List of birds of Georgia (U.S. state)

Unless otherwise noted, all species listed below are considered to occur regularly in Georgia as permanent residents, summer or winter visitors, or migrants.

These are birds that are adapted for an aquatic existence with webbed feet, bills that are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils.

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae Hummingbirds are small birds capable of hovering in mid-air due to the rapid flapping of their wings.

The most typical family members occupy dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps, or rivers.

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Aramidae The limpkin is an odd bird that looks like a large rail, but is skeletally closer to the cranes.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae The oystercatchers are large, conspicuous, and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs.

They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, usually pointed, wings.

Different lengths of legs and bills enable multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food.

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae Skuas and jaegers are medium to large seabirds, typically with gray or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings.

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae Tropicbirds are slender white birds of tropical oceans with exceptionally long central tail feathers.

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae Loons are aquatic birds the size of a large duck, to which they are unrelated.

With mostly black plumage and spear-shaped bills, loons swim well and fly adequately, but because their legs are placed towards the rear of the body, are clumsy on land.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae The storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering.

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united tubular nostrils with a median septum.

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae Storks are large, heavy, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long stout bills and wide wingspans.

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of colored skin on the face.

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae Pelicans are very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak.

They have very large, hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and keen eyesight.

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae Typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey.

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues used for capturing insects.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae Tyrant flycatchers are passerines which occur throughout North and South America.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae Shrikes are passerines known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae The waxwings are a group of passerine birds with soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feathers.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae Wrens are small and inconspicuous birds, except for their loud songs.

They are notable for their vocalization, especially their remarkable ability to mimic a wide variety of birds and other sounds heard outdoors.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly but not exclusively in the Old World.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae Old World sparrows, also known sometimes as weaver finches, are small passerine birds.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteriidae This species was historically placed in the wood-warblers (Parulidae) but nonetheless most authorities were unsure if it belonged there.

The brown thrasher is the state bird of Georgia.
Snow goose
Wood duck
Lesser scaup
Two grayish-brown fowl preen each other in front of a leafy background
Plain chachalacas
A chunky brown bird with a white face stands erect.
Northern bobwhite
Wild turkey
A small brownish-gray bird, beak white with a black stripe, swims on calm water
Pied-billed grebe
A dove sits on a branch, feathers fluffed.
Mourning dove
Brown on top and white underneath with a yellow bill, a bird sits on a branch among leaves.
Yellow-billed cuckoo
A cryptically patterned bird sits on the ground among leaves, blending into them astonishingly well.
Chuck-will's-widow
A swift clings to its nest, newly hatched young inside.
Chimney swift
A hummingbird with brilliant red throat flashing hovers as it feeds from a very small flower.
Ruby-throated hummingbird
a small bird with a long orange beak stands in water
Clapper rail
A tall brown bird covered in white spots strides through grass
Limpkin
two tall cranes stand in the middle of a path under oak trees in front of palmettos
Sandhill cranes
A black-and-white bird with a long beak forages in the water
American avocet
American oystercatcher
Snowy plover
Willet
Sanderling
A large, mostly dark gray, gull-like bird flies powerfully over the sea.
Pomarine jaeger
A small black-and-white bird swims on the water.
Dovekie
Ring-billed gull
Least tern
A long-tailed white bird with dark wings sits on a nest
White-tailed tropicbird
The head and neck of a black bird with white patterns and a red eye.
Common loon
Wilson's storm-petrel
A seabird with dark back and wings and a white belly soars over the ocean
Great shearwater
A large white bird with long legs, pink feet and an ugly head and neck stands on the beach
Wood stork
A large bird, dark except for a white breast and with gull wings and a long tail, soars overhead
Magnificent frigatebird
A white bird with a tan head and black-accented wings prepares to dive into the ocean
Northern gannet
A black bird with a long slender orange beak and white-fringed spread wings stands on a rock
Anhinga
A black bird with an orange throat and spread wings stands on a rock.
Double-crested cormorant
A pelican stands on top of a piling with its wings spread, another, wings folded, in the background on a piling
Brown pelicans
A slate-gray/blue bird with a long neck stands before a palm
Great blue heron
The glossy ibis can now be found throughout the world (with the exception of Antarctica )
Two bright pink-and-white birds dance in shallow water next to grass
Roseate spoonbills
A large dark raptor with a pink head stands on a plant
Turkey vulture
A white-and-black raptor hovers
Osprey
A hawk, brown with mottled breast and yellow feet, stands ready
Broad-winged hawk
Standing on the ground, an owl stares at the camera, wings spread.
Barn owl
An owl sits on a branch on a cold day, studying the ground below.
Barred owl
A kingfisher in powerful flight, showing its rusty belly.
Belted kingfisher
A "zebra-backed" woodpecker with brilliant red crown stands on a feeding platform.
Red-bellied woodpecker
A small falcon perches on a bare branch
American kestrel
A bird, black on the back and white underneath with a white-tipped tail, perches on top of a post.
Eastern kingbird
A small bird with a striped face hides amongst leaves.
Red-eyed vireo
A small, gray bird perches on a branch amongst other branches with blue sky behind.
Loggerhead shrike
A jay perches on a snow-covered branch.
Blue jay
A small gray-and-white bird with a crest strikes an active pose.
Tufted titmouse
A brown-and-white bird with a yellowish face stands alert on snow.
Horned lark
Barn swallow
A small greenish-gray bird with a prominent eye-ring perches on a branch.
Ruby-crowned kinglet
A crested brown bird with a black mask, yellow in the wings and tail and red-tipped wing feathers perches in a tree.
Cedar waxwing
A small, fluffy bird, gray on back and white underneath, perches facing downwards on a tree-trunk.
White-breasted nuthatch
A small gray bird perches amongst pine needles.
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
A wren perches on vegetation, looking alert.
Carolina wren
A mockingbird, somewhat fluffed, perches amongst vegetation.
Northern mockingbird
A 'oily'-appearing, greenish-black bird with a large yellow bill forages.
European starling
A robin perches on a stubby branch, looking alert.
American robin
An urban sparrow, brown and white, perches on the tip of a conifer branch.
House sparrow
A small grayish-brown bird with whitish underparts stands on the ground.
American pipit
A goldfinch, bright yellow with black cap and wings, poses atop thistle blossoms.
American goldfinch
A white bird with black back and brown patches on the face feeds atop snow.
Snow bunting
Eastern towhee
Song sparrow
A singing blackbird flashes his red-and-yellow epaulets.
Red-winged blackbird
Northern parula
Pine warbler
A bright blue bird with black in the wings perches, poised to sing, on new spring growth.
Indigo bunting