35 Winter Birds in Vermont

Vermont's state bird has the good sense to leave town before stick season turns into ski season, which is more than I can say for myself. The Hermit Thrush heads south in mid-October and comes back in April. According to Vermont Fish & Wildlife, the Hermit Thrush rarely tries to winter in Vermont, though the odd one does turn up at a feeder. So the Vermont winter birds you'll actually see are a tougher crowd: chickadees, juncos, woodpeckers, and a rotating cast of Arctic visitors who think the Champlain Valley in January is a beach getaway.

Only a fraction of the birds that pass through the state stick around for the cold months, but the ones that do are easy to find. Most of them come to feeders, and the rest gather in predictable places: open water on Lake Champlain, the farm fields around Dead Creek, and fruit trees in town.

Types of Winter Birds in Vermont

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

Resident Vermont Birds – species that live here year-round and may shift around a little with the weather or food supply
Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north and spend the winter in Vermont. Raptors, sparrows, and ducks fill most of these slots
Irruptive Species – birds that show up in large, unpredictable numbers some winters and barely at all in others, usually when the seed or fruit crop fails in Canada

Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Vermont, and what it eats at feeders if it visits them. The feeder birds come first, roughly in the order they appear in Project FeederWatch's New England feeder counts, followed by the finches, raptors, owls, and ducks. If you're wondering where the 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 Vermont Bird

The Black-capped Chickadee is the most reliable feeder bird in New England, showing up at nearly every FeederWatch site in the region. It weighs about as much as a couple of quarters and still gets through a Northeast Kingdom January by eating constantly, hiding seeds in bark, and shivering to stay warm at night.

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

The Black-capped Chickadee call is the familiar chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and extra dee notes mean it's worried about a predator nearby. On sunny days in late winter, listen for the clear, two-note fee-bee song.

Chickadees live statewide, from Brattleboro backyards to spruce woods on the high ridges, usually leading a small mixed flock of nuthatches, titmice, and woodpeckers.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts

2. Blue Jay

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

The Blue Jay is a loud, clever corvid that lives on acorns, beechnuts, and seeds in winter. It stuffs several nuts into its throat at once and flies off to bury them, so a jay at your feeder is often doing meal prep, not eating.

Males and females look alike: bright blue crest and back, white face and underparts, and a black necklace. Males average slightly larger, which you'll never notice at a feeder.

The Blue Jay call is a harsh jay-jay, plus squeaky pump-handle notes and a spot-on hawk impression that empties the feeder in seconds.

Blue Jays are found statewide in oak and beech woods, towns, and farm country.

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

3. Dark-eyed Junco

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Junco hyemalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant (also nests in Vermont's mountain forests)

The Dark-eyed Junco is the "snowbird" that shows up under feeders right around the first real snow. Plenty of juncos nest in Vermont's higher-elevation forests in summer, and in winter they're joined by birds from farther north, so the lowland flocks get bigger once the leaves drop.

Vermont's juncos are the slate-colored type: dark gray above, white belly, pale pink bill. Males are a crisper, darker slate, and females are a softer gray with a brownish wash. Both flash white outer tail feathers when they flush.

The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tik or smack, and the song is a dry, steady trill.

Look for small flocks on the ground under feeders, along woodland edges, and on plowed roadsides statewide.

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

4. Downy Woodpecker

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

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Vermont and light enough to work goldenrod stems and thin twigs for insect galls and larvae. It's also the woodpecker most likely to find your suet first.

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

The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik, plus a whinny that falls in pitch at the end.

Downies are found statewide in woodlots, sugarbushes, town parks, and backyards.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

5. White-breasted Nuthatch

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

The White-breasted Nuthatch creeps headfirst down tree trunks, picking up insects and seeds the woodpeckers missed on the way up. It wedges a sunflower seed into bark and whacks it open with its bill, 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, while females usually have a grayer one, which is easiest to judge when a pair comes in together.

The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank, often in quick, slightly annoyed-sounding series.

You'll find it statewide in maple, oak, and beech woods and in yards with big old trees.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, shelled peanuts, suet

6. Mourning Dove

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

The Mourning Dove is a ground-feeding seed eater that's as common at New England feeders as almost anything on this list. In deep snow, doves cluster on feeders and sunny roof edges, and it's not unusual to see a bird with a frostbitten toe or two by March.

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

The Mourning Dove call is a low, sad coo-OO-oo-oo-oo that gets mistaken for an owl. Their wings make a whistling twitter when they take off.

Mourning Doves are most common in the Champlain Valley and the Connecticut River valley, where farm fields and feeders keep them going, and scarcer in the snowy uplands.

Feeder favorites: white 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 Vermont Bird

The Tufted Titmouse is a southern bird that moved north into New England over the last century, and it's now a regular at Vermont feeders. It takes one seed at a time, flies off to eat or hide it, and comes right back, like a toddler with a bag of Goldfish crackers.

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

The Tufted Titmouse call is a loud, whistled peter-peter-peter, plus raspy scolding notes when a cat or hawk is near.

Titmice are most common in the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont and thin out in the colder, higher country of the Northeast Kingdom.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, shelled peanuts, suet

8. American Goldfinch

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

The American Goldfinch stays all winter but trades its summer lemon yellow for a dull olive-brown, so a lot of people assume it left. (It didn't. It just went into witness protection.)

In winter, males keep a yellowish face and throat and jet-black wings with white bars, while females are grayer and plainer. Both have a short, pale, cone-shaped bill.

The American Goldfinch call is a bouncy po-ta-to-chip given in flight, as the flock dips up and down.

Goldfinches are found statewide in weedy fields, alder edges, and anywhere with a tube feeder, and in winter they often travel with siskins and redpolls.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower

9. Northern Cardinal

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

The Northern Cardinal is another southern bird that pushed north into Vermont within living memory, and a red male on a snowy cedar is about as close to a Christmas card as real life gets. Cardinals are often the first birds at the feeder in the morning and the last at dusk.

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

The Northern Cardinal call is a sharp, metallic chip. Males start singing their whistled cheer-cheer-cheer and birdie-birdie-birdie on clear mornings in late winter.

Cardinals are most common in the Champlain Valley, the Connecticut River valley, and towns across southern Vermont, wherever thick shrubs sit near feeders. If you want to bring one in, here's how to attract cardinals in winter.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn

10. Hairy Woodpecker

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

The Hairy Woodpecker is the Downy Woodpecker's larger lookalike, and it prefers bigger trees and deeper woods. It chisels into bark for beetle larvae and is a steady customer at suet feeders in winter.

The quickest way to tell them apart is the bill: the Hairy's is nearly as long as its head, while the Downy's is a short little stub. 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 rattle that stays on one pitch.

Hairy Woodpeckers are found statewide in mature hardwoods, sugarbushes, and wooded neighborhoods.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

11. House Finch

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

The House Finch is a western bird that spread across the East after captive birds were released on Long Island in the 1940s. In Vermont it sticks close to people, nesting in porch lights and hanging plants and wintering around town feeders.

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

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

House Finches are most common in towns and cities, especially in the Champlain Valley and around Burlington, and they're scarce in big forests.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer

12. Purple Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous purpureus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant (numbers vary by year)

The Purple Finch looks like it was dipped in raspberry juice, and it's more of a forest bird than the House Finch. Some winters Vermont feeders get plenty, and other winters most of them head south, depending on the tree seed crop.

Males are rosy-raspberry over the head, back, and breast, with no brown streaks on the flanks. Females are brown and white with bold streaking and a strong white eyebrow and dark cheek, which the plain-faced female House Finch lacks.

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

Look for it in mixed and conifer woods across the state, especially in the north and at higher elevations, and at feeders near the woods.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips

13. Red-breasted Nuthatch

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

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a small, busy bird of spruce and fir woods that lives on conifer seeds. When the cone crop fails up north, numbers in Vermont jump, and it's one of the non-finches on the Finch Research Network's irruption watch list.

Males have a blue-gray back, a black cap and eye stripe, a white eyebrow, and a rich cinnamon breast. Females have a grayer cap and a paler, more washed-out breast.

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

You'll find it statewide where there are conifers, from the Green Mountains to backyard spruce plantings.

Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower

14. American Tree Sparrow

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

The American Tree Sparrow breeds near the tree line in the far north and spends the winter in Vermont's weedy fields, which makes the name a little optimistic. It's one of the most dependable winter-only birds in the state, usually in small, twittering flocks.

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

The American Tree Sparrow call is a thin tseet, and feeding flocks give a soft, musical twitter.

Tree sparrows are found in open country statewide, especially in hedgerows and weedy field edges in the Champlain Valley and in yards with brush piles.

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

15. White-throated Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Uncommon Winter Resident (mostly the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont)

The White-throated Sparrow is one of Vermont's most common breeding birds in the north woods, but most leave for the winter. A few stay at feeders with good cover nearby, mostly in milder parts of the state.

Look for a bright white throat, a yellow spot between the eye and bill, and a striped head that's either black-and-white or tan-and-brown. Both head types occur in males and females, so you can't sex them by plumage.

The song is a whistled Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada, and it occasionally sings on mild winter days. The White-throated Sparrow call is a sharp pink.

Wintering White-throats are mostly in the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont, in brushy yards and thickets near feeders.

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

16. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Melanerpes carolinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Vermont Bird (uncommon in the north)

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a newer Vermont resident that has been spreading north, and its name is a long-running practical joke. The red belly is a faint pinkish blush you'll almost never see.

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

The Red-bellied Woodpecker call is a rolling kwirr or churr, loud enough to carry across a frozen woodlot.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are most common in the Champlain Valley and southern Vermont, in hardwoods and wooded neighborhoods, and still uncommon in the northern uplands.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower

17. American Crow

Family – Corvidae
Species – Corvus brachyrhynchos
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The American Crow eats nearly anything, from waste corn and manure-spread fields to roadkill and scraps. In winter, crows gather by the hundreds or thousands at night roosts in towns and fly out to farm fields at first light.

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

The American Crow call is the classic caw-caw-caw, plus rattles, clicks, and soft croaks.

Crows are found statewide in winter but are most common in the dairy country of the Champlain Valley.

Feeder favorites: peanuts in the shell, cracked corn

18. Pileated Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryocopus pileatus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Vermont Bird

The Pileated Woodpecker is about the size of a crow, and in winter it excavates big rectangular holes in trees to get at carpenter ants. Fresh wood chips piled on the snow at the base of a tree are the giveaway.

It's black with white stripes on the face and neck and a flaming red crest. Males have a red stripe at the base of the bill and red to the forehead, while females have a black stripe and a black forehead.

The Pileated Woodpecker call is a loud, wild wuk-wuk-wuk that sounds like a jungle movie soundtrack, and its drumming is slow and booming.

Pileateds are found statewide in mature forests with big trees and will come out of the woods for suet.

Feeder favorites: suet

19. Wild Turkey

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

The Wild Turkey disappeared from Vermont in the 1800s and was brought back by reintroduction, and now flocks wander through backyards like they pay property taxes. In deep snow, they scratch for acorns and beechnuts, pick at manure-spread fields, and work the ground under feeders.

Males are large and bronzy with a bare red-and-blue head and a hair-like beard on the chest. Females are smaller, browner, and have a duller, more feathered head.

The Wild Turkey call includes soft clucks, yelps, and purrs. The famous gobble is mostly a spring sound.

Turkeys are found statewide, most commonly in the farm-and-forest mix of the valleys.

Feeder favorites: cracked corn and spilled seed on the ground

20. Cedar Waxwing

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

The Cedar Waxwing wanders the state in winter in tight flocks looking for fruit, and when a flock finds a loaded crabapple it can strip it in an afternoon. Fermented fruit sometimes leaves them a little tipsy, which is the most relatable thing on this list.

It's sleek and brownish with a crest, a black mask, a pale yellow belly, and a yellow tip on the tail. Some birds have waxy red tips on the wing feathers. Males and females look alike.

The Cedar Waxwing call is a very high, thin sree given constantly by the flock.

Look for them statewide in crabapples, mountain ash, and buckthorn, often in town and along river edges.

Feeder favorites: they don't use seed feeders, but fruiting trees and shrubs will bring them in

21. Bohemian Waxwing

Family – Bombycillidae
Species – Bombycilla garrulus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive (mostly northern Vermont)

The Bohemian Waxwing is the Cedar Waxwing's bigger, grayer cousin from the boreal forest, and it shows up in Vermont in irruption winters. Vermont Public's coverage of the 2025–26 finch irruption in northern New England listed it alongside the winter finches and pointed birders to fruit trees, including the crabapples in grocery store parking lots.

It's gray overall with a crest and black mask, white and yellow marks on the wings, and rusty feathers under the tail (the Cedar has white). Males and females look very similar.

The Bohemian Waxwing call is a buzzy trill, lower and rougher than the Cedar Waxwing's thin whistle.

Look for flocks in crabapples and ornamental fruit trees in northern Vermont towns, sometimes mixed with Cedar Waxwings and robins.

Feeder favorites: none at seed feeders, but crabapples and other fruit are a strong draw

22. Evening Grosbeak

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Coccothraustes vespertinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive

The Evening Grosbeak is a chunky, big-billed finch that can go through sunflower seed faster than I can go through a sleeve of Thin Mints. It used to be a common winter feeder bird across Vermont, but its numbers have dropped a lot, so a flock now feels like a small event.

Males are mustard yellow with a dark head, a yellow eyebrow, and black wings with a big white patch. Females are gray with a yellow wash on the neck and sides and black-and-white wings.

The Evening Grosbeak call is a loud, ringing peer or cleer, often heard before the flock lands.

In irruption years, look for them at feeders near the north woods and the Northeast Kingdom, and at higher-elevation feeders statewide.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower on a platform feeder

23. Pine Grosbeak

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Pinicola enucleator
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive

The Pine Grosbeak is a big, plump finch from the boreal forest that's famously calm around people, which mostly means it's busy eating. In irruption winters it feeds on crabapples, mountain ash berries, and tree buds, and it often sits right in the open.

Males are rosy red with gray sides and white wing bars. Females and young males are gray with an olive-yellow or russet head and rump, and both have a stubby, dark bill.

The Pine Grosbeak call is a soft, whistled tew-tew-tew that sounds like it's asking a question.

Look for it in fruiting ornamental trees in northern towns and in spruce-fir woods in the Northeast Kingdom.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, plus nearby crabapples

24. Pine Siskin

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

The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that can cling to a hanging spruce cone like an acrobat. It wanders widely following the conifer seed crop, so some winters it swarms feeders and other winters it's nowhere.

It's brown and heavily streaked with a thin, pointed bill and yellow edges on the wings and tail. Males tend to show more yellow than females, but there's a lot of overlap.

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

Look for siskins statewide in conifers and at feeders, often mixed in with goldfinches.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

25. Redpoll

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

You might know this one as the Common Redpoll or Hoary Redpoll, but in 2024 the American Ornithological Society combined them into one species, the Redpoll. That's the bird world's equivalent of finding out your two favorite bands are actually the same guy. Redpolls show up in Vermont in big flocks in some winters and barely at all in others, and Michael Hallworth of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies told Vermont Public they're often found in fallow fields.

It's a small, streaky finch with a red cap and a small black chin. Males have a rosy-pink wash on the breast, while females are streakier and lack the pink. Some birds are much frostier than others, which is where the old Hoary name came from.

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

Look for redpolls in birches, alders, and weedy fields statewide, and at feeders alongside goldfinches.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

26. Bald Eagle

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

The Bald Eagle is a fish eater that also takes ducks and scavenges carrion, and in winter it goes wherever the water stays open. Eagles from farther north join Vermont's own birds along Lake Champlain and the big rivers once the ponds lock up.

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

The Bald Eagle call is a thin, high chattering that sounds surprisingly small for the size of the bird.

Look for eagles at open water along Lake Champlain, including ferry landings like Charlotte where the ferry keeps the ice broken up, and along the Connecticut River.

27. Red-tailed Hawk

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

The Red-tailed Hawk is the big hawk you'll see hunched on a fence post or tree along the interstate, watching the snow for voles and mice. It's the most common hawk in Vermont in winter.

Adults have a brick-red tail, a pale chest, and a dark belly band of streaks. Males and females look alike, but females are noticeably larger.

The Red-tailed Hawk call is a raspy, descending keee-arrr, the scream Hollywood dubs over every eagle scene.

Red-tails are found statewide in open farm country and along highways, especially in the Champlain Valley.

28. Cooper's Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Astur cooperii
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The Cooper's Hawk is a crow-sized bird hunter that has figured out feeders are basically a buffet. It comes in low and fast through the yard, and if your feeder birds suddenly vanish and freeze, a Cooper's is usually nearby. (It's nature. I still yell at it a little.)

Adults have a blue-gray back, a rusty-barred chest, red eyes, and a long, rounded tail. Males and females look alike, but females are much larger.

The Cooper's Hawk call is a loud cak-cak-cak, though it's mostly quiet in winter.

Cooper's Hawks are found statewide, most often in towns and suburbs where feeders concentrate songbirds.

29. Rough-legged Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Buteo lagopus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Rough-legged Hawk nests in the Arctic and comes south for the winter, and it's one of the signature birds of the Champlain Valley fields. It hunts voles by hovering in the wind like an oversized kestrel, and its legs are feathered right down to the toes, which is the bird version of good winter boots.

It comes in light and dark forms. Light birds have a pale head and dark patches at the "wrists" under the wings. Females tend to have a solid dark belly patch, while males usually show a more mottled chest and several bands on the tail.

The Rough-legged Hawk call is a whistled, descending scream, though it's usually silent in winter.

Look for it over open fields around Dead Creek Wildlife Management Area in Addison County and other big farm fields in the Champlain Valley.

30. Northern Shrike

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

The Northern Shrike is a songbird that acts like a raptor. It hunts small birds and rodents in open country and stores extra prey on thorns or barbed wire, which is a pantry system I don't recommend copying.

It's pale gray above and white below with a black mask and black wings and tail, plus a small hooked bill. Males and females look alike. First-winter birds are browner.

The Northern Shrike call is a harsh, grating shek, and it sometimes sings a jumble of squeaks in late winter.

Shrikes are uncommon winter visitors in open country statewide, most often on a treetop or wire over fields and hedgerows in the Champlain Valley.

31. Barred Owl

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

The Barred Owl is the owl you're most likely to see in Vermont, sometimes in daylight, because hungry Barred Owls in snowy winters often hunt along roadsides and near feeders where rodents gather.

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

The Barred Owl call is the famous Who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-all, and pairs sometimes break into a wild hooting duet.

Barred Owls live statewide in mature woods, especially mixed forest near wetlands and streams.

32. Snowy Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Bubo scandiacus
Primary Activity Time – Day and Night
Diurnal / Nocturnal
Irruptive

The Snowy Owl comes down from the Arctic in some winters and not in others, and in Vermont it usually sits in wide-open farm fields that look a bit like tundra if you squint. Snowy Owls hunt in daylight as well as at night, which is why you can find them from a car.

Adult males can be nearly pure white. Females and young birds have heavy dark barring, and females are larger.

The Snowy Owl call is a deep, hoarse hoot, but it's mostly silent in winter.

Look for Snowy Owls in the open fields of the Champlain Valley, especially around Dead Creek in Addison County, where Short-eared Owls also hunt the fields along Route 17 at dusk. Please give them a lot of room. A Snowy Owl that keeps getting flushed is burning energy it badly needs.

33. Snow Bunting

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

The Snow Bunting is an Arctic songbird that travels in swirling flocks over bare fields, and when a flock lifts off all at once it looks like a snow globe that somebody shook. It eats weed and grass seeds on windswept ground and manure-spread fields.

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

The Snow Bunting call is a soft, rolling rattle and a clear tew note in flight.

Look for flocks in the open farmland of the Champlain Valley. At Dead Creek, Snow Buntings often travel with Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs, so scan the whole flock.

34. Common Goldeneye

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

The Common Goldeneye is a chunky diving duck, and the Lake Champlain Committee calls it usually the most common winter duck on Lake Champlain. Large flocks gather in sheltered bays and dive for mussels, insects, and small fish.

Males are bright white with a dark, green-glossed head, a round white spot near the bill, and golden eyes. Females have a chocolate-brown head, a gray body, and usually a yellow tip on the bill.

Goldeneyes are mostly quiet, but their wings make a loud whistling sound in flight, which earned them the nickname "whistler." In late winter, males throw their heads back onto their backs in a courtship display that looks like a very committed yawn.

Look for them on open water along Lake Champlain, including the Charlotte ferry landing, where the ferry keeps a channel open, plus open stretches of the Connecticut River. Rare Barrow's Goldeneyes sometimes hide in the flocks.

35. Common Merganser

Family – Anatidae
Species – Mergus merganser
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Common Merganser is a big, sleek, fish-eating duck with a thin, serrated bill for gripping slippery prey. In winter it follows open water, so it shows up wherever rapids, dams, and the big lake keep the ice away.

Males are mostly white with a dark green head and a red bill. Females have a shaggy, cinnamon-brown head that ends sharply at a white chin and a gray body.

The Common Merganser call is a low croak, and it's fairly quiet in winter.

Look for flocks on Lake Champlain and on open, fast-moving stretches of rivers statewide, including the Connecticut.

Vermont Winter Birds FAQ

What birds stay in Vermont in the winter?

Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, White-breasted Nuthatches, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Northern Cardinals, and American Goldfinches stay all year. They're joined in winter by Dark-eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, Snow Buntings, Rough-legged Hawks, and ducks on Lake Champlain. Birder Bryan Pfeiffer told Vermont Public that only about 50 to 55 of the 250 or so species that might turn up in Vermont in a given year stay all winter. For a neighbor's list, see our guide to winter birds in New Hampshire.

What are the most common birds in Vermont at feeders?

The most common birds at Vermont feeders in winter are Black-capped Chickadees, Blue Jays, Dark-eyed Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Mourning Doves, Tufted Titmice, American Goldfinches, and Northern Cardinals. They're the top nine in Project FeederWatch's New England rankings, and the chickadee shows up at nearly every feeder.

What is the state bird of Vermont, and is it here in winter?

The Hermit Thrush is the state bird of Vermont. It leaves in mid-October, spends the winter south of Pennsylvania, and returns in April. A rare one will try to winter at a feeder, but in most years you won't see the state bird until spring.

Are there Snowy Owls in Vermont in winter?

In some winters, yes. Snowy Owls are irruptive, so numbers change from year to year. The best places to look are the big open fields in the Champlain Valley, especially around Dead Creek in Addison County. Keep your distance and don't flush them.

What winter birds of Vermont should I look for in an irruption year?

Watch for Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Redpolls, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Bohemian Waxwings. Check feeders with black oil sunflower, crabapple trees in town, and fallow fields. If you're also hearing about a big winter in New York, our list of winter birds in New York covers the Adirondack side of the lake.

How should I feed birds in Vermont in winter?

Black oil sunflower seed draws the widest mix of birds, and suet keeps woodpeckers and nuthatches coming back. Keep feeders clean, and place them either within 3 feet of a window or more than 30 feet away to cut down on window strikes. Skip bread. It fills birds up without giving them the nutrition they need in the cold.

What Birds of Vermont Have You Seen Lately?

eBird and iNaturalist are fantastic for logging what you see, and Vermont's biologists use those records to track declining species. What they don't do is put you in a field at Dead Creek with other people who are just as excited about a Rough-legged Hawk as you are. That's what Sparkbird is for.

Share your sightings with Vermont birders near you on the Sparkbird App, available in the Apple App Store.

And if you spend all winter scanning Addison County for a Snowy Owl and only find plastic bags, you're in good company. Every Vermont birder has stalked at least one Hefty bag across a cornfield.