33 Winter Birds in Rhode Island

Rhode Island's official state bird is a chicken, which is either deeply practical or the Ocean State's longest-running joke (I've decided it's both). The Rhode Island Red has held the title since May 3, 1954, according to the Rhode Island Secretary of State, and yes, it's around all winter, in backyard coops rather than at your feeder. For everything else, winter birds in Rhode Island come down to two crowds: the year-round regulars that empty your sunflower tube, and a wave of sea ducks, loons, and Arctic visitors that arrive on the coast right as the beach crowds leave.

The smallest state has a lot of coastline for its size, so the winter list leans wet. You can watch a junco under the feeder in Foster and a raft of eiders off Newport on the same Saturday, with time for a coffee milk in between.

Types of Winter Birds in Rhode Island

There are 3 types of winter birds in Rhode Island on this list:

Resident Rhode Island Birds – species that live here all year and either don't migrate or only shuffle around a bit
Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north and spend the winter here. In Rhode Island, a lot of these are sea ducks and other waterbirds that pile into Narragansett Bay, the salt ponds, and the rocky points from Watch Hill to Sakonnet
Irruptive Species – birds that show up in big numbers some winters and barely at all in others, usually because the seed or cone crop failed up north

Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Rhode Island, and feeder favorites if it visits feeders. The feeder birds come first, roughly in the order they show up in Project FeederWatch's New England top 25, followed by the finches, raptors, owls, and the coastal birds Rhode Island does better than almost anywhere. If you're wondering where the orioles and warblers went, here's where birds go in the winter.

1. Black-capped Chickadee

Family – Paridae
Species – Poecile atricapillus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Black-capped Chickadee is the most reliable feeder bird in New England, showing up at more than 98% of FeederWatch sites in the region. It's a tiny omnivore that eats seeds, suet, and dormant insects, and it hides extra food in bark crevices to find later (which is more organized than my pantry).

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 the namesake chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the more dee notes it adds, the more worked up it is about a nearby predator. On mild late-winter days you'll also hear a clear, two-note fee-bee whistle.

In Rhode Island winters, chickadees are everywhere there are trees: suburban yards in Warwick, the woods of Arcadia, and city parks in Providence. They usually travel with titmice and nuthatches in small mixed flocks.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts

2. Blue Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Cyanocitta cristata
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Blue Jay is the loudest bird at the feeder and knows it. It's an omnivorous corvid that eats acorns, seeds, fruit, and insects, and it buries acorns by the hundreds in fall, which means a fair number of Rhode Island's oaks were planted by jays that forgot where they put lunch.

It's bright blue above with a crest, a black necklace, and white underparts. Males and females look alike, though males average slightly larger.

The Blue Jay call is a harsh jeer or jay, plus a squeaky gate-hinge note and a surprisingly good Red-shouldered Hawk impression that can clear a feeder in seconds.

You'll find Blue Jays statewide in oak woods, neighborhoods, and parks, often in small, noisy groups.

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

3. Dark-eyed Junco

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Junco hyemalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Dark-eyed Junco is the bird people mean when they say "snowbird," and it's a big part of why New England feeders look busier in December than in July. Most of Rhode Island's juncos breed in northern forests and arrive in fall to hop around on the ground under feeders, cleaning up whatever the messier eaters drop.

Rhode Island's juncos are the "slate-colored" type: gray above, white belly, and a pale pinkish bill. Males are darker and crisper gray, while females are lighter and washed with brown. Both flash white outer tail feathers when they flush.

The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tick or smack, and the song is a musical, one-pitch trill.

In Rhode Island winters, look for juncos in small flocks along woodland edges, brushy yards, and the ground below any feeder.

Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground or a low platform

4. Downy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates pubescens
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America, and it's light enough to forage on weed stems and skinny twigs that would buckle under bigger woodpeckers. It eats insects and larvae from bark plus suet and seeds at feeders.

It's black and white with a white stripe down the back and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, and females don't.

The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik and a descending, whinnying rattle. It drums in late winter too, a fast, even roll on a dead branch.

Downies are common statewide in yards, woodlots, and parks. If you hang one suet cake in Rhode Island, this is probably who finds it first.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

5. White-breasted Nuthatch

Family – Sittidae
Species – Sitta carolinensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The White-breasted Nuthatch spends its winter walking headfirst down tree trunks, finding insects and seeds that birds going up the trunk miss. It also wedges seeds into bark and hammers them open, which is where "nuthatch" comes from.

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

The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank or quank, often given in a quick series.

In Rhode Island winters, it's statewide in mature oak and maple woods, parks, and leafy neighborhoods, usually tagging along with chickadees and titmice.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet

6. Mourning Dove

Family – Columbidae
Species – Zenaida macroura
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Mourning Dove is a ground-feeding seed eater that fills its crop as fast as possible and then sits in a tree to digest. On cold mornings you'll see them fluffed up on a wire like a row of gray dinner rolls.

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

The Mourning Dove call is a low, mournful coo-OO-oo-oo-oo that often gets mistaken for an owl. Their wings also whistle when they take off.

Mourning Doves are common statewide in farm country, suburbs, and anywhere seed hits the ground.

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 Rhode Island Bird

The Tufted Titmouse is a small gray songbird with a crest and big dark eyes, and it treats the feeder like a takeout window: grab one seed, fly to a branch, hammer it open, repeat. It also eats insects and caches seeds for later.

It's soft gray above, pale below, with rusty flanks and a black patch just above the bill. Males and females look alike.

The Tufted Titmouse song is a loud, whistled peter-peter-peter, and it scolds with harsh, chickadee-like notes.

Titmice are common across Rhode Island in deciduous woods and wooded neighborhoods, and they're one of the birds that shows up on the cover of DEM's winter wildlife magazine for a reason.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet

8. American Goldfinch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus tristis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The American Goldfinch stays all winter, but it swaps the lemon-yellow summer look for a drab olive-brown that makes plenty of people think the goldfinches left. They didn't. They're just in their sweatpants era.

In winter, males keep some yellow on the face and throat and have black wings with bold white bars, while females are grayer and duller. 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 the bird dips up and down in flight.

In Rhode Island winters, goldfinches roam weedy fields, woodland edges, and any yard with a tube feeder.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower

9. Northern Cardinal

Family – Cardinalidae
Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Northern Cardinal is the bird that makes a snowy Rhode Island yard look like a holiday card. It's an omnivore that eats seeds, fruit, and insects, and it tends to be one of the first birds at the feeder in the morning and one of the last at dusk.

Males are bright red with a black mask and a crest. Females are warm tan-brown with red tinges in the wings, tail, and crest, plus the same thick orange bill.

The Northern Cardinal song is a clear, whistled cheer-cheer-cheer or birdie-birdie-birdie, and the call is a sharp, metallic chip.

Cardinals are common statewide in thickets, hedges, and yards with dense shrubs, and a thick evergreen near the feeder gives them somewhere to hide from the wind.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn

10. Hairy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates villosus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Hairy Woodpecker is the one that makes you squint and ask, "Wait, is that a Downy?" It's the same black-and-white pattern on a larger, more serious bird that prefers big trees and mature woods.

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

The Hairy Woodpecker call is a loud, sharp peek, plus a rattling call that runs at one pitch instead of trailing down like the Downy's.

In Rhode Island, Hairy Woodpeckers are less common at feeders than Downies but widespread in forests and wooded neighborhoods statewide.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

11. House Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The House Finch is originally a western bird, and the eastern population took off after birds were released on Long Island in the 1940s. Now it's a fixture at Rhode Island feeders, especially in towns and suburbs, where it eats seeds, buds, and berries.

Males have a red head, breast, and rump with blurry brown streaks on the belly and flanks. Females are plain gray-brown and streaky, with no strong face pattern.

The House Finch song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends on a rising or buzzy note, and you'll hear it even in winter.

In Rhode Island winters, House Finches are most common around buildings, yards, and city neighborhoods.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer

12. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Melanerpes carolinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Red-bellied Woodpecker has one of the most misleading names in birding, since the "red belly" is a faint pinkish blush you'll almost never see. (I've stopped holding it against the bird and started holding it against whoever named it.) It eats insects, nuts, fruit, and seeds, and it stores food in bark cracks.

It has a black-and-white barred back and a pale gray face and underparts. Males have red from the bill all the way over the crown to the nape, while females have red only on the nape.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker call is a rolling kwirr or churr, one of the most common woodpecker sounds in Rhode Island yards.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are common in wooded neighborhoods and forests across the state, and they're regulars at suet feeders.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower

13. Carolina Wren

Family – Troglodytidae
Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Carolina Wren is a small, round, rusty-brown bird with a voice that's about ten sizes too big for it. It's mostly an insect eater that pokes through brush piles, leaf litter, and porch corners, and it's sensitive to hard cold, so northern populations can take a hit after a rough winter. A mild Rhode Island winter is good news for them.

It's warm reddish-brown above and buffy below, with a bold white eyebrow and a slightly curved bill. Males and females look alike.

The Carolina Wren song is a loud, rolling teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, and it sings all year, including on gray January mornings when nobody else is.

You'll find Carolina Wrens in thickets, overgrown yards, and wooded edges across Rhode Island, especially closer to the coast.

Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, mealworms

14. American Robin

Family – Turdidae
Species – Turdus migratorius
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The American Robin doesn't leave Rhode Island for the winter so much as it leaves your lawn. Once the ground freezes, robins switch from worms to fruit and gather in roaming flocks in holly, cedar, crabapple, and bittersweet.

Robins have a gray-brown back and orange breast. Females are usually paler, with a grayer head and a more washed-out breast than males.

In winter you'll mostly hear the American Robin call, a low tut-tut or sharp peek, rather than the full spring song.

Look for winter flocks in fruiting trees in neighborhoods, coastal thickets, and woodland edges statewide.

Feeder favorites: chopped apples, softened raisins, mealworms

15. White-throated Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The White-throated Sparrow is a ground-feeding sparrow that scratches through leaves with a two-footed hop, kicking up seeds like it's looking for a dropped earring. Many arrive from northern forests for the winter.

It has a crisp white throat, a striped crown, and a yellow spot between the eye and bill. There are two forms, one with white crown stripes and one with tan crown stripes, and that difference isn't about male vs female. Males and females look alike.

The White-throated Sparrow song is a clear, whistled Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada, and the call is a sharp chink or a thin tseet.

In Rhode Island winters, it's common in brushy edges, thickets, and under feeders with good cover nearby.

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

16. Song Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Melospiza melodia
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Song Sparrow is the streaky brown sparrow that's just there all year, especially around Rhode Island's salt marshes and coastal thickets. It eats seeds in winter and insects in summer.

It's brown and gray with heavy streaks on the chest that often bunch into a dark central spot, plus a long, rounded tail that it pumps in flight. Males and females look alike.

The Song Sparrow song starts with a few clear notes followed by a buzzy trill, and the winter call is a nasal chimp.

Look for Song Sparrows in shrubby fields, marsh edges, and hedgerows statewide. Birdwatching Daily lists them among the land birds in the thickets at Sachuest Point.

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

17. Purple Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous purpureus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird (uncommon, statewide in small numbers)

According to the Rhode Island DEM's winter finch guide, the Purple Finch is the only winter finch that lives in Rhode Island year-round. It's found statewide in small numbers, often at feeders with black oil sunflower.

Males look like they were dipped in raspberry juice, with rosy color washing over the head, back, and breast. Females are brown and streaky with a bold white eyebrow and a white stripe below the cheek, which the plainer female House Finch doesn't have.

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

In Rhode Island winters, it turns up in mixed woods and conifers and at feeders statewide. Check every "House Finch" twice.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips

18. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Family – Parulidae
Species – Setophaga coronata
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (mostly coastal)

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the warbler that didn't get the memo about warblers leaving for the tropics. It can digest the waxy berries of bayberry, which grows all over the Rhode Island coast, so it's one of the few warblers that winters this far north.

In winter, both sexes are a dull brownish-gray with streaks, a bright yellow rump, and small yellow patches on the sides. Males are a little crisper and grayer, and females are browner.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler call is a flat check or chip that you'll hear from thickets long before you see the bird.

Look for winter flocks in coastal bayberry and shrubs, including the thickets at Sachuest Point, Napatree Point, and the edges of the salt ponds.

Feeder favorites: suet, especially in cold snaps

19. Red-breasted Nuthatch

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

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is the small, high-energy cousin of the White-breasted Nuthatch. It eats conifer seeds and insects, and when the cone crop up north fails, far more of them move south into Rhode Island for the winter.

It's blue-gray above with a rusty-orange belly, a black cap, and a bold black eye line under a white eyebrow. Females and young birds have a grayer cap and paler underparts.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a high, nasal yank-yank that sounds like a tiny tin horn.

Look for it in pines and spruces across the state, including the pine woods of Arcadia and Burlingame, and at feeders near conifers.

Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower

20. Pine Siskin

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

The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that shows up in Rhode Island when the northern cone crop runs short. When they come, DEM describes them as traveling in noisy flocks, sometimes numbering in the dozens, and they can empty a nyjer feeder with alarming efficiency.

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 the difference is subtle.

The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeee, like someone slowly unzipping a jacket.

In irruption winters, DEM has pointed birders to Great Swamp Management Area, Burlingame State Park, and Arcadia Management Area, as well as backyard feeders.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

21. Red Crossbill

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Loxia curvirostra
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive Species (uncommon, pitch pine woods)

The Red Crossbill has a bill with crossed tips that looks like a mistake and works like a precision tool, prying apart pine cone scales to get at the seeds. It has a crossed bill, not a crossed temper. In Rhode Island, DEM says it specializes in "hard pines" like pitch and black pine, and it rarely visits feeders.

Males are brick red with darker wings, while females are olive-yellow with dark wings.

The Red Crossbill call is a sharp, repeated kip-kip or jip-jip, usually given in flight.

In irruption winters, DEM has reported Red Crossbills at Burlingame State Park and Nicholas Farm Management Area. Listen for flight calls over pitch pines and check the cones overhead.

22. Redpoll

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Acanthis flammea
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive Species (absent most winters)

You might know it as the Common Redpoll or the Hoary Redpoll, but in 2024 the American Ornithological Society combined them into one species: the Redpoll. It's a small Arctic finch that comes south only when food runs low up north, so in Rhode Island it's a some-years bird.

It's streaky brown-gray with a red cap and a small black chin. Males have a pink wash on the breast, while females are streakier and lack the pink.

The Redpoll call is a dry, rattling chit-chit-chit and a rising, buzzy zweee.

When they come, look in birch trees. DEM points to the birches at Lonsdale Marsh along the Blackstone River in Lincoln, and redpolls will also visit feeders.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, hulled sunflower

23. Cooper's Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Astur cooperii
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Cooper's Hawk is the reason your feeder sometimes goes totally silent. It's a bird hunter built for chasing songbirds and doves through yards and woods, and backyard feeders are basically its grocery store.

Adults are blue-gray above with fine orange barring below, a dark cap, red eyes, and a long, rounded tail with a white tip. Males and females look alike, but females are much larger.

The Cooper's Hawk call is a harsh kak-kak-kak, mostly heard near nests. It's usually silent in winter.

Cooper's Hawks are found statewide in suburbs and wooded areas, especially near feeders. If one starts treating your yard as a buffet, taking the feeders down for a few days usually sends it hunting somewhere else.

24. Red-tailed Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Buteo jamaicensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Red-tailed Hawk is the big hawk you see on light poles along I-95 and Route 4, watching the grass for voles. It hunts mostly small mammals and it's one of the most common large hawks in Rhode Island.

Adults are brown above and pale below, usually with a dark band of streaks across the belly and a brick-red tail. Males and females look alike, though females are larger.

The Red-tailed Hawk call is a hoarse, raspy keee-ahh, the scream movies love to dub over Bald Eagles.

Look for Red-tails statewide in open country, highway edges, farm fields, and marsh edges.

25. Bald Eagle

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird & Winter Migrant

Bald Eagles were rare in Rhode Island for decades, and they're now a regular winter sight. Many of the eagles here in winter are non-breeders that come to rest and feed, drawn to the coast because the salt water doesn't freeze.

Adults have the classic white head and tail, dark brown body, and huge yellow bill. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and take about five years to get the full look. Males and females look alike, but females are larger.

The Bald Eagle call is a high, thin series of chirps and whistles, much weaker than you'd expect from a bird that big.

Look for eagles along the coast and around open water statewide, including Narragansett Bay and the larger ponds and reservoirs.

26. Great Horned Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Bubo virginianus
Primary Activity Time – Night
Nocturnal
Resident Rhode Island Bird

The Great Horned Owl is one of the earliest nesting birds in North America, so while the rest of us are hibernating under blankets, it's already courting and sitting on eggs. It hunts everything from rabbits and rats to skunks and other birds.

It's a big, bulky owl with ear tufts, yellow eyes, a white throat patch, and mottled gray-brown plumage. Males and females look alike, though females are larger.

The Great Horned Owl call is a deep, soft hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo. Pairs often duet in winter, and the female's voice is higher than the male's.

Great Horned Owls live in woods and edges statewide. The Audubon Society of Rhode Island runs winter owl walks at refuges like Fisherville Brook in Exeter, where this species and the Barred Owl both live.

27. Snowy Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Bubo scandiacus
Primary Activity Time – Day and Night
Diurnal and Nocturnal
Irruptive Species (usually one or two a winter)

The Snowy Owl is the Arctic visitor everyone wants to see, and it hunts by day as well as night, which is lucky for us. In a typical winter, Rhode Island only gets one or two. In the big 2017 flight, ecoRI News reported at least 17 Snowy Owls in the state, including seven on Block Island in a single week.

Adult males can be nearly pure white, while females and young birds have heavier dark barring.

The Snowy Owl is mostly silent in winter.

Look for them on beaches, dunes, and other open, tundra-like spots, including Sachuest Point, East Matunuck State Beach, and Block Island. If you find one, the Audubon Society of Rhode Island asks people to stay at least 200 feet from Snowy Owls, use binoculars or a scope, and keep quiet, since the owls are already stressed from migration and hunting in unfamiliar places. A good photo is never worth flushing a hungry owl.

28. Harlequin Duck

Family – Anatidae
Species – Histrionicus histrionicus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (local, rocky coast only)

The Harlequin Duck is Rhode Island's best-kept winter secret, and it isn't very well kept. It spends its winters in rough surf along rocky shores, diving for crabs and other small animals among the rocks, and Birdwatching Daily says Sachuest Point's Harlequins number over 100 some years, one of the largest wintering groups on the East Coast.

Males are slate-blue with chestnut sides and bold white stripes and spots, like a court jester who really committed to the bit. Females are dark brown with a few white spots on the face.

The Harlequin Duck call is a high, squeaky whistle, but you'll mostly hear the waves.

Look for them from mid-November through April at Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown and Beavertail State Park in Jamestown, often resting on the rocks or bobbing right in the surf line.

29. Common Eider

Family – Anatidae
Species – Somateria mollissima
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Common Eider is the largest duck in the Northern Hemisphere, and yes, it's the source of eiderdown. It dives for mussels and swallows them whole, shell and all, which feels like something you'd only do on a dare.

Males are white above and black below, with a black cap and a pale green wash on the back of the head. Females are warm brown with fine dark barring. Both have a long, sloping wedge-shaped bill.

The Common Eider call is a soft, cooing ah-OOO from the males, an oddly gentle sound from such a big bird.

In Rhode Island winters, look for eider flocks off Newport's Cliff Walk, Beavertail, Sachuest Point, Point Judith, and around Narragansett Bay. Numbers swing a lot from year to year.

30. Long-tailed Duck

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

The Long-tailed Duck is a deep-diving sea duck that breeds in the Arctic and winters on open salt water. It's one of the deepest-diving ducks there is and spends much of the day underwater chasing crustaceans and small fish.

Winter males are mostly white with a dark cheek patch, a dark breast, and two long, thin tail feathers. Females are browner and lack the long tail.

The Long-tailed Duck call is a loud, yodeling ow-owdle-ow, and a flock in full voice sounds like a far-off party.

Look for them on open water off the south coast, Point Judith, Beavertail, Sachuest Point, and Block Island Sound.

31. Bufflehead

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

The Bufflehead is a tiny diving duck whose name comes from "buffalo head," which is a lot of name for a bird this size. It dives for snails, crustaceans, and insect larvae, and a whole flock tends to pop back up at once.

Males are bright white with a black back and a big dark head with a large white patch. Females are gray-brown with a small white oval on the cheek.

The Bufflehead is generally quiet in winter, though you might hear soft growls or squeaks.

In Rhode Island winters, Buffleheads are common on sheltered coves, the salt ponds, and harbors, including Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, Quonochontaug Pond, and the upper bay.

32. Common Loon

Family – Gaviidae
Species – Gavia immer
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Common Loon is the voice of northern lakes in summer, and then it spends the winter on Rhode Island's salt water, quiet and gray, like a rock star doing a library residency. It dives for fish and can stay underwater for a minute or more.

In winter, loons are gray-brown above and white below, with a thick, dagger-like bill. Males and females look alike, though males are larger.

The Common Loon call is the famous wail and yodel, but loons are mostly silent in winter.

Look for loons off the south coast beaches, in Narragansett Bay, and near Point Judith, often sitting low in the water and diving.

33. Purple Sandpiper

Family – Scolopacidae
Species – Calidris maritima
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (rocky coast only)

The Purple Sandpiper is the shorebird that looks at a wave-battered, ice-coated jetty in January and thinks, "Perfect." It winters farther north than almost any other shorebird on the East Coast, picking snails and small crustaceans off the rocks just above the surf.

It's dark slate-gray with a hint of purple shine in good light, a slightly drooping bill with an orange-yellow base, and yellowish legs. Males and females look alike.

The Purple Sandpiper is quiet most of the time, giving low, soft calls when flushed.

In Rhode Island, Beavertail State Park is one of the most reliable places to find it, along with the rocks at Sachuest Point and the jetties at Point Judith. Check the dark rocks right at the waterline, because they blend in until one moves.

Where to See Rhode Island Birds in Winter

Rhode Island is small enough that you can hit the coast and the pine woods in one day. Here's where the winter birds in Rhode Island tend to gather:

Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge (Middletown) – Harlequin Ducks, eiders, scoters, loons, and the occasional Snowy Owl. A couple of the observation platforms have free tower scopes, so you don't need to buy a spotting scope just to find out if you like sea ducks
Beavertail State Park (Jamestown) – Harlequin Ducks, Purple Sandpipers, and sea ducks, with overlooks you can bird from the car
Trustom Pond NWR and the salt ponds (South Kingstown, Charlestown) – Buffleheads, other ducks, and raptors
Point Judith and Newport's Cliff Walk – eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, loons, and grebes
Burlingame State Park, Arcadia, and Great Swamp – pine woods for Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, and crossbills in irruption years

And because birds need water just as much as seed when everything's frozen, here's how to keep a bird bath from freezing in winter (9 easy ways).

Rhode Island Winter Birds FAQ

What birds stay in Rhode Island in the winter?

Year-round residents like the Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, and Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers stay put. They're joined by winter visitors like Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, and a big wave of sea ducks on the coast. For the next state over, see our guides to winter birds in Massachusetts and winter birds in Connecticut.

What are the most common birds of Rhode Island at winter feeders?

In Project FeederWatch's New England counts, the top five feeder birds are the Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, Dark-eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, and White-breasted Nuthatch, followed closely by the Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, American Goldfinch, and Northern Cardinal. European Starlings, House Sparrows, and American Crows are common in Rhode Island too, especially in towns.

What is the state bird of Rhode Island, and is it around in winter?

The state bird is the Rhode Island Red, a breed of chicken, adopted in 1954. It's a domestic bird, so it doesn't migrate, and you'll find it in backyard coops and farms year-round rather than out in the wild.

Where can I see Harlequin Ducks in Rhode Island?

Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown and Beavertail State Park in Jamestown are the two best spots. Walk the shoreline trails from mid-November through April and scan the rocks and surf.

Are there Snowy Owls in Rhode Island in winter?

Some winters, yes. Most years bring just one or two, but irruption years can bring many more, mostly to beaches, dunes, and airports. Give them at least 200 feet and watch through binoculars.

What do Rhode Island birds eat in winter?

Feeder birds lean on seeds, suet, and the insects they find in bark, while robins and Yellow-rumped Warblers switch to winter fruit like holly and bayberry. Sea ducks dive for mussels, crabs, and fish in the bay. Black oil sunflower is the best all-around feeder seed, and skip bread entirely, since it has almost no nutrition for birds.

I've been told more than once that a Rhode Island Red in a neighbor's coop doesn't count toward my state list. I've decided to keep counting it anyway.

What Rhode Island Birds Have You Seen This Winter?

Share your Harlequins, eiders, and feeder regulars on the Sparkbird App, and see what other birders near you are finding up and down the Ocean State.

Happy Birding.