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List of birds of Nova Scotia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
2010-kabini-osprey
The osprey is the provincial bird of Nova Scotia.

This is a list of all the different kinds of birds that have been seen in Nova Scotia, a province in Canada. This list comes from the Nova Scotia Bird Society. Some birds are seen often, while others are very rare.

You will see some letters next to the bird names:

  • (A) Accidental - This means the bird is usually not found in Nova Scotia and only shows up by chance.
  • (I) Introduced - This means people brought this bird to North America, and it wasn't originally here.

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, flat beaks, and special feathers that keep water off them.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

This family includes pheasants and grouse. These birds live on land. They are usually plump with wide, short wings.

Flamingos

Order: Phoenicopteriformes   Family: Phoenicopteridae

Flamingos are tall wading birds, about 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 m) tall. They live in groups and filter their food, like tiny shellfish and algae, from the water. Their beaks are specially shaped to help them eat upside-down!

Grebes

Order: Podicipediformes   Family: Podicipedidae

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

Pigeons and Doves

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are birds with strong bodies, short necks, and thin beaks. They eat seeds, fruit, and plants. A unique thing about them is that both parents make "crop milk" to feed their young.

Cuckoos

Order: Cuculiformes   Family: Cuculidae

This family includes cuckoos and roadrunners. These birds have slim 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 nest 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 almost never land on the ground. They perch only on straight-up surfaces. Many swifts have long, swept-back wings.

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 usually live in thick plants near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are often shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes for walking on soft ground.

Limpkin

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Aramidae

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

Cranes

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are big birds with long legs and long necks. When they fly, their necks are stretched out, which is different from herons. Many cranes have special, loud dances to attract 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 bills that curve upwards. Stilts have very long legs and thin, straight bills.

Oystercatchers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Haematopodidae

Oystercatchers are large, easy-to-spot, and noisy birds. They have strong beaks that they use to open molluscs like oysters.

Plovers and Lapwings

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

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

Sandpipers and Allies

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

This is a large family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, and snipes. Most of these birds eat small bugs they find in mud or soil. Different bill and leg lengths allow them to share the same feeding areas without fighting for food.

Skuas and Jaegers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Stercorariidae

Skuas and Jaegers are medium to large birds, often grey or brown. They look like big, dark gulls but have a hooked bill. They are strong, skilled fliers.

Auks, Murres, and Puffins

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Alcidae

Alcids look a bit like penguins because they are black and white and stand upright. However, they can fly! Auks live on the open sea and only come to land to build their nests.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. They are medium to large seabirds, usually grey or white with black markings. They have strong bills 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. They are mostly grey or black and have spear-shaped beaks. Loons swim and fly well, but they are very awkward 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 biggest ones have the widest wingspans of any living bird.

Southern Storm-Petrels

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Wilson's storm-petrel

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. They often hover while they feed.

Northern Storm-Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Hydrobatidae

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

Shearwaters and Petrels

Order: Procellariiformes   Family: Procellariidae

This group includes medium-sized "true petrels." They have nostrils that are joined together and long outer wing feathers.

Storks

Order: Ciconiiformes   Family: Ciconiidae

Storks are large, heavy wading birds with long legs, long necks, and strong bills. They have wide wings. Storks do not have a voice box, so they are mostly silent.

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. Males have colorful throat pouches that can inflate. They are amazing fliers and can stay in the air for over a week!

Boobies and Gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

This family includes gannets and boobies. Both are medium to large seabirds that live near coasts. They dive headfirst into the water to catch fish.

Cormorants and Shags

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium to large water birds, usually dark-colored. They have long, thin, hooked bills. All four of their toes are webbed, helping them swim.

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 medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns are usually shorter-necked and more secretive. When they fly, they pull their necks back, unlike storks.

Ibises and Spoonbills

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Threskiornithidae

This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They have long, wide wings and long bodies and necks. Ibises have bills that curve downwards, while spoonbills have straight, flat bills.

New World Vultures

Order: Cathartiformes   Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures are scavengers, meaning they eat dead animals. Unlike some other vultures, they have a very good sense of smell to find food.

Osprey

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Pandionidae

The osprey is a bird of prey that eats fish. It has a large, strong, hooked beak for tearing meat, powerful legs, sharp talons, and excellent eyesight. There is only one type of osprey in this family.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

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

Barn-Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Tytonidae

Owls in this family are medium to large with big heads and a special heart-shaped face.

Owls

Order: Strigiformes   Family: Strigidae

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

Kingfishers

Order: Coraciiformes   Family: Alcedinidae

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed beaks, short legs, and short 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 use their beaks to kill their prey, not their talons.

Tyrant Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Tyrannidae

Tyrant flycatchers are songbirds found in North and South America. They have strong beaks and mostly eat insects. Many of them are plain in color.

Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized songbirds mostly found in the Americas. They are usually greenish and look like wood warblers, but have stronger beaks.

Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are songbirds known for catching small animals. They have hooked beaks, like birds of prey.

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

This family includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. They are larger than average songbirds, and some are very smart.

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

The Paridae are mostly small, plump woodland birds with short, strong beaks. They can adapt to different places and eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Larks

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Alaudidae

Larks are small birds that live on the ground. They often have amazing songs and special flights to show off. Most larks are plain-looking. They eat insects and seeds.

Swallows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

This family of birds is built for catching food while flying. They have slim 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 very tiny birds that eat insects. Adult kinglets have colorful crowns on their heads, which is how they got their name.

Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are songbirds with soft, silky feathers. Some of their wing feathers have unique red tips that look like sealing wax. These birds 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, which most other birds cannot do. They 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, curved beaks that they use to pull insects out of tree bark. Like woodpeckers, they use their stiff tail feathers to support themselves on trees.

Gnatcatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Polioptilidae

These delicate birds look like Old World warblers. They move quickly through leaves looking for insects. Gnatcatchers are mostly soft bluish-grey and have a long, sharp beak for catching insects. Many have black patterns on their heads and long, black-and-white tails.

Wrens

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Troglodytidae

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

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

This family includes thrashers, mockingbirds, and catbirds. These birds are famous for their amazing songs and their ability to copy many different bird calls and other sounds. They are usually dull grey and brown.

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized songbirds with strong feet. They fly strongly and often live in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Many have dark feathers that shine like metal.

Thrushes and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of songbirds, mostly found in the Old World. They are plump, with soft feathers, and are small to medium-sized. They eat insects or sometimes everything, often finding food on the ground. Many have beautiful songs.

Old World Flycatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Muscicapidae

The Old World flycatchers are a large family of small songbirds. They are mainly 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. They are usually plump, brownish or grayish, with short tails and strong beaks. Sparrows eat seeds, but they also eat small insects.

Wagtails and Pipits

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Motacillidae

This family includes wagtails 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 fly with a bouncy motion, flapping and then gliding with closed wings. Most finches sing well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Calcariidae

This group of songbirds used to be with the New World sparrows. They are different in some ways and usually live in open grassy areas.

New World Sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

These birds are called sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of them have special patterns on their heads.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteriidae

This bird was once thought to be a wood-warbler, but now it has its own family.

Troupials and Allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Icteridae

This group includes grackles and New World blackbirds and orioles. They are small to medium-sized, often colorful songbirds found in the Americas. Most are mainly black, sometimes with bright yellow, orange, or red.

New World Warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

Wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful songbirds found in the Americas. Most live in trees, but some live more 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.

See also

  • List of birds
  • Lists of birds by region
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List of birds of Nova Scotia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.