35 Winter Birds in New Hampshire

New Hampshire's motto is "Live Free or Die," and by February the chickadees at the feeder seem to take it a lot more seriously than I do (I'm the one watching them from inside, in two sweaters). New Hampshire winter birds are a tough, entertaining crowd: backyard regulars that never leave, Arctic visitors that think Hampton Beach in January is a resort, and North Country finches that show up by the hundreds one year and skip the next.

The state bird is the Purple Finch, chosen by vote of the 1957 Legislature, and yes, you can see it in winter. How many you see depends on the year. NH Audubon calls it an irruptive species whose winter numbers swing with food supplies up north, and notes it's far more common than the House Finch north of the White Mountains. So if you live in Coos County, congratulations, the state bird is your problem.

Types of Winter Birds of New Hampshire

There are 3 types of winter birds in New Hampshire on this list:

Resident New Hampshire Birds – species that live here all year and get through the cold on seeds, suet, and stubbornness
Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north and spend the winter here. Many are sea ducks and shorebirds, which is why NH Audubon says the New Hampshire coast offers the most diversity in winter
Irruptive Species – birds that pour south in big numbers some winters and barely appear in others, usually when seed or cone crops fail in Canada

The feeder birds come first, in roughly the order they show up in Project FeederWatch's New England counts, followed by the finches, raptors, owls, and coastal birds. Every entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in New Hampshire, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders.

1. Black-capped Chickadee

Family – Paridae
Species – Poecile atricapillus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Black-capped Chickadee shows up at more New England feeders than any other bird, and it's usually the first one to find a feeder you just hung. It eats seeds, suet, and dormant insects, and it stashes seeds in bark crevices in fall to find again when the snow is deep.

It has a black cap and bib, white cheeks, a soft gray back, and buffy sides. Males and females look the same.

The Black-capped Chickadee call is its name, chick-a-dee-dee-dee, with extra dee notes when a predator is close. In February it starts singing its two-note fee-bee song, which fools plenty of people into thinking the Eastern Phoebe is back. It isn't. Phoebes don't return to New Hampshire until April.

Chickadees live statewide, from Seacoast backyards to spruce woods in the North Country, and they lead the little mixed flocks of nuthatches, titmice, and woodpeckers you'll see working through the trees.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts

2. Blue Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Cyanocitta cristata
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Blue Jay is a noisy, clever corvid that eats acorns, beechnuts, seeds, and the occasional insect. It carries several nuts at a time in its throat and buries them for later, which makes it an accidental tree planter across New Hampshire's oak and beech woods.

Males and females look alike: blue crest and back, white face and belly, and a black necklace. Males average slightly larger, but you'd need them standing side by side to notice.

The Blue Jay call is a loud jeer, plus squeaky "rusty hinge" notes and a very good hawk impression that empties the feeder in seconds.

Blue Jays are found statewide in woods, towns, and backyards, and they're one of the most-counted birds in NH Audubon's Backyard Winter Bird Survey.

Feeder favorites: peanuts in the shell, black oil sunflower, suet

3. Dark-eyed Junco

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Junco hyemalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident in the north / Winter Migrant statewide

The Dark-eyed Junco nests in New Hampshire's conifer forests, but in winter extra birds from Canada pile in, and juncos turn up under nearly every feeder in the state. They're ground feeders that hop around picking up whatever the messier birds drop.

New Hampshire's juncos are the "slate-colored" kind: gray above, white belly, pale pink bill. Males are a darker, cleaner slate, and 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 tik or smack, and the song is a steady, musical trill.

Look for juncos statewide in small flocks along woodland edges, brushy roadsides, and under feeders.

Feeder favorites: white millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn scattered on the ground

4. Downy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates pubescens
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in New Hampshire, and it's light enough to work goldenrod stems and thin twigs for overwintering insect larvae. It's also a suet regular.

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, and females don't.

The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik, plus a high whinny that slides down in pitch.

Downies live statewide in woodlots, parks, and neighborhoods with a few trees.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

5. White-breasted Nuthatch

Family – Sittidae
Species – Sitta carolinensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The White-breasted Nuthatch spends its winter creeping headfirst down tree trunks, which is roughly how I come down my icy front steps. It wedges seeds into bark and hammers them open, and it hides food in crevices for leaner days.

It's blue-gray above with a white face and breast and a rusty patch under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap, and females usually have a grayer one.

The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank, often repeated in a quick series when it's agitated.

They're found statewide in hardwood and mixed forests, older neighborhoods, and parks with mature trees.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, shelled peanuts, suet

6. Mourning Dove

Family – Columbidae
Species – Zenaida macroura
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Mourning Dove fills its crop with seed as fast as it can, then flies off to a sheltered perch to digest. On cold mornings you'll see a whole row of them puffed up on a branch or wire like fuzzy gray footballs.

It's slim and soft gray-brown with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail. Males have a faint rosy breast and bluish crown, and females are a little browner.

The Mourning Dove call is a low, slow coo-OO-oo-oo-oo that often gets mistaken for an owl, and its wings whistle when it takes off.

Mourning Doves are most common in southern New Hampshire's towns and farm country, and scarcer in the deep north woods.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground

7. Tufted Titmouse

Family – Paridae
Species – Baeolophus bicolor
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Tufted Titmouse used to be a southern bird that New Hampshire didn't have at all. Its spread north was so notable that NH Audubon started tracking it in 1967 with the Cardinal–Tufted Titmouse Survey, which later grew into today's Backyard Winter Bird Survey. Few birds have a census named after them, and the titmouse doesn't seem to care.

It's gray above and pale below with a pointed crest, big black eyes, and peachy flanks. Males and females look alike.

The Tufted Titmouse call is a whistled peter-peter-peter, plus a raspy scold that sounds like a chickadee with a sore throat.

Titmice are common in southern and central New Hampshire wherever there are tall hardwoods, but they're still uncommon in northern Coos County, where the cold has held them back.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, shelled peanuts, suet

8. American Goldfinch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus tristis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The American Goldfinch was the most-counted bird in NH Audubon's 2024 backyard survey, with close to 10,000 birds tallied over one weekend. You may not recognize them, though. In winter they swap their lemon-yellow summer look for a drab olive-brown, the bird version of a beige puffer coat.

Winter males keep a yellow tint on the face and throat and bold black wings with white bars. Females are duller and grayer. Both have a small, pale, cone-shaped bill.

The American Goldfinch call is a bouncy flight call often written as po-ta-to-chip, given as they dip up and down in flight.

Goldfinches are found statewide in weedy fields, woodland edges, and at tube feeders, often in flocks that swing in size from year to year.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower

9. Northern Cardinal

Family – Cardinalidae
Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Northern Cardinal was rare in New Hampshire until the early 1900s and only became a familiar sight after it pushed north in the 1930s and 1940s. NH Audubon's survey data show cardinal reports still climbing about 2% a year, helped by feeders, dense shrubs, and milder winters.

Males are bright red with a black mask around a thick orange-red bill. Females are warm tan with red-tinged wings, crest, and tail, and the same orange bill.

The Northern Cardinal call in winter is mostly a sharp, metallic chip. The loud, whistled cheer-cheer-cheer song picks up as the days get longer in late winter.

Cardinals are most common in southern New Hampshire's towns, suburbs, and parks, especially where there's thick cover near a feeder.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, on a platform or hopper feeder

10. Hairy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates villosus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Hairy Woodpecker looks like a Downy that got called up to the majors. It's bigger, louder, and digs deeper into bark for beetle larvae, and it visits suet feeders all winter.

The easy tell is the bill: on a Hairy it's nearly as long as the head, and on a Downy it's short and stubby. Males have a red patch at the back of the head, and females don't.

The Hairy Woodpecker call is a sharp, strong peek, plus a rattle that stays on one pitch.

Hairies live statewide in mature forests and wooded neighborhoods, and they're one of the more regular woodpeckers in the big northern forests.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

11. House Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The House Finch isn't originally from New England at all. Eastern House Finches descend from cage birds released on Long Island in the 1940s, and they're now a common winter flock bird in southern New Hampshire's towns.

Males have a red head, breast, and rump with brown across much of the back and blurry brown streaks on the belly. Females are plain brown and streaky, with no pale eyebrow stripe. That missing eyebrow is a big clue when you're sorting them from Purple Finches.

The House Finch call is a cheerful cheep, and the song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends on a rising or buzzy note.

They're most common south of the White Mountains, around homes, farms, and feeders.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, nyjer, sunflower chips

12. Purple Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous purpureus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
New Hampshire State Bird (resident and irruptive)

The Purple Finch is New Hampshire's state bird, and winter is a gamble with it. A few stick around every year, but big numbers only come south when food runs short in Canada. Sadly, NH Audubon's survey data show winter reports falling about 5% a year, and researchers think competition from House Finches and a warming climate may be part of the reason.

The male isn't really purple. NH Audubon describes him as looking "dipped in raspberry juice," with that color washing over his head and back and less streaking than a House Finch. Females are brown and streaky with a bold white stripe over the eye. Both sexes have a deeply notched tail, while the House Finch's tail is squarer.

The Purple Finch call is a short, dry pik in flight, and the song is a fast, rich warble.

They're most reliable north of the White Mountains, in conifer forests, forest edges, and backyards with feeders. South of the mountains, give any "Purple Finch" a second look, because it's often a House Finch.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, nyjer, sunflower chips, safflower

13. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Melanerpes carolinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird (mostly south of the White Mountains)

The Red-bellied Woodpecker has one of the worst names in birding, since the red on its belly is a faint blush you'll almost never see. Until around 2000 it was a scarce bird in New Hampshire. Now it's regularly reported south of the White Mountains, and NH Audubon thinks warmer winters, regrown forests, and dead trees left by Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer have all helped.

It has a pale face, a black-and-white barred back, and red on the head. Males are red from the forehead to the back of the neck, while females only have red on the nape.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker call is a rolling churr or kwirr.

Look for it in southern and central New Hampshire's oak woods, river corridors, and suburbs.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower

14. American Crow

Family – Corvidae
Species – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The American Crow eats nearly anything, from roadkill and waste grain to whatever someone left in a parking lot. In winter crows gather at big communal roosts at dusk, then spread back out to feed at dawn.

They're glossy black from bill to toes with a squared-off tail. Males and females look alike.

The American Crow call is the classic caw-caw-caw, plus rattles, clicks, and soft gurgles most people never notice.

Crows are found statewide, though they're most numerous in southern New Hampshire's farmland, river valleys, and cities.

Feeder favorites: peanuts in the shell, cracked corn

15. American Robin

Family – Turdidae
Species – Turdus migratorius
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The American Robin isn't the "first sign of spring" in New Hampshire anymore, because a lot of them never leave. NH Audubon says robins now winter across much of the state, though they're less common in Coos County and the White Mountains. Winter robins trade worms for fruit and travel in roving flocks, so you'll see them in crabapples and sumac, not on the lawn.

Males have a deep brick-orange breast and a dark gray head. Females are similar but paler, with a grayer head.

The American Robin call in winter is mostly a clucking tut-tut and a thin, high seee in flight.

Look for flocks in southern New Hampshire's fruiting trees, along rivers, and in neighborhoods with ornamental plantings.

Feeder favorites: dried mealworms, softened raisins or currants on a platform, suet

16. Carolina Wren

Family – Troglodytidae
Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird (south of the White Mountains)

The Carolina Wren was a rarity in New Hampshire before the 1990s. Now it's a regular south of the White Mountains, and NH Audubon's survey shows reports rising about 13% a year, with a record count in 2025. The catch is that a hard cold snap can knock them back hard, though numbers usually rebound.

It's a round, rusty-brown wren with a bold white eyebrow, a warm buffy belly, and a cocked-up tail. Males and females look alike.

The Carolina Wren song is a loud teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, wildly out of proportion to the bird, and it sings even on gray winter days.

Find it in southern New Hampshire's brushy yards, woodpiles, and thickets, often poking around porches and sheds.

Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, mealworms

17. White-throated Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Uncommon Winter Resident (mostly southern New Hampshire)

The White-throated Sparrow nests all over New Hampshire's north woods, but most leave for winter. The ones that stay stick to the southern part of the state, scratching through leaf litter under shrubs.

It has a crisp white throat, a striped head, and a yellow spot between the eye and bill. Some adults have white head stripes and some have tan, and that's not a male-vs-female difference. Both sexes come in both styles.

The White-throated Sparrow song is a clear, whistled Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada, and the winter call is a sharp pink.

Look for them in thickets, brush piles, and under feeders in southern New Hampshire.

Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn scattered on the ground

18. American Tree Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Spizelloides arborea
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The American Tree Sparrow breeds in the far north and only shows up in New Hampshire for winter, usually in small flocks. NH Audubon's data show it slowly declining here, partly because old weedy fields have grown back into forest.

It has a rusty cap, a rusty line behind the eye, a gray face, a two-toned bill (dark on top, yellow below), and a small dark spot in the middle of a plain breast. Males and females look alike.

The American Tree Sparrow call is a high tseet, and a flock gives a soft, tinkly twitter.

Look for them in weedy fields, hedgerows, and marsh edges, and under feeders. Leaving dead seed heads standing in your garden gives them free winter food.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn scattered on the ground

19. Red-breasted Nuthatch

Family – Sittidae
Species – Sitta canadensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Irruptive

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is the White-breasted's smaller, twitchier relative, and it lives mainly on conifer seeds. In years when the cone crop fails up north, extra birds flood south into New Hampshire's backyards.

It's blue-gray above with a black eye line under a white eyebrow and a rusty-cinnamon breast. Males have a black cap and a richer breast, and females have a grayer cap and a paler breast.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank-yank, higher and tinnier than the White-breasted's, like a tiny toy horn.

They're found statewide in spruce, fir, and pine, and they're most reliable in the North Country and the White Mountains.

Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower

20. Eastern Bluebird

Family – Turdidae
Species – Sialia sialis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant (mostly southern New Hampshire)

The Eastern Bluebird has gone from a rare winter sighting to a regular backyard visitor, and NH Audubon calls it one of the state's most dramatic winter success stories. Winter bluebirds eat mostly fruit from sumac and winterberry, and at night small groups pile into nest boxes or tree cavities to stay warm, which is a good reason to leave your boxes up all year. Our guide to winter bird houses and roosting boxes covers how to set one up.

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, low tur-a-lee or chur-lee.

Look for them in southern New Hampshire's open country with scattered trees, perched on fence posts and wires.

Feeder favorites: dried mealworms, softened raisins or currants on a flat surface

21. Cedar Waxwing

Family – Bombycillidae
Species – Bombycilla cedrorum
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Nomadic

The Cedar Waxwing roams New Hampshire in winter in flocks that strip a fruit tree and move on. It won't touch a seed feeder, but crabapples, winterberry, mountain ash, and juniper are fair game, and that includes the ornamental trees in supermarket parking lots. In some winters, they're joined by the larger, grayer Bohemian Waxwing from the north.

It's silky tan with a black mask, a pale yellow belly, a yellow-tipped tail, and red waxy tips on the wing feathers. Males and females look nearly the same, though males usually have a blacker chin.

The Cedar Waxwing call is a thin, high sreee, given constantly by flocks.

Look anywhere there's fruit, from city parking lots to river edges.

Feeder favorites: none at seed feeders. Fruiting trees and shrubs are the draw

22. Wild Turkey

Family – Phasianidae
Species – Meleagris gallopavo
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Wild Turkey was hunted out of New Hampshire entirely. A 1969 reintroduction was wiped out by a harsh winter, and it took a second try in 1975, when NH Fish and Game released turkeys in the Connecticut River Valley. They've since spread statewide, and now they stroll through backyards like they pay property taxes.

Males (toms) are big and dark with an iridescent bronze sheen, a bare red-and-blue head, and a "beard" on the chest. Females (hens) are smaller and browner with a duller head.

The Wild Turkey call in winter is mostly clucks and yelps. The famous gobble starts in spring.

Winter flocks forage in fields, oak woods, and backyards with spilled seed across most of the state.

Feeder favorites: spilled seed and cracked corn on the ground

23. Evening Grosbeak

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Coccothraustes vespertinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive Species (mostly north of the White Mountains)

The Evening Grosbeak used to crowd New Hampshire feeders by the dozens in the 1980s and early 1990s, and its numbers here have dropped a lot since. Its boom years seem to follow spruce budworm outbreaks in eastern Canada. The 2025–26 winter was a good one in the north, with flocks of over 100 at feeders in Jefferson, Colebrook, and Errol, and Pine Grosbeaks scattered around the North Country, too.

Males are mustard yellow with a dark head, a bright yellow eyebrow, black wings, and a big white wing patch. Females are gray with yellow on the neck and black-and-white wings. Both have a huge, pale, nutcracker of a bill.

The Evening Grosbeak call is a loud, ringing cleer or peeer, and a flock sounds a bit like a chorus of squeaky toys.

Look for them in northern New Hampshire towns and feeders in Coos County. There are few reports south of the White Mountains.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower on a platform feeder

24. Pine Siskin

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus pinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive Species

The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that follows conifer, birch, and alder seed crops. Some winters New Hampshire barely has any, and others they mob the nyjer feeder like it's Black Friday.

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, but there's a lot of overlap.

The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeee, like someone slowly unzipping a jacket, plus a lot of wheezy chatter.

They're most common in the North Country and the White Mountains, and spread statewide in irruption years.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

25. Redpoll

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Acanthis flammea
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive Species

The Redpoll used to be split into Common and Hoary Redpolls, but in 2024 the American Ornithological Society merged them into one species, so now it's just Redpoll. It's an Arctic finch whose trips to New Hampshire follow the birch and spruce seed crops up north. Redpolls often irrupt every other year, though NH Audubon notes plenty of years that break the pattern. The pale, frosty birds once called Hoary Redpolls are much rarer here, so they're still a great find.

It's a small, streaky finch with a red cap and a little black chin. Males have a pink wash on the breast, and females are streakier with little or no pink.

The Redpoll call is a dry, rattling chit-chit-chit and a rising, wheezy sweee.

In big years they show up statewide on birches and at feeders. In quiet years, the North Country is your best bet.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

26. Canada Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Perisoreus canadensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird (North Country and high elevations)

The Canada Jay is a boreal specialist, and it doesn't just survive winter in the spruce-fir forest, it nests in it, starting in late winter while there's still snow on the ground. It stores food all summer and fall in bark, sticking each bit in place with sticky saliva. Hikers know it as the "camp robber," and if you've eaten a granola bar on a North Country trail, you've probably met one.

It's a fluffy gray jay with a white face, a dark gray cap on the back of the head, and a short black bill. Males and females look alike.

The Canada Jay call is a soft, whistled wheeoo, plus chatters, clucks, and a surprising range of mimicry.

Look for it in spruce and fir forests around Pittsburg, Errol, and Lake Umbagog, and in the higher White Mountains.

Feeder favorites: suet and peanuts, if you happen to live in its spruce woods

27. Snow Bunting

Family – Calcariidae
Species – Plectrophenax nivalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Snow Bunting breeds in the high Arctic and comes to New Hampshire for winter in swirling flocks that look like blowing snow until they land. They pick seeds off bare, windswept ground, and they're often mixed with Horned Larks.

In winter both sexes are white below with warm tan and rusty patches on the head and back. Males show more white in the wings, and females are browner overall, especially on the back.

The Snow Bunting call is a soft, rolling rattle and a whistled tew given in flight.

NH Audubon says Hampton Beach State Park usually hosts Snow Buntings and Horned Larks, sometimes with a Lapland Longspur. Inland, try farm fields in the Connecticut River Valley from Westmoreland to Walpole, or the open ground at Berlin Regional Airport in Milan.

28. Northern Shrike

Family – Laniidae
Species – Lanius borealis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon)

The Northern Shrike is a songbird that hunts like a hawk. It visits from the north in winter, catches small birds and rodents, and sometimes hangs them on thorns or barbed wire for later. It's basically a tiny John McClane with a pantry problem.

It's pale gray above and whitish below with a black mask, black wings and tail, and a hooked bill. Males and females look alike, while young birds are browner.

The Northern Shrike call is a harsh, scolding rattle, though they're often silent in winter.

They can turn up anywhere in the state, often perched on top of a lone tree in open country. Two good places to check are Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Newington and Airport Marsh in Whitefield.

29. Bald Eagle

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Bald Eagle gathers wherever New Hampshire's water stays open in winter, eating fish, ducks, and carrion. In NH Audubon's 2020 midwinter survey, counters found a record 101 Bald Eagles on count day, with the most in the Lakes Region and along the Connecticut River.

Adults have a dark brown body, a white head and tail, and a big yellow bill. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and take about five years to get the full look. Females are larger than males.

The Bald Eagle call is a thin, high chattering whistle, which surprises people expecting something more majestic.

Look for eagles along the Connecticut and Merrimack rivers, around open water in the Lakes Region, and at Great Bay.

30. Cooper's Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Astur cooperii
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Cooper's Hawk is the hawk most likely to show up at your feeder, and it isn't there for the sunflower seeds. It hunts doves, jays, and other songbirds with fast, low dashes through yards and woods. (If your feeder suddenly goes silent, look up.)

Adults are blue-gray above with fine orange barring below, a dark cap, and a long, rounded tail with a white tip. Females are noticeably larger than males. It looks a lot like the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk, which has a squarer tail and a smaller head.

The Cooper's Hawk call is a loud cak-cak-cak, though they're quiet most of the winter.

Cooper's Hawks live statewide and are most often seen in southern New Hampshire's suburbs and towns, where feeders concentrate their prey.

31. Snowy Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Bubo scandiacus
Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
Diurnal and Nocturnal
Irruptive Species

The Snowy Owl comes down from the Arctic in winter, in big numbers some years and just a handful in others, mostly depending on how well the lemmings did up north. It hunts small mammals and waterbirds from low perches in wide-open spaces that look like tundra, such as beaches, salt marshes, and airports.

Adult males can be almost pure white. Females and young birds are heavily barred with dark brown, and females are larger.

The Snowy Owl call is a deep, hoarse hoot, but they're almost always silent in winter.

Even in the quiet 2025–26 winter, one Snowy Owl spent all three months at Hampton Beach State Park, and others showed up at Manchester's airport and on the Rye coast. Watch from a distance and let it rest. A Snowy Owl that keeps getting flushed burns energy it can't spare.

32. Barred Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Strix varia
Primary Activity Time – Night
Nocturnal
Resident New Hampshire Bird

The Barred Owl is New Hampshire's most vocal owl, and late winter is when it gets chatty. Courtship hooting picks up in late February, and NH Audubon suggests a moonlit night as the best time to listen. It eats mostly small mammals, and in hard winters it sometimes hunts in daylight near feeders where rodents gather.

It's a big, round-headed gray-brown owl with no ear tufts, dark eyes, barring across the chest, and streaks down the belly. Males and females look alike, though females are larger.

The Barred Owl call is the famous who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all. (Not me, if anyone's asking.) Pairs also trade wild cackles and hoots that sound like a monkey house.

Barred Owls live statewide in mature, mixed forests, especially near swamps, streams, and beaver ponds.

33. Common Goldeneye

Family – Anatidae
Species – Bucephala clangula
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Common Goldeneye is a diving duck that winters wherever New Hampshire's water stays open, from the coast and Great Bay to fast-flowing stretches of the big rivers. It dives for mussels, crustaceans, and aquatic insects, and its wings make a whistling sound in flight.

Males are bright white with a dark, green-glossed head, golden eyes, and a round white spot between the eye and bill. Females have a chocolate-brown head, a gray body, and a dark bill that often has a yellow tip.

The Common Goldeneye call is a nasal, buzzy peent that males give during their head-throwing courtship display in late winter.

While you're looking, check the flock for the rarer Barrow's Goldeneye, whose males have a white crescent instead of a round spot. NH Audubon calls Stark Landing on the Merrimack River in Manchester one of the best spots in the state for Barrow's Goldeneye, and Laconia usually has one or two when there's open water.

34. Long-tailed Duck

Family – Anatidae
Species – Clangula hyemalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Long-tailed Duck is a sea duck that breeds in the Arctic and spends winter off the New Hampshire coast, diving deep for shellfish and small crustaceans. For a lot of these sea ducks, winter is the only time you'll see them in the state.

Winter males are mostly white with a dark breast patch, a dark cheek spot, a pink band on the bill, and two long, needle-like tail feathers. Females are brown and white with a dark crown and a short tail.

The Long-tailed Duck call is a yodeling ow-owlet, and a winter flock can sound a bit like distant bagpipes.

Scan the open ocean from Rye, Hampton, and New Castle, especially on calm mornings when the water's flat. A scope helps a lot.

35. Purple Sandpiper

Family – Scolopacidae
Species – Calidris maritima
Primary Activity Time – Daytime (depends on the tide)
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Purple Sandpiper is a tough little shorebird that spends the winter on rocky, wave-splashed shorelines, picking snails and small crustaceans off the rocks while the surf breaks around it. The name is more of a goal than a description. In the right light there's a faint purple sheen on its back, and that's about it.

In winter it's dark slate-gray with a gray breast, a white belly, and orange-yellow legs and bill base. Males and females look alike, though females average a little larger with longer bills.

The Purple Sandpiper call is a low, soft twitter, mostly given in flight.

NH Audubon recommends the rocky coast at Rye and the Hampton Harbor jetty at high tide, when the sandpipers bunch up on the rocks above the waterline. Dress for wind. I mean it.

New Hampshire Winter Birds FAQ

What birds stay in New Hampshire in the winter?

Year-round residents like the Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers stay put. They're joined by winter visitors like American Tree Sparrows, Snow Buntings, and sea ducks, and in some years by irruptive finches from Canada. If you head south for a weekend, here are the winter birds in Massachusetts, and if you go east, the winter birds in Maine.

What are the most common birds of New Hampshire in winter?

In NH Audubon's 2024 Backyard Winter Bird Survey, the most-counted birds were American Goldfinch, Dark-eyed Junco, Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, and Blue Jay. The survey happens over one weekend in February, and around 1,500 people count the New Hampshire birds at their feeders. It's free, it's done from your kitchen, and it's one of the easiest ways to help science while still wearing slippers.

Is the Purple Finch in New Hampshire in winter?

Yes, though how many you'll see depends on the year. The state bird is most common north of the White Mountains, and larger numbers come south when food is scarce farther north. Its winter numbers in New Hampshire have been dropping for decades.

Where is the best place to see winter birds in New Hampshire?

The coast has the most variety, with sea ducks, loons, Purple Sandpipers, Snow Buntings, and the occasional Snowy Owl from Hampton Beach State Park up through Rye and New Castle. Great Bay holds big flocks of Greater Scaup, the Merrimack River in Manchester is good for goldeneyes, and the North Country around Pittsburg and Errol is where to look for boreal birds and irruptive finches.

How can I help winter birds in New Hampshire?

Keep feeders clean and stocked with black oil sunflower, suet, and nyjer, leave dead seed heads standing in the garden, and offer fresh water. Water is harder to find than food when everything freezes, so here are 9 easy ways to keep a bird bath from freezing. And skip the bread. It fills birds up without giving them anything they need.

What birds have you seen in New Hampshire this winter?

Share your sightings on the Sparkbird App and see what other birders around the state are finding.

And if your "Purple Finch" turns out to be a House Finch, don't take it personally. It happens to everyone, even in the state that picked the Purple Finch as its bird.

Happy Birding.