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A chestnut sided warbler rests on a rock in Kentucky.
Chestnut-sided Warbler The distinctive brown marking gives this warbler, a migratory species, its name. © Blaine Ferrell

Stories in Kentucky

Kentucky Birds

See which species visit our nature preserves each season.

Last updated October 31, 2024

No matter what the season, there are always interesting birds to see at TNC in Kentucky's nature preserves. In fact, birds move through Kentucky all year long. Some change habitats within state borders; others stop by during spring and fall as part of long journeys between breeding grounds and warmer climates.

Here are a few favorites you might see at one of our Kentucky nature preserves or state Wildlife Management Areas—places where we are working with partners to protect and manage habitats for avian visitors.

We’ve also included a section below with helpful birding tips to make it easier for you to spot birds—even in your own backyard. With a little patience and the right techniques, you’ll be surprised at how many different species you can observe close to home. See you outside!

 

Summer

In summer,  birds are feeding young hatchlings. Soon the youngsters learn to fly and eventually leave the nest. As the long days of summer begin to wane, birds are no longer as vocal as they had been in spring and early summer. Neotropical migrants prepare to make the long journey south for winter. As the days grow short, there is still a lot to see and hear before cooler weather arrives.

Wood ducks, herons and other birds can be spotted at our Kentucky preserves, like Jim Beam Nature Preserve.

Kentucky Summer Birds

Northern Bobwhite Quail If you are near a grassland, you will likely hear, and maybe even see, this bird. This species was in decline, but populations are stabilizing thanks to habitat improvement. © Rick Conner
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) After breeding season ends in early summer, colorful wood ducks nest and raise their young in ponds, lakes and streams near forests throughout Kentucky. © Shutterstock
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) Don’t be fooled by the small size.of these jewel-colored birds. They can cross the Gulf in a single flight. © Kent Mason
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) This bird prefers to stay hidden but can’t hide from its distinctive call. The best chance to catch a glimpse of this bird is at a conservation area. © Jim Williams
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) Fond of fruit and nectar as well as insects, Baltimore Orioles are easily lured to backyard feeders. They are commonly seen near streams. © Creative Commons/Andy Reago and Chrissy McClaren
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) These smaller herons can be found looking for fish anywhere there is water. © Steve S. Meyer
Great-crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) These flycatchers can be found perched high up in a tree canopy, watching and waiting for their next meal. © Creative Commons/Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) This bird represents one of the most common migrating birds in Kentucky during the summer. © Creative Commons/ Kurt Bauschardt
Spotted Sandpiper A migratory summer resident, this spotted sandpiper was seen foraging for food on a shoreline in Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell

Fall

Fall is a time when falling leaves allow birdwatchers to catch a glimpse of some species that would otherwise be hidden in the trees. First come songbirds like warblers and vireos, followed by thrushes, grosbeaks and sparrows. As winter approaches, the woodpeckers, geese, ducks, loons and hawks arrive. 

See birds fly through the changing leaves at our Sally Brown and Crutcher Nature Preserves.

Kentucky Fall Birds

Yellow-rumped Warbler As the leaves fall from the trees, this songbird can be found in dizzying numbers up in the trees. © Sujata Roy
Winter Wren This petite bird with an energetic song visits southern states during winter. © Jolanda den Hartog
Hermit Thrush This visitor feeds on insects located on Kentucky forest floors. © Becky Matsubara
Ruby-crowned Kinglet You are sure to come across this tiny bird during a hike through one of our nature preserves. © Creative Commons/Dale Scott
Red-breasted Nuthatch This small active bird will likely be spotted on the trunk of a tree in search of insects. © Creative Commons
White-crowned Sparrow You may find this winter visitor foraging on the ground, beneath the bird feeder. © Creative Commons/USFWS
Ring-billed Gull Likely seen near water, these gulls actually make Kentucky a winter home. © Creative Commons/David Slater
Wilson's Snipe This is a shorebird that makes a winter home in Kentucky wetlands. © Creative Commons/Glen Golson, Jr.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Listen before you look for this member of the woodpecker family! © Andrew Weitzel/Creative Commons
Sandhill Crane Most commonly spotted in central and western Kentucky, these elegant birds impress when seen in large numbers flying across the sky. © Chris Hezler/TNC
Common Loon This bird is often seen on Kentucky’s larger lakes and rivers, which serve as ideal wintering grounds. © Shutterstock
Sharp-shinned Hawk The smallest hawk in North America is easier to find with leaves off of the trees. © Creative Commons/Festive Coquette

Winter

In winter, birdwatchers have a chance to catch a glimpse of woodpeckers, geese, ducks, loons, hawks and other species that become more visible after trees lose their leaves.

Visit our Mantle Rock Preserve to see birds like sandhill cranes and the colorful eastern bluebird.

Kentucky Winter Birds

Eastern Phoebe While some migrate, many Eastern Phoebes remain in Kentucky during winter, switching from a diet of insects to berries and seeds. © Creative Commons/Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren
Sandhill Cranes You might see or hear Sandhill cranes, especially in central or western Kentucky, they fly overhead during winter migration. © The Nature Conservancy/Chris Hezler
Lapland Longspur Look beyond the woods during winter to find interesting ground birds that have a talent for blending in among open fields. © Creative Commons/Seabanirum
Brown Creeper Common to Kentucky during winter, the Brown Creeper weasels into tree bark with its long bill to find a meal. © Creative Commons/Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren
Eastern Bluebird Partial to a mix of open grasslands and scattered trees, this forest “edge” species is admired for its beauty, gentle disposition, family devotion and delightful call. © Creative Commons
Eastern Meadowlark An eastern meadowlark observes its surroundings during a Kentucky winter day in Oldham County. © Jeff Sole
Fox Sparrow With similar coloring to a fox, this bird can be seen in Kentucky throughout the winter. © Creative Commons/Mark Sawyer
Canvasback Canvasbacks follow the freeze line during winter, going only as far south as they have to. Most winters they spend time wherever there is open water in Kentucky. © Creative Commons/Judy Gallagher
Northern Harrier With a face that almost looks like an owl, this hawk is always on the move—often hunting just above the ground over open land and agricultural areas. © Michael Janke
American Woodcock Although ground-dwelling woodcocks reside in Kentucky year-round, they are usually only seen during February and March. © Matt Williams
Great Horned Owl As early as January, Great-horned owls have formed bonding pairs, begin nesting and are quite vocal, making a winter encounter with them even more rewarding. © Mark Conlin
Red-winged Blackbird This blackbird sticks around during winter and can be found in flocks of thousands. © Creative Commons/synspectrum

Spring

In springtime, eggs are laid and hatchlings can be heard squawking through Kentucky’s forests, grasslands, streams and prairies. These natural environments provide nesting grounds for an array of birds, especially spectacular populations of warblers. 

Visit one of our Kentucky preserves, like Dupree Nature Preserve, in the spring to spot songbirds and hummingbirds.

Kentucky Spring Birds

Bay-breasted Warbler This songbird prefers the cover of Kentucky’s woodlands. © Creative Commons/Dan Pancamo
American Redstart This lively warbler in the Halloween-themed colors hops among tree branches in search of insects. Listen up! © Creative Commons/Dan Pancamo
Blackburnian Warbler The Blackburnian Warbler is breathtaking in its brilliant orange-and-black breeding plumage. © Creative Commons/Paul Hurtado
Kentucky Warbler The Kentucky Warbler prefers to be heard, but not seen, usually hiding and nesting within a forest’s ground cover. © Creative Commons/Christopher Eliot
Prairie Warbler Contrary to its name, prairie warblers are more common to scrubby fields and forests throughout the eastern and south-central United States. © Creative Commons/Mill Majoros
Ruby-throated Hummingbird These jewel-colored birds, eastern North America’s sole breeding hummingbird, can cross the Gulf in a single flight. © Creative Commons/Matt Tillett
Baltimore Oriole Fond of fruit and nectar as well as insects, Baltimore Orioles are easily lured to backyard feeders. © Creative Commons/Andy Reago and Chrissy McClarren
Indigo Bunting During spring, these brilliantly colored birds can be heard singing from dawn to dusk atop the tallest perch in sight or foraging for seeds and insects in low vegetation. © Creative Commons/Kurt Bauschardt
Wood Thrush Though still numerous, this bird’s rapidly declining numbers may be due to nest parasitism at the edges of fragmenting habitat and to the effect of acid rain on its prey. © Creative Commons/Issac Sanchez
Red-eyed Vireo A single male red-eyed vireo is known to sing more than 20,000 songs per day, contributing to the characteristic sound of an Eastern forest in spring and summer. © Creative Commons/Greg Schechter
Rose breasted grosbeak Backyard birding still gives you the opportunity to see many colorful species, like this rose-breasted grosbeak, some of which breed in eastern Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell

Birding Tips

Learn more from experts about backyard birding and how to spot birds when visiting one of our preserves. Below are some birding tips from birding experts Blaine Ferrell, TNC in Kentucky trustee, and Jeff Sole, former director of TNC in Kentucky.

What is your top advice for beginning birders? 

[Blaine Ferrell] Don’t get frustrated. There are many tools available now, including some good apps. I recommend trying Merlin, an app that listens to birds and identifies the species for you. Another good app is eBird. Just be careful—the apps aren’t always accurate; you still have to know the birds. Listen to them, track them down and look at a good birding guide. The best thing is to become familiar with the topography of a bird; get an idea of what the bird’s bill looks like. I identify most birds now by posture and behavior.

Are there groups that help birders who are just getting started? 

[Jeff Sole] The Kentucky Ornithological Society is Kentucky’s statewide birding nonprofit group. They have a spring meeting and a fall meeting for members—and anyone can be a member. At these meetings, there are numerous bird outings led by experienced birders. I lead a hike or two, and Blaine leads them as well. Going with someone experienced will help you find the birds and get on them much more quickly than if you’re going alone. You should also join your local birding club. All of them do birding hikes once a month or so.

A colorful bird stands on a branch.
American Redstart If you help provide the right conditions, you don't even have to leave your own yard to spot birds in Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell
A colorful bird stands on a rock.
Black-throated Green Warbler Colorful birds can be spotted throughout the state of Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell
American Redstart If you help provide the right conditions, you don't even have to leave your own yard to spot birds in Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell
Black-throated Green Warbler Colorful birds can be spotted throughout the state of Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell

More Tips

What kind of equipment do you recommend? 

[Blaine Ferrell] I recommend an 8-power pair of binoculars. This gives you a broader field of view than a 10-power, which has a narrower focus and is more difficult for beginning birders. Try to get a good pair of binoculars with no color aberrations around the edges of the lenses when looking for birds. Eventually, if you stay with the hobby, you’re going to want to add a 60x spotting scope. This is especially helpful when viewing birds at large lakes. Start learning the birds with your binoculars, and then when you get better, invest in a spotting scope.

Any final thoughts for beginning birders? 

[Jeff Sole] The more you bird, the more you will get to where you’re doing it by ear. I didn’t start trying to learn my bird calls; I birded by sight. It would be a great thing to learn your bird calls and songs early on. It will speed up your progression to becoming a good birder.

A ruby-throated hummingbird standing on a bird-feeder in a backyard in Kentucky.
Backyard Birds A ruby-throated hummingbird spotted in Blaine Ferrell's own backyard in Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell

Backyard Birding

You don’t have to leave your home to find birds. By preparing your own backyard with food and water, you can attract birds and watch them at home. Begin by putting up a basic bird feeder and bath. Birding expert Blaine Ferrell uses oil type sunflower seeds, which are not as expensive as thistle. Even if birds find their own food, they will come in and get a bath.

Ferrell set up a small water feature in his backyard by digging a hole and putting in a pond form from a hardware store. The form holds water, while a small waterfall attracts birds by sound.

“I’ve had a hundred species come to this water feature,” Ferrell says. “I’ve had water thrushes, Louisiana thrushes, scarlet tanagers, summer tanagers—it’s just incredible what this little water feature did. Snapping turtles and dragonflies came in. It created a whole food chain.”

Ferrell uses a UV light with his water feature to kill bacteria, keep the water clear, and prevent algae growth. It is important for backyard birders to clean and maintain feeders and baths for bird health.

A backyard birding book can help guide you to creating a yard that birds will love. Ferrell recommends “Gardening for the Birds,” by Thomas G. Barnes and “North American Bird- feeder Guide,” by Robert Burton and Stephen W. Kress.

Kentucky Resident Birds

Field Sparrow A resident species of Kentucky, this field sparrow looks around while resting on a branch. © Blaine Ferrell
Great Horned Owl The great horned owl is a year round resident of Kentucky. This one was spotted on a pine tree in a Kentucky woodland. © Blaine Ferrell
Yellow-throated Warbler A summer resident, this warbler is seen here resting atop a birdhouse in a Kentucky backyard. © Blaine Ferrell
Northern Parula A summer resident in Kentucky, this northern parula is seen here resting on a rock in Kentucky. © Blaine Ferrell
Barred Owl Although nocturnal animals this barred owl, a resident species in Kentucky, was spotted during daylight hours. © Blaine Ferrell

Resident Birds

While many bird species migrate with the changing seasons, some can be spotted in Kentucky all year long. Birds such as owls and sparrows make Kentucky their permanent home, meaning your chances of seeing them are even greater. These year-round residents adapt well to the state’s varying seasons, finding food and shelter even in the colder months. Whether you’re exploring woodlands, farmlands, suburban or urban areas, you can enjoy birdwatching in Kentucky no matter the time of year.

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