Songbirds of Alabama

A Guide to Alabama’s Feathered Friends

Alabama is home to a rich variety of songbirds – each contributing its unique melody to the state’s natural chorus

Species like the Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, and Yellow Warbler thrive across the state’s diverse habitats, from coastal wetlands to dense forests.

These melodious birds not only add beauty to the landscape but also play vital roles in local ecosystems, helping with pest control and plant pollution.

Common Songbirds in Nursery

Eastern Towhee

Pipilo erythrophthalmus

  • Size: 7-8″
  • Color: Males primarily have black feathers with rusty-brown sides and a white belly. Their tail is long and black with a white tip. They possess a short, thick, pointed bill and vibrant red eyes. White patches on their wings are noticeable during flight. Females resemble males but are brown in color instead of black.
  • Diet: Seeds, insects, fruit
  • Eggs: 3-9 that are white with speckled brown markings
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 12-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 15-18 days with both male & female feeding the young

Eastern Bluebird

Sialia sialis

  • Size: 7″
  • Color: Males have a sky-blue head, back, and tail, along with a rust-red breast and white belly. Females are grayer compared to males, displaying a subtle rust-colored breast and faint blue on the wings and tail.
  • Diet: Insects, fruit
  • Eggs: 2-7 that are pale blue without markings
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 11-19 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 15-18 days with both male & female feeding the young

House Finch

Haemorhous mexicanus

  • Size: 7-8″
  • Color: Females have a plain brown color with streaking across a white chest. Males have a red-to-orange coloration on their face, chest, throat, and rump, with streaked wings and belly. Males have a brown cap and a brown mark behind the eye.
  • Diet: Fruit, seeds, leaf buds
  • Eggs: 2-6 that are pale blue to white with black or pale purple speckles
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 13-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 15-19 days with both male & female feeding the young

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

  • Size: 5 1/2″
  • Color: Males & females have a rusty-brown head and back contrasted with an orange-yellow chest and belly. They have a white throat and a distinct white stripe above the eye. Their tail is short and stubby, typically held upright.
  • Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds
  • Eggs: 3-7 that are white (or cream or pink white) with red-brown spots
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 12-16 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 12-14 days with both male & female feeding the young

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

  • Size: 8-9″
  • Color: Females display a buff-brown coloration with red hues on the crest and wings, accompanied by a black mask and a sizable reddish bill. Males are predominantly red, featuring a large crest and bill, with a black mask that stretches from the face to the throat.
  • Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds
  • Eggs: 2-5 that are gray-white with pale gray to brown speckles
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 11-13 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 9-10 days with both male & female feeding the young

Brown Thrasher

Toxostoma rufum

  • Size: 11″
  • Color: Females & males are rust-red with a long tail. They have pronounced streaking across the belly and breast along with two white bars on the wings. They feature a long, curved bill and vivid yellow eyes.
  • Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds
  • Eggs: 2-6 that are pale blue with brown markings
  • Incubation: Female & male incubate eggs for 10-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 10-13 days with both male & female feeding the young

Carolina Chickadee

Poecile carolinensis

  • Size: 5″
  • Color: Females & males are gray with a black chin and cap. They have a white chest and face with a tan belly. Their tail is a darker gray.
  • Diet: Insects, fruit, seeds
  • Eggs: 3-10 that are white with red-brown dots or blotches
  • Incubation: Female & male incubate eggs for 12-15 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 13-17 days with both male & female feeding the young

Eastern Phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

  • Size: 7″
  • Color: Females & males are a plain gray with slightly darker wings, and light-olive belly. They have a thin, dark bill.
  • Diet: Insects
  • Eggs: 2-6 that are white (sometimes with red-brown speckles)
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 15-16 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 15-17 days with both male & female feeding the young

American Robin

Turdus migratorius

  • Size: 9-11″
  • Color: Males are gray with a dark rust-red breast and black head and tail. They have a white chin with black streaks and a white eye-ring. Females are similar to the males but with a duller breast and a gray head.
  • Diet: Earthworms, berries, insects
  • Eggs: 3-5 that are sky blue or blue-green with no markings
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 12-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 14-16 days with both male & female feeding the young

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

  • Size: 10″
  • Color: Females & males have a silver-gray head and back along with a light gray belly and breast. They have white wing patches that can be seen in flight or during display. Their tail is mostly black with white outer tail feathers. They have a black bill.
  • Diet: Fruit, insects
  • Eggs: 2-6 that are pale blue or green-white with red or brown splotches
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 12-13 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 11-13 days with both male & female feeding the young

Uncommon Songbirds in Nursery

Tufted Titmouse

Baeolophus bicolor

  • Size: 6″
  • Color: Males and females both display a slate gray coloration with a white belly and chest, and have a pointed crest on top of their head. They have red-brown sides, gray legs, and dark eyes.
  • Diet: Seeds, insects, fruit
  • Eggs: 3-9 that are white with speckled brown markings
  • Incubation: Female incubate eggs for 12-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 15-18 days with both male & female feeding the young

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

  • Size: 6″
  • Color: Both female and males have a white belly with white and black spotted wings and a white stripe down the back. They have short black bills. Males are distinguished by a red mark on the back of the head.
  • Diet: Insects, seeds
  • Eggs: 3-8 that are white with no markings
  • Incubation: Female incubate eggs for 12-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 18-21 days with both male & female feeding the young

Chimney Swift

Chaetura pelagica

  • Size: 5″
  • Color: Males and females both have a cigar-shaped body that is long, thin, and brown. They have a pointed tail and head with long backswept wings that are longer than their body.
  • Diet: Insects
  • Eggs: 3-5 that are white with no markings
  • Incubation: Female & male incubate eggs for 16-21 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 28-30 days with both male & female feeding the young

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

  • Size: 12″
  • Color: Males are black and brown with a black mustache and necklace. They have a red spot on the back of their neck and have a speckled chest. Their rump has a large white patch (only seen when flying). Females are similar to males but lack the black mustache.
  • Diet: Insects
  • Eggs: 5-8 that are white with no markings
  • Incubation: Female & male incubate eggs for 11-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 25-28 days with both male & female feeding the young

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Sitta pusilla

  • Size: 4 1/2″
  • Color: Males & females have a dull white chin, belly, and breast with a gray back. Their brown cap is bordered by a black line extending through their eyes. They have a pale gray spot on the back of their necks.
  • Diet: Insects, seeds
  • Eggs: 3-7 that are cream with red-brown spots
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 12-14 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 18-19 days with both male & female feeding the young

Pine Warbler

Setophaga pinus

  • Size: 5 1/2″
  • Color: Females and males feature a yellow throat and chest, lightly marked with subtle black streaks on the sides of the chest. They have an olive-green back, two white wing bars, and a white belly. Females are slightly a paler yellow than males.
  • Diet: Insects, seeds, fruit
  • Eggs: 3-5 that are white with brown speckles
  • Incubation: Female incubates eggs for 10-13 days
  • Fledging: Occurs within 12-14 days with both male & female feeding the young