Arkansas Bird Watching: Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches and More!

If you love to bird watch for funny, pretty, entertaining little birds, you will find plenty of these species right here in Arkansas. Chickadees, Titmice, Nuthatches, Grebes and Creepers are just a few of the birds you may see while out with your binoculars. For tips on finding and identifying just a few of the species you may see while birding in the great state of Arkansas, see below.

Carolina Chickadee. Look for this little bird in Arkansas parks and yards that have very tall trees, as well as in swamps and open forests. You will be able to identify it from its black cap and bib, as well as its gray wings and back. It has a short neck, a large head and a long tail, and what it lacks in size it makes up for in personality. You'll find it hunting for spiders, insects and seeds in bushes and trees while bird watching in Arkansas.

Tufted Titmouse. The largest of the Titmice, this lovely bird is easy to recognize while bird watching from its dark gray cap and crest. It also has a pale gray face and a white eye-ring, with a small black bill and gray legs and feet. Its body is gray, paler underneath, with a gray tail and wings and a peach wash on its flanks. Look for it in the swampy areas of Arkansas, as well as in the shade trees of urban areas and suburban parks, where you will find it foraging for caterpillars, spiders, snails, seeds and insects.

Pied-billed Grebe. This stocky grebe can be found in the marshes and ponds of Arkansas, hunting for small fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. Recognize it while bird watching from its brown upperparts, pale brown underparts, and white bill ringed in black. It also has a black chin and very dark eyes. Pied-billed Grebes prefer swimming to flying, and will escape from danger by diving rather than taking wing.

Brown Creeper. Named for the way it creeps upward on trees, searching for food, you'll find this little bird in coniferous and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests in Arkansas. Identify it while bird watching from its long thin bill and long tail. Its upperparts are a streaked brown and white, and its underparts are white. You'll see them probing with their bills under the bark of trees for insects and spiders, and Brown Creepers are also known to eat seeds. This little bird starts at the bottom of a tree and works its way to the top in a spiral.

White-breasted Nuthatch. Identify this little bird from its large head and long narrow bill. Its body is a soft grayish-blue, with a white face and the white breast for which it is named. It also has a black cap and cinnamon streaks below its tail. Look for it while bird watching in the mature forests of Arkansas, especially along the edges of clearings. It prefers deciduous forests, but is occasionally found in coniferous ones, too. The White-breasted Nuthatch creeps along trees while it is foraging, often hanging upside down as it hunts for insects, ants, caterpillars and spiders.

Source list:

Personal experience

http://identify.whatbird.com

http://www.allaboutbirds.org

http://www.birdsofarkansas.org