36 Backyard Birds in North Dakota

What birds will you see in your backyards in North Dakota? This article will help you identify the most common backyard birds in North Dakota.

Which backyard birds of North Dakota can you spot on your birdfeeders and what kind of birds should you look for on the ground? What type of birdseed should you be using? All these questions will be answered.

This article will help you to identify common backyard birds in North Dakota for all seasons. We will explain what to look for by color, shape, and size. We will also include a picture so you can refer to this guide when you can’t identify a bird in your backyard.

Depending on the time of year it is, there are over 400 bird species in North Dakota. The most-seen backyard birds in North Dakota are Eastern Kingbirds, White-Crowned Sparrows, House Sparrows, Brown-Headed Cowbirds, Clay-Colored Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Pine Siskins, Red-Breasted Nuthatches, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Mourning Doves, and White-breasted Nuthatches.

The official state bird of North Dakota is the Western Meadowlark, It was adopted as the state bird in 1947. Known by the people of North Dakota as the wild meadowlark, you can spot this beautiful bird with a yellow chest and stomach easily among the grasslands of North Dakota. The Western Meadowlark can be seen in North Dakota year-round.

For other birdwatching in North Dakota see our article on woodpeckers.

Most Common Backyard Birds in North Dakota

1. western meadowlark

Scientific Name: Sturnella neglecta Size: 6.3-10.2 inches

Description and Field Marks

The Western Meadowlark is a robin-sized bird with a flat head, a long, slender bill, and a round-shouldered posture nearly concealing its neck. The wings are rounded and short for the bird’s size and the tail is short, stiff, and spiky. It has yellow underparts with intricately patterned brown, black, and buff upper parts. A black “V” crosses the bright yellow breast; it is gray in winter, and the head has contrasting stripes of dark brown and light buff. The outer tail feathers flash white in flight.

Nesting

The Western Meadowlark builds its nest in a small depression in the ground, nestled in a clump of grass or other plants. The nest is woven together from dry grass, forming a bowl shape and lined with hair.

The female builds the nest and then lays 1 egg in the morning on consecutive days, with an average clutch size of 5 eggs. Incubation then begins with the laying of the last egg and normally lasts for 13 to 14 days. The nesting period is between 20 to 21 days. For up to 2 weeks after fledging the young remain dependent on their parents for food.

Diet

The Western Meadowlark has a varied diet, consisting largely of insect and vegetable matter. They feed mostly on the ground, foraging for items such as beetles, cutworms, grasshoppers, crickets, grain, and weed seeds. They also eat a wide variety of seeds and grain in late summer and autumn.

Birders can increase the chances of attracting western meadowlarks to their backyard by providing ample perching areas, open areas, and grass seeds, as well as ground bird baths.

Habitat

Western Meadowlark prefers open grassland, meadow, prairie, and pasture habitat but can also be found in cultivated fields and other rural areas. Regions with shorter or medium-length grasses are more likely to host western meadowlarks than areas with taller grasses.

The range of the western meadowlark extends from southern Canada, through the central and western United States and as far south as Mexico. You will see them in North Dakota year-round.

Bird Notes

The western meadowlark is very similar to the eastern meadowlark, but the western meadowlark has a flute-like warbled song that contrasts with the simple, whistled call of the eastern meadowlark.

Call and song

2. red-winged blackbirds 

Scientific Name: Agelaius phoeniceus Size: 6.7-9.1 inches

Description And Field Marks

The male red-winged blackbird is a large blackbird with white underparts and red wings. It has an orange-red patch on its shoulder and long pointed wings. But not all Red-winged Blackbirds have red wings. Some may have yellow or orange epaulets on their wings.

The female red-winged blackbird is striped and brown-streaked in color.

Red-winged blackbirds are usually active during the day, but they may be seen at night near lights.

Nesting

A red-winged blackbird’s nest is usually in a marsh or near water, but they have also been found on flat roofs and even in chimneys.

Their nest is made of twigs, grasses, and hair. They are lined with finer grasses, rootlets, or horsehair. The female lays 4 to 6 eggs that are a pale blue-green color. They also have black, brown, and purple speckles all over them. They are incubated by both parents for about 12 days. The young leave the nest after 14 days.

Diet

They are known to eat insects and seeds, including corn, wheat, and other grains. They also eat berries from shrubs and trees like elderberry, mulberry, wild grape, or honeysuckle.

Habitat

The red-winged blackbird is a migratory bird that travels south in the fall and returns to North Dakota in early spring. They are very common in many of our backyards. They also like reeds along beaches and marshes, but can also be found around lakes. If you live in a coastal area, the first sighting of Red-winged Blackbirds means Spring is around the corner.

Bird Note

You’ve heard the expression “Birds of a feather flock together”? Always check flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds for Common Grackles, European Starlings, and Brown-headed Cowbirds. These birds are often found together in large flocks.

Song And Call

Red-winged blackbirds can often be heard singing from a perch high in a tree or on power lines.

They have a loud, clear whistle that sounds like “fee-bee” and they also make a variety of cackling and chattering noises.

3. American Robin

Scientific Name: Turdus migratorius Size: 7.9-11.0 inches

Description And Field Marks

The American Robins has a gray-brown back and wings, with white underparts. It also has a short tail and a pointed bill for catching insects in flight or on the ground. Males have a red patch on their breasts and a black head, throat, and upper chest. Females are duller looking than males with less contrast in colors.

They prefer an open country with scattered trees and shrubs. It is found in a variety of habitats, including farmland, grasslands, parks, yards, and gardens.

Nesting

The American Robin makes its nest in a tree or shrub, usually near water. The female Robin lays four to six eggs and both parents take turns sitting on them. The eggs are solid bright blue in color. The eggs hatch in about two weeks and the chicks leave the nest after another week or so.

Diet

They eat worms and insects such as beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and crickets. It also eats fruit and berries in the summer. They don’t do feeders but love to find bugs and worms in the grass all around your yard.

Habitat

The American Robin is found in eastern North America, from the Maritime Provinces of Canada to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is also found throughout the United States and southern parts of Canada, including most of Alaska.

The American Robin is a migratory bird that travels south for winter. It returns to the same area each spring.

Song And Call

They are very early-morning singers. Listen for their call

4. black-capped chickadees

Scientific Name: Poecile atricapillus Size: 4.7-5.9 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Black-capped Chickadee belongs to the Chickadee family. They are small birds with black caps, clear breasts, and rusty to rufous sides. They are mostly black and white in color with gray on their wings. The male is slightly different from the female and has less weight and a smaller size than the female with a larger bib.

Nesting

They nest in holes that are either natural or made by woodpeckers. They will make the hole bigger and then fill it with moss and grass and other soft materials forming them into a cap-like structure.

The female lays 6-8 eggs which are white or light cream in color with brownish or reddish speckles. The female warms the eggs while the male protects the nest and brings food to the female.

Diet

The Black-capped Chickadee likes eating small insects, nuts, seeds of small bushes, and berries. Chickadees are naturally curious, so they will get close while you refill those feeders and may eventually take seed from your hand. They love black-oil sunflower seeds, suet, and peanut butter.

Habitat

You can see the black-capped chickadee in many areas throughout the United States as they are found in the northern states including Alaska as well as southern Canadian.

Bird Note

They are the town criers of the bird world, announcing everything from a crow or hawk coming to dinner.

Song And Call

5. dark-eyed juncos

Scientific Name: Junco hyemalis Size: 5.5-6.3 inches

Description And Field Marks

The dark-eyed juncos are little birds that are slated gray in color. They are known as medium size sparrows with long tails, round faces, and white on their belly. They also have bright white markings on its tail.

Dark-eyed junco has a population of over 600 million making it one of the most common birds in the United States and Canada.

Nesting

The Dark-eyed Juncos lay three to six eggs. They are cream-colored with brown spots. The eggs are usually laid in a tree hole or on the ground.

Diet

The Dark-eyed Junco eats seeds, berries, and insects. They can be found in bushes and trees. Juncos LOVE feeders! They will eat whatever you put out black-oil sunflower seeds, suet, peanut butter, or generic wild bird food.  They are not picky.

Habitat

When Juncos appear, Winter is near. You can see them in Canada and the western mountains during the spring and summer months. These birds flew south to North America for the winter months.

Look for them on deciduous forest floors and on the grass in your backyard. They can be found in bushes and trees all over North Dakota during the winter months.

This is another bird that can travel in mixed flocks, so you never know who else will turn up at your feeder alongside the Juncos.

Song And Call

6. brown-headed cowbirds

Scientific Name: Molothrus ater                Size: 7.5 inches

Description And Field Marks

Chunky, dark-eyed blackbird with short tails and thick bills.  Adult males are glossy black with iridescent brown heads.  Females are brown with light streaks on the belly.

Nesting

Brown-headed Cowbirds nest in trees, but there is no nest-building involved. Female Brown-headed Cowbirds are parasites – they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. In many cases,    larger Cowbird nestlings will push the other species’ eggs or chicks out of the nest. Parasite hosts raise the Cowbird chick as their own.

Diet

Seeds, grasses, and insects make up most of the Brown-headed Cowbird’s diet. Females add snails and eggs from nests they parasitize; they need the extra calcium because they lay so many of their own eggs in other birds’ nests.

Brown-headed Cowbirds will come to feeders, usually with Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and European Starlings that sometimes overwhelm household feeders.

 Habitat

Brown-headed Cowbirds can be found pretty much everywhere but in heavy forests. They got their name by foraging among herds of grazing buffalo and cattle.

In Winter, Brown-headed Cowbirds can be found among the large flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, and European Starlings.

 Bird Notes

The much smaller Yellow Warbler’s nests are targets for Brown-headed Cowbirds, but the Yellow Warbler has figured out a way to deal with this. Since they are too small to push the Cowbird egg out of the nest, they build another nest on top of the egg, smothering it and allowing their eggs to hatch without intruders.

Song And Call

7. blue jays

Scientific Name: Cyanocitta cristata Size: 9.8-11.8 inches

Description And Field Marks

Blue jays are easily identified by their blue feathers, white cheeks, and large crest on top of their head. They are large birds with a wingspan of about 20 inches.

They are loud and noisy, but other birds trust them to notify them of danger. Jays are one of the species that will mob hawks and owls and pin them down in trees, alerting all the birds in the area that a predator is nearby.

Blue jays are brilliant birds and have a wide range of vocalizations. They are known to mimic other birds, animals, and even humans. Blue jays will also use their intelligence to solve problems.

Nesting

Blue Jays build their nest 10 to 25 feet above the ground, mostly in trees by any V branches. However, once I had a blue jay build their nest near the light next to my front door. That was crazy as we couldn’t use our front door during that time because they would dive down at us if we went near the door.

The nest is a cup-like structure made of grass, twigs, and mud. Although both the male and female gather material for the nest, the female does most of the building while the male does most of the gathering.

There are usually 2 to 7 eggs that are light brown in color with darker brown spots on them. The incubation period is 17-18 days and the young remain in the nest from 17 to 21 days.

The nesting season is from March to July. Although the Blue Jay can have 2 broods each season, they usually only have one.

Diet

Blue Jay’s diet consists of nuts, fruits, and insects. They will also eat bird seed from backyard feeders and they have been known to steal food from other birds

Jays love whole peanuts. Toss a handful on your lawn or patio and watch what happens. They fly away with their peanuts and leave the feeders alone for a while.

Habitat

Blue Jays are quite common birds in North Dakota. They can be found in suburban areas, parks, and forests. They can be found year-round in the northeast but they tend to migrate south for the winter months.

Bird Note

Jays have been known to mimic a Red-tailed Hawk call to keep small birds away from a food source, screeching to clear the birds off the bush with the tasty berries and then swooping down into the bush to feed after the competition’s been chased off.

Song And Call

8. house sparrows

Scientific Name: Passer domesticus Size: 5.9-6.7 inches

Description And Field Marks

The House Sparrow differs from another American Sparrow as they are not related. They have a rounder head and are chunkier, with a bigger chest, short tails, and thicker bills.

Like most other female birds, she is duller than the male, brown with dirty gray and brown underparts with striped backs in brown, black, and buff.

Male House Sparrows are chunky with a round head, stout bill, and full breasts. Colors include gray crowns, dark brown necks, white cheeks, black bibs, and gray crowns.

Nesting

House sparrows nest in cavities and use a variety of materials to build their nests. They are not known for being picky about where they nest, so if you have a birdhouse or an old nest box in your yard, it might attract house sparrows. House sparrows nest in cavities in trees or buildings.

The female lays 3-8 eggs. The incubation period is 10-14 days and the young stay in the nest for 10 to 14 days.

Diet

They eat seeds, grains, and insects. Sparrows will definitely be at your feeder eating birdseed, sunflower seeds, millet, and milo.

Habitat

The House Sparrow lives where people live. You will find them in cities and towns, in backyards and parks.

Song And Call

9. downy woodpecker

Scientific Name: Dryobates pubescens Size:  5.5-6.7 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Downy Woodpecker is bigger than a junco or House Finch but smaller than a Red-winged Blackbird. It has a black-and-white striped head and black wings with white spots and a solid white back and white underparts. The Downy Woodpecker has a black tail with white outer tail feathers with black bars or spots. The male has a small red spot on the back of his head.

Nesting

Look for their nest in dead trees or live trees with dead areas. They carve out an area large enough for the eggs and the bird. They line the nest only with wood chips. The nest can take weeks to make and is done by both the male and female.

A Downy woodpecker only has one brood each year with 3 to 8 eggs which are white in color. The incubation period is around 12 days with both the male and female taking turns. The young will stay in the nest for around 30 days.

Diet

Mostly Downy Woodpeckers eat insects. The male tends to eat from the ground while the female likes to find insects from branches and in trees. They will also eat seeds, weeds, and fruit.

The Downy Woodpecker will visit your backyard feeders for suet and nuts.

Habitat

The Downy Woodpecker is a common bird found throughout North Dakota in places where there are trees. You will see them in residential areas, cities, farmland, and wooded areas.

Call And Drumming

10. European starlings

Scientific Name: Sturnus vulgaris Size: 7.9-9.1 inches

Description And Field Marks

The European Starling is the size of a Robin and from a distance looks all black. However, they have a purplish-green iridescent color to them when you see them up close. Their yellow bill stands out and they have short tails.

You often see them in large flocks with blackbirds and grackles.

Nesting

Starlings will take other birds’ nests and use them as long as they are high off the ground, usually in trees, on streetlights, buildings, or nest boxes. The male will find these nests and will add twigs, pine needles, grasses, and feathers. Females will add greens to the nest before laying 3 to 6 eggs.

Both the male and female will incubate the eggs for a period of around 12 days. The egg color is bluish to greenish white. The young will stay in the nest for about 3 weeks.

Diet

European Starlings eat mostly insects but will also eat fruits. In addition, they will eat seeds, nectar, garbage, and livestock feed.

Habitat

The starling is one of the most common birds found in the United States. It is a member of the family Sturnidae, which includes other starlings, mynas, and oxpeckers.

They live where humans are, in towns and cities, and roost in trees and on buildings, also you will see them on wires. They like open fields and lawns and are not far from a water source.

Bird Notes

A fun fact about the European Starling is that all North American birds descended from 100 birds that in 1890 were intentionally released into Central Park in New York City. Today they have a population in the North America of over 2 million.

Song And Call

The European starling is a highly sociable bird. It lives in flocks of up to 100 birds, and its calls include whistling and chattering noises.

11. American goldfinch

Scientific Name: Spinus tristis  Size: 4.3-5.1 inches

Description And Field Marks

The American Goldfinch is a small, sparrow-sized bird with a short, notched tail.

In Spring and Summer, the male has a bright yellow body, black wings with wing bars, and a heavy, finch-like bill, while the female is less boldly colored. In winter both males and females become dull green-gray and look like female House Finches.

Goldfinches are very social birds and often travel in flocks. They fly in a rolling up-and-down pattern, and their song is high-pitched and mellifluous.

Nesting

Nesting later than most birds in this area (late June), the American Goldfinch hides its nests in thick brushes and shrubs making them very hard to see. The nests look like cup-like structures made of grasses, seeds, and soft materials on top of the twigs in the brushes.

The female lays 2 to 7 eggs which take 12 to 14 days to hatch. The young are fed by the male and stay in the nest for 11 to 17 days. Depending on how late the pair mates, they can mate again having two broods in a season.

Diet

They love Nyjer and sunflower seeds year-round, but will also eat a finch seed blend. Finch feeders have very small openings and can be either rigid feeders or disposable nylon socks.

Habitat

They are year-round residents and are found in most areas of North America. However, those that breed in Canada and the Midwest migrate to the southern US States for winter.

American Goldfinches are spotted in North Dakota yearly, but their numbers increase during the breeding season. Breeding usually starts in late April or early May.

Bird Note

In winter, check your finch feeder for Pine Siskins, which look like sparrows with yellowish accents.

Song And Call

12. common grackle

Scientific Name: Quiscalus quiscula Size: 11.0-15.4 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Common Grackle is part of the blackbird family and all blackbirds have iridescent feathers (usually dark blue or purple).

Grackles are often mistaken for crows, but they are much smaller in size and can be distinguished by their long tails and shiny black feathers. They have yellow eyes and their size is larger than a robin.

They are often found in large flocks during the summer months.

Nesting

They nest in colonies and build their nests in trees and bushes that are at least 3 feet off the ground. The female picks the spot of the nest and mostly builds them too but the male will help her.

They usually lay 1 to 7 eggs that can be pearl gray, light blue, or dark brown in color however they usually have brown spots. The incubation period is 11 to 15 days and the young will stay in the nest for 10 to 17 days. The common grown has 1 to 2 broods each year.

Grackles are also known as “possum hawks” because they sometimes prey on the eggs of ground-nesting birds like quail, grouse, and pheasants.

Diet

Grackles are omnivores and eat insects, fruits, seeds, and grains. They can often be seen at backyard bird feeders where they will also dine on sunflower seeds and cracked corn.

Grackles are very intelligent birds that sometimes use their beaks to turn over rocks in search of insects. You will also find them find at farm fields where they will eat the seeds from corn and rice.

Habitat

Grackles can be found throughout the United States in parks, yards, open fields, and woodlands. They are very adaptable birds that have learned to thrive in cities where they often find food and water.

Song And Call

Grackles can also be heard making a wide range of calls that include whistles and rattling sounds.

13. hairy woodpecker

Scientific Name: Leuconotopicus villosus Size: 7.1-10.2 inches

Description And Field Marks

Very similar to the Downy Woodpecker in color and looks except the Hairy Woodpecker is larger in size and has a longer bill.

Nesting

Hairy Woodpeckers make their nest in trees, especially diet trees. They lay 3-6 all-white eggs with an incubation period of 10 to 12 days. The young woodpeckers remain in the nest for about a month.

Diet

Their main source of food is insects just they find in trees and branches.

Habitat

Year-round residence to North Dakota’s backyards and also wood forests especially pine trees. If you don’t see them you will definitely hear them drumming on trees.

Call And Drumming

14. American crows

Scientific Name: Corvus brachyrhynchos Size: 15.8-20.9 inches

Description And Field Marks

The American Crow is not a crow at all. It is actually a raven, but it has been called the “American Crow” for many years. This all-black bird has shiny feathers. The bill is also black with a hook on the end. The male is slightly more glossy than the female.

The American crow is smaller than the fish crow.

Nesting

The American Crow doesn’t breed until it’s between 2 and 4 years old. The “family” stays together for years, so some of the “kids” will help raise the next year’s brood.

Their nests are in large trees mostly evergreens. Both the male and female will make the nest out of large twigs lined with pine needles. The nest is big around 15 inches across and 7 to 10 inches deep.

They usually lay 3 to 9 eggs which are bluish-green in color with gray and brown blotches at either end.

The incubation period is 16 to 18 days, and the young remain in the nest anywhere from 20 to 40 days.

Diet

The American Crow will eat just about anything including seeds, nuts, worms, and small animals such as mice. They will also steal and eat eggs from other birds like robins, sparrows, loons, jays, and eiders. They will even eat garbage from the dumps.

Habitat

The American Crow can be seen throughout the United States but differ in size by region. Eastern crows are the ones you will see in Minnesota throughout the year and are larger than what you will see on the west coast. In Florida, the American Crow is smaller but has large feet. And the Northwestern Crow once thought to be a different species are smaller with a deeper voice.

It is common to see them on lawns, open fields, woodlands, parking lots, and in towns as well as in cities.

Bird Notes

The American Crow is an aggressive bird that will chase many large birds like eagles and hawks. Many times you will see them in flocks of up to 1000 birds.

Song And Call

15. song sparrow

Scientific Name: Melospiza melodia   Size: 4.7-6.7 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Song Sparrow is a medium size bulky sparrow. Their mostly brown body has streaks of white/light gray throughout. It has a long rounded tail and broad wings.

It’s larger than a chipping sparrow but smaller than a dark-eyed junco.

Nesting

The Song Sparrow nest is made of grass and twigs. They are also lined with hair, feathers, and wool.  The nest is usually found in a bush or tree near water. They are not afraid of humans so can nest close to your home on lights or poles and in flower beds.

The Song Sparrows lays one to six eggs. The eggs are either, blue, blue-green, or gray-green with some brown spots on them. The incubation period is 12 to 15 days and the young spend another 9 to 12 days in the nest.

The Song Sparrow can have anywhere between 1 to 7 broods per year.

Diet

It eats insects, seeds, and berries. They will come to your feeders for any kind of seeds or suet.

Habitat

Song Sparrows are very common in North Dakota. They can be found all over the state.

Call And Song

16. white-breasted nuthatches 

Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis Size: 5.1-5.5 inches

Description And Field Marks

The White-breasted Nuthatch gets its name from the fact that it stuffs nuts and seeds under tree bark, then uses its sharp beaks to hatch the seed from the shell. The White-breasted Nuthatch has a black cap on top of their heads, with white on either side and on their bellies.

Plump little birds, larger and heavier-bodied than Red-breasted Nuthatch. Nuthatches always start at the top of the tree and work their way down to the ground.

Nesting

They make their nets in tree cavities or holes made by woodpeckers at least 15 feet above the ground. Females build their nests out of grasses, twigs, mosses, and bark fibers.

They only have one brood per year consisting of 5 to 9 eggs. The eggs are white with reddish-brown spots. The eggs are incubated by the females. The males feed them during that time.

Both the male and female feed their young which leave the nest at any point from 14 to 26 days.

Diet

The White-breasted Nuthatch will visit most seed feeders and like mixed seed blends, black sunflower seeds, peanut butter, peanuts, or suet. They usually like to grab and run, taking a seed and immediately flying off to eat it or cache it in a nearby tree.

Habitat

It is a small bird that is the largest nuthatch in North America. The White-breasted Nuthatch is found year-round throughout North Dakota and is a common backyard bird.

Song And Call

Their call sounds like a squeaky wheel.

17. red-breasted nuthatch

Scientific Name: Sitta canadensis Size: 4.3 inches

Description And Field Marks

The red-breasted nuthatch is a small bird, dark gray on top with a rusty color breasts. It has a short tail and a sharp bill. The female is similar to the male except she has lighter gray on top and a paler rust color underneath.

Often found during fall and winter working their way down tree trunks. Smaller and slimmer than the White-breasted Nuthatch.

The red-breasted nuthatch is the only bird that can climb down a tree head first by using its tail as a brace. It does this to keep from falling off tree branches.

Nesting

The red-breasted nuthatch nest is a hole in a tree. The female lays eggs between April and June, with an average clutch size of 4 to 6 eggs. The young stay in the nest for about 11 days and then leave the nest.

Diet

The red-breasted nuthatch diet consists of insects and seeds. They love suet and peanut butter and peanuts, so they are big on winter feeders.

Habitat

It lives throughout the eastern United States and Canada. The red-breasted nuthatch is found in woodlands, mature forested areas, and large parks.

Seeing them in numbers depends on their main food source supply in Canada and Maine. Look up “Finch Forecast” in late summer to see whether they’re expected to be abundant or scarce in your area.

Song And Call

18. eastern bluebirds

Scientific Name: Sialia sialis Size: 6.3-8.3 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Eastern Bluebird is a small size bird that belongs to a family of North American songbirds known as the Turdidae. The Eastern Bluebird is mostly found in farmlands, orchids, gardens, and open woods.

The male bluebird is mostly blue with a rusty color throat and chest. The female is much duller with a grayish head and back and bluish wings and tails. Its breast is light orange-brown and its dirty white belly.

Nesting

Nests are made by the Eastern Bluebird in the holes of trees, like pine and dead trees. The Eastern Bluebird lays three to five eggs at a time and incubates them for around 12 days. The chicks become mature in 12 to 15 days

Diet

It will definitely visit the feeders, the Eastern Bluebird eats small fruits, berries, seeds, and worms. Worms and insects are the major food items for the grown-up Eastern Bluebird.

Habitat

Eastern bluebirds are mostly found in the northern part of the United States. They are also found in Canada and Mexico. They can be seen from July to March in North Dakota.

Song And Call

The Eastern Bluebird produces a beautiful melody with its vocals.

19. house finch

Scientific Name: Haemorhous mexicanus  Size: 5.1-5.5 inches

Description And Field Marks

The male House Finch has a brown back, wings, tail, and head with white underparts and varying shades of red around the head while the female is grayish-brown all over.

Nesting

House Finches build their nest anyway as long as it’s 12 to 15 feet above the ground usually in buildings and trees. Nests are made of grass, weeds, twigs, and leaves. The female builds the nest while the male will feed her during this time and incubation.

The eggs are pale blue with lavender and black dots and consist of 2 to 6 eggs. The incubation period is 13 to 14 days. Both the male and female feed their young for the 12 to 15 days they remain in the nest.

House Finches usually have 3 broods each year.

Diet

House Finches like to eat small worms, insects, seeds of small plants, and berries of some plants as well. They will visit the bird feeders often and really love sunflower seeds. They will also visit your Hummingbird feeders for the sugar water.

Habitat

Seen throughout North America, the House Finch is a very social bird and is usually seen in flocks except during mating season. You will find them in cities, suburban towns, and farmland. They love lawns, weedy areas, and trees but not dense forests.

Bird Note

If the bird you’re looking for has a raspberry or light pink body check to see if it’s a purple finch.

Song And Call

The House Finch has a high-pitched sound that the male House Finch mostly uses to attract the female for breeding.

20. common yellowthroat

Scientific Name: Geothlypis trichas  Size: 4.3-5.1 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Common Yellowthroat is another small songbird that has a long tail and round belly. The males have a dark mask with a yellow throat while the females are browner on their heads with a yellow throat and they do not have any black on them.

Nesting

The female builds the nest usually on the ground under bushes. She lays 1 to 6 white eggs with gray, brown, or black spots on them. The incubation period is 12 days and the young stay in the nest for 12 days.

Diet

Common Yellowthroats eat insects from the ground and off leaves, bushes, and flowers.

Habitat

You will usually see them in dense forests but during migration, you will see them in your backyards. They are in North Dakota during the summer (warmer) months then head south for the winter.

Song And Call

21. rose-breasted grosbeak

Scientific Name:   Pheucticus ludovicianus  Size: 7.1-8.3 inches

Description And Field Marks

A Rose-Breasted Grosbeak is a medium-sized songbird with a very large conical bill. Its colors easily identify it: males have a black hood and back, a bright red chevron extending from the black throat down the middle of the breast, and the underparts and rump are white. Females and younger birds have brown upper parts, a thin whitish crown stripe, and a bold whitish eyebrow. Both sexes have white wing bars and a white patch on the wing cover.

Nesting

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak builds an open-cup nest made of twigs, grasses, stalks, stems, and dead leaves, lined with finer materials such as hair. The nest is typically built in deciduous trees, vines, or shrubs. It is loosely constructed so that the eggs can be seen through the bottom. Both the male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeak share incubation, brooding, and feeding duties at the nest.

The female lays one to five green eggs with brown marks. The eggs are incubated for 11 to 14 days, and the chicks molt when they’re 9 to 12 days old. The chicks remain with their parents for another three weeks.

Diet

Rose-breasted grosbeaks are omnivores, eating both insects and vegetation. During the breeding season, they mostly eat insects, seeds, and fruit. During migration and in winter, their diet shifts to mostly fruits, including wild berries, weed seeds, and domestic crops such as peas, corn, oats, and wheat.

They are sometimes attracted to bird feeders and will eat sunflowers seeds, black oil seeds, safflower seeds, and raw peanuts.

Habitat

Rose-breasted grosbeaks breed in northern North America, from British Columbia in the west to the Atlantic coast of Canada in the east and as far south as New Jersey, the Appalachian Mountains through South Carolina, west to eastern Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. During migration, they can also be found throughout the U.S. east of the Rockies

They prefer open woodlands, second-growth forests, forest edges, hedgerows, and yards with trees and shrubs to provide shelter and they do avoid dry woodlands and grasslands.

You will see the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak in North Dakota during the breeding season from April through August.

Although not under any threats, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak population is in decline due to threats such as trapping for sale as cage birds, deforestation, predation from outdoor cats, and mortality from collisions with windows and buildings

Call And Song

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak’s song is similar to that of the American Robin, but with sweeter, clearer, fluted tones. It also has a contact call that sounds like “chink”.

22. cedar waxwings 

Scientific Name:  Bombycilla cedrorum Size: 5.5-6.7 inches

Description And Field Marks

In the spring males sport bright red feathers on their wings that give them the name Cedar waxwing. They have a yellow ban on the tip of the tail. Cedar waxwings are small birds, averaging only 5.5 inches long.

Nesting

They have a special way of building their nest: they use the sticky saliva from their mouths to bind the twigs together.

The nests are made of twigs and lined with grass, hair, or rootlets.

They build their nests in trees and shrubs, usually at a height of about 20 feet, and lay three to five eggs.

The male and female both incubate the eggs for about 12 days, but once hatched, both parents feed the young.

Each brood of chicks will have two to three broods a year.

Diet

During the winter months, Cedar waxwings feed on fruits and berries, but in the spring they switch to insects.

They eat berries, nectar, and insects.

Habitat

Found year-round in North Dakota, the Cedar waxwing can be identified by its dark brown body, white belly, and yellow undertail coverts.

Cedar waxwings are common in the northern U.S. and can be found in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan.

Song And Call

23. barn swallows

Scientific Name: Hirundo rustica Size: 5.9-7.5 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Barn Shallow is the size of a sparrow but what stands out about them are their long, pointed wings and long, forked tail. The color on their face and back is cobalt blue and tawny on their underparts. Its throat and chin are rusty to orange. Males are more brightly colored than females.

The barn swallow is the most common swallow in the world. They are known for flying very low over the ground and water.

Nesting

Both the male and the female build their nests by making cup shapes of mud on rafters, eaves, and cross beams of barns and sheds, or even bridges. They sometimes use nests from previous years too.

Barn Shallows have 1 to 2 broods per season with 3 to 7 cream-pinkish eggs with brown, lavender, and gray spots. The incubation period is 12 to 17 days with the nesting period being between 15 to 27 days.

Diet

Barn Shallow diet consists of all types of flying insects including flies, needs, and moths. They caption most of their food while flying. They will also eat eggshells and oyster shells from the ground when humans put them out.

Habitat

Barn Swallow likes to be in open areas such as fields, parks, and roadways. You will also see them in marsh areas, along coastal waters, ponds, and meadows. They breed in the United States and Southern Canada and fly south would for the winter.

You will see them in North Dakota during the spring and summer months.

Bird Notes

To attach them to your backyard leave eggshells and oyster shells on the ground or build platform feeders. Also by building platforms for nesting. If you have outbuildings on your property such as barns and sheds you can leave the doors and windows open so the barn swallows can build their nests inside. Having some mud around also helps them build their nests.

Song And Call

24. mourning doves

Scientific Name: Zenaida mactoura  Size: 9.1-13.4 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Mourning Dove is a medium-sized bird from the dove family. It has a rusty brown color and a few black spots above the wings. They can reach up to 12 inches in body length while their wingspan can be up to 18 inches.

Nesting

The pair of Mourning Doves is monogamous and they usually mate for life. They use old nests of other birds or build their own nest on top of a post, tree branch, or even on the ground.

Mourning Doves lay two white eggs and incubate them for 13 days. The male also feeds her during this time. The young will leave the nest after 15-16 days.

Diet

Mourning Doves eat seeds and grains that are found in the backyard. They also eat insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles.

Mourning Doves are one of the vacuums of the bird world, so they don’t eat from feeders but from what falls on the ground when other birds use your feeder.

Habitat

The Mourning Dove is frequent in most parts of the United States.

Song And Call

25. black-billed magpie

Scientific Name: Pica [pica] hudsonia Size: 18-24 inches

Description and Field Marks

The black-billed magpie is a mid-sized bird the size of a crow with an extremely long tail. It is black and white with black areas on the wings and tail showing iridescent hints of blue or blue-green. It is one of only four North American songbirds whose tail makes up half or more of the total body length. The tail is made up of long, layered feathers, the middle pair of which protrudes farthest of all. Males and females look alike.

Nesting

Black-billed Magpies build their nests over 40-50 days, using sticks gathered by the male for the exterior and grass and other materials gathered by the female for the interior. The finished nest is a large, domed structure, usually around 30 inches high and 20 inches wide. The dome is constructed of sticks, with entrances on both sides. Inside the dome is a cup-shaped nest with a mud or manure base and a lining made from grass, rootlets, hair, and weeds.

Once the nest is finished, the female will lay up to nine eggs, with the typical clutch ranging from 6-7 eggs. The male will bring food while the female incubates the eggs, and both will feed the young once they have hatched. After 3-4 weeks the young will leave the nest, joining with other broods and being fed by their parents for an additional 3-4 weeks.

Diet

Black-billed Magpies eat a variety of food types. Their primary diet consists of insects and their larva, as well as the eggs and hatchlings of songbirds. They also eat fruit and grain crops, small mammals such as mice and meadow voles, carrion, seeds, grains, and nuts. Black-billed Magpies may also eat garbage and food that is left out for pets.

Habitat

It inhabits the western half of North America including western Canada and southern Alaska. You will see them year-round in North Dakota.

Song and call

The black-billed magpie alarm call is known as a chatter, which is a ka-ka-ka-ka sound, sometimes preceded by a skah-skah. They also have a mag-mag-mag call, which they use to communicate with other birds.

26. pine siskin

Scientific Name: Carduelis pinus  Size:  4.3-5.5 inches

Description And Field Marks

Pine siskins are small finches with a thin, sharply pointed bill, a notched tail, two dusky wing bars that fade to white over time, flight feathers with yellow bases, brown upperparts, pale underparts with heavy streaks over their body, short, forked tails, conical beaks that are longer and more slender than other finches, and yellow patches on their tails and wings, with white streaks appearing on the wings as well. The male also has more vivid plumage than the female.

Nesting

The pine siskin typically builds its nest in a conifer, usually low in the tree, and lays 3 or 4 pale green eggs, lightly speckled with dark brown and black. The nest is a shallow saucer of bark, twigs, and moss lined with plant down and feathers.

The female will incubate the eggs for about 13 days and the young will leave the nest after 14-15 days.

Diet

Pine siskins are mostly granivorous, feeding mainly on small seeds such as those of thistle, red alder, birch, spruce, hemlock, pine, cedar, dandelions, chickweed, ragweed, and sunflower. They may also feed on insects, spiders, and larvae.

Pine Siskins feed readily at backyard feeders, preferring smaller seeds without tough shells like thistle and black-oil sunflower, but they will scavenge fragments of larger seeds left by heavier-billed birds, and will occasionally eat suet.

Habitat

Pine Siskins typically breed in coniferous forests in most of Canada, the northern and western parts of the United States, and Alaska

In the non-breeding season, they can be found throughout the continental United States. During winter, Pine Siskins can be found in many types of semi-open areas, including forest edges and weedy fields.

Call And Song

The Pine Siskin has a range of song and calls notes, including a high-pitched, quick chitter, a distinctive, harsh “watch-winding” call, and a tuneful “sweeet” sound. When communicating with other siskins, the males make a sharper, high-pitched, elongated “zweeeee” sound. Females have a low-pitched, husky call that can be heard over long distances.

27. clay-colored sparrow

Scientific Name: Spizella pallida Size: 5.1-6 inches

Description and Field Marks

The Clay-colored Sparrow is a small sparrow with a notched tail and buff to gray underparts and a brown rump. Wings are streaked with 2 white wing bars and a gray band across the nape of the neck. During the breeding season, plumage differs and a white eye stripe, a dark cheek line that includes a distinctive mustache and a white throat patch with dark bars dividing the patch into three segments can be seen in males.

Nesting

The breeding behavior of the Clay-Colored Sparrow consists of males arriving on breeding grounds several days before females and singing from visible perches to establish and defend breeding territories. Males also offer food to their mates during the early phases of pair formation, with females initiating the courtship by quivering their wings and uttering a soft twittering call.

The Clay-colored Sparrow builds its nest close to the ground, usually less than 4 feet, in a dense bush or clump of weeds. The nest is a relatively large cup crafted from grasses, weed stems, and small twigs, and lined with finer grasses and often animal hair.

The female lays 3-6 eggs which both parents help to incubate for 10-14 days. During the incubation period, both parents take turns keeping the eggs warm. After hatching, the young stay in the nest for about 7-9 days before jumping to the ground and seeking cover in a thicket. The parents continue to feed the young here until they learn to fly, which happens after an additional 6-8 days.

Diet

The Clay-colored Sparrow primarily eats the seeds of weeds and grasses, as well as insects such as leafhoppers, ants, grasshoppers, and moths, and spiders. In the summer, the young birds especially favor insects. They stick close to the ground to feed on seeds and leaf buds of various grasses, forbs, and shrubs.

Habitat

In North Dakota, the Clay-colored Sparrow can be found in grasslands, dry brushlands and early succession woody habitats.

The Clay-colored Sparrow can be seen in North Dakota during the breeding season from late May to early July, and during migration until the end of November.

Call and Songs

The Clay-colored Sparrow performs a series of two to eight low, flat buzzes that can be easily mistaken for an insect.

28. house wrens

Scientific Name: Troglodytes aedon Size: 4.35.1 inches

Description And Field Marks

The House Wren is a small songbird weighing about the same as two quarters. Its coloring is all brown with a darker brown on the wings and tail. For a small bird, it has a long curved beak.

Nesting

The House Wren nests in nest boxes (which would need to be installed in your backyard way before the breeding season) and tree holes. It avoids nesting in heavily wooded areas and prefers areas where humans are. They line the nests with twigs.

The female lays 3 to 10 white-speckled eggs. The incubation period is 9 to 16 days and the nestling period is 15 to 17 days.

Diet

The House Wren eats many different types of insects from flies to spiders. They also like snail shells.

Habitat

House Wren has a very large range and can be seen over the entire Western Hemisphere. It can be seen in North Dakota during the summer as they breed in North America and fly south for the winter. You can see them in yards, by buildings, and by farms.

Bird Note

House Wren will come to your backyard especially if you have downed brush as they like to go under for cover and eat insects.

Song And Call

29. chipping sparrow

Scientific Name: Spizella passerina  Size: 4.7-5.9 inches+

Description And Field Marks

Chipping sparrows are small brown sparrows with plain breasts and long tails. There is a difference between breeding and non-breeding birds. The breeding birds have a reddish cap and a white brow with dark eye lines. The non-breeding has a brown cap, duller dirty gray breast, a dark eye line, and a grayish rump.

Usually found in trees around your property. You will hear them before you see them.

Nesting

The chipping sparrow nests in dense shrubs or small trees near the ground. It is often found nesting under bird feeders.

The female builds the nest out of grass and other plant material and then lines it with hair or fine grasses. The nest is usually built on a horizontal branch in dense shrubs or small trees.

The female lays 3 to 5 eggs at a time and the young hatch after 11 days of incubation. Both parents feed the chicks until they are ready to leave the nest, usually after about 12 days.

Diet

The chipping sparrow diet consists of seeds, insects, and spiders. Occasional visitors to your suet and black-oil sunflower seed feeder.

Habitat

The chipping sparrow is a common bird and can be found in North Dakota during the spring and summer for the breeding season. It has been spotted as far west as Texas and California.

You will find them in the woods, especially where there are pine trees. Other common places to see them are on backyards lawns, in cities, towns, and farms. During the fall and winter, you will often see them in flocks.

Song And Call

The song is more of a rattle.

The chipping sparrow has two calls: a sharp chip and a long, high-pitched trill.

30. yellow warbler

Scientific Name: Setophaga petechia  Size: 4.7-5.1 inches

Description And Field Marks

The yellow Warbler is a small bird with a round head, black eye, and yellow body. The main difference between the male and female is that the male has some brown stripes on his breast.

Nesting

Nests are built by the female usually 10 feet off the ground. Its eggs are greenish-gray in color and the female lays 1 to 7 eggs. The incubation period is 10 to 13 days with a 9 to 12 days nesting period.

Diet

Yellow Warblers eat small insects.

Habitat

The Yellow Warbler breeds in the northern United States and Canada. They migrate earlier than most other warblers in late summer or early fall. They fly nonstop from eastern North America to the Gulf of Mexico.

Song And Call

31. Eastern kingbirds

Scientific Name: Tyrannus tyrannus Size: 7.5-9.1 inches

Description And Field Marks

The Eastern Kingbird has a blackish top with white below. It has a square tail with a white tip. It has a big head, a short straight bill, and an upright posture.

Nesting

The female builds the nest in open trees while the male watches and keeps her safe from other males. It’s a strong sturdy nest as it is exposed to the open.

The female lays 2 to 5 pale eggs with a ring of reddish spots. The incubation period is 14 to 17 days and the young remain in the nest for an additional 16 to 17 days.

Diet

Eastern Kingbirds eat insects in summer. They can even catch them when flying. They will come to your backyard especially if you have lots of flying insects and open yards with nearby trees. During late summer and early fall, they will be attracted to your backyards especially those with berry brushes.

Habitat

The Eastern Kingbird breeds in North Dakota so you can see them in the summer and early fall. During this time you are most likely to see them alone. During migration and in the winter they travel in flocks. They spend their winters in the Amazon.

Song And Call

32. western kingbird

Scientific Name: Tyrannus verticalis Size: 8.5 inches

Description and Field Marks

The Western Kingbird is a migratory bird commonly found throughout western North America. It is a yellow-bellied species of the kingbird genus and is distinguished from other kingbirds by its distinctive white underside and forked tail.

The western kingbird is easily identifiable with its small black bill, dark eyes, black legs, and feet, and an orange-red central crown patch that is often hidden from view. It has an ashy gray head, neck, and breasts, dark lores and white malar, dark coverts, and an olive green back. The tail is black and square with white edges, and the belly and undertail feathers are bright yellow. Juveniles are paler overall.

Nesting

The Western Kingbird builds a cup-shaped nest made of grasses, roots, weed stems, and other vegetative material, lined with finer grasses, hair, feathers, and other softer material. It is usually built in the branches of a tree or shrub, but may also sometimes use man-made structures such as utility poles or building ledges.

The female lays between 3 and 7 eggs, with an average clutch size of 4 eggs. The Western Kingbird typically produces 1 to 2 broods per year on average.

The incubation period is roughly 18 to 19 days and the nesting period is about 16 to 17 days. Both parents fed the young after hatching and will continue to feed and protect the young for a few weeks after they have fledged from the nest.

Diet

Western Kingbirds are predominantly carnivores and insectivores, eating mostly flying insects such as bees, robber flies, winged ants, and grasshoppers. They also consume fruits, berries, and seeds from buckthorn, sumac, and poison ivy as well as grains, nuts, and other fruits.

Habitat

The Western Kingbird can be found in open areas with scattered trees, utility poles, or man-made structures, such as telephone poles and buildings.

They are found in western North America, from the Río Grande valley and northwest Mexico to southern Canada. They are also found east of the Mississippi River and have been known to cross over into parts of Wisconsin and Illinois. There are seen in North Dakota during the spring and summer breeding months as they migrate south for the winter.

Call and song

33. yellow-headed blackbird

Scientific Name: Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus               Size: 9.5 inches

Description And Field Marks

Large blackbird with a stout body, large head, and long, cone-shaped bill.

Males have black bodies with brilliant yellow heads and breasts. They have a white patch on their wings, more noticeable in flight, which appears as a sliver of white along their sides.

Females are dark brown, with yellow around the face and throat. Immature males are a cross between male and female – a yellow head with brown streaking, a yellow chest, and a dull brown body.

Nesting

Yellow-headed Blackbirds build their nests in shallow marshes and wetlands, always over water. They weave grasses and strands of wet vegetation around supporting stems of cattails, reeds, and bulrushes to form a cup big enough to hold 2 to 5 eggs.

The tiny Marsh Wren is a huge predator of Yellow-headed Blackbird eggs, along with other mark dwellers like gulls, Common Grackles, and American Bitterns.

Diet

Blackbirds are mostly insect eaters during the summer months and survive on seeds for the rest of the year. They have been known to flip over stones to locate food.

Habitat

When not in the breeding season, Yellow-headed Blackbirds are found moving between grasslands, prairies, and farmland gleaning seeds from crops like sunflowers, corn, and small grains.

In breeding season, they move to wetlands, shallow marshes, and reedy ponds. They will displace their smaller Red-winged Blackbird cousins and Marsh Wrens from the best nesting spots in the marsh.

Bird Notes

Fossils of Yellow-headed Blackbirds have been found in California, New Mexico, and Utah dating back 100,000 years.

Song And Call

34. northern flicker

Scientific Name: Colaptes auratus  Size: 11.0-12.2 inches

Description And Field

The Northern Flicker male and female are similar in color. They both have a rounded head, the bill is curved down and the tail tapers to a long point.

With its gray-brown plumage, Northern Flickers stand out from other woodpeckers in their area. They also have dark markings on their undersides and brightly colored tail feathers.

Although they are the same bird their colors differ from the eastern United States (bright yellow wing and tail feathers) and the western US (red wing and tail feathers).

The Northern Flicker is also known as “the woodpecker that doesn’t peck wood.” Instead, it cleans insects from the bark of trees.

Nesting

It nests in holes excavated by other animals, such as squirrels and woodpeckers. It lays 5 to 8 eggs which are all white. They only have one brood per nesting season.

The incubation period is around 2 weeks and the young stay in the nest for about a month.

Diet 

Northern Flickers mostly will eat insects that they get from the ground. They will “drum” at the ground as other woodpeckers drum in trees and wood. During the winter months, they will also eat fruits and seeds.

The Northern Flicker is a great backyard bird because it is generally easy to attract and stops in at your suet and peanut feeders, but most likely you’ll see them nesting in old trees.

Habitat

You will see Northern Flickers in city parks and backyards in the suburbs. They will also be in woodlands with open trees, burned forests, swamps, and marshes.

The most common time to see the Northern Flicker is during the spring and summer in North Dakota but you can see them all year long.

Call And Drumming

The Northern Flicker has a wide range of calls. It has a typical woodpecker-like “drum” and a more musical, gurgling call that is often mistaken for the song of the Red-winged Blackbird.

They make excellent watch birds due to their loud “wicka-wicka-wicka” call that can be heard from quite a distance.

35. White-crowned sparrow 

Scientific Name: Zonotrichia leucophrys    Size: 5.9-6.3 inches

Description And Field Marks

On the larger size for a sparrow, the White-Crowned Sparrow was a long tail and a small bill and its head appears peaked. Its colors are a pale gray bird but the crown has a bold black and white stripe. You can also identify them from their bills which are pale pink east of the Rockies and yellow to orange bill west of the Rockies and along the Pacific Coast.

Nesting

The white-crowned sparrow mostly nests below 10 feet from the ground in shrubs. The female builds the nest out of twigs, grasses, hair, and leaves. It takes between 5 to 9 days to do this.

The female lays 3 to 7 greenish to blue-greenish eggs. The incubation period is 10 to 14 days with a nesting period of 8 to 10 days. The birds will have between 1 and 3 broods each breeding season.

The pair stays together for the breeding season but will winter separately. About 2/3 will find each other again the following season to breed.

Diet

The birds’ diet mainly consists of weeds and grasses but they will eat insects and caterpillars during the summer. They will also eat grains such as corn, and bailey and fruits such as blackberries and elderberries.

Habitat

The white-crowned sparrow loves scrubs up to 10 feet tall and you will see them hopping from the ground to the shrubs. During winter you will mainly see them in weedy fields, thickets, farms, and in backyards.

You will see White-Crowned Sparrows during the winter, the non-breeding season, in North Dakota.

Call And Song

Most of the time when you hear the White-Crowned Sparrow singing it’s the male. They learn to sing within the first few months of their lives, usually where they were born, and will have different dialects. Some will be able to sing in more than one dialect.

36. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Scientific Name: Setophaga coronata  Size: 4.7-5.5 inches

Description And Field Marks

The males are dark gray, with white on their wings, and yellow on their faces, sides, and rump. The east coast male could have a white throat instead of the yellow one. The females are duller and could be brown instead of gray with less yellow.

Nesting

Females built their nests in pine trees with materials brought to them by the male. She lays 1 to 6 white-speckled eggs. The incubation period is 12 to 13 days with a nesting period of 10 to 14 days.

Diet

The yellow-rumped warblers eat insects during the summer.

Habitat

In North Dakota, you will see the yellow-rumped warbler in winter during the non-breeding season as the breed in the north. They like open areas, such as parks, woodland pine forests, dunes, and residential areas.

Song And Call

What Are The Best Ways To Attract Backyard Birds?

1. Put Out Bird Feeders

There are many different types of bird feeders available on the market, each designed to attract different types of birds. The most popular bird feeders include tube feeders, hopper feeders, platform feeders, and window feeders.

Tube feeders are long and cylindrical in shape, with small holes near the top where birds can insert their beaks to reach the bird seed inside. Hopper feeders are similar in shape to tube feeders but have a large opening at the top where birds can perch and eat. Platform feeders are flat surfaces with raised edges, upon which birds can land and eat the bird seed placed there. Window feeders are designed to be attached to windows so that birds can eat right up close to your home.

The type of bird food you put inside your birdfeeder will also depend on the type of birds you want to attract. Bird food includes sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet. Some tips on how to put out your birdfeeder include using a squirrel-proof design and making sure that the feeder is level so that the seed does not spill out.

2. Add A Water Source

Adding a water source to your backyard is a great way to attract birds. Water is essential for birds, and they will be drawn to any backyard that has a water source. Birdhouses are also a great way to attract birds. Solar fountains are also a good option for attracting birds. These emit a gentle flow of water that will attract birds to your yard.

3. Offer Birdhouses

Building a birdhouse is a great way to attract birds to your yard. There are a few things to consider when building a birdhouse, such as the size and shape of the house, and what type of bird you want to attract.

The most important thing to remember when building a birdhouse is to make sure the entrance hole is the right size for the type of bird you want to attract. If the hole is too small, the bird will not be able to get inside, and if it is too large, predators will be able to get in.

Once you have decided on the size and shape of your birdhouse, you can start construction. It is important that the house is made out of sturdy materials that will withstand weathering and decay. Some good choices for materials include cedar or redwood for the exterior and plywood or pine for the interior.

After your birdhouse is built, you need to decide where to place it. The best location for a birdhouse is in an open area away from trees or other structures that could block access or provide perches for predators. Once you have found the perfect spot for your new house, simply mount it on a pole or post using screws or nails. Make sure that the house is secure so that it does not fall and hurt any birds.

4. Add Native Plants

Native plants are more effective in attracting backyard birds because they provide the birds with the type of food that these birds prefer. By adding native plants to your backyard, you can help promote a healthy ecosystem that supports both bird species and insects. Grow native plants that offer food, shelter, and fruit for the birds. Non-native plants can outcompete native plants and disrupt the ecosystem, so it’s important to select plants that will be beneficial to your backyard birds.

Conclusion

We just covered some of the many backyard birds in North Dakota. If you want more information on any of these birds or numerous other birds that you can see in North Dakota, check out the Great Plains Audubon Society.

Happy birdwatching!