Winter Birds in Michigan

Downy Woodpecker

Friendly neighbors to the Chickadees and Nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers are also year-round residents that tend to be more commonly spotted during winter. While their black and white coloration and red patch on the back of their heads makes them look a lot like their Hairy Woodpecker cousins, Downy Woodpeckers are significantly smaller.

This suburbanite can be found in woodlots, along streams, parks, and even backyards. They’re excellent help in a garden, since their diet consists mostly of bugs and pests, including beetle larvae, but they also enjoy berries, acorns, and grains.

Fun Fact: Downy Woodpeckers have special feathers around their nostrils to keep them from breathing in wood chips or dust while they peck at trees.

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Hairy Woodpecker

The Hairy Woodpecker is something like the Downy’s big brother, since they look nearly identical save for their size; Hairy Woodpeckers are a little bigger than the Downy variety. They also occupy similar spaces, enjoying the woods, forests, and parks, but not excluding the feeding opportunities found in backyards.

Like their smaller doppelgangers, Hairy woodpeckers mostly eat insects, but will never say no to some suet, sunflower seeds, or nuts. This diet often makes them a welcome guest in the backyards of gardeners, since they act as a natural pest control.

Fun Fact: The Hairy Woodpecker has more than 17 recognized subspecies across North America.

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Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Red-Bellied woodpeckers are the second most common Woodpecker species in Michigan. They stand out strong against their Hairy and Downy cousins with a pale red belly and bright red cap and neck.

This coloration blends into the trees when looking from below, but when looking straight on or from above, the red contrasts strongly against the woods and forests where they’re often found snacking on insects and spiders. They will also eat acorns, nuts, pine cones, seeds, and fruit, but they will come to a yard for a feeder filled with suet, if you want a better view.

Fun Fact: Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are attracted to noises that resonate. You can catch them tapping on metal gutters, aluminum roofs, and other objects of similar materials to attract mates.

Black-Capped Chickadee

Black-Capped Chickadees are a year-round resident in Michigan, but when the cold weather settles in, the flock thins and they become the most commonly spotted bird through the winter. This common Found in forests, open woods, and parks where they feed on seeds, berries, bugs, black oil sunflower seeds and suet (bird-safe beef fat).

The Black-Capped Chickadee is an adorable bird with a big head and little round body. The body is mostly gray, but they have white cheeks and a head capped in black, as the name suggests. Aside from their cuteness, these little birds are also notoriously friendly and curious. They will even feed from your hand, however, they tend not to stick around long because they like to grab a seed, then go to a perch to snack on it.

Fun Fact: Chickadees have a remarkable spatial memory which allows them to keep track of where they’ve hidden food for at least a month after stashing it.

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White-Breasted Nuthatch

Another winter star is Michigan’s White-Breasted Nuthatch. Their gray-blue feathers, white bellies and faces, and black cap give them a real sleek look on top, but the chestnut color on the lower belly and below the tail add a nice warm tone to the mix. They love deciduous forests and woodlands as well as parks and yards, especially ones with a feeder.

They love to snack on bugs, including beetles, their larvae, caterpillars, ants, spiders, and more, but you don’t need to stuff a feeder with insects to attract them. Like other bird species, they eat plenty of nuts and seeds.

Fun Fact: To eat large nuts and acorns, these birds will jam them into tree bark and whack them with their bills to open or “hatch” them and get to the seed - hence the name Nuthatch.

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Red-Breasted Nuthatch

The Red-Breasted Nuthatch is much like its cousin the White-Breasted Nuthatch, however, they’re a little bit more colorful with a bright rusty-colored belly. They tend to stay all year in northern states and Canada, but have been known to move south during winter depending on cone crops.

Look for Red-Breasted Nuthatches in coniferous woods feeding on the cones produced by the trees. Aside from pine cones, they love seeds, nuts, suet, and even mealworms.

Fun Fact: Nuthatches will apply conifer resin to the entrance of their nesting hole in order to protect it against competitors.

Tufted Titmouse

The Tufted Titmouse is as cute as its name suggests, with big, round eyes, a gray back, white belly, and a little gray crest that sticks up from the head. They flock often with Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Woodpeckers, but they can be a bit assertive over their smaller friends when it comes to food.

In woodlands, parks, and even backyard feeders, Tufted Titmice love to snack on all kinds of bugs, nuts, seeds, and even berries. Attract them with sunflower seeds and peanuts, but if you want to host a couple, try putting up a nest box for a breeding pair to call home.

Fun Fact: Tufted Titmice mate for life, meaning if you host a breeding pair in your yard, you can probably consider yourself something of a bird matchmaker.

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Northern Cardinal

Perhaps the quintessential winter bird, the Northern Cardinal’s bright red stands out beautifully against the snow, despite being a year-round resident. The females even look striking with their brown coloring with red highlights.

While they tend to stick to woodlands, the occasional Northern Cardinal may find its way into a backyard, especially if there’s a feeder filled with their favorite snacks, like black oil sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, millet, or milo. Be mindful, however, that Northern Cardinals are heavy birds, and need good support from feeders.

Fun Fact: During breeding season, Northern Cardinals may be found attacking their own reflections as they become obsessive about defending their territory.

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American Robin

Despite them being a bit less common in the winter, American Robins are still here as the weather gets cold. Due to them being highly common in the state, most Michiganders are familiar with the American Robin’s black bodies with bright orange or red chests.

This suburbanite loves foraging front lawns for earthworms when the weather is nice, but when it gets cold, turn your eyes up to see them roosting in trees. Try attracting them to your backyard with the snacks they love while they’re scarce during winter. Sunflower seeds, suet, peanut hearts, fruit, or mealworms should attract plenty of roosting robins to your feeder.

Fun Fact: The American Robin is Michigan’s state bird, so of course we had to give them a shout-out!

House Sparrow

House Sparrows are common year round in Michigan, and are actually an introduced species, not native. As per their name, they love residential spaces, often found near houses and buildings and they make very friendly neighbors who are often willing to eat from your hand.

Despite their tame nature, these little brown birds can be considered pests, because they’re not native. Alternatively, some consider that they may as well feed them, since they’ll be found in your yard either way. If you’re looking to feed them, don’t worry, they’re not picky and will eat just about any birdseed, including millet, corn, and sunflower seeds.

Fun Fact: Not only are House Sparrows friendly with humans, but they’re highly sociable among themselves and often nest in colonies.

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American Tree Sparrow

American Tree Sparrows are true winter birds, arriving in late fall and staying only until the end of spring. They are pretty easily identified with each bit of the body having some unique feature, from long tails, rusty caps, gray faces, and brown streaks across their plump bodies.

Like the House Sparrow, the American Tree Sparrow is pretty sociable, often found in fields, foraging in small flocks. These little birds love seeds and will snack on everything from sunflower seeds, to cracked corn, to millet. Look for them beneath feeders, foraging on dropped treasure.

Fun Fact: Not only do they feed on the ground, but American Tree Sparrows also nest on the ground, making their name a bit ironic.

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Dark-Eyed Junco

The Dark-Eyed Junco is almost exclusively a winter resident in Michigan. Some may stay through the summer, but as migration south from Canada swells in winter, Michigan’s population grows. Dark-Eyed Juncos are a kind of sparrow that can have a variety of colors depending on where they’re found, but around here, they tend to be slate-colored.

Find them in open or partially wooded areas, but don’t look up like you normally might. Dark-Eyed Juncos feed near the ground, so look below to see if you can spot any foraging for food. Similarly, if you’re looking to invite the Dark-Eyed Junco into your yard, a ground feeder out in the open is ideal.

Fun Fact: You may think the cold weather prompts the Dark-Eyed Junco to migrate south, but research by biologist William Rowan revealed that they’re more responsive to changes in daylight than temperature.

American Crow

The American Crow is found in Michigan all year round, but the stark contrast of their black feathers against white snow make them a winter spectacle. While their black colors are iconic, their hoarse cawing might be even more recognizable.

Crows are a bit larger than your typical songbird, but can be found just about anywhere, from woods, fields, beaches, or even towns where they gather in the millions to build communal roosts. Crows aren’t picky and have a wildly diverse diet, including earthworms, insects, seeds, and fruit; they’ll even eat fish, small turtles, mussels, clams, and eggs. They’ll even feed on trash or pet food if left out.

Fun Fact: Crows are some of the most intelligent animals on Earth; they can use tools, understand when a peer has died, and even recognize human faces and voices.

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Blue Jay

One of Michigan’s most identifiable birds, the Blue Jay is simply iconic. Their bright blue coloration with black and white markings makes them instantly recognizable anywhere. Nearly as recognizable as their colors is their song, which sounds more like a screech, than a tweet, despite being considered a songbird.

Blue Jays are migratory, traveling in family groups and large flocks across the region, but you can pretty consistently find them in forests, especially near oak trees, since they love to snack on acorns. Aside from acorns, though, they enjoy insects, nuts, and seeds like any other bird, and have even been known to enjoy bird baths.

Fun Fact: Despite their bright blue coloring, Blue Jays are actually part of the corvid family, meaning they’re very closely related to ravens and crows, which explains their cawing.

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American Goldfinch

Of all of the wild birds, most people recognize the American Goldfinch by the male’s bright yellow and black spring colors. In winter, these Michigan birds dull it down with brown feathers, making it easy to mistake them for another species. While they are migratory, they tend to stay in Michigan year round, while some migrate south after breeding.

Find them in weedy fields and overgrown areas where they forage for sunflower, thistle, and aster plants. They also love the suburbs, and you can attract them to your yard with a feeder full of sunflower and nyjer thistle seeds or with a few planted thistles and milkweed.

Fun Fact: American Goldfinches are strict vegetarians. Unlike other birds on this list, they do not intentionally eat insects or worms.