Birds of South Carolina- Top 15 Backyards Birds

Birds of South Carolina Top 15 Backyards Birds

Have you ever wondered about what these birds are that are swarming your yard within South Carolina?

The following guide will allow you to learn how to recognize these birds based on hearing and sight, and also when you will be able to spot them in South Carolina. Additionally, download an ID card for free to print that includes the most frequent backyard birds found in South Carolina.

Backyard birds that are found in South Carolina all year:

Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren Carolina Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Tufted Titmouse, American Crow, Northern Mockingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Eastern Bluebird, House Finch, Downy Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Towhee American Robin, American Goldfinch, Common Grackle, Pileated Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch Europe Starling, Gray Catbird

Backyard birds found in South Carolina in summer:

 Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Painted Bunting

Backyard birds found in South Carolina in winter:

 Yellow-rumped Warbler The Ruby-crowned Kinglet The White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe, Song Sparrow Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Northern Flicker

These are the most commonly seen backyard bird species that are found in South Carolina that may visit your yard or feeds. They are the species that are the most frequent on the state checklists that are provided by bird watchers on E bird.

This article provides pictures and identification details to help you recognize and draw more common backyard birds found within South Carolina.

1. Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinals are the most often observed birds that are seen in South Carolina and are residents of the state throughout the year. They are listed as part of 67% of the summer checklists and 58% of the winter checklists provided by birdwatchers of the state.

The vibrant male Northern Cardinal with black around their faces is a stunning appearance, especially when viewed against a winter white background. Also, they have beaks and crests of red.

Females can also be flirty due to their brown coloring and sharp brown crests, red highlights as well as red-beaked beaks.

• Cardinalis Cardinalis
• Länge: 8.3-9.1 in (21-23 cm)
• Weight: 1.5-1.7 oz (42-48 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-12.2 in (25-31 cm)

Northern Cardinals live in the Eastern portion of the US as well as some states in the west as far as Arizona.

There are Northern Cardinals in dense vegetation searching for seeds, fruits, and even insects. Northern Cardinals will sometimes attack their reflections during the breeding season when they are obsessed with trying to defend their territories.

2. Carolina Wren

Carolina Wrens are seen throughout South Carolina all year, and they aren’t migratory. They are featured in 51 percent of checklists during summer, and 47 percent in winter checklists.

Carolina Wrens are shy, shy birds. They have a dark-brown top, and lighter brown beneath. They sport eyebrow stripes of white, an up-right tail, as well as an ebullient ‘ teakettle‘ song.

• Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Länge: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-0.8 oz (18-22 g)
• Wingspan: 11.4 in (29 cm)

Carolina Wrens live throughout the year in the eastern and southeastern US States.

They are often found in thickly vegetation-rich areas. They are known to frequent backyard feeders.

3. Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Chickadees are widespread in South Carolina and are spotted throughout the year. They are mentioned in the summer in 40% of checklists, and 49% of winter checklists.

Carolina Chickadees are small birds that have large heads that have black caps and necks as well as white cheeks and bellies and soft gray backs, wings, and tails.

They look very like the Black-capped Chickadee and have interbred in areas where their ranges overlap.

• Poecile carolinensis
• Long: 3.9-4.7 in (10-12 cm)
• Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (8-12 g)
• Wingspan: 5.9-7.9 in (15-20 cm)

Carolina Chickadees are found in forested areas, parks, and backyards across the eastern and the southeastern US states the year.

4. Mourning Dove

Mourning Doves are widespread and are visible throughout the year throughout South Carolina. They are found within 47% of the summer checklists, and 40 percent of winter checklists for the state.

Mourning Doves look like elegant tiny-headed birds with large wings and long legs. They have a soft brown color, with black spots on their wings. Males weigh slightly more than females.

• Zenaida macroura
• Long: 9.1-13.4 in (23-34 cm)
• Weight: 3.0 -6.0 oz (96-170 g)
• Wingspan: 17.7 in (45 cm)

Mourning Doves are widespread across every lower 48 throughout the year long, but they can migrate after breeding in the northern part of Canada to the Midwest along with southern Canada.

Mourning Doves can be observed sitting on telephone wires and searching to find seeds in fields, grasslands, and backyards. They can also be seen in woodland areas and open spaces. edges.

5. Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouses live in the state of South Carolina all year round and can be found in up to 42 percent of winter and summer checklists.

Tufted Titmouses are grey on their back, and white beneath with a cute gray crest with large eyes. They usually mate with nuthatches, chickadees, and woodpeckers.

• Baeolophus bicolor
• Länge: 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (18-26 g)
• Wingspans: 7.9-10.2 in (20-26 cm)

Tufted Titmice are found in the eastern and southeastern US states throughout the year.

There are Tufted Titmouses in parks, and woodlands, as well as backyard feeders. they may be aggressive over smaller birds and push into the area to access the food first.

Tufted Titmouses feed on insects during summer, which includes caterpillars, beetles, and wasps, along with snails and spiders. They also eat seeds or nuts, as well as berri

6. American Crow

American Crows are quite frequent and are found throughout the time throughout South Carolina. They can be seen in as high as 38% of the summer as well as winter checklists of the state.

American Crows are huge, all-black birds, which make an eerie cawing sound.

• Corvus brachyrhynchos
• Long: 15.8-20.9 in (40-53 cm)
• Weight: 11.2-21.9 oz (316-620 g)
• Wingspan: 33.5-39.4 in (85-100 cm)

American Crows reside throughout the year across the lower 48 states and along the Pacific Coast in Canada and Alaska. Breeders in Canada and the northern Midwest can migrate south in winter.

Common birds can be that are found in all habitats, such as treetops, woods beaches, fields, or towns.

They eat almost everything and typically feed on the ground taking in earthworms, insects seeds, and fruits. They also consume young turtles, fish mussels, clams, and turtles and can even eat nestlings, eggs, and eggs of a variety of species of birds.

In the winter, American Crows congregate in large numbers, ranging from two million crows. They rest in noisy roosts.

7. Northern Mockingbird

Northern Mockingbirds can be found throughout South Carolina all year. They are mentioned as 37% in the summer checklists, while 35% are included in the winter checklists of the state.

Northern Mockingbirds are medium-sized songbirds with tiny heads and tails that are long. They have a gray-brown hue and are slightly lighter on the side than on their back and they also have two white wing bars which are visible in flight.

• Mimus polyglottos
• Long: 8.3-10.2 in (21-26 cm)
• Weight: 1.6-2.0 oz (45-58 g)
• Wingspan: 12.2-13.8 in (31-35 cm)

Northern Mockingbirds are not migratory and are often seen across the lower 48 as well as southern Canada.

They’re usually seen by themselves or in groups and will fiercely defend their territories. Male mockingbirds can learn up to 200 songs during their lifetime, reciting songs of other birds, and they sing throughout the day, and even late into the night.

8. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpeckers can be found throughout South Carolina all year and can be found in as high as 37% of the summer as well as Winter checklists.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers could be confused with Red-headed Woodpeckers because they sport red caps, however, they are less large than the red-headed Woodpecker. Female Red-bellied Woodpeckers don’t have a red cap, and they only have red on the back of their head.

Also, the birds have a light red belly, which is difficult to identify However, they do sport the usual woodpecker markings of white and black on their backs.

• Melanerpes Carolinus
• Long: 9.4 in (24 cm)
• Weight: 2.0-3.2 oz (56-91 g)
• Wingspan: 13.0-16.5 in (33-42 cm)

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are found in the eastern US states. They don’t migrate.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers consume spiders, insects, and seeds of grasses as well as fruits and nuts. They also feed on nestlings. They build nests in dead trees and reuse the same nest each year. They lay up to 4-5 eggs on wood chips.

9. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warblers can be seen in winter found in South Carolina, and they typically appear between October and the middle of May. They are listed in 38 percent of the winter checklists.

Yellow-rumped Warblers have gray rumps with flashes of yellow on their sides, the face, and rump, as well as white on the wings.

Females are sometimes slightly brown. Winter birds are lighter brown, that has bright yellow bumps. sides that turn bright gray and then bright yellow in the spring.

• Setophaga coronata
• Long: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
• Weight: 0.4-0.5 oz (12-13 g)
• Wingspan: 7.5-9.1 in (19-23 cm)

Yellow-rumped Warblers are found primarily in Canada and other parts of the Rockies along with the Appalachian mountains.

When they migrate, the birds could be observed in the Midwest before they migrate to southern and southwestern US states as well as along the Pacific Coast and into Mexico and Central America.

It is possible to find the Yellow-rumped Warblers in coniferous forests, particularly during the breeding season. They are found in open areas that have fruiting plants. In the summer, they eat mostly insects, and during migration, and in winter, they are mostly consuming fruit, which includes wax myrtle and bayberry.

10. Blue Jay

Blue Jays live in South Carolina throughout the year. They can be seen on 34% of the checklists for summer and 32 percent of winter checklists provided by bird-watchers in South Carolina.

Blue Jays are commonly large songbirds, with an upright crest of blue with black and blue backs as well as white undersides.

• Cyanocitta cristata
• Länge: 9.8-11.8 in (25-30 cm)
• Weight: 2.5-3.5 oz (70-100 g)
• Wingspan: 13.4-16.9 in (34-43 cm)

Blue Jays live in eastern US states as well as Southern Canada all year. Some birds move into the west during winter but not often.

They are loud birds that move in groups of families, taking acorns whenever they are they are available. They can be seen in the woods, mostly close to oaks as they consume Acorns. They can also be seen in backyards close to feeders. Along with acorns, they consume insects, seeds and nuts, and grains. They can also steal nestlings from eggs or nestlings.

11. Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebirds are spotted throughout the year throughout South Carolina. They are listed in the summer checklists in 30%, of checklists, and 32% of winter checklists.

Eastern Bluebirds are small thrushes with large, round heads, big eyes, and large bellies.

The males have deep blue on the back and a reddish underside. Females are grayer with a hint of blue in the tail and wings as well as the breast is less orange-brown.

• Sialia sialis
• Long: 6.3-8.3 in (16-21 cm)
• Weight: 1.0-1.1 oz (28-32 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-12.6 in (25-32 cm)

They live throughout the year in the southeastern US states, however, those that breed in Northern US, as well as southern Canada, move to the south.

It is possible to spot Eastern bluebirds in the meadows and they’re often seen perched on wires, posts, or low branches in search of insects.

12. House Finch

House Finches are a part of South Carolina all year. They don’t migrate and are included within 27% of the summer and winter checklists that are submitted by bird-watchers in South Carolina.

House Finches males sport red heads and breasts and other parts of their bodies are brown-streaked. Females have brown streaks all over them.

• Mexican Haemorhous
• Long: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
• Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)
• Wingspans: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)

The first time they were seen was initially only in western US states House Finches were brought to the eastern US states, and they have been doing exceptionally well, even exchanging to the Purple Finch.

They can be seen in farms, parks forests, along forest edges, and backyard feeders, in loud groups that are difficult to miss.

13. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are found in winter throughout South Carolina and are spotted between October and April. They are listed as 28% on the winter checklists for South Carolina.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are tiny songbirds that are olive green, and the males sport a stunning red crown that is generally flat, making it difficult to distinguish.

• Corthylio calendula
• Länge: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
• Weight: 0.2-0.3 oz (5-10 g)
• Wingspan: 6.3-7.1 in (16-18 cm)

A crowned Ruby Kinglets Breed in Canada and the mountains of the west, before moving to the southern and southwest US states as well as Mexico to winter.

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are difficult to recognize since they’re swift, quiet birds that fly around the lower branches, shrubs, and trees in search of insects and spiders.

14. White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrows are often seen throughout South Carolina during winter from October to mid-May. They are featured in 28 percent of winter checklists.

White-throated Sparrows have distinct black and white stripes on their heads, with a bright white throat, and yellow between the bill and eye. They have brown backs and the underside is gray.

• Zonotrichia albicollis
• Long: 6.3-7.1 in (16-18 cm)
• Weight: 0.8-1.1 oz (22-32 g)
• Wingspan: 7.9-9.1 in (20-23 cm)

The White-throated Sparrows migrate breeding primarily in Canada and then heading south in winter, heading towards the southern and eastern US states as well as to the Pacific Coast.

There are White-throated Sparrows throughout the earth in forests and woodlands as well as in the wooded edges of areas, typically in large groups.

A white-throated Sparrows diet is mostly seeds of weeds and grasses and fruit like sumac, grapes mountain ash, and blackberry. They also eat dogwood. They also eat a lot of insects that are found in their habitat, particularly during the summer.

15. Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpeckers are abundant all through the year throughout South Carolina. They are mentioned as 24% in checklists for summer and 29 percent in winter checklists.

Downy Woodpeckers are tiny birds that are commonly seen in backyard feeders. They are usually paired with other birds like nuthatches and chickadees.

They are both white and black coloring, along with red patches on the top of their heads. They resemble those of the Hairy Woodpecker but are smaller.

• Dryobates pubescens
• Länge: 5.5-6.7 in (14-17 cm)
• Weight: 0.7-1.0 oz (21-28 g)
• Wingspan: 9.8-11.8 in (25-30 cm)

Downy Woodpeckers are not migratory and can be seen throughout the states and provinces except in the northern part of Canada.

There are Downy Woodpeckers around woodlots in city parks, along streams, and in backyards. they consume mainly insects and beetle larvae however, they also consume acorns, berries, and cereal grains.

Read More Article: BIRDS IN TENNESSEE 17 Top17 Birds With Facts

Read More Article: Safflower Seed For Birds Feeders- Everything Explained

Read More Article: Do Birds Sleep (Everything Explained)

Read More Article: Birds Of New York- The Top 15 Birds Of New York With Pictures 

Read More Article: Types Of Blue Birds- 5 Types Of Blue Bird You Need To See

Read More Article: Just Food for Dogs