Birds

There are a variety of opportunities at Fort McHenry to catch a glimpse of winged creatures. Migratory and permanent birds can be seen during all the months of the year. Below you will find information and migratory patterns on some of the birds, and what seasons to look for these birds at the park.

 

Learn More About Birds in Maryland

 

Double Crested Cormorant

Ben Knoot/Audubon Photography Awards

Double Crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

This bird calls Fort McHenry home in the summer months, and they will usually be seen in the waters surrounding the seawall trail. Usually, they float on the water until there is a fish that swims under them. At the oppritune time, they will suddendly dive down to catch that fish. Groups of hunting Cormorants is not uncommon, however at Fort McHenry they are seen in solo troves.

Bald Eagle

NPS/ Tim Ervin

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Considered to be a staple in the United States, the bald eagle has the distinctive white head and bright yellow beak. With a wingspan of up to 40 inches long, this birds is one of the most imposing birds to live on the east coast. Their diet however, is mainly fish and can be seen diving down in to the water at high speeds.

Barn Swallow

NPS

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

A small blue-black metallic looking bird with a pale beige chest and stomach. They have light brown cheeks with a dark circle around their eyes with a forked tail feather. Migrates to areas around the Chesapeake Bay region in early April, and returns to southern winter grounds in late summer, early fall. The Barn swallow has a very strict diet of insects including moths, flies, crickets, and grasshoppers.

Blue Heron

Evan Lipton

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

A long neck and jointed legged bird with a thick light blueish-gray colored body accompanied with a black stripe and a dagger like beak. Lives in marshes and wetlands, can also been seen around rivers and streams in many different areas. This is one of the most commonly seen large birds at Fort McHenry! The Great Blue Heron can be seen in the Chesapeake region year round, feeding mainly on fish and insects.

Blue Jay

Bellemare Celine

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

A small blue and white bird with a tan chest and unique patterns on the wings and back flight feathers they’re usually very eye catching. They also have a black ring around their face and maybe even a little blue mohawk on their heads. These vibrant colored birds can be seen year round at Fort McHenry, feeding on vegetation and many different insects.

Canada Geese

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Canada Goose

Branta canadensis

This long-necked bird from the goose family is quickly growing in population density around the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Not only in the bay region, but they are also prevalent across the United States. These birds eat strictly plant matter, both on land and in the water in more plentiful areas. You can easily distinguish the Canada Goose from their distinct “honking.”

Common Grackle

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Common Grackle

Quiscalus quiscula

Most adults of this species have a long black beak with yellow eyes including a blueish metallic head and chest. With an all-black body and a long tail, they aren’t too hard to miss. It is typical to see this brides around the fort all year long, feeling on mainly vegetation and small insects.

European Starling

Dan Vickers

European Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

An oily-glossy black and purple migratory bird with almost a metallic sheen to it. Gender and maturity do play a role in the coloring of the feathers. These birds are seen all over the country, and tend to move slightly farther north to breed. However, the Starling has been seen feeding on fruits and grasses, along with insects at the fort.

Green Heron

Keith Watson

Green Heron

Butorides virescens

A dark colored, stocky bird with short yellow legs and a long bill. Their necks are usually pulled closer to their bodies making them smaller than they really are. They usually have a glossy greenish-black head and back with grey-black wings with green or blue tips. They have a tan line going down the front of their brown chest. The Green Heron will breed in the region around the fort, but do not permanently stay here making it harder to see one of these birds. However, similar to the Blue Heron; they have a diet of fish and insects that is plentiful around the Chesapeake Bay.

House Sparrow

Evan Lipton

House Sparrows

Passer domesticus

This non-native bird can be seen around the fort year round. A mainly brown body is their most distinct characteristic. Their chest is a tan with black spreading from their chin to their chest while their cheeks are white. The house Sparrow is an aggressive bird, that will fight for habitat space often. In these spaces they will eat mostly seeds and some insects.

Mallard Ducks

David Hypes

Mallard Ducks

Anas platyrhynchos

These ducks are some of the most common in the state of Maryland. They can be seen year round in some more wetland areas, and will occasional migrate south. Gender plays a role in coloring for these ducks in that mating males have a dark brown chest, a black and white tail, and a bright green head. While the females are more spotted with tan and brown patches. Usually spotted as couples that last a long time. A majority of the Mallard's diet is plant material, but will indulge in the occasional aquatic invertebrate.

Mourning Dove

Jgoodmann

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

A mid-sized slender bird with elegant dove features and a pointed long tail. They come in a light shade of brown with darker brown spots at the tips of their wings. The namesake for this bird is due do the sorrow filled coo that it has. The diet of the Mourning Dove is 99% seeds and grasses, with the very occasional insect. You will see this bird year round in any part of the country.

Northern Cardinal

NPS

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

A mid-sized all red songbird except for the black circle around its red beak. Their wings gradient between red at the top and black at the tips. They also sport a little red mohawk on top of their heads. The Cardinal can be seen in the area all year round, and will be feeding on mostly seeds and insects.

Baltimore Orioles

NPS/ Nathan King

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Now more rare in the area, the Baltimore Orioles has a small black head with an orange chest and black and wings with white tips. They sport a black beak and eyes and use those physical traits to pick out insects and berries to accommodate their diet.

Osprey

David Brown

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Large fish-eating raptor type bird with a sharp beak and talons, brown wings and a grayish head and body. Osprey are one of the most common raptors in the Fort McHenry area. Historically, there have been Osprey nests in the wetlands next to the Fort. The Osprey, as pictured has a diet of mainly fish.

Red-winged Blackbird

Phil Kahler

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

For the males they look all black with a distinctive red and yellow spot at the tops of their wings. While the females are small with light brown faces and a darker brown and tan body. The Red-winged Blackbird lives in marshy areas, indicative of optimal habitat around Fort McHenry. This bird mainly feeds on seeds and insects, and is in this area year round.

Ring-billed Gull

Bill Keim

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

A medium sized bird with a white head and body, and grayish wings with black tips. They also have a distinctive black ring around the tips of their yellow beaks. This type of Gull will occasionally stay in the area for the year, but will also migrate south for the Winter as well. Major items of this bird's diet include insects, fish, earthworms, and scavenged items from human development.

Tree Swallow

Jgoodmann

Tree Swallow

Tachycineta bicolor

A tiny, long bodied songbird that typically runs in flocks. Appearing in a variety of different colors based on maturity from blue and white or brown and white. They even tend to have a little black ring around their eyes. The Tree Swallow come to this area to breed, and then will migrate back south once the birds have reproduced.