overgrown fields, and shrubby yards.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground
23. Northern Mockingbird
- Family – Mimidae
- Species – Mimus polyglottos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Northern Mockingbird spends the winter guarding a fruit tree like a bouncer outside a club. It eats insects in summer, then switches to berries in winter and defends its favorite holly or multiflora rose from robins, starlings, and anyone else with ideas.
It's slim and gray with a long tail and bold white wing patches that flash in flight. Males and females look alike.
The song is a long run of borrowed phrases from other birds, car alarms, and squeaky gates, each repeated a few times before switching. The call is a harsh chack.
Mockingbirds are common statewide in towns, farms, and suburbs with open lawns and fruiting shrubs.
Feeder favorites: suet, chopped fruit, mealworms
24. Eastern Bluebird
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Sialia sialis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Eastern Bluebird doesn't fly south so much as change its menu. In summer it drops from a perch to grab insects, and in winter it travels in small flocks eating berries from sumac, dogwood, holly, and cedar.
Males are bright blue above with a rusty throat and breast. Females are grayer with blue in the wings and tail and a softer orange breast.
The call is a soft tu-a-wee, and the song is a short, gentle warble.
Bluebirds winter statewide in open country, golf courses, farm edges, and big yards. They roost in nest boxes on cold nights, sometimes several at a time, so a box doesn't have to sit empty until spring.
Feeder favorites: mealworms, suet, chopped fruit
25. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird & Winter Migrant
The American Robin isn't a spring bird in Maryland so much as a bird you stop noticing in winter. Many stay, and more come down from the north, but they switch from worms on the lawn to fruit in the trees and travel in roaming flocks.
Males have a dark gray to blackish head and a deep orange breast. Females are paler, with a grayer head and a duller breast.
In winter you'll mostly hear the call, a low tut-tut-tut or a sharp peek, rather than the cheerily, cheer-up song.
Robins winter statewide in woods with holly, cedar, and other fruiting trees, and big flocks gather at night roosts in swamps and thickets.
Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, mealworms
26. Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Family – Parulidae
- Species – Setophaga coronata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the one warbler that thinks Maryland in January is a great idea. Most warblers leave for the tropics, but the "Myrtle" Yellow-rump can digest the waxy berries of wax myrtle and bayberry, so it winters along the coast and Chesapeake Bay.
In winter it's a fairly drab brown-streaked bird, but it gives itself away with a bright yellow rump patch and a dab of yellow on each side. Males are a little crisper and darker, while females are browner overall.
The call is a sharp, flat chek, which you'll hear constantly from flocks working through the brush.
Yellow-rumps are common on the Coastal Plain, especially on the Eastern Shore, at places like Assateague and Blackwater, and scarcer in the western mountains.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanut butter mixes, mealworms
27. Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Family – Regulidae
- Species – Regulus satrapa
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is a tiny, olive-gray bird, smaller than a chickadee, that somehow gets through winter by eating insects and insect eggs off of conifer needles. It flicks its wings constantly, as though it's had too much coffee.
Look for a black-bordered crown stripe and a white eyebrow. Males have an orange center in a yellow crown, while females have only yellow.
The call is a very high, thin tsee-tsee-tsee that many people stop hearing as they get older (I say that with zero confidence in my own ears).
Kinglets winter statewide, and they're easiest to find in pines, spruces, and hemlocks, often traveling with chickadees and Brown Creepers.
28. Cooper's Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Astur cooperii
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird
The Cooper's Hawk is the hawk most likely to visit your feeder, though not for the seed. It hunts songbirds and doves with fast surprise attacks through trees and shrubs, which is why your feeder sometimes goes silent and empty all at once.
Adults are blue-gray above with fine orange-red barring below and a long, rounded tail with a white tip. Males and females look alike, but females are much bigger, so a pair can look like two different species.
The call is a fast, harsh kak-kak-kak, though it's usually silent when hunting.
Cooper's Hawks live statewide, and they're especially common in suburbs and towns where feeders concentrate their prey. Give your birds some nearby shrub cover and let nature be nature.
29. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Maryland Bird & Winter Migrant
The Bald Eagle is easy to find in Maryland, and winter is when it's easiest of all. Resident eagles are joined by migrants from the north, and they gather wherever fish are easy to catch.
Adults have a white head and tail, dark brown body, and huge yellow bill. Young birds are mottled brown and white for their first four or five years. Males and females look alike, but females are larger.
For a bird this big, the call is surprisingly thin: a high, whistling chatter.
The most famous spot is the Susquehanna River below Conowingo Dam, where the open water below the dam stays unfrozen and fish come through the turbines. Migrants arrive in November, and about 230 eagles were counted at Conowingo in the winter of 2018, more than twice the summer total. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and the shores of the Bay are also reliable.
30. Tundra Swan
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Cygnus columbianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Tundra Swan flies down from the Arctic to spend the winter on the Chesapeake, and seeing a flock of them come in over the marsh is one of the best things about a Maryland winter. They eat aquatic plants, clams, and, more and more, waste grain from farm fields.
They're all white with a black bill, often with a small yellow spot in front of the eye. Males and females look alike. Young birds are grayish with pinkish bills.
The call is a high, whooping, slightly goose-like woo-hoo, and a flock calling overhead carries a long way.
Look for Tundra Swans at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge near Rock Hall, at Blackwater, and in Eastern Shore fields and coves from late fall through early March. For a neighboring state's version, see our guide to winter birds in Virginia, where many of the same swans keep going south.
31. Snow Goose
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Anser caerulescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Snow Goose travels in flocks so big and loud that they're hard to miss when you're out on the Eastern Shore. They pull up roots from marshes and glean waste corn and grain from farm fields.
Most are white with black wingtips and a pink bill with a dark "grin" line. A darker form, the "Blue Goose," has a gray-brown body and white head. Males and females look alike.
The call is a high, nasal honk or bark, and thousands of them at once sound like a stadium.
Snow Geese winter on the Eastern Shore, including Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and the farm fields around it, often with Canada Geese and Tundra Swans.
32. Canvasback
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Aythya valisineria
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Canvasback is the duck the Chesapeake used to be famous for, and it's still worth a winter drive to see one. It dives for underwater plants, roots, and small clams, and that long, sloping forehead gives it a profile you won't forget.
Males have a chestnut head, red eyes, a black chest, and a bright white back. Females have the same shape in pale brown and gray.
Canvasbacks are mostly quiet in winter. Females give a low krrr, and courting males give soft cooing calls.
The Maryland DNR reports that about 250,000 Canvasbacks, roughly half the continent's population, wintered on the Chesapeake in 1950, compared with 57,800 counted in 2023 after the Bay's underwater grasses declined. They usually arrive in force by Christmas, and one of the best spots to see them is the seawall where the Choptank River meets the Bay near Cambridge.
33. Snowy Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo scandiacus
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn, Dusk, and Daytime
- Diurnal / Crepuscular
- Irruptive Species (uncommon, mostly coastal)
The Snowy Owl is the bird people drive the farthest for in a Maryland winter, and some years they do it in vain. These Arctic owls move south in irruption years, often after a good breeding season up north, and they hunt from the ground and from low perches in wide-open places.
Adult males can be nearly all white. Females and young birds have heavy dark barring, so a "dirty" Snowy is usually a young bird or a female.
They're mostly silent in winter.
The DNR notes that Snowy Owls return each winter to certain areas, including Assateague, and they also turn up on beaches, dunes, and other open spots near the coast. If you find one, please keep your distance. The ABA Code of Birding Ethics asks birders to avoid stressing birds, and a Snowy Owl that keeps flushing is burning energy it needs to survive the winter. No photo is worth that.
Maryland Winter Birds FAQ
What birds stay in Maryland in the winter?
Year-round residents like the Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue Jay, and woodpeckers stay put. They're joined by winter visitors such as Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and huge flocks of waterfowl on the Bay. For the state just north of here, see our guide to winter birds in Pennsylvania.
What are the most common birds of Maryland at winter feeders?
Expect Northern Cardinals, Mourning Doves, House Finches, American Goldfinches, White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, Blue Jays, and Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Add suet, and you'll pick up nuthatches, flickers, and the occasional Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Does the Baltimore Oriole stay in Maryland in winter?
No. The Baltimore Oriole is Maryland's state bird and a summer resident, but it rarely winters here. Most head to Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America, and they're back in late April and May.
Where can I see Bald Eagles in Maryland in winter?
Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River is the best-known spot, from November through December. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the Choptank River, and the shores of the Chesapeake Bay are also good for eagles all winter.
Do Snowy Owls come to Maryland?
Some winters, yes. Snowy Owls are irruptive, so numbers swing from year to year. When they come, look along the coast, especially Assateague and Ocean City, and in other open spots like farm fields and airports. Other irruptive birds, like Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, and in rare years Evening Grosbeaks and Redpolls, follow the same boom-and-bust pattern.
What Maryland birds have you seen lately?
Share them on the Sparkbird App, where Maryland birders post their sightings and find each other for winter trips to the Bay. Available in the Apple App Store.
And if you drive all the way to Conowingo and don't see a single eagle, check the parking lot light poles. They've probably been watching you the whole time.
Happy Birding.
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