The Gulf of Maine Expedition 2002

Birds of the Gulf of Maine
By Rich MacDonald, 19 June 2002


Birds are the most regularly visible faunal species in the Gulf of Maine. Whether observing Black-capped Chickadee and American Goldfinch at your feeder or the common Great Black-backed Gulls of the entire coast of the Gulf or Wilson's Storm-Petrel and Northern Gannet around the outer islands of Muscungus Bay, Maine, birds are nearly everywhere you look.

The following is a checklist of 306 species of birds known to occur in part, or all, of the Gulf of Maine - this list includes species both common and rare. Species marked with an "x" are those that have been observed by the Expedition team. Most of these observations are either from the seat of our kayaks or from shore within a short distance of water.

If you know of additional species that should be added to this checklist, or would like to discuss the birdlife of the Gulf of Maine, please email Expedition Science Coordinator Rich MacDonald at rich@gomexpedition.org.
BIRDS OF THE GULF OF MAINE
Common name Latin name habitat GOM MA NH ME NB NS
Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata x x x x x
Common Loon Gavia immer x x x x x x
Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps  
Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus x x
Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena  
Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis  
Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis  
Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos  
Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis  
Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea  
Greater Shearwater Puffinus gravis x x
Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus x x
Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus x x
Wilson's Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus x x x
Leach's Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa x x x
White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus  
Northern Gannet Morus bassanus x x x x
Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis  
Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus x x x x x x
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo x x x x
Magnificent Frigatebird Phaethon rubricauda  
American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus  
Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis  
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias x x x x x x
Great Egret Ardea alba x x x x
Snowy Egret Egretta thula x x x
Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea x x x
Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor  
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis  
Green Heron Butorides virescens  
Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax x x
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea  
White Ibis Eudocimus albus  
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus x x
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus  
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura x x x x x
Snow Goose Chen caerulescens  
Canada Goose Branta canadensis x x x x x x
Brant Branta bernicla x x x x x
Mute Swan Cygnus olor x x x x
Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus  
Wood Duck Aix sponsa  
Gadwall Anas strepera  
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope  
American Wigeon Anas americana  
American Black Duck Anas rubripes x x x x x x
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos x x x x x x
Blue-winged Teal Anas discors  
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata  
Northern Pintail Anas acuta  
Green-winged Teal Anas crecca x x
Canvasback Aythya valisineria  
Redhead Aythya americana  
Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris  
Greater Scaup Aythya marila  
Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis  
King Eider Somateria spectabilis  
Common Eider Somateria mollissima x x x x x x
Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus  
Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata x x x x x
White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca x x x x x x
Black Scoter Melanitta nigra x x x x
Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis x x
Bufflehead Bucephala albeola  
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula  
Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica  
Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus  
Common Merganser Mergus merganser x x
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator x x x x x
Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis x x
Osprey Pandion haliaetus x x x x x
Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus  
Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus x x x x
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus x x x x x
Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus x x x x
Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii x x x x
Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis x x
Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus x x
Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus x x x x
Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni  
Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis x x x
Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus  
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos  
American Kestrel Falco sparverius x x x x
Merlin Falco columbarius x x x x
Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus  
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus x x x x
Gray Partridge Perdix perdix  
Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus x x x
Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus x x x
Spruce Grouse Falcipennis canadensis  
Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo x x
Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus x x
Clapper Rail Rallus longirostris  
King Rail Rallus elegans  
Virginia Rail Rallus limicola  
Sora Porzana carolina  
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus  
American Coot Fulica americana  
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola x x x x x
American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica x x x x
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus x x x x x
Piping Plover Charadrius melodus x x x
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus x x x x x x
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus x x
Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus  
American Avocet Recurvirostra americana  
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca x x x x x x
Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes x x
Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria  
Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus x x x x x
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia x x x x x x
Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda  
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus x x x x
Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica x x
Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa  
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres x x x x
Red Knot Calidris canutus  
Sanderling Calidris alba x x x x
Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla x x x x x x
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri  
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla x x x x x x
White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis x x x
Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii  
Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos  
Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima x x x
Dunlin Calidris alpina  
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea  
Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus  
Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis  
Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus x x
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus x x
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago  
American Woodcock Scolopax minor x x x
Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor  
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus x x
Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicaria  
Great Skua Stercorarius skua  
South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki  
Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus  
Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus  
Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus  
Laughing Gull Larus atricilla x x x x
Franklin's Gull Larus pipixcan  
Little Gull Larus minutus  
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus x x
Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia x x x
Mew Gull Larus canus  
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis x x x x x
Herring Gull Larus argentatus x x x x x x
Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides  
Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus  
Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus  
Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus x x x x x x
Sabine's Gull Xema sabini  
Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla x x
Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea  
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia x x
Royal Tern Sterna maxima  
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii x x x
Common Tern Sterna hirundo x x x x x x
Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea x x
Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri  
Least Tern Sterna antillarum x x x x
Black Tern Chlidonias niger  
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger  
Dovekie Alle alle x x
Common Murre Uria aalge x x x
Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia  
Razorbill Alca torda x x x
Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle x x x x
Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica x x x
Rock Dove Columba livia x x x x x x
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura x x x x x x
Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus  
Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus  
Barn Owl Tyto alba  
Eastern Screech-Owl Otus asio  
Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus x x x
Snowy Owl Nyctea scandiaca  
Northern Hawk-Owl Surnia ulula  
Barred Owl Strix varia x x
Long-eared Owl Asio otus  
Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus  
Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus x x
Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor x x x
Chuck-will's-widow Caprimulgus carolinensis  
Whip-poor-will Caprimulgus vociferus  
Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica x x x x x
Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris x x x x x
Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus  
Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon x x x x x x
Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus  
Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus  
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius x x
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens x x
Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus x x x x
Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus  
Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus  
Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus x x x x
Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus x x x
Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi  
Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens x x x x
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris x x x
Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens  
Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum x x
Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii  
Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus x x x x
Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe x x x x x x
Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya  
Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus x x x
Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis  
Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus x x x
Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana  
Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor  
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus  
Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons  
Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius x x x x x
Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus x x
Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus  
Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus x x x x
Gray Jay Perisoreus canadensis  
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata x x x x x x
Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia  
Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula  
American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos x x x x x x
Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus x x x x
Common Raven Corvus corax x x x x
Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris  
Purple Martin Progne subis  
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor x x x x x x
Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis x x x
Bank Swallow Riparia riparia x x x
Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota x x x
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica x x x x x x
Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapilla x x x x x x
Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonica x x x
Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor x x x
Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis x x x x x
White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis x x x
Brown Creeper Certhia americana x x x
Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus x x x
House Wren Troglodytes aedon x x x x
Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes x x x
Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis  
Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris  
Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa x x x x
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula x x
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea x x
Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe  
Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis x x
Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi  
Veery Catharus fuscescens x x
Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus  
Bicknell's Thrush Catharus bicknelli x x
Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus x x x x
Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus x x x
Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina x x x x
American Robin Turdus migratorius x x x x x x
Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius  
Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis x x x x x x
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos x x x x x x
Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum x x
European Starling Sturnus vulgaris x x x x x x
American Pipit Anthus rubescens  
Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus  
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum x x x x x
Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora pinus  
Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera  
Tennessee Warbler Vermivora peregrina x x
Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata  
Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla x x x x
Northern Parula Parula americana x x x x x x
Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia x x x x x x
Chestnut-sided Warbler Dendroica pensylvanica x x
Magnolia Warbler Dendroica magnolia x x x x
Cape May Warbler Dendroica tigrina x x
Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens x x x x x
Yellow-rumped Warbler Dendroica coronata x x x x x x
Black-throated Green Warbler Dendroica virens x x x x
Blackburnian Warbler Dendroica fusca x x
Yellow-throated Warbler Dendroica dominica  
Pine Warbler Dendroica pinus x x x
Prairie Warbler Dendroica discolor  
Palm Warbler Dendroica palmarum x x x
Bay-breasted Warbler Dendroica castanea x x
Blackpoll Warbler Dendroica striata x x
Cerulean Warbler Dendroica cerulea  
Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia x x x
American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla x x
Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea  
Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapillus x x x
Northern Waterthrush Seiurus noveboracensis x x x
Louisiana Waterthrush Seiurus motacilla  
Kentucky Warbler Oporornis formosus  
Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis  
Mourning Warbler Oporornis philadelphia x x x
Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas x x x x x x
Hooded Warbler Wilsonia citrina  
Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusilla  
Canada Warbler Wilsonia canadensis x x x
Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens  
Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea x x
Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana  
Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus x x
American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea  
Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina x x
Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida  
Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla  
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus  
Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys  
Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis x x x x
Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum x x x
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Ammodramus nelsoni x x
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Ammodramus caudacutus x x
Seaside Sparrow Ammodramus maritimus x x
Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca x x
Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia x x x x x x
Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii  
Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana x x
White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis x x x x x
White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys  
Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis x x x x
Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus  
Chestnut-collared Longspur Calcarius ornatus  
Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis  
Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis x x x x x
Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus  
Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus  
Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea  
Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea  
Dickcissel Spiza americana  
Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus x x x
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus x x x x x
Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna  
Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus  
Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus  
Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus  
Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula x x x x x
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater x x x x
Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius x x
Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula x x x x
Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator  
Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus x x x
House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus x x x x
Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra x x
White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera x x
Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea  
Hoary Redpoll Carduelis hornemanni  
Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus x x x
American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis x x x x x x
Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus x x x
House Sparrow Passer domesticus   x x x x   x
totals: 353 species 194 103 63 142 93 119