Tennessee in winter is basically a guesthouse for birds from up north: the beds are warm, the berries are free, and nobody checks out until April (honestly, I'd book a room too). That's the fun of winter birds in Tennessee. The locals stay put, and a whole second cast of sparrows, kinglets, warblers, ducks, and cranes flies in to spend the cold months with them.
The state bird is one of the locals. The Northern Mockingbird has been Tennessee's official state bird since 1933, and it doesn't migrate, so you'll find it all winter guarding a berry bush like a bouncer at a club with a very exclusive guest list. Around it, juncos and White-throated Sparrows show up under feeders in October, Yellow-rumped Warblers work the woods, and tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes settle in along the Hiwassee River.
Types of Winter Birds in Tennessee
There are 3 types of winter birds in Tennessee you'll see on the list:
- Resident Tennessee 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 headliners gather at places like Reelfoot Lake in the northwest corner and Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, where up to 20,000 Sandhill Cranes return each year
- 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 birds of Tennessee below run from backyard regulars to northern arrivals to the big refuge birds. Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Tennessee, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you're wondering why some birds leave and others don't, here's where birds go in the winter.
1. Northern Mockingbird
- Family – Mimidae
- Species – Mimus polyglottos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird (State Bird)
The Northern Mockingbird is Tennessee's state bird, and it spends the winter living mostly on fruit like holly, hackberry, and pyracantha. It picks one good fruiting shrub, claims it, and chases off every robin and waxwing that tries to grab a berry.
It's gray above and paler below, with a long tail and big white wing patches that flash when it flies or spreads its wings. Males and females look alike.
The Northern Mockingbird song is a long medley of borrowed phrases, each one repeated a few times before it moves on to the next. The state's own description calls it one of the finest singers in North America, which is generous for a bird whose setlist sometimes includes a car alarm. Its winter call is a harsh, scolding chack.
In Tennessee winters, mockingbirds are found statewide in towns, suburbs, parks, and farmland, anywhere with fruiting shrubs and open lawns.
Feeder favorites: suet, chopped fruit, raisins
2. Northern Cardinal
- Family – Cardinalidae
- Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Northern Cardinal is the most reliable feeder bird in the region. In Project FeederWatch's Southeast rankings, it showed up at about 98% of feeder sites, which is the kind of attendance record I never managed in 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 red tints on the wings, tail, and crest. Both 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 it's one of the first songs you'll hear on mild February mornings. The call is a sharp, metallic chip.
In Tennessee winters, cardinals are found statewide, from Memphis backyards to Smoky Mountain towns, wherever there's thick cover near food. For more on keeping them around, see Cardinals in Winter: Where They Go, What They Eat, and How to Attract Them.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn
3. Carolina Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Carolina Chickadee is the chickadee you'll see across Tennessee, and it's tiny, fearless, and always busy. It eats insects, seeds, and berries, and it tucks extra food into bark crevices to find later.
It has a black cap and bib, white cheeks, and a soft gray back. Males and females look alike.
The Carolina Chickadee call is a quick, buzzy chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and its song is a whistled four-note fee-bee fee-bay.
In Tennessee winters, the Carolina Chickadee range is statewide in woods, parks, and yards. It often leads mixed flocks of titmice, nuthatches, kinglets, and Yellow-rumped Warblers through the bare trees.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
4. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Tufted Titmouse takes one seed, flies to a branch, hammers it open, and comes back for exactly one more. It's the bird equivalent of someone who eats chips one at a time out of the bag and somehow never gets crumbs on the couch.
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 it starts up on warm days in late winter. It also scolds with a harsh, chickadee-like call.
In Tennessee winters, the Tufted Titmouse range is statewide in hardwood forests, suburbs, and parks.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
5. Carolina Wren
- Family – Troglodytidae
- Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Carolina Wren is a small, round, cinnamon-colored bird with the volume of a much bigger one. It mostly eats insects and spiders that it digs out of leaf piles and tangles, and in winter it's happy to take suet and peanuts.
It's rich reddish-brown above and warm buff below, with a bold white stripe over the eye and a tail it often cocks upward. Males and females look alike.
The Carolina Wren song is a ringing teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, and males sing all year, including on cold January mornings.
In Tennessee winters, Carolina Wrens are found statewide in brushy yards, woodland edges, and thickets. They'll roost in garages, sheds, and hanging baskets, so check before you water that fern.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, mealworms
6. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Mourning Dove is the second most widespread bird on the Southeast FeederWatch list. It eats seeds fast, stores them in its crop, and then sits somewhere sunny to digest.
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 pink wash on the 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 a lot of people mistake for an owl. Their wings make a whistling sound when they take off.
In Tennessee winters, Mourning Doves are found statewide, often in flocks on power lines over farm fields and under backyard feeders.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground
7. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird & Winter Migrant
The American Goldfinch doesn't leave Tennessee in winter. It just changes out of its bright yellow summer feathers into a dull olive-brown coat, so plenty of people assume it's gone.
In winter, males keep a yellowish wash on the face and throat and black wings with white bars. Females are grayer and duller. 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 dip up and down through the air.
In Tennessee winters, goldfinches are found statewide in weedy fields, woodland edges, and any yard with a tube feeder.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower
8. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is named for a faint pink blush on its belly that you'll almost never see, while the bright red is on its head. (Whoever named it was clearly looking at it from a very specific angle.) It eats insects, acorns, nuts, and fruit, and it's a regular at suet and peanut feeders.
It has a pale gray face and belly and a black-and-white barred back. Males have red from the bill over the crown to the nape. Females have red only on the nape.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker call is a rolling kwirr or churr that carries through bare winter woods.
In Tennessee winters, the Red-bellied Woodpecker range is statewide in woods, suburbs, and river bottoms.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
9. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is North America's smallest woodpecker. It picks insects and larvae off twigs and weed stems, and it comes to suet readily in winter.
It's black and white with a white stripe down the back and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, while females don't. The look-alike Hairy Woodpecker is bigger, with a bill nearly as long as its head.
The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik, plus a fast whinny that drops in pitch.
In Tennessee winters, Downy Woodpeckers are found statewide in woods, parks, and yards, often traveling with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts
10. Blue Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta cristata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Blue Jay is loud, clever, and not especially interested in sharing the feeder. It eats acorns, seeds, nuts, and insects, and it buries acorns to eat later. The ones it forgets about can sprout into oaks.
It's bright blue above and white below, with a crest and a black necklace. Males and females look alike, though males average a little larger.
The Blue Jay call is a harsh jay-jay, plus softer whistles and squeaky "pump handle" notes. It can also do a convincing Red-shouldered Hawk impression.
In Tennessee winters, Blue Jays are found statewide in oak woods, towns, and neighborhoods with big trees.
Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet
11. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird (introduced to the East)
The House Finch started out as a Western bird. The eastern birds descend from finches released on Long Island in the 1940s, and they spread south and west until they reached Tennessee feeders, where they've been ever since.
Males have a red to orange wash on the head, breast, and rump, with blurry brown streaks on the flanks. Females are plain brown with fuzzy streaks and no strong face pattern.
The House Finch song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends with a buzzy, rising note.
In Tennessee winters, House Finches are found statewide in towns and suburbs, usually in small, chatty flocks.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
12. White-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The White-breasted Nuthatch spends winter walking headfirst down tree trunks, probing the bark for insects and seeds it hid in fall. It jams nuts into cracks and hacks them open, which is where "nuthatch" 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, while females usually have a grayer one.
The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank or quank, often repeated as it works its way down the tree.
In Tennessee winters, White-breasted Nuthatches are found statewide in mature hardwood forests, parks, and yards with big old trees.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
13. Eastern Bluebird
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Sialia sialis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Eastern Bluebird switches from insects to berries in winter, feeding on fruit like dogwood, holly, sumac, and eastern red cedar. Small family groups will crowd into a nest box together on cold nights, so leave yours up through winter.
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, and the song is a gentle, warbling string of the same notes.
In Tennessee winters, bluebirds are found statewide in pastures, golf courses, cemeteries, and big yards with scattered trees.
Feeder favorites: mealworms, suet nuggets, chopped fruit
14. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird & Winter Migrant
The American Robin doesn't so much leave Tennessee in winter as change its lifestyle. Robins gather in big, nomadic flocks that roam from one fruiting tree to the next, eating berries instead of worms, and you'll often hear them before you see them.
Robins have a gray-brown back and a warm orange breast. Females usually have a paler head and breast than males, though it can be hard to tell.
In winter, the American Robin call you'll hear most is a clucking tut-tut-tut and a thin, high seee from the flock.
In Tennessee winters, robins are found statewide in holly, cedar, and hackberry trees and on open lawns after a rain.
Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, mealworms
15. Eastern Towhee
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Pipilo erythrophthalmus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Eastern Towhee is a big, flashy sparrow that feeds by jumping backward with both feet to kick up leaves. If something under your shrubs sounds suspiciously like a raccoon rummaging through a recycling bin, it's probably a towhee.
Males have a black hood, back, and tail, rufous sides, and a white belly. Females have the same pattern in warm brown instead of black.
The Eastern Towhee song is the classic drink-your-teeeea, and the call is a rising chewink.
In Tennessee winters, towhees are found statewide in thickets, overgrown fields, and shrubby yard edges.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
16. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Resident in the high mountains of East Tennessee
The Dark-eyed Junco is the original "snowbird," and for many Tennesseans its arrival under the feeder is the first real sign of winter. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) says juncos arrive by early October and stay until mid-April, and a separate population nests year-round in the East Tennessee mountains, mostly above 4,000 feet.
Juncos here are the slate-colored type: gray above, white belly, pale pink bill, and white outer tail feathers that flash when it flies off. Males are a darker, crisper gray, while females are paler and browner.
The Dark-eyed Junco call is a short, hard tsip, and its song is an even, musical trill.
In Tennessee 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
17. White-throated Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The White-throated Sparrow comes down from Canada and the far northern states, arriving in early October and staying until mid-May. It's never been known to nest in Tennessee, but it winters in every county, which is more than I can say for my commitment to any one coffee shop.
It has a bright white throat, a yellow spot between the eye and bill, and a striped head. Some birds have white head stripes and some have tan ones, and that isn't a male vs female difference. Males and females look alike.
The White-throated Sparrow song is a thin, whistled Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada, and its call is a lisping tseep.
In Tennessee winters, White-throated Sparrows are found statewide in thickets, brush piles, fencerows, and shrubby yards.
Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
18. Fox Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Passerella iliaca
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, mostly Middle and West Tennessee)
The Fox Sparrow is a big, stocky sparrow that breeds in northern Canada and spends the winter in the Southeast. It feeds with a two-footed hop-and-scratch in the leaf litter, a lot like the towhee.
Tennessee's birds are the "Red" form: a reddish back with a gray rump, a gray-and-rust face, a rusty tail, and heavy reddish streaks that pile up into a messy spot on the chest. Males and females look alike.
The Fox Sparrow call is a sharp chink, and on warm winter days you might catch a few phrases of its rich, whistled song.
In Tennessee winters, Fox Sparrows are uncommon and show up in shrubby fields, woodland edges, and multiflora rose hedgerows, mostly in Middle and West Tennessee. They often come out to feeders after a snow.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
19. Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Family – Parulidae
- Species – Setophaga coronata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Yellow-rumped Warbler is the warbler most likely to keep you company in a Tennessee winter. It arrives in late September, sticks around until spring, and survives the cold on berries that most warblers can't digest. Birders call it "butter-butt," and I refuse to apologize for repeating that.
Winter birds are streaky brown with two white wing bars, a yellow patch on each side of the breast, and a bright yellow rump. Males and females look alike in winter.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler call is a flat, sharp check.
In Tennessee winters, Yellow-rumped Warblers are fairly common statewide, often moving through the woods in mixed flocks with Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanut butter suet dough, mealworms
20. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Sphyrapicus varius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (a very rare breeder in the northeastern mountains)
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 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 have a red throat, while females have a white one.
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker call is a nasal, down-slurred mew, a bit like a cranky cat.
In Tennessee winters, sapsuckers are fairly common statewide in woods, parks, and yards with mature trees. A small number nest in the high mountains of the far northeast, where TWRA lists them as a bird In Need of Management.
Feeder favorites: suet
21. Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Family – Regulidae
- Species – Regulus satrapa
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (also nests in the high mountains)
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is smaller than a chickadee, yet it gets through winter by eating tiny insects and insect eggs hidden in conifer needles. It's a common winter resident across Tennessee from early October to mid-April.
It's olive-gray with a bold black-and-white face pattern and a bright crown stripe. Females have a yellow crown, while males have a yellow crown with a fiery orange center they can raise when they're riled up.
The Golden-crowned Kinglet call is a series of very high tsee-tsee-tsee notes, so high that a lot of people stop hearing it as they get older. (I'm choosing to believe that hasn't started for me yet.)
In Tennessee winters, look for Golden-crowned Kinglets in pines, cedars, and hemlocks statewide. They also nest in the spruce-fir forests of the East Tennessee mountains, usually above 4,000 feet.
22. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Family – Regulidae
- Species – Corthylio calendula
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon in winter)
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is a tiny, twitchy insect eater that flicks its wings constantly as it hops through branches. It's a fairly common migrant in Tennessee but an uncommon winter resident, so it's a nice find in January.
It's grayish-olive with two strong white wing bars and a broken white eye ring. Males have a scarlet crown patch that usually stays hidden unless they're agitated. Females don't have it.
The Ruby-crowned Kinglet call is a raspy jid-it.
In Tennessee winters, Ruby-crowned Kinglets are found statewide in woodlands and shrubby edges, often in mixed flocks with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms
23. Hermit Thrush
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Catharus guttatus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Hermit Thrush is the only brown thrush you'd normally see in Tennessee in winter, which makes ID a lot easier than it is in May. It's here from early October to late April, foraging in leaf litter for insects and berries.
It's olive-brown above with a reddish tail, a thin white eye ring, and dark spots on a pale breast. It has a habit of raising its tail and slowly lowering it. Males and females look alike.
The Hermit Thrush call is a low chup or tuck, often given from a low perch. Its beautiful, flute-like song is mostly saved for spring.
In Tennessee winters, Hermit Thrushes are uncommon to fairly common statewide in shady woods, wooded yards, and thickets near holly or other berry bushes.
Feeder favorites: mealworms, chopped fruit
24. Cedar Waxwing
- Family – Bombycillidae
- Species – Bombycilla cedrorum
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird (nomadic)
The Cedar Waxwing travels in tight flocks that strip a cedar or holly of its berries and then vanish. You might not see one for weeks, and then fifty land in a parking lot tree at the grocery store.
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 sreee, easy to miss until you learn it.
In Tennessee winters, waxwings can turn up anywhere there's fruit, from eastern red cedars in Middle Tennessee to ornamental hollies in town. They rarely visit feeders, but an ice-free bird bath will get their attention on a cold morning.
25. 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 arrives in Tennessee by mid-October and stays until late April, but how many you get depends on the year. It's an irruptive bird, and its numbers rise and fall with the cone crops up north.
Males are raspberry-red with browner wings and back and a white belly, and they lack the heavy brown flank streaks of a male House Finch. Females are brown and white with crisp streaks and a bold white line above the eye, which sets them apart from the plain-faced female House Finch.
The Purple Finch call is a sharp pik in flight, and the song is a fast, rich warble.
In Tennessee winters, Purple Finches are found statewide in woods and at feeders near mixed forest. In a good year they're common, and in a slow year you may only see a few.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips
26. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Pine Siskin is a wild card. TWRA calls it an unpredictable winter visitor that varies a lot from year to year, and after one big flight, a pair was even found nesting at 4,450 feet on Roan Mountain in 2007.
It's small and heavily streaked, with a thin, pointed bill and yellow patches in the wings and tail that show best in flight. Males tend to show more yellow than females.
The Pine Siskin call is a buzzy, rising zzzzeeeeep that sounds like someone slowly zipping up a jacket.
In Tennessee winters, siskins can show up at nyjer feeders and in pine stands anywhere in the state during flight years. In other winters, expect few or none.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
27. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (resident in the high mountains of East Tennessee)
The Red-breasted Nuthatch lives year-round in the spruce-fir and hemlock forests of East Tennessee's high mountains. Everywhere else in the state, it's an irruption bird that shows up when low cone crops push northern birds south.
It's blue-gray above with a white eyebrow, a black stripe through the eye, and rusty underparts. Males have a black cap, while females have a blue-gray cap and paler underparts.
The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank-yank that sounds like a toy tin horn, higher and more nasal than the White-breasted Nuthatch.
In Tennessee winters, look for this bird in pines and other conifers statewide during irruption years, and in the high mountains in any year.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower
28. Cooper's Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Astur cooperii
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Cooper's Hawk is the hawk most likely to visit your feeder, though it isn't there for the sunflower seeds. It hunts songbirds and doves by darting through branches and around houses at high speed, so if your yard suddenly goes silent, look for one perched nearby.
Adults are blue-gray above with rusty barring on the chest, red-orange eyes, and a long tail with a rounded tip. Males and females have the same plumage, but females are noticeably bigger.
The Cooper's Hawk call is a loud, rapid kak-kak-kak, though it's usually quiet in winter.
In Tennessee winters, Cooper's Hawks are found statewide in woods, suburbs, and city neighborhoods, especially where feeders draw in small birds. If one starts hanging around, taking your feeders down for a few days usually sends it elsewhere.
29. Red-tailed Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo jamaicensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Red-tailed Hawk is the big hawk you'll see on fence posts, light poles, and highway trees, watching the grass for voles and mice. It's the unofficial mascot of every long winter drive across the state.
Adults have a brick-red tail, a pale chest, and a band of dark streaks across the belly, though plumage varies a lot. Males and females look alike, but females are larger.
The Red-tailed Hawk call is a hoarse, screaming kee-eeee-arr, the sound Hollywood loves to dub over every soaring eagle on screen.
In Tennessee winters, Red-tailed Hawks are found statewide in open country, farmland, and along interstates.
30. Great Horned Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo virginianus
- Primary Activity Time – Night
- Nocturnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird
The Great Horned Owl is the big, tufted owl that eats nearly anything it can catch, from rabbits to skunks to other birds. Winter is its busy season, because it's one of the earliest nesting birds in North America and is often sitting on eggs while the rest of us are still sitting on the couch.
It's mottled gray-brown with long ear tufts, yellow eyes, and a white throat patch. Males and females look alike, but females are larger.
The Great Horned Owl call is a deep, soft hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo, and pairs often hoot back and forth at dusk in midwinter.
In Tennessee winters, Great Horned Owls are found statewide in woodlots, farmland, and even suburbs and city parks. Listen for them on calm evenings in December and January.
31. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Tennessee Bird & Winter Migrant
Some Bald Eagles nest in Tennessee and stay year-round, and in winter northern eagles join them around the big lakes and rivers. TWRA has said wintering eagles start arriving in late October, peak from late January to mid-February, and are mostly gone by April. It eats mainly fish but will happily pick off a sick duck or steal a meal from another bird.
Adults have a dark brown body, a white head and tail, and a heavy 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, which isn't the voice you'd expect from a national symbol.
In Tennessee winters, the best place to look is Reelfoot Lake in the northwest corner. The state notes that Reelfoot Lake has a significant population of wintering Bald Eagles, park staff run eagle tours each winter, and more than 270 bird species have been recorded there. Kentucky Lake and Pickwick Lake are good bets too.
32. Ring-necked Duck
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Aythya collaris
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Ring-necked Duck is one of the most common winter diving ducks in Tennessee, and it has the most misleading name on this list. The "ring" on its neck is a faint brown collar you'll basically never see in the field. The ring that actually helps you is the white one on its bill. (Bird names: like a group project where nobody checked the final draft.)
Males are black on the head, chest, and back, with gray sides, a vertical white stripe near the shoulder, and a peaked head. Females are brown, with a white eye ring and a thin white line running back from the eye.
Ring-necked Ducks are usually silent in winter.
In Tennessee winters, they arrive in early October and stay until late April, with the biggest numbers in West and Middle Tennessee. Look on ponds, shallow lakes, flooded fields, and wooded wetlands, including Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge and the state's other waterfowl refuges.
33. Sandhill Crane
- Family – Gruidae
- Species – Antigone canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Sandhill Crane is the headliner of a Tennessee winter. TWRA says up to 20,000 cranes return to the Hiwassee River area each year, and thousands now spend the whole winter where the Hiwassee and Tennessee rivers meet. They gather at the Hiwassee Refuge viewing platform from mid-October through February, sometimes into March. Cranes didn't really start visiting until the early 1990s, and like a lot of people who moved to Tennessee since, they found it and decided to stay.
It's a tall, long-legged gray bird with a red forehead, a white cheek, and a long, straight bill. Some birds look rusty because they preen iron-rich mud into their feathers. Males and females look alike, though males are a little larger.
The Sandhill Crane call is a loud, rolling, rattling bugle you can hear long before you spot the flock, and a sky full of them sounds like a very old wooden roller coaster.
In Tennessee winters, the place to go is Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County near Birchwood, along with the nearby Cherokee Removal Memorial overlook. Every January the free Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival sets up spotting scopes, and in some years a rare Whooping Crane turns up in the same fields. Please watch from the platform. The cranes are feeding and resting for a long flight, so a closer photo isn't worth bugging them. Bring binoculars if you own a pair, and if you don't, the volunteers' scopes are free and better than anything I'd tell you to buy for one trip.
Tennessee Winter Birds FAQ
What birds stay in Tennessee in the winter?
Year-round residents like the Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue Jay, and Eastern Bluebird stay put. They're joined by winter migrants from the north, like Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, kinglets, Hermit Thrushes, ducks, and Sandhill Cranes. For the state just north of here, see our list of winter birds in Kentucky.
What are the most common birds in Tennessee in winter?
At feeders, the most common birds in Tennessee and the rest of the Southeast are the Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, American Goldfinch, Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Finch, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, and Carolina Chickadee. Those were the top 10 in Project FeederWatch's Southeast region, with the Northern Mockingbird, Dark-eyed Junco, and American Robin right behind them.
Where can I see Sandhill Cranes in Tennessee?
Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge in Meigs County, near Birchwood, is the best spot. The cranes gather there from mid-October through February, and the free Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival runs every January.
Where can I see Bald Eagles in Tennessee in winter?
Reelfoot Lake in northwest Tennessee is the classic spot, and the state park offers eagle tours in winter. Kentucky Lake and Pickwick Lake also draw wintering eagles, and numbers usually peak from late January to mid-February.
What is the state bird of Tennessee, and does it stay all winter?
The Northern Mockingbird has been Tennessee's state bird since 1933, and yes, it stays all winter. The Northern Bobwhite is the state game bird. Look for mockingbirds guarding berry bushes in towns and suburbs.
When do winter birds arrive in Tennessee?
Most winter migrants show up in October, including juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Ring-necked Ducks. Cranes and eagles build through November and December. Most head north again between March and mid-May. If you're in the mountains and want to compare notes across the state line, here are the winter birds in North Carolina.
What Tennessee Birds Have You Seen This Winter?
Share your sightings on the Sparkbird App and see what other birders near you are finding this winter. You might even meet someone to stand next to on the Hiwassee platform.
And if you drive two hours to see 20,000 cranes and end up spending twenty minutes watching a Carolina Wren yell at you from the parking lot fence, that still counts as a great day. I've had worse ones.
Happy Birding.
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