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List of birds of West Virginia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The state of West Virginia is home to many different kinds of birds! This list tells you about all the bird species that have been seen and officially recorded in West Virginia. As of July 2021, there are 354 different kinds of birds on this list.

Some of these birds are quite special:

  • 65 are considered rare, meaning they are not seen very often.
  • 5 were introduced by people, meaning they didn't naturally live in North America but were brought here.
  • 2 are extinct, which means they no longer exist anywhere in the world.

There are also 14 "hypothetical" species. This means they have been reported, but there isn't enough proof to officially add them to the list yet. Most of these are also rare.

You'll see some special letters next to the bird names. Here's what they mean:

  • (R) Rare: These birds are not often seen in West Virginia.
  • (H) Hypothetical: These birds have been reported, but there isn't enough proof to confirm they were here.
  • (I) Introduced: These birds were brought to North America by people.
  • (E) Extinct: These birds no longer exist.

Also, some birds are facing challenges in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) helps track this:

  • 1 species is endangered, meaning it's at a very high risk of disappearing forever.
  • 6 species are vulnerable, meaning they are at risk of becoming endangered.
  • 18 species are near-threatened, meaning they might become vulnerable in the future.
  • 1 species is critically endangered, which the West Virginia Bird Records Committee considers extinct.
Cardinal
The northern cardinal is the state bird of West Virginia.

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

These birds are part of the Anseriformes group, and their family is called Anatidae. They are all about water! Ducks, geese, and swans have webbed feet, special bills, and feathers that shed water easily. This helps them live and swim in lakes, rivers, and ponds.

New World Quail

These birds are in the Galliformes group, family Odontophoridae. New World quails are small, round birds that live on the ground. They look a bit like quails from other parts of the world, but they are not closely related.

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

Also in the Galliformes group, this family is Phasianidae. This group includes pheasants and their relatives. They are ground-dwelling birds that vary in size but are usually plump with wide, short wings. Many of these birds are hunted for sport or raised for food.

Grebes

Grebes are in the Podicipediformes group, family Podicipedidae. These are small to medium-sized diving birds that live in freshwater. They have special lobed toes that make them excellent swimmers and divers. However, their feet are set far back on their bodies, so they are clumsy on land.

Pigeons and Doves

These birds are in the Columbiformes group, family Columbidae. Pigeons and doves are birds with sturdy bodies, short necks, and thin bills.

Cuckoos

Cuckoos are in the Cuculiformes group, family Cuculidae. This family includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. They come in different sizes, but generally have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs.

Nightjars and Allies

These birds are in the Caprimulgiformes group, 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 bills. Their soft feathers are colored to blend in with bark or leaves, helping them hide.

Swifts

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

Hummingbirds

Also in the Apodiformes group, this family is Trochilidae. Hummingbirds are tiny birds famous for hovering in the air by flapping their wings super fast. They are the only birds that can fly backward!

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

These birds are in the Gruiformes group, family Rallidae. This is a big family of small to medium-sized birds like rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. They often live in thick plants near lakes, swamps, or rivers. They are usually shy and hard to spot. Most have strong legs and long toes, which are great for walking on soft, uneven ground. They tend to have short, rounded wings and are not very strong fliers.

Limpkin

The Limpkin is in the Gruiformes group, family Aramidae. This is a unique bird that looks like a large rail, but its skeleton is more like a crane's.

Cranes

Cranes are in the Gruiformes group, family Gruidae. Cranes are large birds with long legs and long necks. Unlike herons, which look similar, cranes fly with their necks stretched out straight. Many cranes have fancy and loud dances they do when they are trying to find a mate.

Stilts and Avocets

These birds are in the Charadriiformes group, family Recurvirostridae. This family includes avocets and stilts, which are large wading birds. Avocets have long legs and long bills that curve upwards. Stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills.

Plovers and Lapwings

These birds are in the Charadriiformes group, 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. You can find them in open areas all over the world, especially near water.

Sandpipers and Allies

These birds are in the Charadriiformes group, family Scolopacidae. This is a large and varied family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, godwits, and many others. Most of these birds eat small bugs and worms they find in mud or soil. Different bill and leg lengths allow many species to feed in the same places without competing for food.

Skuas and Jaegers

These birds are in the Charadriiformes group, family Stercorariidae. Skuas and jaegers are medium to large birds, usually gray or brown, often with white on their wings. They have longish bills with hooked tips and webbed feet with sharp claws. They look like large, dark gulls but have a fleshy area above their upper beak. They are strong, agile fliers.

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

These birds are in the Charadriiformes group, family Laridae. This family includes gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are usually gray or white, often with black markings on their heads or wings. They have strong, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are medium to large seabirds, usually gray or white, often with black on their heads. Most terns catch fish by diving, but some pick insects off the water's surface. Skimmers are a small family of tropical birds that look like terns. They have a longer lower beak, which they use to skim the water for small fish while flying low.

Loons

Loons are in the Gaviiformes group, family Gaviidae. Loons are aquatic birds, about the size of a large duck, though they are not related to ducks. Their feathers are mostly gray or black, and they have spear-shaped bills. Loons swim very well and fly well, but they are almost helpless on land because their legs are placed far back on their bodies.

Storks

Storks are in the Ciconiiformes group, family Ciconiidae. Storks are large, heavy wading birds with long legs, long necks, long, strong bills, and wide wings. They don't have the special "powder down" feathers that other wading birds like herons use to clean off fish slime. Storks also don't have a voice box, so they are silent.

Frigatebirds

Frigatebirds are in the Suliformes group, family Fregatidae. Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. They are big, black, or black-and-white, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have colorful throat pouches that can inflate like a balloon. They cannot swim or walk, and they can't take off from a flat surface. They have the largest wingspan compared to their body weight of any bird, allowing them to stay in the air for over a week!

Anhingas

Anhingas are in the Suliformes group, family Anhingidae. Anhingas are water birds that look a bit like cormorants, but they have very long necks and long, straight beaks. They eat fish and often swim with only their neck above the water.

Cormorants and Shags

These birds are in the Suliformes group, family Phalacrocoracidae. Cormorants are medium to large water birds, usually with mostly dark feathers and colored skin on their faces. Their bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. They have four webbed toes on their feet.

Pelicans

Pelicans are in the Pelecaniformes group, family Pelecanidae. Pelicans are very large water birds with a unique pouch under their beak. Like other birds in their group, they have four webbed toes.

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

These birds are in the Pelecaniformes group, family Ardeidae. This family includes herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns usually have shorter necks and are more secretive. Birds in this family fly with their necks pulled back, unlike other long-necked birds like storks.

Ibises and Spoonbills

These birds are in the Pelecaniformes group, family Threskiornithidae. This family includes ibises and spoonbills. They have long, wide wings. Their bodies tend to be long, and their necks are even longer, with fairly long legs. Their bills are also long; ibises have bills that curve downwards, while spoonbills have straight bills that are distinctively flattened at the end.

New World Vultures

These birds are in the Cathartiformes group, family Cathartidae. New World vultures are not closely related to vultures from other parts of the world, but they look similar because they evolved in similar ways. Like other vultures, they eat dead animals. However, unlike Old World vultures that find food by sight, New World vultures have a good sense of smell to find carcasses.

Osprey

The Osprey is in the Accipitriformes group, family Pandionidae. This family has only one species: the Osprey! It's a fish-eating bird of prey. It has a very large and powerful hooked beak, strong legs, strong claws (talons), and excellent eyesight.

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

These birds are in the Accipitriformes group, family Accipitridae. This family of birds of prey includes hawks, eagles, kites, and harriers. These birds have very large, powerful hooked beaks to tear meat from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons, and sharp eyesight.

Barn-Owls

Barn-owls are in the Strigiformes group, family Tytonidae. Owls in this family are medium to large with big heads and unique heart-shaped faces.

Owls

These birds are in the Strigiformes group, family Strigidae. These are typical or "true" owls. They are usually solitary birds of prey that hunt 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

Kingfishers are in the Coraciiformes group, family Alcedinidae. Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers are in the Piciformes group, family Picidae. Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails, and long tongues they use to catch insects. Some have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while others have only three toes. Many woodpeckers tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Falcons and Caracaras

These birds are in the Falconiformes group, family Falconidae. This family includes falcons and caracaras, which are birds of prey active during the day. They are different from hawks and eagles because they kill their prey with their beaks instead of their claws.

New World and African Parrots

Parrots are in the Psittaciformes group, family Psittacidae. Parrots have strong, curved bills, stand upright, have strong legs, and clawed feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward. Many parrots are brightly colored, and some have many colors. They range in size from about 3 inches to 3 feet long. Most of the more than 150 species in this family live in the Americas.

Tyrant Flycatchers

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Tyrannidae. Tyrant flycatchers are songbirds found all over North and South America. They look a bit like flycatchers from other parts of the world but are stronger and have tougher bills. They don't have the fancy singing abilities of many other songbirds. Most are quite plain in color. As their name suggests, most of them eat insects.

Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Vireonidae. Vireos are a group of small to medium-sized songbirds mostly found in the Americas, though a few other species in the family live in Asia. They are usually greenish in color and look like wood-warblers, but they have stronger bills.

Shrikes

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

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Corvidae. This family includes crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. Corvids are larger than average among songbirds, and some of the bigger species are very intelligent.

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Paridae. The Paridae are mostly small, stocky woodland birds with short, strong bills. Some have crests on their heads. They are adaptable birds that eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Larks

Larks are in the Passeriformes group, family Alaudidae. Larks are small ground birds often known for their amazing songs and display flights. Most larks look quite plain. They eat insects and seeds.

Swallows

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Hirundinidae. The swallow family is built for catching food while flying. They have slender, streamlined bodies, long, pointed wings, and short bills with wide mouths. Their feet are better for perching than walking, and their front toes are partly joined at the base.

Kinglets

Kinglets are in the Passeriformes group, family Regulidae. Kinglets and "crests" are a small family of birds that look a bit like some warblers. They are very tiny birds that eat insects. The adult birds have colorful crowns on their heads, which is how they got their name.

Waxwings

Waxwings are in the Passeriformes group, family Bombycillidae. Waxwings are a group of songbirds with soft, silky feathers and unique red tips on some of their wing feathers. These tips look like sealing wax, which gives them their name. These birds live in northern forests, often in trees. They eat insects in the summer and berries in the winter.

Nuthatches

Nuthatches are in the Passeriformes group, family Sittidae. Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have a special ability to climb down trees headfirst, unlike most other birds that can only go up. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails, and strong bills and feet.

Treecreepers

Treecreepers are in the Passeriformes group, family Certhiidae. Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown on top and white underneath. They have thin, pointed bills that curve downwards, which they use to pull insects out of tree bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which help them support themselves on vertical tree trunks.

Gnatcatchers

Gnatcatchers are in the Passeriformes group, family Polioptilidae. These delicate birds look like some warblers in how they are built and how they act. They move restlessly through leaves looking for insects. Gnatcatchers are mostly soft bluish-gray and have the typical long, sharp bill of an insect-eater. Many species have distinct black patterns on their heads (especially males) and long, often upright, black-and-white tails.

Wrens

Wrens are in the Passeriformes group, family Troglodytidae. Wrens are small and often hard to see, except for their loud songs! They have short wings and thin, downward-curving bills. Several species often hold their tails straight up. All wrens eat insects.

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Mimidae. The mimids are a family of songbirds that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, and catbirds. These birds are famous for their amazing voices, especially their ability to copy many different bird calls and other sounds they hear outdoors. These species tend to be dull gray and brown in color.

Starlings

Starlings are in the Passeriformes group, family Sturnidae. Starlings and mynas are small to medium-sized songbirds from the "Old World" (Europe, Asia, Africa) with strong feet. They fly strongly and directly, and most live in large groups. They prefer open areas and eat insects and fruit. Many species have dark feathers with a shiny, metallic look.

Thrushes and Allies

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Turdidae. Thrushes are a group of songbirds found mostly in the Old World, but also elsewhere. They are plump, soft-feathered, small to medium-sized birds that eat insects or sometimes everything (omnivores). They often feed on the ground. Many thrushes have beautiful songs.

Old World Sparrows

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Passeridae. Old World sparrows are small songbirds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brownish or grayish birds with short tails and short, strong beaks. Sparrows eat seeds, but they also eat small insects.

Wagtails and Pipits

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Motacillidae. This is a family of small songbirds with medium to long tails. They include wagtails and pipits. They are slender birds that eat insects on the ground in open areas.

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Fringillidae. Finches are seed-eating songbirds that range from small to medium-large. They have strong beaks, usually shaped like a cone, and in some species, very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primary flight feathers. These birds fly with a bouncy motion, alternating between flapping and gliding with their wings closed. Most finches sing well.

Longspurs and Snow Buntings

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Calcariidae. The Calcariidae are a group of songbirds that used to be grouped with the New World sparrows. However, they are different in several ways and are usually found in open grassy areas.

New World Sparrows

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Passerellidae. Until 2017, these species were considered part of a different family. Most of these birds are known as sparrows, but they are not closely related to the Old World sparrows. Many of them have unique patterns on their heads.

Yellow-breasted Chat

This bird is in the Passeriformes group, family Icteriidae. This species used to be grouped with the wood-warblers, but experts weren't sure it truly belonged there. In 2017, it was placed into its very own family!

Troupials and Allies

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Icteridae. The icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful songbirds found only in the Americas. They include grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles. Most species have black as their main feather color, often brightened by yellow, orange, or red.

New World Warblers

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Parulidae. The wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful songbirds found only in the Americas. Most live in trees, but some spend more time on the ground. Most birds in this family eat insects.

Cardinals and Allies

These birds are in the Passeriformes group, family Cardinalidae. Cardinals are a family of strong, seed-eating birds with powerful bills. They usually live in open woodlands. Males and females often have different feather colors.

See also

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List of birds of West Virginia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.