Which Birds Can You Find in Appalachia?

Appalachia not only offers a rich slice of American culture, but the area is also renowned for its natural beauty, and it happens to be well-populated with colorful songbirds. The hills ring with the sweet sounds of birdsong at dusk, dawn, and the hours in between. Before your next hike, get to know these birdsongs, so you can have a chance of seeing something new.

Scarlet Tanager

These red birds with black wings appear high on the list for birders on an Appalachian nature hike. Finding them takes effort (and perhaps a good pair of binoculars) because they forage and nest high off the ground, near the treetops. However, planting berry bushes in your backyard may draw them in for a quick snack so you can get an up-close look.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Spring migration brings these black and white birds with bright red “bibs” flocking to feeders in the lower elevations. By late April, they move into the upper elevations to get started with the nesting season, filling the forests with their sweet warbling songs.

Blue-winged Warbler

The spring breeding season is your best bet for catching a glimpse of these busy yellow birds. Listen for the sound of their buzzy calls near fields and other areas cleared for agriculture and other uses. They don’t visit feeders, but shrubs can make your yard the perfect stopover site for their spring and fall migration.

Blue-headed Vireo

The Blue-headed Vireo is another bird that lends its melody to the chorus. Many birders use this mnemonic phrase to help them memorize the song of the Blue-headed Vireo: “Hear me, see me, here I am.” With its blue-white head and flanks of soft yellow, its most common habitat is the deciduous forest.

Veery

The Veery is a cute brown thrush with a speckled breast. The Veery’s unique, trilling song rings through the forest at dawn and dusk, a cascade of notes sung like “veer!”

Want to attract the widest variety of birds to your backyard? Set up a birdbath, offer some cover in the form of fruit-bearing shrubs and trees, and keep your feeders filled year-round. Lyric Supreme Wild Bird Mix is chock full of black oil sunflower seeds and nuts, the go-to blend that always draws a crowd!