From the once-endangered bald eagle to the clownish-looking puffin, there’s a wide selection of birds in Maine to watch for. View a small sampling of the birds you might find in the Pine Tree State in this slide show of images submitted by our readers. Oct 17, 2020 The Maine Bird Records Committee considers the following 463 species to be recorded with convincing evidence within the state of Maine. This list includes decisions made by the Committee through October 2020.

1. Birds Of Maine
2. Ducks Of Maine

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1. Birds for sale in Maine. Birds available for sale in Maine from top breeders and individuals. Find Birds on www.petzlover.com.
2. Woodpeckers are hardy birds, and the black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) is one of the hardiest to endure Maine’s brutal winters. These woodpeckers prefer the state’s northern coniferous forests, particularly forest edges and open, burned out areas.
3. Jan 07, 2021 Unique Maine habitat like blueberry barrens attract birds like the Whimbrel. This is a large shore bird with an enormous downcurved beak. (Photo by Noel Reynolds).

Birds Of Maine

Maine is the most northern state in the U.S and is an iconic New England destination. While the state is famous for it’s seafood – primarily lobster rolls – and lighthouses, Maine is also home to a vast selection of wildlife and flora. It houses Arcadia National Park, the only national park in New England, and offers large sections of forests, mountains, and coastal areas. There are plenty of great birding spots throughout the state, as well as a diverse range of birds to observe. In this article, we’re going to focus on birds of prey and cover the 7 species of hawks in Maine.

7 Species of Hawks in Maine

Out of the 7 species of Hawks in Maine, only one is found year-round, the Northern Goshawk. All of the other species including Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Rough-legged Hawks, and Broad-winged Hawks, are only regularly found in the state during specific times of the year. Keep on reading to find out the best seasons for finding hawks in Maine.

1. Northern Goshawk

Length: 20.9-25.2 in
Weight: 22.3-48.1 oz
Wingspan: 40.5-46.1 in

Northern Goshawks are found year-round in Maine — but good luck finding them. They’re very secretive hawks that prefer to live inside large, dense forests, so locating them is often a challenge. They’re also very protective of their territory, and are known for attacking people who get too close to their nests. You’re best bet for getting a glimpse of the Northern Goshawk is to head to the woods and be as quiet, observant, and patient as possible.

Northern Goshawks are accipiter hawks, they’re smaller than buteos, with longer, narrower tails. Northern Goshawks are among the largest and bulkiest of the accipiters, large females can be about as big as Red-tailed Hawks. These hawks are mostly gray, with a defining white streak where their eyebrows would be. Accipiters like the Northern Goshawk also have differing flight behavior than buteos, they use short, quick flaps followed by a smooth glide.

2. Sharp-shinned Hawk

Length: 9.4-13.4 in
Weight: 3.1-7.7 oz
Wingspan: 16.9-22.1 in

These hand-carved and 100% custom-made hawks are made by an amazingly talented craftsman on Etsy. Carved from basswood and finely detailed with acrylic paints, each one is extremely lifelike from head to tail feathers. With no 2 birds being the same, one of these works of art would make a wonderful gift to any bird lover.

For the most part, Sharp-shinned Hawks are only found during breeding season in Maine, though there are coastal portions of the state where they’re sometimes spotted year-round. Like Northern Goshawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks are accipiters except much smaller — in between the size of a robin and a crow. Their wings are short and rounded, and they have long, narrow tails that sometimes show a notch at the tip. They also feature predominantly blue-gray plumage, with narrow, pale orange barring on their undersides. Their eyes are are a deep, striking orange.

During the breeding season, these hawks stick to the interiors of forests and woodlands. They can be challenging to spot due to their small size and elusive nature, but during migrations they’re often seen in numbers as they pass along mountain ridges and coastlines. Otherwise, they take advantage of dense foliage to quickly ambush their main prey, small birds.

3. Cooper’s Hawk

Length: 14.6- 17.7 in
Weight: 7.8-24.0 oz
Wingspan: 24.4-35.4 in

Telling apart a Cooper’s Hawk from a Sharp-shinned Hawk is no easy feat. Like Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks are accipiters, with medium-sized frames, broad, rounded wings, and long, narrow tails. They even share nearly the same coloration and patterning as Sharp-shinned Hawks — blue-gray plumage with red-orange barring on the underparts. However, Cooper’s Hawks are larger than Sharp-shinned Hawks, about the size of a crow.

Cooper’s Hawks are found during the breeding season in Maine, in dense woodlands and forests. They’re stealthy birds that aren’t easily spotted, but during migration they’re more noticeable They’re also known for stalking backyard feeders, waiting for groups of songbirds to gather before ambushing them. If this starts happening in your yard, just remove the feeder for a few days, the hawk will have no choice but to move on.

4. Red-Tailed Hawk

Length: 17.7-25.6 in
Weight: 24.3-51.5 oz
Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in

Though Red-tailed Hawks are probably the most common hawks in America, they’re only found during the breeding season in Maine. These large hawks are buteos with bulky bodies, broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Some females appear so large that they are easily mistaken for eagles at a distance.

Red-tailed Hawks have deep brown plumage on their upper parts and creamy undersides with streaking. A dark bar between their shoulder and wrist on the underside of their wings is visible in flight. Red-tailed Hawks favor open country. They’re frequently spotted circling above fields and on the edges of woodlands, or perched upon tall poles and branches.

5. Red-Shouldered Hawk

Length: 16.9-24.0 in
Weight: 17.1-27.3 oz
Wingspan: 37.0-43.7 in

Breeding populations of Red-shouldered Hawks are found in Maine during the spring and summer. Most populations of these hawks are stable, though their numbers have generally reduced over the years. Red-shouldered hawks occupy woodlands and forests, often those close to bodies of water like rivers and swamps. They’re often hard to spot, but learning their loud “kee-ah” call helps locate them. Sometimes blue jays will mimic this call, so make sure you’re chasing after the right bird.

Ducks Of Maine

Red-shouldered Hawks are another type of buteo hawk. They’re medium sized birds that are smaller with Red-tailed Hawks — with broad, round wings, and medium length tails. Their plumage is quite colorful, with reddish barring on their chests and underparts and dark-brown and white patterned wings. Hunter x hunter episode 1. During flight, small, translucent crescents are visible near their wingtips.

6. Rough-Legged Hawk

Length: 18.5-20.5 in
Weight: 25.2-49.4 oz
Wingspan: 52.0-54.3 in

During the summer breeding season, Rough-legged Hawks occupy territories in the Arctic tundra — but during the fall they migrate south and are found in Maine and other portions of the northern United States during the winter. Look for them in open areas such as fields, prairies, and clearings. When they hunt these hawks are often seen hovering in the wind, scanning the ground below for small animals and rodents.

Rough-legged Hawks are large buteos with wings and tails that are long compared to other buteo hawks. They feature bold patterning on their mostly dark brown plumage. A broad, dark band across their white bellies is often visible. Rough-legged hawks get their name from the feathers that run down their legs all the way to their talons. The Ferruginous Hawk and Golden Eagle are the only other raptors that share this trait.

7. Broad-Winged Hawk

Length: 13.4-17.3 in
Weight: 9.3-19.8 oz
Wingspan: 31.9-39.4 in

Broad-winged Hawks are commonly found in Maine during breeding season in the spring and summer. They’re most often reside in woodlands and forests, where they either perch in the understory of trees, or circle above looking for prey. However, during breeding season they don’t tend to be very noticeable.

The best time to observe these hawks is during their fall migration, where giant flocks of thousands of birds come together to travel south. These swirling clouds of hawks are referred to as “kettles,” since they appear as if they’re being stirred by a large spoon. Broad-winged Hawks are small buteos with stocky bodies, large heads, and short tails. Adults have reddish-brown heads and pale bellies with brown barring. Black and white banding is also featured on their tails.

Want to increase your chances of spotting one of these raptors?

Consider some binoculars or a spotting scope!

The 5 Best Binoculars For Bird Watching
The 5 Best Spotting Scopes

The second year of the five-year Maine Breeding Bird Atlas Project is now history. Over 1,200 birders in the state have submitted over 30,000 checklists with 1.2 million records of evidence of breeding in Maine. Wow!

The first breeding bird atlas for the state (1979-1983) documented nesting for 201 species. The current project involves many more observers and we have evidence for nesting in 224 species after only two years.

Over 50% of the roughly 4,000 blocks in the state have some data but only 11% of the 974 priority blocks have been completed. The goal of the project is to complete surveys of the 954 priority blocks as a bare minimum. There is plenty of work to do in the next three summers.

A companion project to the Breeding Bird Atlas Project has just been kicked off: the Maine Winter Bird Atlas. We need your help.

The goal of the Winter Bird Atlas is to document the presence of birds found in Maine between December 14 and March 15. By mid-December, the last of the fall migrants have passed through. Very few birds will begin nesting before March 15. Therefore, the period chosen for observation will capture only wintering birds.

You might be asking why do we need this winter atlas effort when the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has been providing abundance data on our winter birds since 1900. Three explanations spring to mind immediately. First, the CBC is conducted only from mid-December into the first few days of January. It is therefore an early winter count. Some wintering birds don’t arrive in Maine until later in the winter. This pattern is particularly true of irruptive finches like Common Redpoll, Pine Grosbeak and White-winged Crossbill as well as Snowy Owls, Bohemian Waxwings, Northern Shrikes and Red-breasted Nuthatches.

Second, the roughly forty CBC areas in Maine sample only a small fraction of the area of our state. The Winter Bird Atlas project therefore promises to yield insight into winter bird abundance throughout the state over the duration of the winter.

Third, the more information we have on current abundance of birds, the better. We can establish a more accurate baseline for judging future changes in abundance.

The Winter Bird Atlas differs from the Breeding Bird Atlas in that counts of all birds seen is all that is required. The Breeding Bird Atlas requires longer observations to see behaviors indicative of breeding.

To get started with the Winter Bird Atlas, visit this webpage: https://bit.ly/2szWxA3

Check the map on the website to find a block (each is about nine square miles in area) near you or in a part of the state you would like to visit. Color-codes indicate blocks that have not been completed. To complete an unfinished block, all you need to do is to spend three hours birding in the area in early winter (December 14 – January 31) and three hours in late winter (February 1 – March 15). You do not have to survey all of the block but should try to sample the different habitats in the block.

Your data should be entered into the Maine eBird portal: https://ebird.org/me/home

In addition to the counts of each species, notes on behavior (e.g., food eaten, interactions with other species) are encouraged to advance our knowledge of Maine wintering birds.

You may not wish to concentrate on a particular block. Your incidental observations are welcome on the Maine eBird portal.

Some observers may not be eBird users. No problem. You can submit your data in written form and Maine Bird Atlas volunteers will enter the data for you. See the Winter Atlas website for details on the procedure.

You do not need to be an expert birder to participate. Contributions are welcome from anyone with an interest in our winter birds.