Several bird species prefer the woods, whether they are content to dwell in the suburbs, parks, or even urban areas. Many animals, such as those that live in the depths of forest or need several kilometers of continuous woodland, spend their entire lives there. Let’s take a look at 15 different kinds of birds that prefer to spend most of their time in the woods.
15 BIRDS THAT LIVE IN FORESTS
Some of these forest birds can be enticed to come to backyards with bird feeders, especially if you happen to live along the edge of large stretches of woodland.
1. WOOD THRUSH
Scientific name: Hylocichla mustelina
Before you see a wood thrush, you’re more likely to hear one. They have a speckled breast that allows them to blend in with the forest floor where they hunt. They are cinnamon brown. Their song, on the other hand, is what makes them famous. The sound is an ee-oh-lay flute that is very distinctive.
When they return to the eastern United States, listen for them in the woods. During the spring and early summer, these flowers bloom. Unless you live near a patch of forest, these birds prefer to dwell in the woods interior and are seldom visible in gardens. Insects, snails, and berries are all eaten by wood thrushes.
2. SCARLET TANAGER
Scientific name: Piranga olivacea
Against green foliage, the male Scarlet Tanager’s bright scarlet body and black wings shine like a lighthouse. They seem to be simple to detect, yet they remain hidden in the forest and forage at the highest heights of the trees, making them difficult to locate.
Return to the eastern US woods for Scarlet Tanagers. From their winter habitat in South America, they return in the spring. Females are yellow, while males are red. Males lose their red feathers and turn yellow in the autumn, when the breeding season is done and they must travel south.
In deciduous woods, listen for their “chick-burr” call, and look for a crimson flash on the tree tops.
3. BARRED OWL
Scientific name: Strix varia
One of the most prevalent owls in America is the Barred Owl. The East and Pacific Northwest are where they’ve been all their lives. These owls prefer most wooded areas and swamps with trees.
The eyes of Barred Owls are big, black, and have a gray complexion, with brown and gray speckles on the back and chest. They prefer to be active at night, although you may sometimes see them during the day. On a walk through the forest, you may also spy one quietly snoozing on a tree limb.
At dusk and dawn, listen for the Barred Owl’s “who-cooks-for-you” call. If there are significant areas of woods nearby, this unique call may sometimes be heard in suburban neighborhoods.
4. EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL
Scientific name: Antrostomus vociferus
The call of this nocturnal nightjar, “whip-poor-will,” which it repeats throughout the day and dusk, has become a well-known poem and folk song. They capture bugs they see in the moon and stars’ light all night. In the summer, at night, you’ll have to be close to some woods.
These insect-eating birds spend the spring and summer in Eastern forests, where they are native to the eastern United States. They may be found all throughout the Atlantic, down through Florida and the Gulf Coast. Their mottled brown feathers blend in well with tree bark and foliage on the woodland floor, making them very effective camouflage.
5. PILEATED WOODPECKER
Scientific name: Dryocopus pileatus
In the United States, Pileated Woodpeckers are still to be found. It’s a year-round thing for sure. They may be found in Canada, as well as portions of the Pacific Northwest and California, east of the Mississippi River. With its black body, white striped face, and bright red head crest, these huge woodpeckers are crow-sized and striking.
The Pileated Woodpecker favours old woodland with plenty of enormous, dead trees for breeding. Carpenter ants and termites are their favorites, as they eat insects and berries. To get to these insects, large, rectangular holes may be drilled into trees. While they are less common than other woodpeckers during backyard feeders, you may still entice them with a suet feeder if you live in woodlands.
6. RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER
Scientific name: Sphyrapicus ruber
The Red-breasted Sapsucker is a gem on the Pacific coast. This little woodpecker creates sap wells on the trunks of trees by drilling rows of holes. As long as there are enough mature sap-producing trees, they can be found in a variety of forested habitat.
Because of the winter, providing suet in your yard might entice them to visit. Yards with trees, particularly aspen and pines, are preferred by them.
7. SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
Scientific name: Accipiter striatus
The Sharp-shinned Hawk has a huge range across the United States, being the smallest hawk in the United States. For breeding, they prefer thick woodland, and even outside of the breeding season, they prefer to stay in woodland or forest border. With short wings, long legs, and a long tail, their body shape is optimized for hunting in the forest. By pursuing prey, it aids them in maneuvering and weaving between the trees.
During their migration in the fall, the best time to see them is. During the summer, the population that lives in Canada travels south through the Midwest. Spend the winter in the southern and southeastern states.
8. BROWN CREEPER
Scientific name: Certhia americana
Throughout the year, the tiny Brown Creeper may be found in the northeast and western regions of the nation, but during winter, it may expand to all areas. These woodland birds search for insects in the crevices of trees, “creeping” up and down tree trunks. The better, the bigger and older the tree.
Their white underparts are visible from the side, although their brown mottled feathers blend in with tree bark from the back. They brace themselves against the tree using their long, stiff tail feathers, and their long toe claws help them grip the bark.
9. VEERY
Scientific name: Catharus fuscenscens
The Veery is a thrush that looks a lot like the others and belongs to the thrush family. Their generally plain belly, with just a few spots on the breast, will help you distinguish them. In Canada, New England, and the northern border and mid-west states, Veery is a breed. In bogs and swamps, they prefer deciduous woods.
They migrate all the way down to South America’s central regions in the autumn, passing through much of the eastern and middle United States. It’s a short distance away.
A descending flute-like veer, akin to air whirling down a metal pipe, has been characterized as the calls that fill summer woods.
10. STELLER’S JAY
Scientific name: Cyanocitta stelleri
The Blue Jay, their more common cousin, is a relative of Steller’s Jays. The top half of these stunning and massive jays is black, while the bottom half is dark blue. Steller’s Jays, unlike the Blue Jays, are exclusively found in the western United States. From the Pacific Northwest to the Rocky Mountains and Southwest, they have a wide habitat.
They may carry several acorns or other huge nuts in their mouth at once, and may store them for later due to their bigger size. For peanuts and suet, they’ll be visiting backyard feeders.
11. BROWN-HEADED NUTHATCH
Scientific name: Sitta pusilla
Is it a squeaky toy or a Brown-headed Nuthatch? This Southeast-Asian bird produces a toy-like cry that’s similar to a dog’s toy.
In mature pine forests, look for them scurrying up and down the trunks of trees. They’re frequently seen in groups of families. They cling to trees and look for insects beneath the bark. In order to pry bigger bark flakes off trees in search of food, these nuthatches have been seen using little pieces of bark as a tool.
If you live within range, they may stop by suet and seed feeders.
12. RED-CROSSBILL
Scientific name: Loxia curvirostra
The signature crisscrossed beak of this species is visible on both sexes, although males are red and females are yellow. They may be located in mature coniferous woodlands across Canada, the western United States, and certain areas near the Great Lakes. In search of their primary food source, conifer seeds, they may move their range year to year.
They have an interesting-shaped beak that permits them to extract the seeds from pine, fir, and spruce cones by breaking them open. Since other finch species are unable to break open cones, this gives them an edge.
13. BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK
Scientific name: Pheucticus melanocephalus
The Black-headed Grosbeak’s sweet song adds to the Western woodland and Pacific Coast. Throughout the spring and summer, they reside in coniferous woods, before heading south to Mexico in the winter. Foraging for insects, seeds, and fruits, they prefer forest with big trees and a deep understory. They have such powerful beaks that they can even break snail shells.
Backyard feeders are popular with Black-headed Grosbeaks. Sunflower seeds, or a combination of seeds, nuts, and fruits will usually suffice.
14. ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK
Scientific name: Pheucticus ludovicianus
Eastern US migrants have a migrating grosbeak. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are the birds in question. Males have a dynamic scarlet, white, and black coloration while females have a brown streaked coloration. When they travel through the southern and central states on their way to their summer range in the northeast, the best time to see them is in the spring. They sing a lovely song, which is similar to a robin’s cheerful tone.
Throughout the spring and autumn, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are known to eat sunflower seeds from bird feeders. They prefer to hunt for insects in the woods throughout the summer.
15. OVENBIRD
Scientific name: Seiurus aurocapilla
With a loud voice, the Ovenbird is a tiny forest bird. They repeat the phrase “tea-Cher, tea-Cher” several times in a row, gradually increasing in volume instead of a beautiful melody. In the woodlands of the eastern United States, it’s a familiar and difficult to miss summer sound. Their brown back and speckled breast make them seem more like a thrush rather than members of the warbler family.
Insects and other invertebrates are hunted for by ovenbirds in leaf litter on the forest floor. Their nest gives them their unusual name. Nests are built on the ground and resemble a dome with a side entrance. The bird gets its name from this, which somewhat resembles a Dutch oven.