30 Types of Birds in Massachusetts | Backyard Bird Photos

There are many bird species that reside in the state of Massachusetts, almost 450 in fact. This article discusses 30 avian species that can be found across Massachusetts, whether they are frequent visitors to your backyard or part-time migratory residents. 

This list also highlights the diversity of species that can be spotted throughout the state.

Different Types of Birds in Massachusetts 

Many of the species on this list are small, backyard birds that may commonly be observed at birdfeeders, such as the Northern cardinal and chipping sparrow. Others however are large raptors that swap seeds for their carnivorous diet. 

From vibrant feathers like those of the ruby-throated hummingbird to the more subdued plumages of the Eastern phoebe, the morphologies and behaviors of these birds differ greatly but are all equally fascinating. 

Black-Capped Chickadee

Scientific Name: Poecile atricapillus

These rounded birds have a black cap and bib with light gray plumage. Their diet is roughly half plant matter and half insects which they glean from the trees. Black-capped chickadees live in deciduous forests around North and Central America.

Blue Jay

Scientific Name: Cyanocitta cristata

Blue jays have a light purple-blue plumage with a white face and belly. Black stripes adorn the wings and tail. Their strong black beak is used for cracking open nuts, which comprise a large part of their diet. They favor woodland edge habitats and are distributed from Southern Canada to Northern America. 

Carolina Wren

Scientific Name: Thryothorus ludovicianus

Carolina wrens have iconic white eyebrows and red-brown plumage with a pale belly. They creep among vegetation foraging for fruit and arthropods to consume. They occupy vegetated habitats including woodlands, overgrown farmland, and bushy suburban yards. They are distributed across Eastern America. 

Chimney Swift

Scientific Name: Chaetura pelagica

Chimney swifts, as their name suggests, have soot-gray feathers. They spend most of their life in flight because they cannot stand on the ground or perch. Instead, they can only cling to the upright walls of chimneys. They catch and consume flying insects. 

The chimney swift is a common site in urban habitats that have plenty of chimneys. They have a geographical range across North and South America.

Chipping Sparrow

Scientific Name: Spizella passerine 

Chipping sparrows have a rufous-brown cap and a soot-gray face and belly. Their wings are streaked with light and dark brown feathers. They forage for seeds on the ground or visit backyard feeders. They live in woodlands that have plenty of grassy openings. They have a wide range of distribution across most of America.

Common Grackle

Scientific Name: Quiscalus quiscula 

Common grackles show sexual dimorphism. Males have bronze body feathers and a metallic blue head. Conversely, females have a dull brown plumage.

Agricultural grains and seeds make up the majority of this bird’s diet. They gather in flocks to forage on the ground for food.

Common grackles inhabit open environments including farmlands and parks. They range across North and South America.

Dark-Eyed Juncos

Scientific Name: Junco hyemalis

Dark-eyed Juncos have a dark brown head and a light brown body. These birds hop around the ground foraging for seeds to consume with their pale pink bill. They breed in coniferous forests across Canada and Alaska and migrate toward South America.

Downy Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Dryobates pubescens

Downy woodpeckers have black and white checkerboard patterns on their wings and back. Males also boast a vibrant red patch on the back of their heads. They are the smallest woodpecker species in North America, averaging around 6 inches in length. They feast on insects which they excavate with their pointed bill from wood. These birds live in open woodlands across most of the United States.

Eastern Bluebird

Scientific Name: Sialia sialis 

Females have a subdued orange breast with a gray-blue head, back, wings and tail. Males are much more vibrant, boasting vibrant blue plumage with a rusty-orange breast.. Eastern bluebirds consume mainly insects but also berries that they forage for on the ground. 

They live in open habitats, nesting in boxes or tree holes excavated by previous birds. They are distributed across North and South America. 

Eastern Phoebe

Scientific Name: Sayornis phoebe 

These birds have gray-brown plumage and a white belly. They flycatcher insects including wasps and butterflies. They live in open woodland habitats that have plenty of human-made strictures for them to nest in. 

Eastern phoebes breed in North America and migrate to Central and Southern states over the winter.

European Starling

Scientific Name: Sturnus Vulgaris 

The European starling, also called the Common starling, has feathers that appear black in shade. However, the sunlight reveals their iridescent green and purple sheen. They feast mainly on insects that they forage for on the ground. They live in urban environments across the Middle East, Eurasia, and North Africa.

Gray Catbird

Scientific Name: Dumetella carolinensis

The gray catbird is primarily gray in color, aside from the rump which is black and rufous-brown. They feast on insects and berries that they forage for in vegetation. These birds get their name from the cat-like shriek they can produce. Gray catbirds live in open woodlands and are native to North America and migrate to Central America and the Caribbean in the winter.

Great Blue Heron

Scientific Name: Ardea Herodias 

Great blue herons are large species of aquatic birds. Their neck and body are gray-blue in color whilst their face is black and white.

Fish constitute the majority of their diet although they also consume aquatic insects, amphibians, rodents, and eggs. Using their long legs, they wade through the water in search of prey, which they will grab with their sharp beak. Herons throw their heads back to swallow their prey whole.

Great blue herons inhabit aquatic habitats across North America. During the breeding season, they migrate to the South.

House Finch

Scientific Name: Haemorhous mexicanus

House finches exhibit sexual dimorphism. Females are buff-brown overall with white and brown streaks on their belly. On the other hand, males are much more vibrant due to their bright red head and chest.

The red color exhibited by males is derived from their diet of berries and fruits, which they forage along the ground for.

House finches are widespread across North America and inhabit both urban and suburban environments.

Mourning Dove

Scientific Name: Zenaida macroura

Mourning doves are mainly light gray in color, with black patches on their wings. They feast primarily on seeds, consuming roughly 71 calories each day. They frequent open habitats with scatterings of vegetation and trees, such as farmlands and forest clearings. They breed across North and South America.

Northern Mockingbird

Scientific Name: Mimys polyglottos 

Northern mockingbirds have gray-brown feathers along their back with pale underparts. They have white patches on their wings which become visible during flight. They are omnivores feeding on insects and fruits. These birds can produce a plethora of vocalizations. They frequent suburban habitats with shrubby vegetation across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 

Osprey

Scientific Name: Pandion haliaetus

These big birds of prey have brown wings with white heads and bellies. Ospreys eat almost exclusively fish, which they grab from the surface of the water with their claws. They inhabit shallow waters that have an abundance of fish. These birds have a vast range spanning from Alaska to Mexico.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Melanerpes carolinus 

Red-bellied woodpeckers have pale grey faces and bellies. Their back, wings, and tail are strongly barred with contrasting black and white feathers. Males have a red cap that extends down their back whereas females only show red on their nape. 

The Red-Bellied Woodpeckers use their beak to chisel into trees and obtain the insects that live inside the bark. This species resides in forests and woodlands across the Eastern United States.

Red-Winged Blackbird

Scientific Name: Agelaius phoeniceus

These birds have black feathers with bright red and yellow patches on their wings. Larger, brighter wing spots are correlated with higher mating success. They are omnivores and forage for arthropods and seeds. Red-winged blackbirds are ubiquitous across North America and inhabit wetlands, living in both freshwater and saltwater marshes.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Scientific Name: Archilochus colubris

The male ruby-throated hummingbird boasts a lustrous red throat. The rest of their feathers are metallic golden-green, aside from the throat which is white. Females are also golden-green, but unlike the males do not have a red throat.

Their diet consists almost entirely of nectar which they drink from flowers using their brush-tipped tongue. These birds occupy open habitats including parks, gardens, and woodland edges. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are common across Northeast America.

Song Sparrow

Scientific Name: Melospiza melodia

Song sparrows have brown and white streaked plumage. They are ground foragers, consuming invertebrates and berries. These birds frequent a variety of habitats including grasslands, forests, desert scrub, and backyards. They have a wide geographical range extending from Alaska to Mexico. 

Tufted Titmouse

Scientific Name: Baeolophus bicolor

Tufted titmice are fairly stocky birds. They have a slate-gray plumage above and a cream belly, with rust-colored patches near their back. Invertebrates such as flies, ants, and caterpillars make up most of their diet, but they also consume seeds, nuts, and berries. These birds inhabit evergreen and deciduous forests that are distributed across the Eastern range of North America. 

Turkey Vulture

Scientific Name: Cathartes aura

Turkey vulture’s plumage is almost entirely black except for the flight feather which is gray. They have a bald, red head which is iconic of the vulture family. They feed on carrion and their featherless head allows them to keep clean more easily. 

They live in open habitats, soaring close to the ground in search of dead organisms to consume. They have a wide geographical range and are abundant in almost all states from South down to North America.

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis 

White-breasted nuthatches have white underparts, as their name suggests. Their back and wings are grey with black streaks and they have a black cap. These birds wedge nuts into tree crevices and “hatch” the seeds out using their small, sharp bill.

The white-breasted nuthatch resides in mature, deciduous woods across the majority of North America, aside from regions that are particularly cold and dry.

White-Throated Sparrow

Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis 

These birds have a prominent white patch on their throat which stands out from their gray underside. Their back and wings are brown and adorned with black streaks. They also have black stripes along their head and bright yellow lores. They forage in flocks, consuming seeds they find on the ground. 

White-throated sparrows frequent densely vegetated forests across Canada and Northeast America. 

Red Birds in Massachusetts

Northern Cardinal

Scientific Name: Cardinalis cardinalis

Male northern cardinals boast bright red plumage and bill, contrasted by a black mask. Females, however, have grey-brown feathers instead of red. These birds live in open woodland habitats and feast mainly on seeds, grains, and fruits. They forage on the ground using their cone-shaped beak. They are distributed throughout Northeast America.

American Robin

Scientific Name: Turdus migratorius

The American robin boasts a distinctive rusty-orange breast. The rest of their feathers are brown-grey, except the detail which is white.

American robins consume a variety of berries and insects that they grab from the ground.

Various open habitats including woodland, farmland, and urban areas are where this bird can be found. They range across North and Central America.

Orchard Oriole

Scientific Name: Icterus spurius 

Orchard orioles exhibit sexual dimorphism. Males boast a contrasting plumage of a flame-orange body and jet-black head whilst females are olive-yellow with gray wings. They are insectivores and glean insects from trees, but are also frequent visitors to hummingbird feeders. 

These birds live in open habitats scattered with shrubs and trees. They spend the breeding season in North America and migrate further South for the rest of the year.

Yellow Birds in Massachusetts

American Goldfinch

Scientific Name: Spinus tristis 

During the breeding season, the male American goldfinch displays bright, yellow feathers that are contrasted by a black forehead and wings. Breeding females are olive-yellow rather than bright yellow, whereas non-breeding individuals are dull-brown overall.

American goldfinches feed mainly on seeds, with sunflower seeds being their favorite.

The American goldfinch is distributed across North America where they can be found in densely vegetated habitats, providing plenty of food sources.

Baltimore Oriole

Scientific Name: Icterus galbula 

Male Baltimore orioles boast firey orange underparts that are contrasted by the jet-black feathers that cover their head and back. Females however have yellow-brown bodies and brown wings. These birds feed high up in trees, gleaning insects from the underside of leaves. They frequent forests of deciduous trees across North, East, and Central America. 

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