20 Most Common Backyard Birds in North America
Your backyard is likely home to a surprising diversity of bird species. Whether you have a small urban garden or a spacious suburban yard, learning to identify your regular feathered visitors adds enjoyment to everyday life and connects you to the natural world. This guide covers 20 of the most common backyard birds in North America, with tips on how to attract them and what makes each species special.
1. American Robin
Identification: Medium-sized thrush with gray-brown upperparts, brick-red breast, white throat with black streaks, and yellow bill. Males have darker heads than females.
The American Robin is one of the most recognizable birds in North America. Often considered a harbinger of spring, robins are actually present year-round in many areas, though northern populations do migrate. Watch for their characteristic "run-and-pause" foraging behavior on lawns as they hunt for earthworms. Their cheerful "cheerily cheer-up cheerio" song is one of the first bird sounds heard at dawn.
How to attract: Robins love open lawns for hunting worms. Leave some natural areas with leaf litter, provide a birdbath, and plant berry-producing shrubs like holly or juniper.
2. Northern Cardinal
Identification: Males are brilliant red with a black face mask and prominent crest. Females are warm buffy tan with reddish wings and crest. Both have thick orange-red bills.
Cardinals are non-migratory birds, bringing year-round color to your yard. Their vivid red plumage stands out especially beautifully against winter snow. Both males and females sing—a series of clear whistles that sound like "cheer cheer cheer, birdy birdy birdy." Cardinals often sing duets, with pairs coordinating their songs. They're territorial and may aggressively attack their own reflection in windows, which they perceive as a rival.
How to attract: Offer sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and cracked corn. Cardinals prefer platform feeders or hopper feeders. Dense shrubs and evergreens provide nesting sites and shelter.
3. Blue Jay
Identification: Large, crested songbird with bright blue upperparts, white underparts, black necklace, and blue and white wings with black bars. Face is white with blue crest.
Blue Jays are intelligent, bold, and often dominate feeders with their size and assertive behavior. They're excellent mimics and can imitate hawk calls—sometimes to scare other birds away from feeders. Despite their reputation as bullies, Blue Jays are important for forest ecology as they cache thousands of acorns, helping to spread oak trees. They're also devoted parents and family groups often stay together outside the breeding season.
How to attract: Blue Jays love peanuts (in shell or shelled), sunflower seeds, and suet. Platform feeders work well. Oak trees provide natural food.
4. House Sparrow
Identification: Males have gray crowns, white cheeks, black bibs, and brown backs streaked with black. Females are plain buffy-brown with a pale stripe behind the eye.
House Sparrows are not native to North America—they were introduced from Europe in the 1850s and have since become one of the most widespread birds on the continent. Highly social, they're almost always in flocks and often nest in colonies. While sometimes considered pests because they compete with native cavity-nesting birds, House Sparrows are remarkably adaptable and have thrived alongside human development.
How to attract: House Sparrows eat almost anything but especially love millet, cracked corn, and bread crumbs. They nest in cavities, including nest boxes, building vents, and any suitable crevice.
5. Mourning Dove
Identification: Plump dove with grayish-brown plumage, long tapered tail with white edges, small black spots on wings, and a distinctive black spot below the eye.
The Mourning Dove's soft, mournful "coo-OOO-oo-oo-oo" call is a familiar backyard sound. Their wings make a distinctive whistling sound in flight. Mourning Doves are ground feeders that often visit feeding stations in flocks. They can pump water like a straw (most birds must tip their heads back to swallow), allowing them to drink quickly and reduce exposure to predators.
How to attract: Scatter millet, cracked corn, or sunflower seeds on the ground or use platform feeders. Mourning Doves need open ground areas for feeding.
6. Black-capped Chickadee
Identification: Tiny bird with black cap and bib, white cheeks, gray back, and buffy sides. Compact and acrobatic.
Chickadees are among the most beloved backyard birds, known for their tameness and cheerful "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" call. They're incredibly intelligent, remembering thousands of cache locations where they've hidden seeds. Chickadees can lower their body temperature on cold nights to conserve energy, a rare ability in small birds. They often lead mixed-species flocks in winter, with other small birds following them to food sources.
How to attract: Black-oil sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts. Chickadees prefer tube feeders and suet feeders. They'll also use nest boxes with 1 1/8-inch entrance holes.
7. Tufted Titmouse
Identification: Small gray bird with a prominent crest, large black eyes, peach-colored flanks, and white underparts.
Titmice are close relatives of chickadees and share their acrobatic feeding style and food-caching behavior. Their loud "peter-peter-peter" song is a common sound in deciduous forests and suburbs. They're bold at feeders, often dominating despite their small size. Titmice have been observed plucking hair from living animals (including humans!) to line their nests.
How to attract: Sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts. Titmice use the same feeders as chickadees and appreciate dense shrubs for cover.
8. White-breasted Nuthatch
Identification: Compact bird with blue-gray upperparts, white face and underparts, black cap (gray in females), and short tail. Often seen moving headfirst down tree trunks.
Nuthatches get their name from their habit of wedging nuts into tree bark crevices and then "hatching" them open with their bills. Their ability to move down trees headfirst (unlike woodpeckers, which only go up) allows them to find insects that other birds miss. Their nasal "yank yank" call is distinctive.
How to attract: Sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet. Nuthatches appreciate mature trees with textured bark for foraging and nest boxes for breeding.
9. Downy Woodpecker
Identification: Small woodpecker with black and white plumage, white back stripe, checkered wings, and short bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head.
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America and one of the most common. They're gentle at feeders, often waiting their turn while other birds feed. Downys drum on trees for communication and can drill up to 15 times per second when excavating nest cavities. Their call is a sharp "pik!"
How to attract: Suet is their favorite, but they'll also eat black-oil sunflower seeds and peanuts. Dead trees or snags provide natural foraging and nesting sites.
10. Red-bellied Woodpecker
Identification: Medium woodpecker with zebra-striped black and white back, pale underparts with a faint reddish tinge on the belly (often hard to see), and a red crown and nape.
Despite their name, the red belly is subtle and often invisible in the field—the red head is much more prominent. These woodpeckers are expanding their range northward, likely due to climate change and bird feeders providing winter food. They make a loud "churr churr" call and drum loudly on trees and metal surfaces.
How to attract: Suet, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and oranges. They appreciate mature trees for nesting and foraging.
11. American Goldfinch
Identification: Breeding males are brilliant yellow with black cap, wings, and tail. Females and winter birds are olive-yellow. Small finch with conical bill and notched tail.
Goldfinches are vegetarians, feeding almost exclusively on seeds. They undergo a complete molt twice a year—unusual for American birds—changing between bright breeding plumage and drab winter feathers. Their undulating flight is accompanied by cheerful "per-chick-o-ree" calls. Goldfinches are among the latest nesters, waiting until July or August when thistle seeds (their favorite food and nest material) are available.
How to attract: Nyjer (thistle) seed in special feeders with small ports. They also eat sunflower chips. Plant native flowers like coneflowers and black-eyed Susans that produce seeds.
12. House Finch
Identification: Males have red on the head, breast, and rump with brown-streaked backs and flanks. Females are brown-streaked overall. Both have short, thick bills.
House Finches were originally native only to western North America, but released cage birds established populations in the East in the 1940s. They're highly social, often visiting feeders in flocks, and males sing beautiful warbling songs. The red coloring in males comes from carotenoids in their diet—birds with better nutrition show brighter red.
How to attract: Black-oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, and millet. House Finches use tube feeders and platform feeders and will nest almost anywhere, including hanging baskets and wreaths.
13. Song Sparrow
Identification: Medium-sized sparrow with heavy brown streaking on white underparts converging into a central breast spot, brown and gray head with distinctive stripes, and long, rounded tail.
Song Sparrows are one of the most widespread and variable birds in North America, with over 30 recognized subspecies that differ in size and color. True to their name, they're talented singers with a distinctive song that starts with three clear notes followed by a buzzy trill. Males can sing up to 20 different song variations.
How to attract: Song Sparrows feed on the ground, eating millet, cracked corn, and sunflower seeds. Thick shrubs provide cover and nesting sites.
14. Dark-eyed Junco
Identification: "Snowbird" with slate-gray upperparts and hood, white belly, and white outer tail feathers conspicuous in flight. Several color forms exist across North America.
Dark-eyed Juncos breed in northern and mountain forests but migrate south and to lower elevations for winter, becoming common backyard birds throughout much of the U.S. They're ground feeders that hop with both feet together. The white outer tail feathers flash conspicuously when they fly, possibly serving as flock-keeping signals.
How to attract: Scatter millet and cracked corn on the ground. Juncos prefer feeding on the ground beneath feeders rather than at the feeders themselves.
15. Carolina Wren
Identification: Small, plump bird with rich rusty-brown upperparts, warm buff underparts, bold white eyebrow stripe, and often-cocked tail. Loud for its size.
Carolina Wrens are one of the loudest birds for their size, with a ringing "teakettle-teakettle-teakettle" song that can be heard year-round. They're curious and bold, often investigating porches, garages, and even entering open buildings. Unlike many wrens, they readily use nest boxes and will nest in unusual locations like flowerpots and mailboxes.
How to attract: Suet, mealworms, and peanut bits. Carolina Wrens appreciate dense shrubs, brush piles, and nest boxes with side entrances.
16. Red-winged Blackbird
Identification: Males are black with bright red shoulder patches (epaulets) bordered with yellow. Females are heavily streaked brown and often mistaken for sparrows.
Red-winged Blackbirds are among North America's most abundant birds, with an estimated population over 100 million. Males are fiercely territorial during breeding season, attacking much larger birds (even hawks) that venture too close to their nests. Their "conk-la-ree" song and displays of red epaulets are iconic sounds and sights of wetlands and fields.
How to attract: Mixed seed, cracked corn, and millet scattered on the ground. They prefer areas near water or wetlands.
17. Common Grackle
Identification: Large blackbird with long, keel-shaped tail, yellow eyes, and iridescent purple-blue head. Bronze back and glossy plumage overall.
Common Grackles are intelligent and adaptable, thriving in suburban areas. They often travel in flocks and can be aggressive at feeders, eating voraciously and dominating other birds. Grackles have been observed dunking hard food in water to soften it and will even wade into water to catch small fish. Their call is a harsh "readle-eak."
How to attract: Almost any seed, but they especially like cracked corn. Use caged feeders to discourage them if they become problematic. They're important for insect control, eating many pest species.
18. European Starling
Identification: Chunky, short-tailed bird. Breeding plumage is iridescent black with purple and green gloss. Winter plumage is heavily spotted with white. Yellow bill and pink legs.
European Starlings are invasive birds introduced to North America in 1890 when 100 birds were released in Central Park. They're now one of the continent's most numerous birds, with an estimated population over 200 million. Starlings are exceptional mimics, incorporating sounds from other birds, animals, and even mechanical noises into their songs. They're cavity nesters and compete aggressively with native species for nest sites.
How to attract (or discourage): Starlings eat almost anything. To discourage them, use feeders with weight-activated perches that close under their weight, or offer foods they dislike such as safflower seeds and nyjer.
19. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Identification: Tiny jewel-like bird with metallic green back, white underparts, and needle-like bill. Males have brilliant red throat (gorget). Rapid wingbeats allow hovering.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are the only hummingbird species that regularly breeds in eastern North America. Despite weighing less than a nickel, they migrate non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico—a 500-mile journey. Their hearts beat up to 1,200 times per minute during flight, and their wings beat about 53 times per second. Males perform elaborate dive displays during courtship.
How to attract: Hummingbird feeders with sugar water (1 part white sugar to 4 parts water—no red dye needed). Plant tubular flowers like bee balm, cardinal flower, and trumpet vine.
20. Northern Mockingbird
Identification: Slender, long-tailed bird with gray upperparts, lighter underparts, white wing patches conspicuous in flight, and white outer tail feathers.
Northern Mockingbirds are famous for their singing ability—they can learn and mimic over 200 different songs, including other bird species, animals, machinery, and even car alarms. Males may sing all night during the breeding season, especially on moonlit nights. They're territorial and will aggressively defend their yards against intruders, including humans. Mockingbirds are the state bird of five U.S. states.
How to attract: Mockingbirds primarily eat insects in summer and berries in winter. Plant berry-producing shrubs like holly, elderberry, and Virginia creeper. They prefer foraging on the ground and in open areas.
Creating a Bird-Friendly Backyard
To attract the greatest diversity of birds to your yard:
- Provide diverse food sources: Different birds have different dietary preferences. Offer seeds, suet, fruit, and nectar.
- Offer fresh water: A birdbath or fountain provides drinking and bathing opportunities. Moving water is especially attractive.
- Plant native vegetation: Native plants provide natural food sources (seeds, berries, insects) and nesting materials.
- Provide shelter: Dense shrubs, evergreens, and brush piles offer protection from weather and predators.
- Reduce pesticide use: Insects are essential food for many birds, especially during breeding season.
- Prevent window strikes: Use decals, screens, or netting to make windows visible to birds.
- Keep cats indoors: Outdoor cats kill billions of birds annually in the United States.
Conclusion
Learning to identify common backyard birds transforms your daily experience of your outdoor space. Each species has unique behaviors, vocalizations, and ecological roles that make them fascinating to observe. Start with these 20 common species, and you'll soon find yourself noticing the subtle differences that distinguish each bird.
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