28 Common Backyard Birds in Florida (with Pictures)

Last Updated on Jan 23 2023

Florida is known as the Sunshine State, with its beautiful beaches, warm summer breezes, and spectacular sunsets. Florida is a prime area for migratory¹ birds, too, and while in this southern state, you’ll see many different species. If you live in the Sunshine State, you’ll be lucky to see a variety of birds all year-round.

From Florida songbirds, Florida brown birds, and Florida red birds, we’ll cover the most common backyard birds in Florida. If you live in this state and want to learn how to attract different birds, read on to learn what you can do to make your Florida backyard a bird oasis. 

The 28 Most Common Backyard Birds in Florida

1. Mourning Dove

Birds wake in the early morning hours, but this bird isn’t named for the time of day. The Mourning Dove symbolizes new beginnings and hope, and they bring comfort to those mourning the loss of a loved one.

These graceful, small-headed birds can be found in the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. Their habitat is semi-open land, scattered trees, and woodland edges. These birds can be found in suburbs, on telephone poles, and forging on the ground. They have small, plump bodies, slender tails, and are a soft brown with black spots.

These birds are known for the soft cooing sound that mostly the males make; they are also the most hunted bird in the United States. Roughly 20 million are killed each year for food and sport, but despite this, their population is growing.

To attract, try scattering millet seeds on the ground. They love shelled sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and milo seeds. Having an open feeder is best for these beautiful birds, as they will eat while perched on your feeder.

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2. Yellow-Rumped Warbler

The Yellow-Rumped Warbler can be found in conifer forests, forest edges, mixed woodlands, deciduous forests, bogs, and pine plantations. Their distribution range is widespread in North and Central America, and they are the only species of birds that can digest the wax from bayberries and wax myrtles. They are also the most abundant species of warblers in North America. 

These birds have a bright yellow rump, and bird lovers call them “butter butts” due to their yellow tails. They have yellow on either side of their face and a splash of yellow on their sides. The yellow in males is more vibrant than in females.

These birds are found in Florida mainly in the fall when they migrate south for the winter. If you want to attract them to your Florida backyard, try filling your bird feeder with sunflower seeds, raisins, suet, and peanut butter.

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3. Palm Warbler

This warbler species breeds mostly in Canada and migrates to the Southern US in the winter, where Floridians commonly see them during the winter months. Palm Warblers are commonly seen in New York State during the spring and fall migration.

These birds mainly forage along the ground for insects rather than canopy layers of forests. During migration, they can be seen in forest edges, weedy fields, and areas with shrubs and scattered trees. They bobble their tails while forging on the ground, which is a distinctive feature.

The Palm Warbler has a reddish-brown cap atop its head, bright yellow under the base of the tail, yellow under the throat, and an olive back.

They typically do not feed from feeders. To attract these birds, try growing plants that attract insects, and having hawthorn berries and bayberries around will attract them, too.

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4. Pine Warbler

The Pine Warbler can be found in pine woods and pine barrens, hence the name, and they usually breed in open pine woods. They can be seen in Florida all year long, but they are more common between October and April. They are hard to spot, as they like to sit high up in trees.

They have olive backs, gray wings, and are small, plump yellow birds. The adult male is brighter than the female; the female is usually gray-brown. They both have long tails and a stout beak.

Their preferred meal is insects, but they will occasionally feed from a bird feeder, eating fruits and seeds.

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5. Carolina Wren

The Carolina Wren has a population of 18 million and can be found year-round in Florida, and the Eastern and Southern US. These little birds are a reddish-brown color with long chunky round bodies, slender beaks, a long tail that points upward, and a large head with a little neck. They have a faint orange color on their bellies, a white strip for eyebrows, and white on their chins.

They are hard to spot, but their song is very distinguished. The male bird sings the loudest, but you can often hear a female perform a duet with her mate. These birds also sing throughout the day. They are prone to wooded residential areas, shrubbery, and overgrown farmland.

A pair of Carolina Wrens will mate for life, and they make the nests together for their babies. Both of them are also involved in feedings.

Try mealworms, suet, and nuts to attract the Carolina Wren to your feeder. You can offer these favorite foods of the Carolina Wren year-round. 

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6. Blue Jay

If you’ve ever spotted a Blue Jay, you know how noisy these birds can be. Their calls vary from a jeer, gurgling sounds, squeaks, and whistled notes. These birds have an excellent mimicking ability and can even mimic urban sounds, cell phones, and hawks.

The bright blue color of the Blue Jay is not what it seems. Their feathers are actually brown. Melanin is the pigment in a Blue Jay’s feathers, but due to light scattering, we perceive it as blue. A blue jay’s wing contains tiny pockets of keratin and air, and when light hits it, all colors of the wavelength are absorbed, except blue. Because of this, we see blue colors rather than brown.

The Blue Jay prefers deciduous forests and can be found in residential areas. They are territorial and can be aggressive. If you want to attract Blue Jays to your feeder, fill a tray feeder with seeds, fruits, nuts, and acorns. Be aware, however, that a Blue Jay may run off any other birds that flock to your feeder.  

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7. Northern Cardinal

When you spot a cardinal, you know it. The males have a bright-red color that stands out from any branch or post, while the female is more of a pale brown with slight red traces on their tail, crest, and wings.

The Northern Cardinal is mainly known as a southeastern bird, but their numbers are increasing in places like New England and southern Canada.

Northern Cardinals are commonly seen in Florida, and they like suburban gardens, brushy semi-open habitats, tall brush, swamps, and even city parks. They love sunflower seeds, so be sure to fill your feeder with them. They will feed out of large tube feeders or hopper feeders.

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8. Northern Mockingbird

The Northern Mockingbird has many songs, but they are not their own. This bird mimics songs from other birds, and they can learn up to 200 songs in their lifetime. A fun fact: their Latin name means “many-tongued mimic.”

They are medium-sized with a grayish-brown body and a lighter underbelly. Their rounded wings have patches of white that you can see well when the wings are fully spread.

This bird is the state bird of Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas. They love hedges, fruiting bushes, and thickets. They can be found in suburban areas, parks, and cultivated land.

The Northern Mockingbird loves to eat insects, such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, and beetles. They don’t normally eat from feeders, but you can try filling a feeder with suet, mealworms, and fruits. You can also plant berry bushes to attract them, such as blackberry, juniper, elderberry, and pokeweed.   

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9. Red-Winged Blackbird

The Red-Winged Blackbird is abundant throughout North America. These birds are one of the easiest birds to spot due to their black bodies with red and yellow patches on each wing. The females, however, are more of a dark brownish color.

The males defend their territory fiercely and will loudly warn humans if they get too close to the nest. They breed in fresh or saltwater marshes, meadows, and rice patties. You can find them on telephone poles, grassy land, and pastures.

To attract these birds to your Florida backyard, you can sprinkle grain and seeds on the ground. They will also feed from platform feeders or large tube feeders.

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10. Common Grackle

The Common Grackle’s habitat is open woodland, forest edge, grassland, marshes, meadows, swamps, agricultural fields, suburban areas, city parks, cemeteries, and pine plantations.

These birds have long legs, long tails, long beaks, flat heads, and bright yellow eyes. Their bodies are mainly black and glossy, but up close, you can see purple, green, and bronze colors, especially on their head. If you hear squawks and whistles, it’s probably a Common Grackle.

The Common Grackle is known as a “bully bird,” so you probably don’t want to attract them to your feeder. If you’re dead-set on it, you can try cracked corn, sunflower seeds, and peanuts in your feeder.

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11. Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

The ruby-throated Hummingbird is well-known in Florida, and everyone loves these docile little creatures. These beautiful little birds are named for the males’ ruby-red throats, and both males and females have an emerald or golden-green back.

These birds like to build nests in deciduous trees and are drawn to flowers, such as red cardinal flowers, trumpet honeysuckles, and trumpet creeper.

It’s a treat to see these little birds come into your backyard, and one way to entice them is with a good ole’ red hummingbird feeder, and if you really want to attract them, plant flowers all around your yard. If you purchase a feeder, be sure to purchase a glass feeder, as plastic feeders may warp and generally do not hold up as well. Also, never use organic sugar. Plain white sugar is best, as raw sugar can kill hummingbirds. 

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12. American Robin

The American Robin has an orange breast with gray wings, a gray head, and a gray back. Their beaks are short and yellow with a gray tip.

They are popular in North America and are abundant and widespread. You can see them hopping around on lawns to forage earthworms and insects. They are usually the first birds to start singing at dawn in the spring and summer, and their songs and calls are often considered cheery.

Seeds are not part of the Robin’s diet, so if you want to attract them to your feeder, you’ll need to fill a fruit feeder with raisins, suet, strawberries, and currants. It’s also best to hang the fruit feeder from a tree or pole. Birdbaths are another way to attract Robins. 

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13. Common Yellowthroat

The Common Yellowthroat is a small songbird with rounded heads and chunky bodies. They have a medium length and slightly rounded tails. The males are bright yellow in front with a black facemask, and there’s white behind the black in between the head and body. The females are olive-brown with faint yellow on the throat.

They like thick, low vegetation in open areas, as well as marshes, grassland, and open pine forest. These birds live year-round in Florida but are predominantly seen in winter and spring.

You probably won’t have any luck attracting them to your feeder, as they prefer insects, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see them forging in your backyard. You can try setting a plate of dried insects, such as mealworms, crickets, grasshoppers, etc., near a bush or brush pile to attract these birds.

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14. Painted Bunting

The Painted Bunting is medium-sized, chunky, and is commonly seen in Florida. The male Painted Bunting looks like a colorful rainbow, with a bright blue head, red breast and belly, and an orange ring around the eyes. The back is green, and his wings are a colorful mixture of blues, greens, and purples. The females and juveniles are solid emerald green.

They prefer a semi-open habitat with a mixture of shrubs, scattered trees, and weed patches.

These colorful songbirds will mostly eat seeds and insects, and you’ll have better luck attracting them to your backyard if you have low and dense vegetation. They will feed from a feeder that has millet seed or nyjer thistle.

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15. Tufted Titmouse

The Tufted Titmouse has large black eyes and a gray body. They also have a black patch just above the bill.

They prefer deciduous and evergreen forests in the eastern woodlands. They can be found in Florida year-round and can be found in suburbs and city parks.

These birds will come to feeders, especially if you have sunflower seeds and suet. They also like nuts and berries, especially in the winter. They also eat insects, such as spiders, snails, bees, wasps, and beetles.

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16. Tree Swallow

The Tree Swallow can be found in much of North America and is a small-sized bird with white and blue plumage. They migrate north in early spring and migrate south around July.

They are spotted around marshes, wooded swamps, fields, and near water. Their diet consists of flying insects that inhabit the areas where they live.

These birds have a sweet chirping call, and you can look for them perched on utility wires and shrubs.

Nest boxes work well to attract these birds to your Florida backyard. 

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17. European Starling

These large black birds are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. They did not arrive in the US until 1890 when they were released in Central Park. From there, they spread rapidly and are now one of the most abundant birds in North America.

They are chunky and have short tails and long, slender yellow beaks. They look solid black from a distance, but they carry a purplish-green in the summer and a brown in the winter with white spots.

The European Starling is known as a loud and boisterous bird that travels in large flocks, and they like to perch high in trees and on wires.

They forage on the ground often, eating grubs, beetles, flies, caterpillars, spiders, earthworms, etc. They also like berries and seeds. If you like these birds, it only takes a feeder with seeds to attract them.

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18. Carolina Chickadee

This little bird lives in the southeastern United States permanently. They are similar to the Black-capped chickadee; however, the Black-capped is found farther north, while the Carolina Chickadee never leaves the south.

They have large heads, short necks, and a little round body. Their tail is long and narrow, and they have a black cap on their heads and black under their beak. White covers the cheeks, and the rest of their body is a soft gray.

These birds live in deciduous forests and woodlands and have grown comfortable with humans. You can see these birds perched in trees throughout suburban areas. 

To attract them to your yard, fill your feeder with suet, sunflower seeds, and peanut chips.

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19. Great-Crested Flycatcher

The Great-Crested Flycatcher are large flycatchers, hence the name, and they have long bodies, broad shoulders, large heads, and a short crest. They spend the winter months in Southern Florida, and you can spot them by their sturdy build. They have long, pointed black bills and small black eyes. Their head and neck are brownish-gray, and the tail is an orange color. The back is reddish-brown, the breast area is bluish-gray, and the belly is a bright lemon-yellow.

They prefer woodlands and deciduous forests and can be found in wooded city parks. These birds forage in treetops, eating mostly grasshoppers, moths, beetles, and butterflies. They will add berries and fruits to their diet.

They take to nest boxes, so if you want to attract them, hang one between 12 and 20 feet from the ground. Also, ensure they have a clear flight path to the box.

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20. American Crow

Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds may come to mind when you think of crows. Although that’s probably not a fair rap, these birds look the part. These birds have a loud squawk and caw that goes with their solid-black bodies. As far as intelligence, these birds are very smart and are dubbed the smartest birds in the world. They can use tools to get something they want and even learn the behavior of the family pet.

They are commonly seen in open areas, agricultural fields, suburban areas, orchids, savannas, and along edges of lakes and streams.

Their diet consists of small animals, the flesh of dead animals, fruits, grains, and insects. The American Crow doesn’t usually feed from a feeder, but you can attract them by placing peanuts on the ground.

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21. White-Winged Dove

These plump birds can be found in cities and towns across the Southern US. They have long, thin bills and small heads. Their bodies are mainly brown, but they have a dark line across the cheek that helps with identification. They have white at the edge of their wings that’s noticeable in flight, and the tail has a white tip.

They are spotted in Texas, in desert habitats in the southwest, and along the coasts of Florida. They eat milo, sunflower, corn, safflower, and wheat. They eat fruits and seeds from plants.

You can attract them to your yard by filling an open platform feeder or ground feeder with seeds. You can even sprinkle seeds onto the ground.

Related Read: 25 Common Backyard Birds in Illinois (With Pictures)

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22. Purple Martin

Purple Martins are part of the swallow family and are the largest members. These birds are big with stout hooked bills, short tails, and long, tapered wings. True to its name, males are dark purple with brown wings, while the females have a duller color with white bellies and gray on the chest and head.

They prefer open areas, preferably near water. However, in the east, you will exclusively find them in martin houses or nest boxes.

If you want Purple Martins in your backyard, you’ll need to put up martin houses. These birds like to be around human activity, so place the houses within 30 feet of your home. You’ll also want to place the houses in an open area.

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23. Eastern Phoebe

The Eastern Phoebe is a plump songbird with a medium-length tail. The head is flat on top, but often they’ll raise their feathers. Their beaks are short and thin, and the lower body is brownish-gray with an off-white color on their bellies.

They can be found in open areas, such as parks, yards, and woodland areas. When they are perched, they wag their tails up and down repeatedly. They breed in the eastern part of North America, but they migrate farther south to the southeastern regions of the US and Mexico in the winter.

These birds mostly eat flying insects, such as wasps, dragonflies, beetles, moths, and flies. To attract them, place a birdbath, as they love water. You can also plant insect-attracting plants in your yard. They love American elderberries, so planting one of these will increase your chances.

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24. Eurasian Collared-Dove

The Eurasian Collared-Dove has a defining three-parted coo. These pretty doves are relatives of the Mourning Dove and are a bit chunkier. They have plump bodies, long tails, and small heads. They are a light-brown and grayish color with a black crescent on the neck.

You can spot them on telephone poles, wires, and trees in urban and suburban areas. They inhabit much of the US except for the northeast, and you can see them roost together in large trees.

These birds eat seeds, berries, and insects. To attract them, fill your feeder with milo, sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn.

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25. Gray Catbird

The Gray Catbird is a medium-sized bird with a slender shape. They have long legs, a black tail, and rounded wings. They are mostly gray but have a black cap atop their head and a brown patch underneath the tail.

They prefer dense thickets and can be seen in shrubs, forest edges, and small trees. Their song sounds similar to a cat meow, hence the name, and they can sing a song for 10 minutes straight.

They migrate to southern portions of the US, Mexico, and Central America and move farther south to the Caribbean for the winter. These birds eat insects, such as ants, grasshoppers, moths, and caterpillars. They will eat fruits, such as cherries and blackberries.

Fill your feeder with fruit and plant fruit trees to attract these birds, such as dogwood and winterberry.

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26. House Wren

The House Wren is a small, compact bird with a brown color. They have a long, curved beak and a flat head.

They live in open forests and love scattered trees. City parks, farmland, and backyards are notorious areas for spotting these little birds. They prefer thickets and bushy tangles in the winter when they migrate to the southern US and Mexico.

Their main diet consists of insects, including spiders, caterpillars, flies, and beetles.

The males can be aggressive during nesting season, and they will choose a different lucky lady each year.

They love nest boxes, but you can fill your feeder with mealworms, peanut butter, and suet to attract them to your yard. Platform or tray feeders work best for these birds.

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27. Boat-Tailed Grackle

The Boat-Tailed Grackle is mostly seen in the southeastern part of the US, particularly around the Gulf Coast in the Florida peninsula. They are long and lanky birds with long legs and long, pointy bills. The males have a long V-shaped tail, and they are glossy black all over. The females are more of a darker brown with dark cheeks.

These birds are not picky eaters, for they will eat anything available, from human scraps of food to seeds.

To attract them, simply fill your feeder with seeds. They particularly enjoy milo and cracked corn. Be warned, however, that they will chase off smaller birds from the feeder.

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28. Downy Woodpecker

The Downy Woodpecker has a chisel-like bill (perfect for drumming on trees), broad shoulders, and a blocky head. When they are on trees, they will lean their bodies backward.

They have black and white bodies with a white streak down the center of their backs. Males have a red patch on the back of their heads.

The Downy Woodpecker has a distinctive flight style that looks as if it’s rising and falling. They make lots of noise, and when they peck away on tree trunks, you’ll hear the unmistakable sound of a pecking rhythm.

You can find these woodpeckers in the wilderness or a backyard anywhere from Alaska to Florida. They will eat from feeders, and they particularly enjoy insects. These birds help with our ecosystem because they eliminate destructive insects.

To attract, fill a feeder with suet, seed mixes, sunflower seeds, corn, peanut butter spread, and fruits. If you want to help them out in the winter months when insects are scarce, be sure to keep your feeder out with these foods.  

Final Thoughts

Birds of all species can be a joy to observe from your backyard, and some even help us out by eating destructive insects. If you want to attract birds to your Florida backyard, the best feeders are tube feeders, ground feeders, platform feeders, suet feeders, and hummingbird feeders.

Some birds prefer certain types of feeders, so be sure to investigate what type of feeder you need to attract whatever type of birds you want to see. Also, be sure to fill your feeder with the appropriate foods.

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Featured Image Credit: KK Tham, Shutterstock