Species Profiles

With over 200 species confirmed breeding in the state, it can be confusing to know what behaviors to look for with each species. Here, we’ve written individual species, or sometimes family, accounts that will provide specific details about different behaviors to look for with each bird. These are not meant to be complete accounts on each species behaviors, only as a guide for common and frequently observed behaviors that will help your atlasing. Check back often as we add new species each week.

Grassland Birds

Grassland birds can be found nesting in pastureland, agricultural lands, wet meadows, scrubby utility line corridors, and the increasingly rare native grassland. Some of these grassland bird specialties are rather conspicuous.

Canada Goose

The Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2 describes Canada Geese as “nearly ubiquitous and strongly increasing” which is a great description for their status in Maine as well. There is conflicting information on nesting history of Canada Geese in Maine, with some accounts aging back to colonial settlement.

Virginia Rail

Despite being one of Maine’s most common rails, second only to Sora, the Virginia Rail is a difficult bird to find in the state, let alone document it breeding. At its peak frequency in spring, when the birds are most vocal, Virginia Rails are only reported on 1.57% of Maine checklists, and it goes downhill […]

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker are a common breeding and resident species across the state that is well known thanks to its regular habits of visiting bird feeders. The Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2 nicely sums up this species with the statement: “Where there are trees in the United States, there likely are Downy Woodpeckers.” Breeding Codes […]

American Crow

The most commonly encountered species in Maine, American Crows breed state-wide and can be seen in large roosts during the winter. Their adaptability makes them a successful species in a variety of habitats.

Gray Catbird

Gray Catbirds have a long history as an abundant breeding bird in Maine. The account written by Ora Knight, in his 1908 “The Birds of Maine,” holds true over a decade after it was written, calling this species a common summer resident in most of the state, though “local or absent from the northern and […]

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinals are now a common species across much of the state, especially the southern and coastal half, but this is a fairly recent phenomena. Ralph Palmer wrote in his 1949 “Maine Birds” that the then “Eastern Cardinal” was: “Probably a very rare visitant, most records referring to escaped captives.” Soon after that, cardinals began […]