Maryland Backyard Birds

Last Updated on May 28, 2023 by Nancie

What birds can you expect to see in a Maryland backyard? While every property is different with its own mix of birds, many are pretty typical. These are the Maryland backyard birds commonly seen in our central Maryland yard.

Estimated reading time: 26 minutes

Features on My Maryland Yard: I live in a suburban neighborhood between Baltimore and DC. Our Maryland yard has many mature trees and is within a mile of marshy ponds. Most of our backyard birds are widely common in this area and beyond. Our trees also attract woodpeckers and other cavity dwellers. Birds that like more open grass area still hang out, but not as much. Having marshy ponds not too far away probably increases Red-Winged Blackbird visits.

Birds Included in This List: This list focuses on backyard birds that spend a good bit of time in my Maryland yard. I’m not including birds we see often but usually just fly over (like Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Great Blue Herons, Chimney Swifts, gulls, etc.) I’m also not including most warblers and other birds that stop by for an hour or two during fall or spring migration. (One exception is the Pine Warbler who often hangs around for a few weeks in early spring.)

Year Round Maryland Backyard Birds

Northern Cardinal

With a lot of brush in the back corners, our suburban Maryland backyard is a favorite of Northern Cardinals. Several pairs hang out all day every day. They are especially active at dawn and dusk with more cardinals joining them in the late afternoon to eat safflower during “Cardinal Cocktail Hour.” (Also see: Northern Cardinals.) They like trees or bushes maybe ten to thirty feet from feeders where they can land, check out the area and then fly over to the feeders and then retreat to when necessary.

Blue Jay

The bold feathered cops of the neighborhood, Blue Jays are serious about defending their territory from hawks and crows, rival groups of Blue Jays and any other bird they see as a threat. They come out of the woodwork to eat peanuts in the shell and get very interested in suet when they have young to feed. (Also see: Blue Jays.)

Mourning Dove

It can be easy to take Mourning Doves for granted as they are such ubiquitous suburban backyard birds. But they really are lovely, gentle creatures. They hang out, usually in flocks, with the cardinals and eat safflower much of the day. They unfortunately are a favorite target of hunting Cooper’s Hawks and so tend to spook very easily.

American Goldfinch

When a flock of American Goldfinches is in your yard, you know it. They are busy little flashes of yellow. In my Maryland yard, they are on the nyjer and/or sunflower heart feeders most of the time. But you can also see them looking for seeds in flowers and up in trees. (Also See: American Goldfinches and Goldfinches of Fall and An Oddly Colored Goldfinch.)

House Finch

House Finches are common in Maryland and they never seem to leave my yard. If a loud sound or a predator causes them to retreat, they don’t go far. They usually come back quickly to the sunflower heart and safflower feeders. They will eat nyjer too but usually leave that to the goldfinches. Always in a flock, they tend to bicker a lot among themselves. When not at feeders, they often hang out high in the tree tops.

Downy Woodpecker

Our yard, while suburban, has lots of mature trees and dead branches, making it popular with Downy Woodpeckers. They can often be seen hopping up trunks and branches looking for bugs. The Downys are also regulars at the suet feeders here in Maryland year round. In the spring, they bring their young to eat suet too. Our Downys have recently learned to hop inside cage feeders to eat sunflower, peanuts and other tidbits.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

We always seem to have a pair of Red-Bellied Woodpeckers in our wooded yard. They are regulars at the suet feeders and occasionally will grab some sunflower hearts. When I put peanuts in the platform feeder, at least one of them is sure to take one. With their long sharp beaks, this is the one bird that Blue Jays will back away from when there is a conflict over peanuts.

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Sounding like little squeaky toys, the White-Breasted Nuthatches tend to show up at the feeders when there are lots of other birds around. Nuthatches like to fly to a tree and sidle down it a bit (head first) and then do a direct flight to the feeder. They are usually after sunflower hearts, but also like peanut splits and the occasional bit of suet (especially in the spring when feeding young) or dried mealworms. They are the most common type of nuthatch in my part of Maryland.

Carolina Wren

You have to love the feisty wrens. Although tiny, they seem to have out-sized boldness and a loud lovely song that they sing year round. They sometimes eat suet or a sunflower seed but what they like best at my feeders is dried mealworms. While House Wrens may be more common in some areas, in my Maryland yard, it is the Carolina Wrens that are the regulars.

House Wren

We never had House Wrens as regulars in our yard until a couple years ago. After the Eastern Bluebirds were uninterested in the nest box we put up for them, a pair of House Wrens moved in. Like the Carolina Wrens, they are feisty. Anything coming into their corner of the yard gets soundly scolded. One day I saw them dive-bombing a squirrel that was closer to their box than they liked. Insect eaters, they don’t seem interested in anything in my feeders, including the dried mealworms. (Also see: House Wrens in the Bluebird Box.)

Tufted Titmouse

Seemingly shy birds, Tufted Titmouses tend to hang out with the Carolina Chickadees in my yard and sometimes the White-Breasted Nuthatches. They like sunflower hearts but will eat safflower in a pinch. They grab a seed and go off to eat or cache it and then come right back for another. If they can manage to sneak in between Blue Jays, they will try to snag a peanut in the shell and they like smaller peanut splits too.

Carolina Chickadee

You have to admire Carolina Chickadees. They are busy birds on a mission. And if there is a perceived threat, they are likely to be heard chattering about it. Like Tufted Titmouses, they come to the feeder, grab a seed and go off to eat or cache it. Then they repeat the process. In the spring, they can also be found on suet feeders gathering suet to feed their young.

(Note: If you live outside the area, you might identify this bird as a Black-Capped Chickadee, but in this part of Maryland, the common chickadee is the very similar looking Carolina Chickadee.)

Eastern Bluebird

We’ve only had Eastern Bluebirds in the yard in recent years but they are a real pleasure. They show up in my yard during cold winter months and early spring. Mostly non-aggressive birds, if they find the feeder low on dried mealworms, they will sit politely on the top of a shepherd’s hook and look at you as if to say, “Would you consider putting some food out for me?” They often wash the dried mealworms down with some sips from the birdbath. (Also see: Eastern Bluebirds and Bluebird Fledgling Stories.)

Common Grackle

On the other hand, although beautiful birds, Common Grackles can be a real pain at times. Most of the year we don’t see them in the yard but here in Maryland, they show up in large numbers during bad weather in winter and early spring. In the spring they can get very aggressive about getting sunflower hearts from seed feeders and gathering in groups on suet feeders.

European Starling

The European Starlings are my least favorite backyard bird though. They are very messy eaters and very aggressive about getting whatever food they want. And they aren’t picky about it either. They seem to eat about anything. I had to work to get them off the suet and out of the dried mealworms and to stop making a mess dumping seed out of feeders.

Red-Winged Blackbird

Although Red-Winged Blackbirds often hang out with some of the more obnoxious flock birds in the winter (grackles, starlings and Brown-Headed Cowbirds), they are fine in small numbers. When there are just two or three, they eat safflower peacefully with the cardinals and Mourning Doves. In April, their loud constant call can drive you a little crazy though. To me it sounds like they are yelling, “Eat For Free!!!!”

American Robin

Our yard doesn’t have a lot of grass, but in Maryland’s warmer months you can usually see at least a few American Robins on it each day. They tend to be particularly interested in freshly turned earth and newly mulched areas. Although they don’t want anything from my feeders, in colder weather, they will sometimes show up to use the heated birdbaths when there is snow on the ground. (Also see: American Robin Interesting Facts.)

Cooper’s Hawk

When a Cooper’s Hawk flies through the feeder area, there is an explosion of wings as every bird in the area flees frantically. No one wants to become the meal of the local Cooper’s Hawk. Missing the catch more often than grabbing a bird, the Cooper’s Hawk will usually fly low across the yard and then settle mid-way up a tall tree for a while. Eventually it will leave the yard for a while to wait for the birds to gather again.

The Coopers will typically hang around for a few days and then move on to other feeding grounds. We also occasionally see the very similar but smaller Sharp-Shinned Hawk hunting at our feeders. (Also see: Cooper’s Hawk Visit and Hawks & Flocks: Predators At Feeders and Backyard Birds That Eat Other Birds.)

Fish Crow

The Fish Crows tend to be very unpopular in my yard. Many years, a pair of them will nest in the back corner and will soak food for their young in one of my birdbaths. The Blue Jays can be very aggressive about keeping Fish Crows (and American Crows) out of the yard. Interestingly, when there are Fish Crows around, I don’t seem to see Cooper’s Hawks in the yard. Personally, I like the Fish Crows and in years when they are around more, I feed them peanuts. (Also see: Fish Crows.: Fast Food Junkies.)

(Note: Here in this part of Maryland, both Fish Crows and American Crows are common. You can tell them apart by their call. Fish Crows have a much more nasal sounding call.)

Seasonal Maryland Backyard Birds

There are some birds that live in our yard for weeks or months. Some come for the fall and winter, some for a few weeks in the spring and some spend the summer. I would call them seasonal regulars.

White-Throated Sparrow

Every fall the White-Throated Sparrows come to the yard and settle in to spend the winter. In my part of Maryland, they tend to arrive in mid to late October and stay until May. I toss white proso millet or nyjer seed on the ground for them and they gather in small flocks to eat it. They prefer eating near some cover. While most birds don’t sing in the winter, White-Throats do. Their lovely piercing song is a beautiful winter treat. (Also see: White-Throats, Juncos and Other Sparrows and Build Brush Piles For Birds.)

Dark-Eyed Junco

The Dark-Eyed Juncos are another fall and winter visitor to the yard. In my Maryland yard, I see them from about late October through mid-April. Friendly little sparrows, they gather in large flocks in my yard, eating white proso millet and nyjer seed on the ground with the White-Throats and other sparrows. Sweet-natured birds, they seem to get along well with other birds in the winter yard. (Also see: Juncos Head North and White-Throats, Juncos and Other Sparrows and Build Brush Piles For Birds.)

Chipping Sparrow

Just as the Dark-Eyed Juncos and White-Throated Sparrows are starting to leave in the spring, the Chipping Sparrows pop up in my Maryland yard. Tiny little birds, in the spring they have fresh crisp feathers. They are on the ground eating millet or nyjer with the other sparrows most of the time but unlike many sparrows, they are willing to go to the feeders as well. (Also see: Chipping Sparrows Arrive.) Last spring, they were even nibbling suet from the Erva Starling-Proof Suet Feeder for a short period.

I think because I don’t offer millet on the ground in the warmer months, Chipping Sparrows don’t tend to hang out in my yard for long but I continue to see and hear them around the neighborhood.

House Sparrow

In Maryland, House Sparrows can be found year round but I don’t see them a lot in my yard. I occasionally see them in the winter if I am feeding millet on the ground to juncos and white throats. Their numbers started to grow a few winters ago though and eventually I had to chase them out (a challenging task.) While friendly enough around people, House Sparrows can cause serious problems with some other birds including nesting Eastern Bluebirds and can also overrun bird feeders. (Also see: Deterring House Sparrows and My DIY Anti-House Sparrow Halo.)

Eastern Wood Peewee

In the spring, we can often hear the “PEE-A-WEEEEE” call of the Eastern Wood Peewee. Although his song is loud, I can only rarely locate him sitting up in a tree. (I’m deaf in one ear, so triangulating bird calls is frustratingly challenging.) But I love to hear him.

This is a bird, like many flycatchers, who likes to sit on a branch near a more open area. The Eastern Wood Peewee is probably around hunting bugs through the summer in my Maryland yard as well, but does his singing in the spring. He isn’t interested in anything in the feeders.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

In Maryland, there is one resident hummingbird, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. While there is the occasional sighting of a rare hummingbird species, if you are in Maryland, this is almost always the hummingbird you will see. They typically show up in my yard in late April to sip nectar from garden flowers and sugar-water nectar from the hummingbird feeders. They can be very aggressive about defending their food sources from other hummingbirds (especially the males), so I usually need a feeder on opposite sides of the house to keep a little peace.

Pine Warbler

I don’t see Pine Warblers in the yard most of the year. Most of them seem to winter a little south of our central Maryland location. But in early spring, one or two will show up at the feeders. They hang out in the yard for a few weeks and then disappear. Similar in coloring to American Goldfinches, they can be easy to miss, but they eat things the goldfinches don’t touch. They can be found on just about any of the feeders, including suet, sunflower hearts, safflower and dried mealworms. (Also see: Pine Warbler Visit.)

Note: Other warblers do show up in the yard but don’t typically stay more than a few hours at best. For example, see: A Common Yellowthroat Visit.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

We don’t see Red-Breasted Nuthatches every year here. They are one of the irruption birds that show up at Maryland feeders during winters when the pine cone crops are poor in their Canadian home. Those years, they come down our way and hang out for the winter in our pines. At the feeders, they can often be found snagging sunflower hearts or peanut splits. Like their White-Breasted cousins, they tend to grab a seed and then fly off to eat it or cache it, coming back repeatedly. (Also see: Red-Breasted Nuthatch Visit.)

Pine Siskin

Another irruption bird, Pine Siskins make our yard a winter home very occasionally. They tend to hang out with the American Goldfinches and eat similar things — nyjer seed and sunflower hearts. If you look quickly, you could miss them in a crowd of goldfinches, but they are a little more slender and more stripey. (Also see: Pine Siskin Visit.)

Short-Term Maryland Backyard Bird Visitors

These are birds that live in my immediate area but typically don’t spend more than a few hours or days at a time in my particular yard. They are fairly common though and so are not unexpected visitors.

Gray Catbird

Each spring, Gray Catbirds arrive in Maryland and when they do, we always see a few in the yard for a week or two. That time of year, they seem particularly interested in suet. Because I use upside-down suet feeders, they can’t easily get suet from the feeders. So they tend to hang around underneath the feeders to catch fallen suet. They will pop up now and then all summer but don’t spend a lot of time in my yard.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Some years, I will see an additional woodpecker in the yard in colder months, a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. I’ve only seen one come to a feeder once. They are more likely to be found drilling a series of holes in the trees along my yard’s border line to get at the tree sap. While less common here in Maryland than Downys and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers are not uncommon and can pop up in your yard if you have sap-filled trees that interest them.

Brown-Headed Cowbird

I do not welcome Brown-Headed Cowbirds because of their parasitic nesting style. They tend to show up here in Maryland with winter and early spring flocks of Red-Winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and European Starlings. They come for sunflower seed when they can get it, but will also eat safflower.

Northern Mockingbird

A very common Maryland bird, Northern Mockingbirds nest in our neighborhood and I see them all the time when I walk, but they spend very little time in our yard. Once in awhile they stop off for a sip from a birdbath and if there are some dried mealworms available, they will eagerly eat them. And in late summer and early fall, they can be found going after berries on our bushes. But most of the time they don’t want anything from the feeders so don’t hang around. I see them more in neighborhood yards with a lot of open lawn and a few trees.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak

Here in Maryland, seeing a Rose-Breasted Grosbeak at the feeders is always a treat. The males are beautifully colored and the female’s feathers are crisp and neat. In my area, they mostly show up during fall and spring migration. They tend to like the platform feeders best and eat sunflower and safflower readily. We are pretty much on the very southern edge of their breeding range, so they usually hang around for several days or a week and then move on.

Eastern Towhee

Most days of the year, I will not see an Eastern Towhee in my Maryland yard . . . although they may very well be active in the brush in the back corner. I tend to hear them singing “Drink Your Tea . . . “ in the spring, so I know they are around even when I can’t see them. Most of the time they are hunting among fallen leaves and in the brush. But during winter storms when there is a lot of snow covering the ground, they will come to the feeders to eat on the ground with other sparrows.

Baltimore Oriole

Although I live just south of Baltimore, I don’t typically see Baltimore Orioles in my particular yard. (I’ve put out oranges and jelly at times but never got a taker.) BUT, one winter, a young male hung out at my feeders for a month eating seed. So you never know who might turn up at a feeder!

More Short-Term Visitors

If you would like to see a few more birds that might make an appearance in a Maryland yard, check out my Look Beyond Bird Feeders post. This post includes Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Palm Warbler and Yellow-Rumped Warbler (with pictures.)

Nancie

More Posts About Maryland Backyard Birds

Spring Backyard Birds

Summer Backyard Birds

Summer Bird Watching & Feeding Tips

Winter Backyard Birds: Birds in a Winter Storm

Backyard Birds on a Damp Day

Look Beyond Bird Feeders

Fifty-Six Cedar Waxwings

The Birds You Don’t See

Backyard Birds That Eat Other Birds

Learn More

All About Birds is a great website from the folks at Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology. They have a section on each bird, with all kinds of interesting information including identification tips, song samples, life history and range maps.

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