Birds
Birds in Alabama
Birds are warm-blooded (Body temperature is internally regulated and constant, regardless of the external temperature), egg-laying, feathered vertebrates with forelimbs modified to form wings.
Bird watching has become a popular pastime for many people in the state. Not only do birds offer tremendous recreational, economic, and psychological benefit, they are often great indicators of environmental health. Decreasing populations and threats to certain species may indicate an ecosystem in peril. To ignore the warning signs may eventually be detrimental to our own species. To ensure that Alabama birdlife remains healthy, a diversity of healthy ecosystems in the state must be maintained and protected. The primary purpose of this list is to educate the reader about the birds that breed, overwinter, and migrate through our beautiful state. It is hoped that an increasing awareness of Alabama's birdlife will stimulate a greater appreciation and protection of Alabama's natural resources so that future generations will have an opportunity to enjoy and benefit from them.
This list is composed of 420 species that comprise the official Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) state list. A total of 178 species are known breeders including 158 species that regularly breed in the state. Additionally, 174 species regularly winter, and 80 species migrate through Alabama. This list also contains 38 accidental, three extinct, two extripated (no longer occuring in Alabama, but may occur in other states), and four exotic (non-native) species.
Blackbirds, Finches and Allies
Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches and Creepers
Cranes, Rails and Allies
Crows, Jays, Larks and Swallows
Cuckoos
Emberizids, Cardinals and Allies
Flycatchers, Shrikes and Vireos
Goatsuckers
Grebes
Grouse, Turkeys and Quail
Herons
Kingfisher
Loons
Ospreys, Hawks and falcons
Owls
Parrots
Pigeons
Shearwaters and Petrels
Shorebirds
Starlings, Pipits and Waxwings
Swans, Geese and Ducks
Swifts
Thrushes, Mockingbirds and Thrashers
Tropicbirds
Wood-Warblers and Tanagers
Woodpeckers
Wrens, Kinglets and gnatcatchers
References Cited:
Mirarchi. Ralph E., ed. 2004. Alabama Wildlife, Volume One. A Checklist of Vertebrates and Selected Invertebrates: Aquatic Mollusks, Fishes, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals. The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, AL. 209 pp.
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