Birds

Warblers are the most diverse group of birds in the Smokies.  Some breed here like Chestnut-Sided Warblers and Blackburnian Warblers, others only migrate through on their way to their breeding or wintering grounds like Kentucky Warblers and Prairie Warblers.  Pine Warblers can be seen foraging in mixed pine and pine dominated forests.

Warren Bielenberg

 

A Scarlet Tanager sits high in a Sycamore Tree.  Scarlet Tanagers can be found in many areas of the park that are dominated with hardwoods in the spring and summer months during its breeding season.

Warren Bielenberg

What birds can I see?

The park has documented over 240 species of birds. 60 species are year-round residents. Nearly 120 species breed in the park, including 52 species from the neo-tropics. Many other species use the park as an important stopover and foraging area during their semiannual migration. Even with over 75 years of observations, the park still adds new species to its list. In the winter of 2016/17, both the Long-eared Owl and the Ross' Goose were documented in the park for the first time. View a list of Species of Concern in the park.

Where are the best places to view birds?

• Cades Cove - This area has open habitat that makes viewing birds a little easier. Sparks Lane and Hyatt Lane are nice places to see different species of sparrows, kingbirds, Northern Harriers, and if you're lucky in winter, a Long-eared Owl.
• Sugarlands Visitor Center - You wouldn't think a busy area like Sugarlands would provide good birding, but the mix of open habitat with forest edge is a great place to see Northern Parulas, Hermit Thrushes, Pileated Woodpeckers and Black-Throated Green Warblers.
• Campbell's Overlook - Summer time is a great time to see/hear Indigo Buntings and Red-Eyed Vireos here. In fact, in the early morning in spring, most overlooks along Newfound Gap Road will have breeding birds singing their hearts out in the am hours.

How can I Identify birds?

You will hear many more birds than you will see in the Smokies’ dense, tall forests. Learning the common songs of the breeding season will make birding trips more successful. Technology will make your experience even better if you download bird identification apps on your smartphone before your trip to the park. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a free app and excellent resources Cornell Lab of Ornithology—Home | Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

What can you do to protect birds?

1. Don't use recorded calls or spotlighting in the park, this disturbs bird's natural behavior causing them stress. Sidenote, it's also illegal.
2. Plant native, bird friendly plants and trees in your yard.
3. Keep cats indoors.
4. Use decals or other visual methods that can stop birds from crashing into windows.

Nearly every species of bird in the United States has experienced a declining population over the last 20 years, especially insectivores. Habitat loss is the leading cause of most bird population's decline. Birds provide a vital and free service to our food supply and the natural ecosystem by eating unwanted insect pests. Be a friend to birds and help preserve their habitat.

 

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Recommended Reading

 

Birds of the Smokies
Contains 100 color photos of park birds and special sections on where to find birds, bird songs, a complete checklist, and special birding trips in the park.

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

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Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

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