Birds of the Central US and Midwest
Range is the quietest ID clue and one of the strongest — plenty of look-alike pairs never overlap. These 209 species are regularly seen in the Central US and Midwest, including birds found right across the continent.
209 birds
Eurasian Collared-DoveStreptopelia decaocto
Ring-necked PheasantPhasianus colchicus
Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
CanvasbackAythya valisineria
Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
Horned LarkEremophila alpestris
Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
Northern PintailAnas acuta
RedheadAythya americana
Sandhill CraneAntigone canadensis
Snow GooseAnser caerulescens
DickcisselSpiza americana
Forster's TernSterna forsteri
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipes
Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
SoraPorzana carolina
Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
Sedge WrenCistothorus stellaris
Virginia RailRallus limicola
Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querula
American CootFulica americana
Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
KilldeerCharadrius vociferus
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
Turkey VultureCathartes aura
American WigeonMareca americana
Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalus
BuffleheadBucephala albeola
Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagica
Double-crested CormorantNannopterum auritum
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
Eastern PhoebeSayornis phoebe
Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
GadwallMareca strepera
Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
Great EgretArdea alba
Great-tailed GrackleQuiscalus mexicanus
Green-winged TealAnas carolinensis
Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
OspreyPandion haliaetus
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinus
Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
Western MeadowlarkSturnella neglecta
White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
Wood DuckAix sponsa
Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronata
American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
Barred OwlStrix varia
Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
Brown CreeperCerthia americana
Brown ThrasherToxostoma rufum
Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magna
Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
Greater RoadrunnerGeococcyx californianus
Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleuca
Green HeronButorides virescens
Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
Ladder-backed WoodpeckerDryobates scalaris
Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
Northern HarrierCircus hudsonius
Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
Purple MartinProgne subis
Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
Ruby-crowned KingletCorthylio calendula
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatus
Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni
Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
American WoodcockScolopax minor
Bank SwallowRiparia riparia
Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
Burrowing OwlAthene cunicularia
California GullLarus californicus
Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
Common TernSterna hirundo
Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis
Least SandpiperCalidris minutilla
Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianus
Orchard OrioleIcterus spurius
Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopus
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusilla
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianus
Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
Golden-fronted WoodpeckerMelanerpes aurifrons
Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus
Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
Scaled QuailCallipepla squamata
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacus
Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis
Black VultureCoragyps atratus
Black-billed MagpiePica hudsonia
Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
Bewick's WrenThryomanes bewickii
Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
Common LoonGavia immer
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
MerlinFalco columbarius
Northern BobwhiteColinus virginianus
Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
WilletTringa semipalmata
American PipitAnthus rubescens
BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera
Common GallinuleGallinula galeata
Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
Least TernSternula antillarum
Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
Rock WrenSalpinctes obsoletus
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinator
VeeryCatharus fuscescens
White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosa
Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
Barn OwlTyto alba
Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
Common MerganserMergus merganser
Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
Snowy EgretEgretta thula
Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
American RobinTurdus migratorius
Canada GooseBranta canadensis
European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
House SparrowPasser domesticus
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
Rock PigeonColumba livia
American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanus
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
House WrenTroglodytes aedon
Northern FlickerColaptes auratus
Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
Yellow WarblerSetophaga petechia
American KestrelFalco sparverius
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
Cooper's HawkAstur cooperii
Hairy WoodpeckerDryobates villosus
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
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