Maryland Birds

Over 450 bird species have been documented in Maryland, and over half of these species have nested in the State. More than 100 species are considered vagrant or accidental in Maryland, having been found only once or a handful of times. About eleven species are extinct, extirpated from Maryland as breeding species, or have not been recorded as breeding in the state in recent years (ca. past 20 years) and may be extirpated. These species include Bachman’s Sparrow, Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Swainson’s Thrush, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Roseate Tern and Greater Prairie Chicken.

Seventy-two species of birds are rare, threatened or endangered in Maryland. Species such as the Mute Swan, House Sparrow, European Starling, and House Finch are not native to Maryland.

Bird Checklists

For the Official List of the Birds of Maryland, 2020 version, compiled by the MD/DC Records Committee of the Maryland Ornithological Society, please click here. Species ordering and names conform to the Check-List of North American Birds, 60th edition, by the American Ornithological Society. This list includes vagrants, accidentals and species considered extirpated or extinct.