Birds at Your Feeder in Florida

 What birds come to feeders in Florida?

This article and accompanying videos discuss the most common birds at bird feeders in Florida throughout the year. Other feeder birds may be more common seasonally, but these should be present most of the year.

I start with a quick list of Florida feeder birds and then provide more information if you are so interested.

Feeding birds in Florida can bring much joy!

Here are 10 birds that you are most likely to see at your bird feeder in Florida:

• Northern Cardinal
• Mourning Dove
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Blue Jay
• Common Grackle
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Tufted Titmouse
• Downy Woodpecker
• European Starling
• Carolina Chickadee

Northern Cardinal

The most common feeder bird in Florida is the Northern Cardinal. Read more about it, below.

Northern Cardinal. Greg Gillson

Northern Cardinals are one of the most popular birds in the United States. Even people who haven’t seen one in life have seen their image on logos and advertisements.

These birds are year-round residents from the northeastern United States south to Florida, west to the Midwest, southern Great Plains to Arizona.

They are found in woodlands, hedgerows, and dense backyard shrubs.

Both males and females sing, a series of repeated whistles.

These birds are less bulky than European Starlings, but just as long. The have a very long tail and big head with tall crest.

The bill is very thick at the base, short, with curved edges. It is usually obviously orange.

Males are bright red throughout, with hints of blue on the wings, tail, and back. They have a black throat patch that reaches to the eye and over the bill.

Females are dull brown or buffy yellow in coloration with red highlights on the edges of the wings and tail. Their crest isn’t quite as pronounced as the males. They still show the black around the bill.

Northern Cardinals eat larger seeds at your feeder, including black oil sunflower seeds and safflower seeds.

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove. Greg Gillson

The mournful summer song of Mourning Doves is familiar to most, even if they don’t know what bird makes the sound. 

They are found across the United States as year-round residents. Birds summer in the northern Great Plains and south central Canada, but withdraw in winter. 

These birds are found in towns and farms, and open country with scattered trees, often along rivers. 

In spring they sing from power lines in residential areas. They may puff out their chests while cooing from the peak of your roof. 

These birds are much larger than European Starlings, but also much smaller than American Crows. These birds have large powerful breasts, a tiny round head on thin neck, and long pointed tail. Their wings are somewhat pointed in flight. The bill is small as typical for all pigeons. Genders are identical. 

These birds are warm tan or brown colored. The breast has a pinkish hue. The wings are gray. They have a few large black spots on the wing coverts. They have a black spot on the side of the neck below the cheek that sometimes shows some iridescent green feathers. The tail has white edges, best seen in flight. 

At your bird feeder Mourning Doves eat all types of seeds. They are also attracted to water for drinking and bathing.

Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse. N Lewis. NPS.

Tufted Titmice are one of the favorite feeder birds in the East. 

They are year-round residents from the Northeast to the Midwest and south to Florida and eastern Texas. 

These birds like deciduous and mixed woods. They are found in parks, orchards, and residential areas with large trees. 

They are acrobatic as they move through the tree canopy. But you will often hear them first, as they have a wide variety of both husky calls and clear whistled notes. 

These birds are nearly the size of House Sparrows. They are larger than chickadees. They have stout bodies and a large head on short neck. The tails are medium in length. The crest is wispy and not always as obvious as one might think. The bill is short and stout. 

They are gray above and pale below, often with a pale peach color on the flanks. There are black feathers around the eye, which make the eye look big and stand out on the pale face. There is also a touch of black on the forehead above the bill. Genders are similar in appearance. 

Tufted Titmice eat black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet at your bird feeder.

Blue Jay

Blue Jay. skeeze Pixabay

Blue Jays are one of the most well-known birds in the United States. 

Birds are found year-round east of the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to Texas and eastward. There is a noticeable migration of some of their population in most of their range. Birds move northward into the Great Plains of Canada for the summer. 

Though they are found in woodlands of all type, they are especially attracted to oak trees. They are common in residential areas, too. 

Brash and conspicuous, Blue Jays have a complex social structure. The more the crest is raised, the more excited or agitated the bird is. 

Jays are fairly large backyard birds. They are just a bit larger than American Robins. These are stout birds with large rounded or wedge-shaped tails. They have large legs and feet. They have a bushy crest. The bill is fairly long, strong. 

Genders are similar in plumage. They are blue above, including the crest. They are gray below with a black necklace across the throat. The wings are barred with black, with white wing bars and trailing edges. The blue tail is barred with black and has white tail corners. 

At your feeder, Blue Jays love whole peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird. Greg Gillson

Red-winged Blackbirds are common birds across North America. 

In summer they are found from Alaska, across Canada, south into Mexico. In winter they abandon much of Canada and the northern Great Plains and Midwest. 

They nest in marshes in summer, where there are cattails and similar plants. In winter they spread out into fields, cattle lots, and residential neighborhoods. These birds are colonial nesters in cattail marshes. 

In fall and winter, they form very large flocks composed of many young-of-the-year, starlings, grackles, cowbirds, and other blackbirds. Such flocks can number in the hundreds of thousands, especially in the East. 

These birds are about the size of American Robins, perhaps a bit smaller. They are stocky with a fairly long tail. They have rather flat foreheads that accentuate the long bill. The bill is fairly stout at the base, long, pointed, and straight on the upper and lower edges. 

Males are glossy black with yellow-edged red shoulders that can be hidden in the scapular feathers when the wings are at rest. 

Females are a bit smaller than males. They are pale with heavy brown streaks on the under parts. Some populations show buff on the face. They may confuse beginners into thinking they are some kind of streaky sparrow. The flat crown and very straight and sharply pointed bill point to their identification as blackbirds. 

 At your feeder they will eat black oil sunflower seeds and suet.

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Chickadee. N Lewis. NPS.

Carolina Chickadees are small, birds, unafraid to live near humans. 

These are permanent residents in the eastern and southeastern United States. 

They are found in backyards and deciduous woods. 

Active and acrobatic, they frequently hang from the tips of branches to reach insects that other birds miss. In winter they form loose flocks with other small birds, especially including Tufted Titmice. 

These are small birds, even smaller than American Goldfinches. 

They are round-bodied with a big head on a short neck. The tail is long and active. Bills are small but stout. 

They are gray above, paler gray below. The face is white contrasting with black cap and bib. Genders are similar in appearance. 

At your feeder, Carolina Chickadees are fond of black oil sunflower seeds.

European Starling

European Starling. Greg Gillson

Starlings are often mistaken for blackbirds, but they are in a different bird family and don’t share a lot of similarities, other than a general black coloration. 

These birds are year-round residents from southeast Alaska across southern Canada and all of the lower 48 states into northern Mexico. In addition, birds move northward into northern Canada in summer. 

They are found in urban, suburban, fields, and orchards. In autumn and winter they gather into huge flocks, often with blackbirds. They are frequently aggressive at feeders, driving off other birds. 

These birds have the body size of an American Robin, but a much shorter tail. They are about 8-1/2 inches long from bill tip to tail tip. They have plump bodies, rather large heads, and short tails. Wings are short and pointed in flight, almost triangular. Their bills are long and pointed. 

Dark brown worn birds in late summer get fresh new feathers in fall. Then their iridescent black feathers are tipped with white chevrons. These gradually wear off during the winter and spring. By summer they are mostly black, without many spangles. 

Breeding birds have yellow bills, the bills are brown in the non-breeding season. Both genders are colored the same. 

Because of their aggressive nature, most people do not like starlings at their bird feeders. Starlings have weak feet, so have trouble eating from tube feeders and special upside-down suet feeders.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker. skeeze. Pixabay

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are one of the common woodland birds in the East. 

These birds are year-round residents from the Northeast to the Midwest, and south from Florida to eastern Texas. 

They aren’t too picky in their choice of trees. They are found in deciduous and conifer forests. They may be found in parks and neighborhoods with mature trees. Learn and listen for the loud rolling churr call of these woodpeckers. You may find they are more common than you first thought. 

These birds are a bit larger than European Starlings. They a stocky with large head and short wedge-shaped tail. The bill is long, straight. and chisel shaped. 

The upper parts, including the back and wings are covered with thin black-and-white bars. The head and under parts are pale tan or gray. They have white rumps and black tails with barred outer tail feathers. 

Males have red crowns from their bill to their back. Some also show a reddish wash to their belly. 

Females have red crowns from the top of their head back, with gray fore-crowns. 

At feeders, Red-bellied Woodpeckers love suet, and also eat peanuts.

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker. Greg Gillson

Downy Woodpeckers are tiny and common visitors to backyards across the United States. 

These woodpeckers inhabit nearly all of North America south of the tundra and away from the driest deserts. 

Often found near water, they like small deciduous trees, willows, and brush. Common in backyards. 

Like other woodpeckers, these birds hitch up small trees. However, they often cling to the small outer branches. They even hang on twigs and small bushes such as wild rose and teasel. 

They are bigger than House Finches, smaller than Red-winged Blackbirds, but shaped differently than either. These birds have stocky bodies and big heads. They have short, stiff, pointed tails. The legs are short. The feet are large with strong claws. The bills of these woodpeckers are chisel shaped but especially short and petite. 

The overall pattern of these birds is black-and-white stripes. The wings are black with numerous white spots and bars. The back is white. The underparts are white or tinged with buff. The face is white; the crown and nape is black, the ear covert black, and there is a black malar stripe. The tail is black with white outer tail feathers. Males have a red spot on the nape that females lack. 

Downy Woodpeckers eat suet at your feeder.

Common Grackle

Common Grackle. GeorgiaLens. Pixabay.

Common Grackles are large, lanky blackbirds. 

These birds are summer residents east of the Rocky Mountains from across Canada southward to the Gulf Coast. They are year-round residents in the eastern and southeastern United States. 

They use a wide variety of habitats including open woodlands, fields, and marshes. They are numerous in feedlots and residential areas. 

In winter they often form huge flocks with other blackbirds and starlings. They are noisy. 

They are larger than Red-winged Blackbirds, nearing the size of Mourning Doves. These are long birds, with long keel-shaped tails. The legs are long. The crown is flat. The bill is longer than the head, pointed, but rather stout at the base. 

The black plumage of the males shows iridescent purple or bronze in good light. Females are a bit duller. They eyes are yellow. Juveniles are dull brown with dark eyes. 

Common Grackles sometimes take over bird feeders driving off other species and are disliked because of this.

Wrapping Up

Bird watching in your Florida backyard offers a wealth of benefits, enriching your life in various ways:

Enjoyment and Relaxation:

• Observing the beauty and diversity of birds: Florida boasts over 480 bird species, offering a vibrant and diverse show right outside your window. Witnessing their unique colors, behaviors, and songs can be deeply calming and enjoyable.
• Stress relief and mental well-being: Studies show that connecting with nature, including observing birds, can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being. The act of focusing on their movements and sounds can offer a mindful escape from daily pressures.
• Connecting with family and friends: Bird watching can be a shared activity for families and friends, fostering bonding and creating lasting memories. It’s a fun and educational way to spend time outdoors together.

Learning and Citizen Science:

• Expanding your knowledge: You’ll learn about different bird species, their behaviors, habitats, and ecological roles. This newfound knowledge can spark curiosity and appreciation for the natural world around you.
• Contributing to citizen science: By participating in bird counts or reporting your observations to platforms like eBird, you contribute valuable data that helps scientists track bird populations and conservation efforts.
• Promoting environmental awareness: As you connect with and learn about birds, you become more aware of their needs and the importance of protecting their habitats. This awareness can inspire you to take action to support conservation initiatives.

Beauty and Attraction to your Backyard:

• Enhancing your yard’s aesthetics: Attracting birds with feeders and native plants adds life, color, and movement to your outdoor space, making it more vibrant and aesthetically pleasing.
• Natural pest control: Many birds, like chickadees and wrens, eat insects that can damage your garden, providing a natural and eco-friendly pest control solution.
• Attracting other wildlife: By creating a bird-friendly habitat, you’ll attract other beneficial creatures like butterflies and pollinators, further enriching your backyard ecosystem.

Specific to Florida:

• Witnessing unique and migratory birds: Florida is a key stopover point for many migratory birds, offering the chance to see rare and beautiful species you might not encounter elsewhere.
• Learning about Florida’s diverse ecosystems: Observing different bird species can teach you about the various habitats and ecosystems present in Florida, from wetlands and beaches to forests and grasslands.
• Supporting local conservation efforts: By attracting and supporting birds, you contribute to the preservation of Florida’s rich biodiversity and natural heritage.

Remember, bird watching is an accessible and rewarding activity for all ages and skill levels. So grab your binoculars, step outside, and start enjoying the incredible world of birds right in your Florida backyard!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Florida’s state bird?

The state bird of Florida is the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos). It was designated as the official state bird in 1927!

This songbird is found throughout Florida year-round and is recognized for its impressive vocal repertoire. They are known for mimicking the sounds of other birds, insects, and even sirens, earning them the name “mockingbird.” Beyond their mimicry, they have their own beautiful, complex songs that often fill the air during spring and summer.

Here are some interesting facts about the Northern Mockingbird:

• They are about 10 inches long with a 15-inch wingspan.
• They have grayish upperparts, white undersides, and white patches on the tail and wings.
• They are excellent hunters, feeding on insects, weeds seeds, and berries.
• They are fiercely protective of their nests, often engaging in aggressive displays or dive-bombing potential threats.
• They are popular residents in backyards and gardens, where they provide both entertainment and pest control.

So, the next time you hear a melodious song or see a bird mimicking different sounds in Florida, you might just be witnessing the state bird in action!

What is the most common bird in South Florida?

Determining the single most common bird in South Florida is difficult due to factors like regional variations, habitat types, and even seasonal fluctuations. However, several strong contenders frequently top the list:

Strong contenders for the most common bird in South Florida:

• Mourning Dove: These widespread and adaptable birds are abundant in various habitats, including backyards, parks, and open fields. Their mournful cooing call is a familiar sound across the region.
• Northern Cardinal: These vibrant red birds are common year-round residents, easily attracting attention with their bold plumage and clear whistling songs. They readily visit feeders and thrive in diverse habitats.
• Boat-tailed Grackle: These large, blackbirds with distinctive long tails are widespread and often seen in large flocks around wetlands, coastal areas, and even urban environments. Their loud vocalizations and communal roosting make them noticeable.
• Gray Squirrel: While not technically a bird, gray squirrels are incredibly common in South Florida and often frequent backyards and parks, where they are mistaken for birds due to their acrobatic movements and frequent presence.

What are Florida’s two game birds?

Florida has two resident game birds:

1. Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo osceola): This is the larger of the two game birds, weighing up to 20 pounds for males and 12 pounds for females. There are two subspecies found in Florida: the Osceola turkey in peninsular Florida and the Eastern wild turkey in the panhandle and northern regions. These birds are known for their impressive size, iridescent plumage, and distinctive gobbling calls. 
2. Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus): This smaller game bird weighs around 6 ounces and has a distinctive brown and white speckled plumage. They are found in open fields, pastures, and grasslands throughout Florida. Quail hunting requires careful management practices to maintain healthy populations, and seasons and bag limits are strictly enforced. 

Related Articles:

Backyard birds of Florida

Feeding winter birds in Florida

Red, Orange & Yellow Birds in Florida

Setting up your bird feeder