Birds in North Carolina in August: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in North Carolina in August in our iNaturalist sample; 12 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in August

Ruby-throated Hummingbird1,098 obs.

Laughing Gull847 obs.

Great Blue Heron818 obs.

Sanderling617 obs.

American Goldfinch592 obs.

Northern Cardinal565 obs.

Willet564 obs.

Great Egret550 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk522 obs.

Northern Mockingbird427 obs.

Mourning Dove407 obs.

Eastern Bluebird398 obs.

All birds seen in North Carolina in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	1,098	Aug (peak)
2	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	847	Aug (peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	818	Apr (past peak)
4	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	617	Aug (peak)
5	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	592	Jul (past peak)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	565	Apr (past peak)
7	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	564	Aug (peak)
8	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	550	Aug (peak)
9	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	522	Jan (past peak)
10	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	427	Apr (past peak)
11	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	407	Apr (past peak)
12	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	398	Apr (past peak)
13	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	385	Aug (peak)
14	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	375	Apr (past peak)
15	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	371	Jul (past peak)
16	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	366	Apr (past peak)
17	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	359	Apr (past peak)
18	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	342	Apr (past peak)
19	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	334	Aug (peak)
20	Boat-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus major	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	327	Jun (past peak)
21	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Sandpipers and Allies	311	Aug (peak)
22	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	303	Apr (past peak)
23	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	286	Apr (past peak)
24	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	268	Apr (past peak)
25	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	256	Apr (past peak)
26	Royal Tern	Thalasseus maximus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	245	Aug (peak)
27	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	230	Jan (past peak)
28	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	220	Apr (past peak)
29	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	218	Apr (past peak)
30	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	195	Mar (past peak)
31	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	194	Apr (past peak)
32	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	181	Jan (past peak)
33	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	177	Jul (past peak)
34	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	176	Apr (past peak)
35	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	173	Apr (past peak)
36	Tricolored Heron	Egretta tricolor	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	172	Aug (peak)
37	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	168	Jan (past peak)
38	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	165	Apr (past peak)
39	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	161	Jan (past peak)
40	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	150	Jan (past peak)
41	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	144	Apr (past peak)
42	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	139	Jul (past peak)
43	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	139	Apr (past peak)
44	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	138	Aug (peak)
45	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	130	Apr (past peak)
46	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	128	Sep (rising)
47	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	127	Aug (peak)
48	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	125	Apr (past peak)
49	Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	Cardinals and Allies	124	May (past peak)
50	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	119	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in North Carolina in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in North Carolina in August