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Forty Common Birds


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Forty Common Birds for Beginners

Here are suggested lists of forty common species for the east coast, mid west and west coast.  You'll have to adjust them for your locale. Most are commonly seen, but some are also chosen to illustrate different families or easy to recognize calls. You'll have to tweak them for the season or specific habit in which you'll run the class.
 
If you don't have a local checklist to start from, check www.ebird.org. This website will make lists of common species for your area.

www.eBird.org

East Coast Beginner Birds

Double Crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Mute Swan
Canada Goose
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Sharp-Shinned Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Wild Turkey
Killdeer
Sanderling
Laughing Gull
Herring Gull
Common Tern
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
Downy Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Red-Eyed Vireo
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Mockingbird
Northern Cardinal
White-Throated sparrow
Song Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Red-Winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
European Starling

Mid-West Beginner Birds

Here's a list for the Mid West:

Canada Goose
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Great Horned Owl (evening, early morning)
Barred Owl (evening, early morning)
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Common Crow
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Eastern Meadowlark
Starling
House (English) Sparrow
[Eurasian Tree Sparrow is possible.]
Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Wood Duck
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Killdeer
Turkey Vulture
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Pewee
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Chimney Swift
House Wren
Brown Thrasher
Catbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Redstart
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Northern (Baltimore) Oriole
Indigo Bunting
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Chipping Sparrow

West Coast Beginner Birds
 
Here's a list for the mid Pacific Coast, developed by Jay Withgott
 
Pacific Loon
Western Grebe
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Mallard
Surf Scoter
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
California Quail
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Willet
Marbled Godwit
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Heermann's Gull
California Gull
Western Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Forster's Tern
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Anna's Hummingbird
Black Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Western Scrub-Jay
American Crow
Common Raven
Cliff Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Pygmy Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
California Towhee
Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow

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