Birding in the great state of Mississippi offers a rich experience. Given the diversity of habitats — wide open country, dense hardwood forests, the Mississippi Delta and the Gulf Coast — there’s no shortage of songbirds to discover and check off on your birding list.
If you’re a resident here, keeping your feeders filled provides ample opportunity to see a wide variety of colorful visitors. This is especially true during migration seasons, as colorful birds make the long journey to tropical locations and back.
In the spring, serious birders head to various wooded areas along the Gulf Coast to witness the “fallout.” A fallout is when birds migrating across the coast encounter unfavorable wind or weather conditions and descend quickly (or fallout) to take refuge in the nearest habitat. These events are difficult to predict, but with the help of radar and by connecting with local birding groups, living in Mississippi offers opportunities to catch some rarities!
40 frequent feeder visitors in Mississippi
Have any of these songbirds visited your backyard feeder? Check out this list and then click through to learn some fun facts about your faves. These are the top birds spotted by backyard birders in Mississippi from November 2020 through April 2021 for Project Feederwatch, which is an event hosted by Cornell's Lab of Ornithology enlisting citizen scientists to help count birds to determine changes in population.
- Carolina Chickadee
- Northern Cardinal
- American Goldfinch
- Mourning Dove
- Tufted Titmouse
- Carolina Wren
- Blue Jay
- House Finch
- Northern Mockingbird
- Purple Finch
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Chipping Sparrow
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- White-throated Sparrow
- Pine Siskin
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Brown Thrasher
- Indigo Bunting
- Eastern Bluebird
- Fox Sparrow
- Northern Flicker
- House Wren
- Song Sparrow
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Downy Woodpecker
- Gray Catbird
- American Robin
- Eastern Towhee
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Cedar Waxwing
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Pine Warbler
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Brown Creeper
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
If you’re interested in attracting any of these birds to your feeder, the best way to start is by using a high-quality, premium birdseed. Lyric Delite No Waste Mix is a favorite of birds everywhere, with its shelled peanuts, sunflower kernels, pecans, pistachios, and shelled pumpkin seed. This mix is shell-free for no weeds and no waste - seeds without a protective shell will not germinate beneath the feeder - leaving no mess behind.