North Carolina winters are mild enough that half the birds up north treat the state like a snowbird condo in Boca (I relate, as someone who starts pricing flights south around Halloween). That's what makes winter birds in North Carolina so fun: the year-round crowd stays put, and a whole second cast flies in from Canada and the Arctic to join them.
The state bird is one of the regulars. The Northern Cardinal has been North Carolina's official state bird since 1943, and it doesn't migrate, so you'll see it at feeders all winter long, looking like it owns the place. Around it, juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and kinglets arrive from the north in fall, while the coastal refuges fill up with ducks, geese, and swans.
Types of Winter Birds in North Carolina
There are 3 types of winter birds in North Carolina you'll see on the list:
- Resident North Carolina Birds – found year-round, and most of them visit feeders
- Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north and spend the cold months here. The big waterfowl show happens at refuges like Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, where most of the state's wintering Tundra Swans gather
- 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
The winter birds of North Carolina below run roughly from backyard regulars to northern visitors to the big refuge birds. Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in North Carolina, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you're curious why some birds leave and others don't, here's where birds go in the winter.
1. Northern Cardinal
- Family – Cardinalidae
- Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird (State Bird)
The Northern Cardinal is North Carolina's state bird and probably the most reliable bird at any feeder in the state. In Project FeederWatch's Southeast counts, it turned up at nearly 98% of feeder sites, which is better attendance than I managed in high school. It eats seeds and berries in winter and likes to feed low, in shrubs or on platform feeders.
Males are bright red all year with a black face mask and a pointed crest. Females are warm tan-brown with reddish tints on the wings, tail, and crest, and both sexes have a thick orange-red bill built for cracking seeds.
The Northern Cardinal song is a loud, whistled cheer-cheer-cheer or birdie-birdie-birdie, and cardinals are among the first birds singing on mild late-winter mornings. Their call is a sharp, metallic chip.
In North Carolina winters, cardinals are found statewide, from mountain towns to the Outer Banks, anywhere with dense shrubs near a food source. If you want them in your yard, our guide to cardinals in winter: where they go, what they eat, and how to attract them covers it.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn
2. Carolina Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Carolina Chickadee is the chickadee of nearly all of North Carolina, and it's tiny, bold, and constantly in motion. It eats insects, seeds, and berries, and it hides extra food in bark crevices to eat later.
It has a black cap and bib, white cheeks, and a gray back. Males and females look alike. It's very similar to the Black-capped Chickadee, which only overlaps with it at higher elevations in the mountains.
The Carolina Chickadee call is a fast, scolding chick-a-dee-dee-dee. Its song is a whistled four-note fee-bee fee-bay, which is the easiest way to tell it from its black-capped cousin.
In North Carolina winters, the Carolina Chickadee range is statewide in woods, parks, and backyards. It often leads mixed flocks with titmice, nuthatches, and kinglets.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
3. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Tufted Titmouse is the chickadee's crested sidekick. It grabs one seed at a time from the feeder, flies off to hammer it open on a branch, and comes right back for another, like someone who refuses to use a plate at a buffet.
It's soft gray above with a pale belly, rusty flanks, big black eyes, and a gray crest. Males and females look the same.
The Tufted Titmouse song is a clear, whistled peter-peter-peter, and you'll start hearing it on mild days in late winter. It also gives a harsh, scolding call a lot like a chickadee's.
In North Carolina winters, the Tufted Titmouse range is statewide in deciduous and mixed woods, suburbs, and parks.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
4. Carolina Wren
- Family – Troglodytidae
- Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Carolina Wren is a small, round, loud bird that seems to have no idea how small it is. It mostly eats insects and spiders it digs out of leaf litter and tangles, and in winter it'll take suet and shelled peanuts. (Despite the name, it's South Carolina's state bird, not ours. Family drama.)
It's rich reddish-brown above and warm buff below, with a bold white eyebrow stripe and a tail it often cocks upward. Males and females look alike.
The Carolina Wren song is a booming teakettle-teakettle-teakettle that sounds far too loud for a bird this size. Males sing all year, even in winter.
In North Carolina winters, Carolina Wrens are found statewide in brushy yards, woodland edges, and thickets. They're happy to roost in garages, sheds, and hanging planters.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, mealworms
5. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Mourning Dove is a ground-feeding seed eater that eats fast, stores the food in its crop, and then sits somewhere sunny to digest. It was the second most widespread bird in FeederWatch's Southeast list, right behind the cardinal.
It's a slim, sandy gray-brown dove with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail edged in white. Males have a faint pinkish breast and a bluish crown, while females are a bit browner overall.
The Mourning Dove call is a soft, sad coo-OO-oo-oo-oo that people often mistake for an owl. Their wings make a whistling sound when they take off.
In North Carolina winters, Mourning Doves are found statewide, especially in farm country and suburbs, often in flocks along power lines and under feeders.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground
6. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird & Winter Migrant
The American Goldfinch is a small finch that trades its bright summer yellow for a dull olive-brown coat in winter. Plenty of people think their goldfinches left in October, when really they're just in disguise and northern birds have joined them.
In winter, males show a yellowish wash on the face and throat and bold black wings with white bars. Females are grayer and duller, with buffy wing bars. Both have a short, pale, cone-shaped bill.
The American Goldfinch call is a bouncy flight call often written as po-ta-to-chip, given as the birds bob up and down through the air.
In North Carolina winters, goldfinches are found statewide in weedy fields, woodland edges, and anywhere with a tube feeder.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower
7. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Red-bellied Woodpecker has one of the most misleading names in birding. The red belly is a faint pinkish blush you'll almost never see, while the obvious red is on its head. It eats insects, acorns, nuts, and fruit, and it's a regular at suet and peanut feeders.
It has a pale gray face and underparts and a black-and-white "zebra" barred back. Males have red running from the bill all the way over the crown to the nape. Females have red only on the nape, with a gray crown.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker call is a rolling kwirr or churr, one of the most common winter sounds in Southern woods.
In North Carolina winters, the Red-bellied Woodpecker range is statewide in woods, suburbs, and river bottoms.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
8. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America. It picks insects and larvae off twigs and weed stems, and in winter it comes readily to suet.
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 similar Hairy Woodpecker is bigger, with a bill nearly as long as its head.
The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik, and it also gives a fast whinny that drops in pitch at the end.
In North Carolina winters, Downy Woodpeckers are found statewide in woods, parks, and yards, often moving with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts
9. Blue Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta cristata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Blue Jay is loud, clever, and a little bit of a bully at the feeder. It eats acorns, seeds, nuts, and insects, and it buries acorns to dig up later (the ones it forgets help plant new oaks, which is the most productive forgetfulness I've ever heard of).
It's bright blue above and white below, with a crest and a black necklace. Males and females look alike, though males average slightly larger.
The Blue Jay call is a harsh jay-jay, plus quieter whistles and gurgles. Blue Jays can also do a convincing imitation of a Red-shouldered or Red-tailed Hawk.
In North Carolina winters, Blue Jays are found statewide in oak woods, towns, and neighborhoods with big trees.
Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet
10. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird (introduced to the East)
The House Finch is originally a Western bird, and the eastern population is descended from birds released on Long Island around 1940. Now it's one of the most common feeder birds in the Southeast, which makes it a New York transplant that moved south and never looked back.
Males have a red to orange-red wash on the head, breast, and rump, with brown streaks on the flanks. Females are plain brown with blurry streaks and no strong face pattern.
The House Finch song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends in a buzzy, rising note.
In North Carolina winters, House Finches are found statewide in towns and suburbs, usually in small, chatty flocks.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
11. White-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The White-breasted Nuthatch spends winter creeping headfirst down tree trunks, poking into bark for insects and stashed seeds. It wedges nuts into bark and hacks them open, which is where the "nuthatch" name comes from.
It's blue-gray above with a clean white face and breast and a rusty wash under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap. Females usually have a grayer or duller cap.
The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank or quank, often repeated as the bird works its way down a tree.
In North Carolina winters, White-breasted Nuthatches are found across the state in mature hardwood forests, parks, and yards with big trees.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
12. Brown-headed Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta pusilla
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird (pine woods, mostly Coastal Plain, Sandhills, and Piedmont)
The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a true Southern specialty and one of the best reasons to bird the pines in winter. It's also one of the few birds that uses tools: it pries up bark with a loose flake of bark held in its bill, and sometimes carries a favorite one from tree to tree.
It's small and blue-gray with a brown cap, a pale spot on the back of the neck, and a whitish throat. Males and females look alike.
The Brown-headed Nuthatch call sounds like a squeezed rubber duck. Seriously. You'll usually hear a little flock squeaking in the treetops before you see it.
In North Carolina winters, look for Brown-headed Nuthatches in open pine forests and pine-shaded neighborhoods, especially in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills. They're scarce to absent in the mountains.
Feeder favorites: sunflower chips, suet, peanuts
13. Eastern Bluebird
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Sialia sialis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Eastern Bluebird switches from insects to berries in winter, eating fruit from dogwood, holly, sumac, and eastern red cedar. Small family flocks also huddle together in nest boxes on cold nights, so don't take your boxes down in fall.
Males are bright blue above with a rusty orange throat and breast and a white belly. Females are grayer, with blue mostly in the wings and tail and a paler orange breast.
The Eastern Bluebird call is a soft, low tu-a-wee or chur-lee, and the song is a gentle, warbled string of the same notes.
In North Carolina winters, bluebirds are found statewide in open country, pastures, golf courses, and large yards with scattered trees.
Feeder favorites: mealworms, suet nuggets, chopped fruit
14. Northern Mockingbird
- Family – Mimidae
- Species – Mimus polyglottos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Northern Mockingbird guards a winter territory around a good berry bush and chases off everyone else who wants a bite. In winter it lives mostly on fruit like holly, pyracantha, and multiflora rose.
It's gray above and paler below, with a long tail and big white wing patches that flash in flight. Males and females look alike.
The Northern Mockingbird song is a long string of borrowed phrases, each repeated a few times before it moves on. Some will imitate car alarms, which is the one song I could do without at 3 a.m.
In North Carolina winters, mockingbirds are found statewide in towns, suburbs, and farmland, wherever there are fruiting shrubs.
Feeder favorites: suet, chopped fruit, raisins
15. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird & Winter Migrant
The American Robin doesn't really leave North Carolina in winter. Instead, northern robins pour in and join local birds in big nomadic flocks that roam from one fruiting tree to the next. In winter they eat mostly berries rather than worms.
Robins have a gray-brown back and a warm orange breast. Females usually have a paler head and breast than males, though the difference can be subtle.
In winter, the American Robin call you'll hear most is a clucking tut-tut-tut and a high, thin seeee from the flock.
In North Carolina winters, robins are found statewide, especially in holly, cedar, and other fruiting trees and on open lawns after rain.
Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, mealworms
16. Eastern Towhee
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Pipilo erythrophthalmus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Eastern Towhee is a big, flashy sparrow that feeds by hopping backward with both feet to kick up leaf litter. If you hear loud scratching under a shrub, it's probably a towhee, not a raccoon.
Males have a black hood, back, and tail, rufous sides, and a white belly. Females have the same pattern but in warm brown instead of black.
The Eastern Towhee song is the classic drink-your-teeeea, and the call is an upslurred chewink.
In North Carolina winters, towhees are found statewide in thickets, overgrown fields, and shrubby yard edges.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
17. Brown Thrasher
- Family – Mimidae
- Species – Toxostoma rufum
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Brown Thrasher is a long-tailed skulker that tosses leaves aside with its curved bill to find insects, seeds, and fallen fruit. It's also Georgia's state bird, so if you want to compare notes with the neighbors, see our list of winter birds in Georgia.
It's bright rufous above, with two white wing bars, a heavily streaked cream breast, and piercing yellow eyes. Males and females look alike.
The Brown Thrasher song is a long string of phrases, usually each one sung twice. In winter, you're more likely to hear its loud, smacking tchuck call.
In North Carolina winters, thrashers are found mostly in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain in dense hedgerows and brushy edges. They're scarcer in the mountains in winter.
Feeder favorites: suet, cracked corn, and seeds on the ground near cover
18. Pine Warbler
- Family – Parulidae
- Species – Setophaga pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Pine Warbler is the warbler that refuses to leave. Most warblers head to the tropics, but this one sticks around the Southern pines all winter and does something few warblers do: it eats seeds and suet at feeders.
Males are olive above with a yellow throat and breast, two white wing bars, and blurry streaks on the sides. Females are duller and paler, and some first-winter birds are almost gray-brown.
The Pine Warbler song is a musical, even trill, a bit like a softer Chipping Sparrow, and it starts up again on warm days in late winter.
In North Carolina winters, look for Pine Warblers in pine woods and pine-shaded yards across the Coastal Plain, Sandhills, and Piedmont.
Feeder favorites: suet, sunflower chips, peanut butter suet dough
19. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Resident in the high mountains
The Dark-eyed Junco is the original "snowbird," and its arrival in fall is how a lot of North Carolinians know winter is on the way. It hops around on the ground under feeders, picking up seeds that messier birds drop.
Most juncos here in winter are the slate-colored form: gray above, white belly, pink bill, and white outer tail feathers that flash when it flies. Males are darker slate gray, while females are paler and washed with brown. According to Audubon North Carolina's guide to the state's overwintering birds, an Appalachian form with a gray bill also nests in western North Carolina above 3,000 feet, but the northern birds outnumber them in winter.
The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tsick or tchet, and its song is a short, musical trill.
In North Carolina winters, juncos are found statewide along woodland edges, brushy fields, and backyards, usually in small flocks on the ground.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
20. White-throated Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The White-throated Sparrow comes south from Canada and the far northern U.S. for the winter, and it's one of the most common sparrows in North Carolina backyards. It scratches through leaves for seeds and insects and is happy to clean up under a feeder.
It has a crisp white throat, a yellow spot between the eye and bill, and a striped head. The head stripes come in two forms, white-striped and tan-striped, and that difference isn't about male vs female. Males and females look alike.
The White-throated Sparrow song is a thin, whistled Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada, which feels a little like bragging about where it's from. Its call is a sharp pink.
In North Carolina winters, White-throated Sparrows are found statewide in thickets, brush piles, and shrubby yards.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
21. Fox Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Passerella iliaca
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, most often in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain)
The Fox Sparrow is a big, chunky sparrow that breeds in northern Canada and winters in the Southeast. It feeds with a two-footed hop-and-scratch that sends leaves flying, a lot like the towhee.
Eastern birds are a rich fox-red and gray, with heavy reddish streaks that merge into a central spot on the breast and a rusty tail. Males and females look alike.
The Fox Sparrow call is a loud, sharp chink. It rarely sings in winter.
In North Carolina winters, Fox Sparrows show up in dense thickets and brushy yards, and they often come into the open after snow, when they're easiest to find under feeders.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
22. Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Family – Parulidae
- Species – Setophaga coronata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the most common winter warbler in North Carolina, mostly because it can digest the waxy berries of wax myrtle and bayberry that other warblers can't. Birders call them "butter-butts," which I'll admit is the best bird nickname ever made.
Winter birds are streaky gray-brown with a bright yellow rump patch, a little yellow on the sides, and a white throat (this eastern form is called the "Myrtle Warbler"). Males and females look similar in winter, with females usually a bit browner and duller.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler call is a flat, sharp chek, often given as small flocks move through the shrubs.
In North Carolina winters, Yellow-rumped Warblers are found statewide, but they're especially abundant along the coast in wax myrtle thickets, including around the Outer Banks.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanut butter suet dough, mealworms
23. 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 and comes back to drink the sap and eat the insects it attracts. If your maple has tidy horizontal lines of holes, a sapsucker has been running a tab.
It's black and white with a long white stripe on the folded wing and a red forehead. Males also have a red throat, while females have a white throat.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker call is a cat-like mew or whine. It's fairly quiet in winter, so look for the sap wells first.
In North Carolina winters, sapsuckers are found statewide in woods, parks, and yards with mature trees.
Feeder favorites: suet
24. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Family – Regulidae
- Species – Corthylio calendula
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny, hyperactive insect eater that constantly flicks its wings as it hops through branches. It's smaller than a chickadee and moves like it's had four espressos.
It's olive-green with a bold white eye ring broken at the top and bottom, and a white wing bar next to a dark patch. Males have a red crown patch they usually keep hidden unless they're excited. Females have no red at all.
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet call is a dry, scolding ji-dit.
In North Carolina winters, Ruby-crowned Kinglets are found statewide in shrubs, woodland edges, and pine woods, often with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms
25. Hermit Thrush
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Catharus guttatus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (also nests in the high mountains)
The Hermit Thrush is a shy, brown thrush that comes down from Canada and farther north for the winter. It forages in leaf litter for insects and berries, and in winter it's one of the few thrushes you'll find in the state.
It's olive-brown above with a reddish tail, a thin whitish eye ring, and dark spots on a pale breast. It has a habit of raising its tail and lowering it slowly. Males and females look alike.
The Hermit Thrush call is a low tuck in winter. Its famously beautiful, flute-like song is mostly saved for spring and summer.
In North Carolina winters, Hermit Thrushes are found statewide in wooded yards and shady forest understory, often near holly or other berry bushes.
Feeder favorites: mealworms, chopped fruit
26. Cedar Waxwing
- Family – Bombycillidae
- Species – Bombycilla cedrorum
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident in the mountains & Winter Migrant statewide
The Cedar Waxwing travels in tight flocks that strip a holly or cedar of berries and then vanish. You might not see one for weeks, and then dozens or even hundreds turn up at once.
It's sleek and brown fading to gray, with a black mask, a pale yellow belly, yellow tail tips, and red waxy tips on the wing feathers. Males and females look alike.
The Cedar Waxwing call is a very high, thin, lisping sreee, easy to overlook until you know it.
In North Carolina winters, waxwings are found statewide wherever fruit is plentiful, including cedars, hollies, and ornamental berry trees in parking lots.
Feeder favorites: they rarely visit feeders, but an ice-free bird bath will catch their attention
27. Purple Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous purpureus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Irruptive Species (numbers vary from year to year)
The Purple Finch is the House Finch look-alike birders love to squint at, and in some winters it shows up at North Carolina feeders in good numbers, while in others you'll barely see one.
Males look like they were dipped in raspberry juice, with rosy color over the head, breast, and back and no heavy streaks on the flanks. Females are brown and white with bold, crisp streaks and a strong white eyebrow, which sets them apart from plain-faced female House Finches.
The Purple Finch call is a sharp pik in flight, and the song is a rich, fast warble.
In North Carolina winters, Purple Finches are most often found in the Piedmont and mountains, in woods and at feeders near mixed forest.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips
28. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Pine Siskin isn't guaranteed in North Carolina, but in irruption years it can descend on feeders in big, buzzing flocks. It eats small seeds, especially from conifers, birches, and alders.
It's small and brown-streaked, with a thin, pointed bill and yellow flashes in the wings and tail. Males tend to show a little more yellow than females, but they're hard to tell apart.
The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeeee that sounds like someone slowly zipping up a jacket.
In North Carolina winters, siskins can show up anywhere in the state during flight years, usually at nyjer feeders and in pine stands. In other winters, expect few or none.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
29. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (resident in the high mountains)
The Red-breasted Nuthatch lives year-round in the spruce and fir forests of North Carolina's high mountains, but in some winters northern birds come south in large numbers when cone crops fail.
It's blue-gray with a black cap, a white eyebrow stripe, a black eye line, and rusty underparts. Females have a grayer cap and paler underparts than males.
The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank-yank that sounds like a tiny tin horn, higher and more toy-like than the White-breasted Nuthatch.
In North Carolina winters, look for this bird in pines and conifers anywhere in the state during irruption years, and at high elevations in the mountains in any year.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower
30. Great Horned Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo virginianus
- Primary Activity Time – Night
- Nocturnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird
The Great Horned Owl is the big, tufted owl that eats almost anything it can catch, from rabbits to skunks to other birds. Winter is its busy season, since Great Horned Owls court in December and can be on eggs by January in North Carolina.
It's mottled gray-brown with large ear tufts, yellow eyes, and a white throat patch. Males and females look alike, but females are larger and have a higher-pitched hoot.
The Great Horned Owl call is a deep, soft hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo, and pairs often hoot back and forth at dusk in winter.
In North Carolina winters, Great Horned Owls are found statewide in woodlots, farmland, and even suburbs and city parks.
31. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident North Carolina Bird & Winter Migrant
The Bald Eagle is mainly a fish eater, but it's also happy to steal food from Ospreys or pick off a sick duck, which is why it hangs around the same big lakes and refuges that fill up with waterfowl in winter.
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 full adult plumage. Males and females look alike, but females are larger.
The Bald Eagle call is a weak, high-pitched chattering whistle that doesn't match its tough-guy reputation at all.
In North Carolina winters, look for Bald Eagles around large reservoirs like Jordan Lake and Falls Lake, along the sounds, and over the eastern refuges.
32. Snow Goose
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Anser caerulescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (eastern refuges)
The Snow Goose breeds in the Arctic and winters in huge, noisy flocks that feed in farm fields and roost on big, shallow lakes. In northeastern North Carolina, their numbers are staggering. Pocosin Lakes NWR says its 2,800-acre Pungo Lake hosts more than 80,000 Snow Geese and Tundra Swans in late fall and winter.
Most are white with black wingtips and a pink bill with a dark "grin patch." There's also a dark "blue goose" form with a slate-gray body and white head. Males and females look alike.
The Snow Goose call is a nasal, barking honk, and a flock taking off sounds like a stadium letting out.
In North Carolina winters, Snow Geese gather at Pocosin Lakes, Mattamuskeet, and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuges, and in the farm fields around them.
33. Tundra Swan
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Cygnus columbianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (northeastern North Carolina)
The Tundra Swan flies all the way from the Arctic tundra of Alaska and far northern Canada to spend the winter in eastern North Carolina. By day, swans graze on waste grain in fields and on aquatic plants. At night they roost on open water, which keeps them safer from predators.
It's all white with a black bill and black feet, and many adults have a small yellow spot on the bill just in front of the eye. Young birds are grayish. Males and females look alike.
The Tundra Swan call is a high, musical klooo or woo-hoo, and a big flock sounds like a distant crowd of very polite geese. They used to be called Whistling Swans, which tells you something.
In North Carolina winters, the best places to see Tundra Swans are Mattamuskeet and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuges, plus Pea Island on the Outer Banks. Mattamuskeet's 3-mile Wildlife Drive has observation platforms over the marsh, and it's a great place to watch from your car. Please do watch from a distance. The ABA Code of Birding Ethics asks birders to avoid stressing birds, and it calls out roosts and feeding sites in particular. A swan that flushes off a field is burning fat it needs for a flight to the Arctic, and no photo is worth that.
34. Bufflehead
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Bucephala albeola
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Bufflehead is a tiny diving duck that breeds in the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska and spends the winter on North Carolina's lakes, sounds, and bays. It dives for aquatic insects, small crustaceans, and snails, popping back up like a cork a few seconds later.
Males are crisp black and white, with a big white patch on the back of a dark, glossy head. Females are gray-brown with a neat white cheek spot. Both look a little oversized in the head department, which I find very relatable.
Buffleheads are mostly quiet in winter. Males sometimes give a squeaky whistle, and females a low, guttural call.
In North Carolina winters, look for Buffleheads on inland reservoirs and along the sounds and coast. One of the best places to scan the crowds is Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge on Hatteras Island, which hosts thousands of wintering ducks, swans, and geese and has recorded more than 370 bird species. Its North Pond is the main event, with views from the Salt Flats Wildlife Trail platform, a photo blind off Highway 12, and an observation tower. Bring a scope if you have one, or ask to peek through someone else's on the platform. You don't need to buy a pricey scope to enjoy a pond full of ducks, and birders are surprisingly generous.
North Carolina Winter Birds FAQ
What birds stay in North Carolina in the winter?
Year-round residents like the Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue Jay, Eastern Bluebird, and Brown-headed Nuthatch stay put. They're joined by winter migrants from the north, like Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, kinglets, and huge flocks of waterfowl. For the state just north of here, see our guide to winter birds in Virginia.
What birds come to North Carolina feeders in winter?
The usual crowd is cardinals, Mourning Doves, goldfinches, titmice, Carolina Wrens, Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, House Finches, and chickadees. Those were the top 10 feeder birds in Project FeederWatch's Southeast region, and juncos and White-throated Sparrows aren't far behind.
When do winter birds arrive in North Carolina?
Most winter migrants start showing up in October and November, and the coastal waterfowl are mostly in place by late November. They head north again from February through April, depending on the species.
Where can I see Tundra Swans in North Carolina?
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge in Hyde County is the top spot, since most of North Carolina's wintering Tundra Swans gather at or near it. Pungo Lake at Pocosin Lakes NWR and Pea Island on the Outer Banks are also excellent from late November through February.
What is the best bird seed for winter in North Carolina?
Black oil sunflower attracts the widest range of North Carolina birds. Add suet for woodpeckers, wrens, and Pine Warblers, nyjer for goldfinches and siskins, and millet on the ground for juncos, sparrows, and towhees. Skip the bread, which has almost no nutrition for birds.
What winter birds have you seen in North Carolina?
Share your sightings on the Sparkbird App and see what other birders near you are spotting this winter. You might find someone to share a scope with at Mattamuskeet.
And if you drive four hours to see 80,000 geese and spend the whole time watching a Brown-headed Nuthatch in the parking lot, that still counts as a great day. I've done worse.
Happy Birding.
No comments yet.