16 Popular Missouri Birds In The World

Missouri is a beautiful state situated in the Midwestern region of the United States. As of now, 437 species of birds have been identified in the region because of the topography of the region attracting bluebirds to the yard can be as easy as placing a nest box in the yard. According to the Audubon Society of Missouri, Missouri’s topography is defined mainly by rolling farmland with remnant prairie to the north and west, the forested Ozarks, and the flat alluvial plain in the south and southeast. These habitats make the state a haven both for woodland species like Cerulean Warbler and for open-country birds like Dickcissel. Here is the list of 10 common Missouri birds,

Missouri Birds

1. Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal is also known as the redbird because of the red beak, common cardinal, red cardinal, and just cardinal. The bird species of Iowa can be seen across regions of the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, and south through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.

This is a beautiful songbird that grows upto a length of 21–23 cm and is known for its unique crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and grey in the female. Male species come in vibrant red color and females are known to have reddish olive color. The bird species loves to feed on weed seeds, grains, and fruits. It is also listed as one of the birds with red on its head in the world.

2. Blue Jay

Blue Jay is one of the most popular birds scientifically known as Cyanocitta cristata that can grow upto 25-30 cm long and wieght around 70-100 gms. The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 7 years in the wild. It loves to feed on seeds and nuts, such as acorns, and soft fruits such as peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. The unique part is that it can frequently mimic the calls of hawks, especially the Red-shouldered Hawk. The avarage lifespan of the bird species is approximately 7 years in the wild. It is also listed as one of the types of birds that are blue in colour.

3. American Robin

American Robin is one of the most popular night birds chirping in the night in North America and in Europe known for its bright orange belly and beautiful song. The American Robin is the state bird for Connecticut, Michigan, and Wisconsin. It is also the national bird of Great Britain popular for its running and stopping behavior which is one of the main characteristics of the bird species.

The birds in Pennsylvania go to the south in groups during the winter in search of food. These birds can even travel up to 3,000 miles, from Iowa to Alaska, during their spring migration. The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 2 years in the wild.

4. Mourning Dove

The Mourning Dove is one of the popular Missouri birds scientifically known as Zenaida macroura and belongs to the family Columbidae. It is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, and the turtle dove. Previously, It was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Carolina turtledove.

Both male and female species take care of their new babies by feeding milk known as “crop milk” or “pigeon milk” for the first few days of their life. Talking about the apperance, it is light grey in color and looks muted in color. Both males and females have a similar appearance. The natural predators of the bird species are diurnal birds of prey, such as falcons and hawks.

5. Red-bellied Woodpecker

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a type of woodpecker scientifically known as Melanerpes carolinus is a medium-sized bird species that belongs to the family Picidae. One of the popular Missouri birds mostly breeds in the eastern United States and has an avarage lifespan of between 4-12 years in the wild. Taking about the appearance, the whole body is light grey on the face and underparts are black and white barred patterns on their back, wings, and tail.

The popular bird species is 22.85 to 26.7 cm long with a total wingspan of 38 to 46 cm. The avarage wieght of the bird species is 2.0-3.2 oz. The natural predators of the adult red-bellied woodpeckers are sharp-shinned hawks and Cooper’s hawks, black rat snakes and house cats.

6. Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse scientifically known as Baeolophus bicolor is a small songbird that belongs to the chickadee family (Paridae). The only known subspecies is the black-crested titmouse mostly seen in central and southern Texas, however, now it is considered a separate species. The total length of the bird species is 14 to 16 cm with a total wingspan of 20 to 26 cm.

The avarage wieght of the bird species is 17 to 26 gms. Talking about the appearance, it has a white front along with a grey upper body and rust-colored flanks. The other unique characteristics are black foreheads, and the tufted grey crest on their heads. It loves to feed on berries, nuts, insects, small fruit, snails, and seeds.

Image Source: Wikimedia

7. American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch is a yellow and black bird scientifically known as Spinus tristis is a small North American bird that belongs to the finch family. The bird species can grow upto 11 to 14 cm with a total wingspan of 19 to 22 cm and the avarage wieght of the bird is 11 to 20 gms. One of the types of yellow birds, American Goldfinch loves to thrive in the areas of meadows, flood plains, as well as roadsides, orchards, and gardens. It is one of the most common Missouri birds that can be seen in your backyard. American Goldfinch is also listed as the state bird of Iowa and New Jersey.

8. Downy Woodpecker

The Downy Woodpecker is a popular woodpecker in Ohio scientifically known as Dryobates pubescens is the smallest woodpecker species in North America. The total length of the bird species is 14 to 18 cm in length with a total wingspan of 25 to 31 cm and the avarage wieght of the species is 20 to 33 gms. It loves to thrive in forested areas of North America. One of the woodpeckers in Florida feed mostly on insects but are also seen eating gall wasps and caterpillars. They have a little shorter and the avarage lifespan is between one and two years in the world.

9. American Crow

The American Crow scientifically known as Corvus brachyrhynchos is a passerine bird species that belongs to the family Corvidae. One of the most common Missouri birds can grow upto 40 to 50 cm in length with an average wieght of 300 to 600 gms. The male bird species is larger than a female bird in size and it was first described by German ornithologist Christian Ludwig Brehm in the year 1822.

The avarage wieght of the bird species is 316 to 620 gms. The eating habit of American Crow is omnivorous in nature and loves to feed on carrion, scraps of human food, nuts such as walnuts, and almonds. The avarage lifespan is between 7 to 8 years in the wild.

Image Source: Linda Tanner

10. European Starling

European Starling is also known as common starling or simply starling is also a medium-sized passerine bird species that belongs to the family, Sturnidae. It can grow upto 7.5 to 9.1 inches in length and 2 to 3.6 ounces in weight. Taking about the appearance, it is known for its black plumage with a purple and green sheen. The unique part is that the bill color depends on the season.

The bill is yellow in color during spring and black bill during the winter. The eating habit is omnivorous because it eats both plants and meat. The diet is based on millipedes, spiders, snails, and worms during the winter. The avarage lifespan is more than 15 years in the wild. It is also popular as one of the beautiful black birds with yellow beaks.

11. House Wren

The House wren scientifically known as Troglodytes aedon is a small songbird that belongs to the Wren family of birds. Talking about their appearance, they are small brown birds that come with short tails, thin bills, and dark barring on their wings and tail. Both species of male and female look similar. House Wren can grow upto 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long and weighs around 10 to 12 g (0.35 to 0.42 oz). The total wingspan of the bird species is 15 cm (5.9 in). The house wren is a common bird in Missouri that can be easily seen in the backyard.

12. Rock Pigeon

Rock Pigeon also known as rock doves or even common pigeons belong to the bird family Columbidae. Talking about the apperance, these bird species has a small head, short legs, and a thin bill. The body color is gray along with a blue-grey head and two black wing bars. The rock dove one of the common birds of Iowa was first described by German naturalist Johann Gmelin in 1789.

The adult rock pigeon can grow upto 29 to 37 cm (11 to 15 in) long with a total wingspan of 62 to 72 cm (24 to 28 in). The avarage lifespan of the bird species is 6 years in the wild.

13. Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee is one of the most popular birds of Pennsylvania and lovable Missouri Birds who loves to thrive in regions of open deciduous forests, thickets, and cottonwood groves. Black-capped Chickadee primarily feeds on sunflower, peanuts, and suet. These birds are very vocal and can be easily identified in the region. The avarage lifespan of the bird species is less than 2 or 3 years in the wild and primarily feeds on seeds, berries, insects, and invertebrates. It is also occasionally seen eating on small portions of carrion.

14. Common Grackle

Common Grackles are one of the popular Missouri birds that comes with long tails and long bills, however, the curves are slightly downwards. They are seen in large flocks, especially on high trees. Both males and females are almost similar and come with iridescent blue heads and bronze bodies that can be only seen in the right light. The female species are slightly less glossy than males. Common Grackle has an avarage lifespan of 17 years in the wild. It is also listed as one of the beautiful black birds with a blue head.

15. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The ruby-throated hummingbird scientifically known as Archilochus colubris is a species of hummingbird that can easily be identified in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, however, it also migrates to the region of Canada and other parts of Eastern North America during the summer season. It can grow upto Canada and other parts of Eastern North America with a total wingspan of 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in). The avarage lifespan of bird species is 3 to 5 years in the wild.

Image Source: Wikimedia

16. Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore oriole is an orange and black bird species that loves to thrive at the tops of deciduous trees, fluttering around and building beautiful woven nests primarily looking for food. It is also seen in the regions of open woodlands, riverbanks, and on the edges of swamps and forests. The avarage lifespan of bird species is 11 years in the wild and even longer in captivity. Baltimore Oriole primarily feeds on orange halves and grape jelly. It is also listed as one of the black birds with orange wings.