Birds
Hundreds of species of birds live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and are some of the region's most beautiful—but vulnerable—species. Some live here year-round, while others migrate here to feed or nest.
Types of Birds:
-
American Coot
Fulica americanaThe American coot is a dark, duck-like bird with a white bill. It visits the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers, creeks and wetlands from autumn through spring.
-
American Oystercatcher
Haematopus palliatusThe American oystercatcher is a large, stocky shorebird with a distinctive long, blade-like, reddish-orange bill. It lives on beaches, mud flats and exposed oyster bars along the lower Chesapeake Bay.
-
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalisThe brown pelican is a large, dark-colored water bird that lives along the shores of the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay during summer.
-
Common Loon
Gavia immerThe common loon is a duck-like sea bird with a thick, pointed bill and a distinctive black-and-white checkered pattern during breeding season. It visits the Chesapeake Bay in autumn and late winter to feed on open waters.
-
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritusThe double-crested cormorant is a large, black water bird with a long, hooked bill. It lives year-round on the Chesapeake Bay’s shallow and open waters.
-
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleucaThe greater yellowlegs is a slender shorebird with a long, upturned bill and distinctive yellow or orange legs.
-
Laughing Gull
Leucophaeus atricillaLaughing gulls are medium-sized gulls with white underparts and a gray back. They visit the Chesapeake Bay in the summer to breed.
-
Least Tern
Sternula antillarumIn the spring and summer, the least tern can be identified by its black crown and nape, which contrast with its white forehead.
-
Royal Tern
Thalasseus maximusThe royal tern is a large seabird with a thick orange bill that can be found along Chesapeake coastal beaches during its breeding season.
-
Saltmarsh sparrow
Ammospiza caudacutaThe saltmarsh sparrow is a small bird native to the tidal marshes of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
-
Sanderling
Calidris albaThe sanderling is a small, pale sandpiper with black legs and a straight black bill and visits the beaches and tidal flats of the Chesapeake Bay from autumn through spring.
-
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis maculariusThe spotted sandpiper is a medium-sized shorebird that can be found throughout the Chesapeake region during the summer.
-
Willet
Tringa semipalmataThe willet is a large, grayish-brown sandpiper with a distinctive black and white wing pattern. It lives in the Chesapeake Bay’s salt marshes and on tidal flats from spring through autumn.