Western Western Kentucky. Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Pelecanidae. They’re a perfect combination of familiarity, conspicuousness, and style: a shade of red you can’t take your eyes off. The bill is long, thin, and sharply hooked. Most are arboreal, but some, like the ovenbird and the two waterthrushes, are more terrestrial. Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae. United States in winter. Birds that are considered probable escapees, although they may have been sighted flying free, are not included. They are fish eaters which often swim with only their neck above the water. These smallest of terns are mostly white, with pearly gray backs, black caps with a white forehead, and yellow bill. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. Their bodies tend to be elongated, the neck more so, with rather long legs. The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterized by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary. Baird's Sandpiper: This medium-sized bird has scaled gray-brown upperparts, white underparts and a dark-spotted gray-brown breast. Northern Eastern Kentucky. Order: Psittaciformes   Family: Psittacidae. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Waterbirds can be particularly rewarding to photograph as waterbodies like wetlands and estuaries attract so many different species. The Baltimore oriole’s nest is about as unique as its own appearance, being a finely woven hanging basket of grass that is often attached conspicuously to a long outer branch of a large shade tree. At first glance, Kentucky appears to merely be a state which hosts some great birds which can be seen elsewhere in the company of more exotic species. Treecreepers are small woodland birds, brown above and white below. These big, spectacular birds are an increasingly common sight the rest of the year, too, as flocks stride around woods and clearings like miniature dinosaurs. Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. It also occurs just about as commonly on these habitats in eastern Kentucky as in the western portion. Two species have been recorded in Kentucky. The species tend towards dull grays and browns in their appearance. The cardinals are a family of robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. By the time you reach the Land Between the Lakes region, it is a common summer resident of any wetland habitat type, from stream corridors to reservoir shores and river sloughs. Two species have been recorded in Kentucky. Some of the areas where cranes are most regularly observed include Jefferson County, farmland west of Elizabethtown, Barren River Lake and Green River Lake, and the Transient Lakes in southern Warren County. They have long, broad wings. The upperparts are dark, charcoal with light markings, and the distinctive tail pattern is dark in the center with bands of light and dark color on the sides. They live on insects in summer and berries in winter. All parrots are zygodactyl, having the four toes on each foot placed two at the front and two to the back. Most occur in fall and winter, so if you see a hummingbird anytime after mid-October, contact your local bird club leaders to let them know you might have a rarity! Feeds on insects and spiders. The bill is also long, decurved in the case of the ibises, straight and distinctively flattened in the spoonbills. The state’s namesake songbird is not as easy to find as the prothonotary, but it is nearly as common and is more widely distributed across the state from east to west. Fourteen species have been recorded in Kentucky. The swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats; long wings allow them to make long flights. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Two species have been recorded in Kentucky. These smallest of terns are mostly white, with pearly gray backs, black caps with a white forehead, and yellow bill. Four species have been recorded in Kentucky. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. One species has been recorded in Kentucky. Three species have been recorded in Kentucky. A day with a little snow cover and a bright blue sky can yield some of the most pleasing images you’ll ever witness if you can view the flocks in the right light. Many species have distinctive black head patterns (especially males) and long, regularly cocked, black-and-white tails. At the time of European settlement, ravens likely occurred locally across the entire state, but as humans became more common, ravens retreated into the most remote portions of the southeastern mountains. Royal Botanical Gardens Burlington, Ontario, Northern Cardinal by Steven Metildi Northern Cardinal by Steven Metildi, Cardinal in the Snow Photograph by Denise Dempster. They have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Two species have been recorded in Kentucky. [3] Common and scientific names are also those of the Check-list, except that the common names of families are from the Clements taxonomy because the AOS list does not include them. Seven species have been recorded in Kentucky. Seven species have been recorded in Kentucky. Towhee Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base. The vireos are a group of small to medium-sized passerine birds. The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. PURPLE MARTIN Largest swallow in North America 30. Frigatebirds are large seabirds usually found over tropical oceans. Several species often hold their tails upright. Thirty-nine species have been recorded in Kentucky. American white pelicans are the largest birds to occur in Kentucky, with a wingspan of 8 feet and an average weight of more than 15 pounds! Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. There is a general consens… The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees. Least terns are most common along our country’s coastlines, but a population nests on river bars of the interior of the United States. ~Rabindranath Tagore. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Many people mistake flocks of cranes for geese, but sandhill cranes can be easily identified in several ways. Nine species have been recorded in Kentucky.