North Carolina chose the Northern Cardinal as its state bird, and it is first at North Carolina feeders too, at 94.1% of sites. Close behind are two birds that could stand for the state just as well.
The twelve birds North Carolina feeders report most
From Project FeederWatch, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's winter count, in which volunteers record what turns up at their own feeders. The 2023–24 season had 466 participants in North Carolina — a large sample, so the order near the top is reliable. The percentage is the share of North Carolina feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of NC feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Cardinal | 94.1% |
| 2 | Tufted Titmouse | 89.2% |
| 3 | Carolina Wren | 89.0% |
| 4 | House Finch | 84.6% |
| 5 | Carolina Chickadee | 84.2% |
| 6 | Downy Woodpecker | 82.9% |
| 7 | Mourning Dove | 81.4% |
| 8 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 80.0% |
| 9 | American Goldfinch | 75.7% |
| 10 | Eastern Bluebird | 75.5% |
| 11 | Dark-eyed Junco | 73.6% |
| 12 | White-breasted Nuthatch | 71.7% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
Titmouse and wren, neck and neck
Tufted Titmouse (89.2%) and Carolina Wren (89.0%) sit just behind the cardinal. The titmouse is grey, crested and black-eyed; the wren is rusty brown with a white eyebrow and a song far louder than its size. Both stay all year.
The bluebird is in the top ten
Eastern Bluebird is at 76% of North Carolina feeders in winter — tenth, which is high for a bird that does not eat seed. Open lawns with scattered trees suit it, and mealworms, suet and a birdbath bring it close.
A southern nuthatch and wintering warblers
Brown-headed Nuthatch makes the top 25, at more than half of sites — a small bird of southern pine woods with a brown cap and a squeaky call. Yellow-rumped and Pine Warblers are there too, spending the winter in the state and coming to suet.
The Blue Jay is only fourteenth
At 65% of feeders, tied with the robin. It is common in North Carolina, just less universal at feeders than in the states further north.
What is on our North Carolina mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of North Carolina mug shows the Carolina Wren (#3, 89%) and the Eastern Bluebird (#10, 76%) — two birds, both in the North Carolina top ten.
To be straight about it: the state bird, the Northern Cardinal, is not on this mug, even though it is first on the list. The ones we would add next are the Northern Cardinal (#1) and the Tufted Titmouse (#2). They are on the list of designs we still owe this state.
If you want more of them
Black-oil sunflower seed covers the cardinal, titmouse, House Finch, chickadee and nuthatches at once. Suet brings the woodpeckers, the Carolina Wren, the Brown-headed Nuthatch and the wintering warblers. Mealworms bring the bluebirds. Millet on a low tray brings the doves, juncos and sparrows.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for North Carolina, 2023–24 season. These are volunteer reports from their own feeders, not a formal survey, and they describe the winter feeding season rather than the whole year. Percentages are the share of participating sites that reported the species.
See the mugs for the other states → · Identify a bird in three questions →