The Complete List of Boreal Forest Birds

Stretching across the northern hemisphere, the boreal zone supports a distinctive mix of songbirds, flycatchers, warblers and boreal specialists tied to spruce, fir and birch habitats. This list gathers those species into a single reference for birders and naturalists working in northern forests.

There are 68 boreal forest birds, ranging from Alder Flycatcher to Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler. For each species the table lists Scientific name,Size (cm) & status,Range & season — details you’ll find below.

When is the best time to see species on this list?

Spring migration into early summer (May–July in many areas) is typically the easiest time to observe and identify most species because migrants are vocal and breeding; a few species are more visible in late summer during post-breeding dispersal, and winter sightings are limited to residents and irruptive visitors—check the Range & season column for specifics.

How should I use the Scientific name,Size (cm) & status,Range & season columns?

Use the scientific name to avoid confusion between similar common names, Size (cm) & status to gauge how likely you are to encounter a species and aid field ID, and Range & season to plan when and where to look; combine this with local checklists or eBird for up-to-date occurrence data.

Boreal Forest Birds

Images and Descriptions

Spruce Grouse

Stocky, mottled conifer specialist often seen on forest floor or low branches. Males show darker plumage and red eye combs; freezes when alarmed. Found deep in spruce-fir stands, rarely far from dense conifers.

Ruffed Grouse

Cryptically patterned, medium-sized grouse that prefers young forests and dense understory. Males drum on logs in spring; often flush with a loud wing-beat. Common in boreal thickets and regenerating stands.

Capercaillie

Largest grouse of Eurasia, males are bulky with fan tails and deep calls. Prefers mature pine and spruce forests. Elusive outside lekking season; important indicator of intact old-growth taiga.

Hazel Grouse

Small, cryptic grouse of dense undergrowth with fine mottling and subtle facial patterns. Prefers mixed boreal woodland and bog edges; often heard more than seen, active at dawn and dusk.

Willow Ptarmigan

Stocky, ground-dwelling bird that changes plumage seasonally (white in winter, mottled in summer). Occupies shrubby bogs and forest edges in the taiga, feeding on buds and twigs.

Black-backed Woodpecker

All-black upperparts with white underparts; specialist of burned and beetle-infested stands. Often drums on charred trunks; a key species following wildfire outbreaks in boreal forests.

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Small, stout woodpecker with barred back and yellowish crown patch in males. Excels at excavating bark for wood-boring beetles; common in older boreal stands and recent burns.

Three-toed Woodpecker

Black-and-white patterned woodpecker with a small bill and three toes. Forages on trunks for beetle larvae, often in burned or old-growth conifers. Quiet and hard to spot.

Black Woodpecker

Very large, crow-sized woodpecker all black with red crown (male). Excavates large cavities in mature boreal pines and spruces; voice is a loud, resonant “kweek.”

White-backed Woodpecker

Distinctive with a broad white back patch and strong bill. Favors old-growth deciduous and mixed stands with dead wood; specialist foraging on beetle larvae under bark.

Great Gray Owl

Huge, long-legged owl with a round face and yellow eyes; appears ghostly in dim forest. Hunts over open patches and clearings in taiga; vulnerable to large-scale habitat loss.

Boreal (Tengmalm’s) Owl

Small, round-headed owl with streaked plumage and large yellow eyes. Nests in tree cavities, favors mature conifers and mixed stands; mostly active at night.

Northern Hawk-Owl

Daytime-hunting owl with long tail and hawk-like flight. Perches conspicuously on dead trees, scanning open patches of taiga for small mammals and birds.

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Tiny, round owl with bold facial disk and white streaking. Secretive cavity nester found in dense boreal woods; often heard at night during breeding season.

Eurasian Pygmy Owl

Small, fierce owl often hunting by day. Compact with spots, yellow eyes and a loud, repetitive call. Prefers mature conifer stands and forest edges.

Northern Goshawk

Powerful forest raptor with broad wings and long tail; gray above with barred underparts. Agile hunter of woodland birds and mammals, nests in large mature conifers.

Osprey

Large fish-eating raptor that nests on platforms and dead trees near boreal waters. Distinctive hovering dive for fish; returns to boreal lakes each spring to breed.

Merlin

Small, fast falcon with streaky underparts and rapid flight. Hunts small birds over openings and along forest edges in the taiga; often cryptic plumage.

Bald Eagle

Massive, fish-eating raptor often associated with boreal lakes and rivers. Adults show white head and tail; nests in tall trees or cliffs near water.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Tall-perched flycatcher with a stocky body and pale throat patch. Waits on exposed snags to sally for flying insects in forest clearings and burned stands.

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Small, subtle empid with faint eye-ring and thin bill. Prefers wet, coniferous bogs and low trees; more often heard than seen.

Alder Flycatcher

Small, brownish flycatcher with sharp “che-bek” call. Nests in dense alder or willow thickets across boreal wetlands and shrubby clearings.

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Plain, olive-brown thrush with faint eye-ring and ethereal flute-like song. Prefers mossy, damp coniferous forests and regenerating burn areas for breeding.

Swainson’s Thrush

Olive-brown thrush with buffy eye-ring and upward-spiraling song. Common in boreal understory and riparian corridors during summer breeding season.

Hermit Thrush

Reddish-brown back with flushed tail and clear, flute-like song. Favors dense understory in boreal woods, often perches low when singing at dawn.

Varied Thrush

Striking orange-and-black thrush of Pacific taiga. Secretive on forest floor, often in old-growth stands and dense mossy undergrowth; melodic, low-pitched song.

American Robin

Familiar orange-breasted thrush found in boreal openings and margins. Ground forager for insects and berries; often one of the first migrants to arrive in spring.

Redwing

Small thrush with white eye stripe and red flanks. Breeds in northern taiga and migrates to more temperate regions in winter; sings a high, thin song.

Common Raven

Large, glossy black corvid with powerful beak and deep voice. Extremely adaptable; forages across taiga, from forest interiors to coastal fringes, often near carcasses and human sites.

Gray Jay

Bold, gray corvid often called Canada Jay. Attends campsites, caches food in bark, and perches conspicuously. Vulnerable to rising temperatures affecting food storage reliability.

Siberian Jay

Shy, warm-toned jay that inhabits mature conifer forests. Often seen alone or in pairs, feeding on insects, berries and cached items; less trusting of humans than gray jay.

Eurasian Nutcracker

Chunky bird with strong bill and spotted plumage. Specializes on conifer seeds (nuts), caches widely, and is associated with pine-dominated boreal stands and mountain taiga.

Boreal Chickadee

Small, gray-brown chickadee with cap and subtle white cheeks. Highly territorial in winter flocks; forages in conifers for insects and seeds, common in boreal neighborhoods.

Siberian Tit

Small, compact tit with dark cap and buff underparts. Prefers old conifer stands and cached food habits; less social than southern tit species.

Willow Tit

Plain, small tit with a dark cap and pale cheeks. Excavates nesting cavities in rotten wood and favors damp boreal forests and bog margins.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Small, blue-gray nuthatch with rufous underparts and a black eye stripe. Walks head-first down trunks, probing bark for insects and seeds; often sings nasal calls.

Brown Creeper

Slim, brown streaked bird creeping up trunks in spirals. Thin bill probes bark crevices for insects; superbly camouflaged and often overlooked in dense taiga.

Eurasian Treecreeper

Small, brown streaked climber that spirals up trunks, using a thin, curved bill to extract insects. Quiet and well camouflaged in mature boreal forests.

Blackpoll Warbler

Plain olive above with streaked underparts and a thin bill. Breeds in spruce-dominated taiga, undertakes remarkable long-distance migrations to South America.

Bay-breasted Warbler

Richly colored in breeding males with chestnut flanks and throat. Nests in spruce-fir taiga, feeds heavily on spruce budworm during outbreaks; migratory and secretive.

Blackburnian Warbler

Brilliant orange throat in males set against black and white plumage. Prefers canopy of mature conifer stands in taiga; often detected by high, thin song.

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler

Quick, streaked warbler with yellow patches on sides and crown. Abundant in coniferous taiga where it gleans insects and berries, often persists late in season.

Tennessee Warbler

Plain gray-green warbler that breeds across moist boreal woodlands, often in regenerating areas. Very active, often foraging in low foliage for insects during summer.

Palm Warbler

Tail-wagging warbler with a chestnut crown in spring. Favors open bogs, low scrub, and mossy clearings within the taiga for nesting and foraging.

Wilson’s Warbler

Small, plain greenish warbler with a dark cap in males. Nests in dense shrubs and regenerating thickets across boreal zones; quick mover, large migratory flocks.

Ovenbird

Streaked, ground-nesting warbler with bold “teacher-teacher” song. Prefers mossy forest floor for cryptic nesting in boreal stands and mature conifers.

Common Redpoll

Small finch with red forehead and streaked sides. Feeds on birch and alder seeds, often in large nomadic flocks across the taiga; irruptive winters.

Pine Grosbeak

Large, gentle grosbeak with heavy bill; males rosy pink, females gray and yellowish. Feeds on buds and seeds of pines and mountain shrubs in taiga.

Evening Grosbeak

Large, thick-billed finch with bold yellow, black and white pattern; often feeds on seeds in flocks. Populations fluctuate with conifer seed crops.

Red Crossbill

Distinctive crossed bill for extracting conifer seeds. Plumage varies with sex and age; highly mobile in response to cone crops in the taiga.

White-winged Crossbill

Smaller crossbill with bold white wing bars. Specializes on spruce and larch cones in northern taiga; appears in large numbers during irruptions.

Pine Siskin

Small, streaky finch with yellow wing markings. Feeds on seeds and insects in conifers; numbers fluctuate widely with seed availability across the boreal.

Eurasian Siskin

Small lively finch with forked tail and streaky underparts. Flocks through spruce stands and feeds on alder and spruce seeds in the taiga.

Eurasian Bullfinch

Plump finch with a thick bill; males show pinkish underparts and black cap. Prefers mixed boreal woodlands and forest edges, discreet and often found near seed sources.

White-throated Sparrow

Bold white throat and yellow lores distinguish this sparrow. Favors boreal understory and regenerating areas for nesting, sings clear whistled song in summer.

Dark-eyed Junco

Slate-gray or patterned sparrow with pink bill; hops on forest floor searching for seeds and insects. Common in boreal clearings and conifer understory.

Fox Sparrow

Large, heavily streaked sparrow with warm buffy tones. Prefers dense, damp willow and alder thickets in the taiga for nesting and foraging.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Medium woodpecker that drills neat rows of sap wells in living trees. Distinctive zebra-like back and red throat in males; uses boreal deciduous-conifer mixtures.

Belted Kingfisher

Blue-gray, stocky fishing bird with shaggy crest and loud rattling call. Nests in riverbank burrows near boreal waterways, often seen perched above ponds and streams.

Bohemian Waxwing

Sleek, crest-topped bird with cinnamon wash and black face mask. Feeds heavily on berries and seeds, often in nomadic flocks through boreal berry crops.

Steller’s Jay

Bold, crest-headed jay with dark blue body and black head. Common in western taiga and montane conifer stands, noisy and opportunistic around campsites.

Eurasian Jay

Colorful corvid with pinkish body, black moustache and blue wing patch. Usually found in mixed woodlands and forest edges; caches acorns and nuts.

Common Goldeneye

Medium diving duck nesting in tree cavities, bright triangular white cheek patch in males. Often seen on clear boreal ponds and lakes during breeding season.

Barrow’s Goldeneye

Similar to common goldeneye but different facial pattern; nests in cavities and tree holes near boreal water bodies, sometimes inland or coastal depending on region.

Rusty Blackbird

Dark, slender blackbird with rusty fringes in non-breeding plumage. Strongly tied to boreal muskegs and peatlands; populations have declined steeply, a conservation concern.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Tiny, energetic kinglet with bright yellow crown stripe and high-pitched call. Forages actively in conifer canopies, often in mixed flocks across the taiga.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Minute, olive-green bird with bright ruby crown in males. Hunts small insects in foliage and lower branches; common during breeding season in boreal scrub and young stands.

Northern Shrike

Predatory songbird with hooked bill and masked face. Hunts from perches, impales prey on thorns or barbed wire; associated with open woodland and taiga clearings.

Other Boreal Forest Types