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List of birds of Louisiana facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Brown pelican - natures pics
The brown pelican is the state bird of Louisiana.

Welcome to the amazing world of birds in Louisiana! This list shows all the different kinds of birds that have been officially seen and recorded in the state. As of January 2024, there are 486 types of birds on this list.

Some birds are very common, while others are rare visitors. Here's what some special tags next to a bird's name mean:

  • (A) Accidental: This bird usually lives somewhere else but showed up in Louisiana by accident.
  • (I) Introduced: Humans brought this bird to North America, either on purpose or by mistake.
  • (E) Extinct: This bird used to live in Louisiana but sadly, there are no more of them anywhere in the world.
  • (e) Extirpated: This bird used to live in Louisiana but now only lives in other places.
  • (H) Hypothetical: It's possible this bird was seen, but there's not enough proof to be sure.

This list follows the official bird guide for North and Middle America. The names of the bird families come from a different guide called Clements taxonomy.

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

This family includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are great at living in water. They have webbed feet for swimming, flat beaks, and special oily feathers that shed water easily.

New World Quail

Order: Galliformes   Family: Odontophoridae

New World quails are small, round birds that live on the ground. They are not closely related to Old World quails, but they look and act similar.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

This family includes pheasants and their relatives. These birds live on land and vary in size. They are usually plump with wide, short wings. Many are hunted for sport or raised for food.

Flamingoes

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingoes are tall, social wading birds. They can be 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall. They eat shellfish and algae by filtering them from the water. Their unique beaks are used upside-down to separate food from mud.

Grebes

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

Grebes are small to medium-sized diving birds that live in freshwater. They have lobed toes, making them excellent swimmers and divers. Because their feet are set far back on their bodies, they are clumsy on land.

Pigeons and Doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies, short necks, and thin beaks. They have a fleshy area called a cere at the base of their beak.

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

This family includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds vary in size and have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs.

Nightjars and Allies

Order: Caprimulgiformes   Family: Caprimulgidae

Nightjars are medium-sized birds that are active at night. They usually build their nests on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short beaks. Their soft feathers are colored to help them blend in with bark or leaves.

Swifts

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives flying. They have very short legs and never land on the ground. Instead, they perch only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings that look like a crescent moon.

Hummingbirds

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae

Hummingbirds are tiny birds that can hover in the air by flapping their wings very fast. They are the only birds that can fly backward.

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

This large family includes rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. They are small to medium-sized birds that live in thick plants near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are usually shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs with long toes, short wings, and are not strong fliers.

Limpkin

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Aramidae

The limpkin is a unique bird that looks like a large rail. It lives in marshes with trees or bushes in the Caribbean, South America, and southern Florida.

Cranes

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are large, tall birds with long legs and necks. Unlike herons, cranes fly with their necks stretched out. Most cranes have fancy and loud courtship dances. They might also dance in groups just for fun or to find a mate.

Stilts and Avocets

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Recurvirostridae

This family includes avocets and stilts. They are large wading birds. Avocets have long legs and long, upward-curved beaks. Stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight beaks.

Oystercatchers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers are large, noticeable, and noisy birds. They have strong beaks that they use to smash or pry open shellfish.

Plovers and Lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

This family includes plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, pointed wings. They usually live in open areas, often near water.

Sandpipers and Allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large and varied family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, godwits, and many others. Most eat small bugs they find in mud or sand. Different lengths of legs and beaks allow many species to feed in the same area without competing for food.

Skuas and Jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Jaegers are medium to large seabirds. They are usually gray or brown, sometimes with white marks on their wings. They have longish beaks with hooked tips and webbed feet with sharp claws. They look like large, dark gulls but have a fleshy part above their upper beak. They are strong, agile fliers.

Alcids

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Alcidae

Alcids look a bit like penguins because of their black and white colors and how they stand. However, they are not closely related to penguins and can fly. Auks live on the open sea and only come to land to lay eggs and raise their young.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. They are medium to large seabirds. They are usually gray or white, often with black marks on their heads or wings. They have strong, longish beaks and webbed feet.

Tropicbirds

Order: Phaethontiformes   Family: Phaethontidae

Tropicbirds are slender white birds that live in tropical oceans. They have very long central tail feathers. Their long wings and heads have black markings.

Loons

Order: Gaviiformes   Family: Gaviidae

Loons are water birds about the size of a large duck, but they are not related to ducks. They are mostly gray or black and have spear-shaped beaks. Loons swim well and fly okay, but they are clumsy on land because their legs are at the back of their bodies.

Albatrosses

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Diomedeidae

Albatrosses are some of the largest flying birds. The great albatrosses have the biggest wingspans of any living bird.

Southern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Oceanitidae

Storm-petrels are the smallest seabirds. They are related to petrels and eat tiny sea creatures and small fish from the water's surface, often while hovering. Their flight is fluttery, sometimes like a bat.

Northern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

These storm-petrels look and act like the southern storm-petrels. However, they have enough genetic differences to be in their own family.

Shearwaters and Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

Procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels." They have special tube-like nostrils with a wall in the middle.

Storks

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, heavy wading birds with long legs, long necks, and long, strong beaks. They have wide wings. Unlike other wading birds, storks do not have a special powder to clean fish slime from their feathers. Storks also cannot make sounds because they lack a voice box.

Frigatebirds

Order: Suliformes   Family: Fregatidae

Frigatebirds are large seabirds found in tropical oceans. They are black, or black and white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. Male frigatebirds have colorful throat pouches that they can inflate. They cannot swim or walk well and cannot take off from flat ground. They are amazing fliers, able to stay in the air for over a week!

Boobies and Gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

This family includes boobies and gannets. Both are medium-large coastal seabirds that dive headfirst into the water to catch fish.

Anhingas

Order: Suliformes   Family: Anhingidae

Anhingas, also called darters or snakebirds, are water birds similar to cormorants. They have long necks and long, straight beaks. They eat fish and can dive for long periods. They often swim with only their neck above the water, looking like a water snake.

Cormorants and Shags

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium to large water birds. They usually have dark feathers and colored skin on their faces. Their beaks are long, thin, and sharply hooked. They have four webbed toes on each foot.

Pelicans

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae

Pelicans are very large water birds with a special pouch under their beak. Like other birds in their group, they have four webbed toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

This family includes herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are wading birds with long necks and legs. Herons are large, and egrets are smaller. Bitterns usually have shorter necks and are more secretive. Unlike other long-necked birds, members of this family fly with their necks pulled back in a curve.

Ibises and Spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They have long, wide wings and long bodies, necks, and legs. Ibises have long, downward-curved beaks, while spoonbills have straight, flat beaks.

New World Vultures

Order: Cathartiformes   Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures are not closely related to Old World vultures, but they look similar because they evolved in similar ways. Like Old World vultures, they eat dead animals. However, New World vultures have a good sense of smell to find food, while Old World vultures find it by sight.

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The osprey is a fish-eating bird of prey. It has a very large, strong hooked beak for tearing meat, strong legs, powerful claws, and excellent eyesight. This family has only one type of bird.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

This family includes hawks, eagles, kites, and harriers. They are birds of prey with very large, hooked beaks for tearing meat, strong legs, powerful claws, and sharp eyesight.

Barn-Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with big heads and unique heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful claws.

Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

Typical owls are small to large birds of prey that hunt alone at night. They have large eyes that face forward, good hearing, a hawk-like beak, and a clear circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed beaks, short legs, and stubby tails.

Woodpeckers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues for catching insects. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and Caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

This family includes falcons and caracaras. They are birds of prey that hunt during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks, not their claws.

New World and African Parrots

Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae

Parrots have strong, curved beaks, stand upright, and have strong legs with special feet. Many parrots are brightly colored. They range from about 3 inches (8 cm) to 3 feet (1 m) long. Most of the over 150 types in this family live in the New World.

Tyrant Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are songbirds found across North and South America. They look a bit like Old World flycatchers but are stronger and have sturdier beaks. Most of them are plain in color. As their name suggests, most eat insects.

Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized songbirds. They are usually greenish and look like wood warblers, but they have stronger beaks.

Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are songbirds known for catching other birds and small animals. They sometimes impale the parts they don't eat on thorns. A shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, and jays. Corvids are larger than average songbirds, and some of the bigger ones are very smart.

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

This family includes small, stocky woodland birds with short, strong beaks. Some have crests on their heads. They are adaptable birds that eat both seeds and insects.

Larks

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small ground birds often known for their fancy songs and display flights. Most larks look quite plain. They eat insects and seeds.

Swallows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

This family is designed for catching food while flying. Swallows have slender bodies, long pointed wings, and short beaks with wide mouths. Their feet are better for perching than walking.

Kinglets

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Regulidae

Kinglets are a small family of birds that look like titmice. They are very tiny birds that eat insects. Adult kinglets have colorful crowns, which is how they got their name.

Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings have soft, silky feathers and unique red tips on some wing feathers. These tips look like sealing wax, giving the birds their name. They live in northern forests and eat insects in summer and berries in winter.

Nuthatches

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have a special ability to climb down trees headfirst, unlike most other birds that only climb up. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails, and strong beaks and feet.

Treecreepers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown on top and white underneath. They have thin, pointed, downward-curved beaks that they use to pull insects from tree bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which help them support themselves on vertical trees.

Gnatcatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Polioptilidae

This family includes small insect-eating songbirds called gnatcatchers and gnatwrens.

Wrens

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

Wrens are small and often hard to see, except for their loud songs. They have short wings and thin, downward-curved beaks. Many species often hold their tails straight up. All wrens eat insects.

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

This family includes thrashers, mockingbirds, and catbirds. They are famous for their amazing ability to copy the songs of other birds and other sounds they hear outside. These birds tend to be dull gray and brown in color.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized songbirds with strong feet. They fly strongly and directly and often gather in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark with a shiny, metallic look.

Thrushes and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of songbirds found mostly in the Old World. They are plump, soft-feathered, small to medium-sized birds that eat insects or sometimes everything. They often feed on the ground. Many have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

Old World flycatchers are a large family of small songbirds. These are mostly small birds that live in trees and eat insects, often catching them in mid-air.

Old World Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small songbirds. Generally, sparrows are small, plump, brownish or grayish birds with short tails and strong, short beaks. Sparrows eat seeds, but they also eat small insects.

Wagtails and Pipits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

This family includes wagtails, longclaws, and pipits. They are small songbirds with medium to long tails. They are slender birds that eat insects on the ground in open areas.

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Finches are songbirds that eat seeds. They are small to medium-sized and have strong, often cone-shaped beaks. They have a bouncy flight, flapping and then gliding with closed wings. Most finches sing well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

This group of songbirds was once thought to be New World sparrows. However, they are different in many ways and usually live in open grassy areas.

New World Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

These birds were part of another family until 2017. Most are called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of these birds have unique patterns on their heads.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteriidae

This bird was once grouped with the wood-warblers, but experts were unsure if it truly belonged there. In 2017, it was placed in its own family.

Troupials and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

This group includes grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. They are small to medium-sized, often colorful songbirds found only in the New World. Most have black feathers, often brightened with yellow, orange, or red.

New World Warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

Wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful songbirds found only in the New World. Most live in trees, but some live on the ground. Most birds in this family eat insects.

Cardinals and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

Cardinals are strong, seed-eating birds with powerful beaks. They usually live in open woodlands. Males and females often have different colored feathers.

Tanagers and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Thraupidae

Tanagers are a large group of small to medium-sized songbirds found only in the New World, mostly in tropical areas. Many species are brightly colored. As a family, they eat many different things, but some specialize in fruits, seeds, insects, or other foods. Most have short, rounded wings.

See also

  • List of North American birds
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List of birds of Louisiana Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.