Birds of North Carolina
their Distribution and Abundance
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Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
ACCIPITRIDAE - Kites, Eagles, & Hawks
ALAUDIDAE - Larks
ALCEDINIDAE - Kingfishers
ALCIDAE - Auks
ANATIDAE - Ducks, Geese, & Swans
ANHINGIDAE - Darters
APODIDAE - Swifts
ARAMIDAE - Limpkin
ARDEIDAE - Bitterns, Herons, & Allies
BOMBYCILLIDAE - Waxwings
CALCARIIDAE - Longspurs & Allies
CAPRIMULGIDAE - Goatsuckers
CARDINALIDAE - Cardinals, Grosbeaks, & Allies
CATHARTIDAE - New World Vultures
CERTHIIDAE - Treecreepers
CHARADRIIDAE - Plovers
CICONIIDAE - Storks
COLUMBIDAE - Doves
CORVIDAE - Jays, Crows, & Ravens
CUCULIDAE - Cuckoos & Anis
DIOMEDEIDAE - Albatrosses
FALCONIDAE - Falcons
FREGATIDAE - Frigatebirds
FRINGILLIDAE - Cardueline Finches & Allies
GAVIIDAE - Loons
GRUIDAE - Cranes
HAEMATOPODIDAE - Oystercatchers
HIRUNDINIDAE - Swallows
HYDROBATIDAE - Storm-Petrels
ICTERIDAE - Blackbirds & Orioles
LANIIDAE - Shrikes
LARIDAE - Gulls & Terns
MIMIDAE - Mockingbirds & Thrashers
MOTACILLIDAE - Wagtails & Pipits
MUSCICAPIDAE - Old World Flycatchers
ODONTOPHORIDAE - New World Quails
PANDIONIDAE - Osprey
PARIDAE - Chickadees & Titmice
PARULIDAE - Wood-Warblers
PASSERELLIDAE - New World Sparrows & Allies
PASSERIDAE - Old World Sparrows
PELECANIDAE - Pelicans
PHAETHONTIDAE - Tropicbirds
PHALACROCORACIDAE - Cormorants
PHASIANIDAE - Grouse and Allies
PHOENICOPTERIDAE - Flamingo
PICIDAE - Woodpeckers
PODICIPEDIDAE - Grebes
POLIOPTILIDAE - Gnatcatchers
PROCELLARIIDAE - Petrels & Shearwaters
PSITTACIDAE - Parrots
RALLIDAE - Rails, Gallinules, & Coots
RECURVIROSTRIDAE - Stilts & Avocets
REGULIDAE - Kinglets
SCOLOPACIDAE - Sandpipers
SITTIDAE - Nuthatches
STERCORARIIDAE - Skuas & Jaegers
STRIGIDAE - Owls
STURNIDAE - Starlings
SULIDAE - Boobies & Gannets
THRESKIORNITHIDAE - Ibises & Spoonbills
TROCHILIDAE - Hummingbirds
TROGLODYTIDAE - Wrens
TURDIDAE - Thrushes
TYRANNIDAE - Tyrant Flycatchers
TYTONIDAE - Barn-Owls
VIREONIDAE - Vireos
Home
PASSERELLIDAE Members:
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Ammodramus savannarum
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Ammospiza caudacuta
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Ammospiza leconteii
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Ammospiza maritima
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Ammospiza nelsoni
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Calamospiza melanocorys
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Centronyx henslowii
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Chondestes grammacus
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Junco hyemalis
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Melospiza georgiana
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Melospiza lincolnii
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Melospiza melodia
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Passerculus sandwichensis
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Passerella iliaca
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Peucaea aestivalis
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Peucaea cassinii
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Pipilo chlorurus
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Pipilo erythrophthalmus
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Pipilo maculatus
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Pooecetes gramineus
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Spizella pallida
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Spizella passerina
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Spizella pusilla
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Spizelloides arborea
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Zonotrichia albicollis
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Zonotrichia atricapilla
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Zonotrichia leucophrys
Zonotrichia querula
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American Tree Sparrow
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Bachman's Sparrow
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Cassin's Sparrow
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Chipping Sparrow
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Clay-colored Sparrow
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Dark-eyed Junco
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Eastern Towhee
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Field Sparrow
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Fox Sparrow
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Golden-crowned Sparrow
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Grasshopper Sparrow
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Green-tailed Towhee
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Harris's Sparrow
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Henslow's Sparrow
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Lark Bunting
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Lark Sparrow
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LeConte's Sparrow
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Lincoln's Sparrow
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Nelson's Sparrow
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Saltmarsh Sparrow
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Savannah Sparrow
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Seaside Sparrow
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Song Sparrow
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Spotted Towhee
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Swamp Sparrow
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Vesper Sparrow
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White-crowned Sparrow
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White-throated Sparrow
General Comments
This largest of all sparrows has a rather narrow migration route, from its northwestern Canada boreal forest/tundra edge habitat south to the southern Great Plains. Even so, the Harris's Sparrow has perhaps been recorded from essentially all 50 states, and North Carolina has ten records that span the state. Four of the five spring records are clustered in late Apr; there are also four records from late fall and early winter, and one for the entire winter.
Breeding Status
Nonbreeder
NC BRC List
The species' status on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina: either Definitive, Provisional, or Extinct, as administered by the NC Bird Records Committee. The Provisional List contains species for which there are less than three accepted sight (i.e., non-documented) records. Species of unaccepted origin are not included on the List of Bird Species of North Carolina.
Definitive
State Status
none
U.S. Status
Definitive
State Rank
SZ
Global Rank
G5
Coastal Plain
Casual (only in recent years) near the coast, in migration. One adult was seen at Cape Lookout (
Carteret
) on 24 Apr 2000 (Chat
64:159
). One in mostly adult plumage was seen and photographed at Winnabow (
Brunswick
), 20-25 Apr 2004 (Chat
69:32
). Another adult was seen at Oregon Inlet (
Dare
) on 1 Nov 2004 (Chat
69:59
). Lastly, one was photographed at a feeder in Kill Devil Hills (
Dare
) for several days in late Apr 2010 (Chat
74:95
). Photographs of the Winnabow and Kill Devil Hills birds are on the Carolina Bird Club Photo Gallery.
Piedmont
Casual. One immature was found at Beaverdam Reservoir (
Wake
) on 21 Nov 1976 (Chat
42:60
); one adult was at Tryon (
Polk
) on 30 Dec 1976 (Chat
42:61
); one adult was seen by numerous birders in northern
Durham
, 21 Apr - 4 May 1991 (Chat
56:53
); and one was photographed in
Burke
on 1-2 Jan 2024* (Chat
90:3
). A report of a "flock of 46" seen in
Wilkes
, as reported in Pearson et al. (1959), is certainly an error.
Mountains
Casual. One immature male was collected in the Mills River Valley (
Buncombe
) on 13 Mar 1933 (T.G. Pearson et al.,
The Birds of North Carolina
[rev. ed. 1959]). An individual was seen at a feeder in Swannanoa (
Buncombe
), 5-12 Jan 1981 (Chat
45:84
). Most notable was one that spent the entire winter of 2023-24 at Warren Wilson College (
Buncombe
), noted from 21 Dec - 7 May* (Chat
88:45
), (Chat
88:56
), (Chat
88:76
).
Finding Tips
1/2*
Distribution
