God's Bird List

Storks

Storks are big birds! The only stork in the U.S. is the wood stork, which I have seen in Florida, maybe only once. They are definitely a bird of the far South, but a few wander further west or up the Atlantic coast. Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, where I live, has only one recorded wood stork historically (on eBird); in August 2022 a single stork visited for a few weeks. And I didn’t see it.

The wood stork is a very large white bird with partially black wings. It has a bald wrinkly, gray head and a very thick greyish bill. This bird lives in wetlands. It is not to be confused with another large-ish wetlands bird; the smaller, grayer, and more streamlined great blue heron has a much more attractive head. Non-birders commonly misidentify the great blue heron as a stork, due to its impressive size and tall upright stance.

The Bible mentions storks, which are among the unclean animals, and it acknowledges different kinds of storks. “And the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat” (Leviticus 11:19). “The stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat” (Deuteronomy 14:18).

Another passage focuses on the distinct wings of storks. “Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens” (Zechariah 5:9). There is a reason God chose stork wings and not crow wings or hummingbird wings. The white stork, common in the Middle East, has a wingspan of five to seven feet. In addition to being very long, the wings are also exceptionally broad. I looked at a photo of this bird in flight, and it looks like all wings! Okay, maybe 80% wings. These strong wings are used for powerful flapping interspersed with efficient gliding, making storks capable of long flights.

The Bible also talks about the storks’ nesting habits. “Where the birds build their nests, and the stork, whose home is in the fir trees” (Psalm 104:17). The verse is speaking of the cedars of Lebanon, so I researched the storks that would be found in that country. There are two. The black stork (mostly black, with white underneath) lives in coniferous forests and builds bulky nests of sticks high in trees. The white stork (mostly white, with black toward the tail) also builds bulky stick nests high in trees.

Finally, the Bible speaks of the stork in relation to migration. “Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; but My people do not know the ordinance of the LORD” (Jeremiah 8:7). Storks know their time to relocate for the winter and summer. In the country of Lebanon, black stork sightings peak in late March through mid-May, then again in September and October. The white stork peaks mid-March through May, then again in August. They are daytime migrators and can be seen in impressive flocks of hundreds.

In the U.S., the wood stork is considered a partial migrant, meaning that some birds remain for the winter. In the big picture, the birds leave the southeastern U.S. in October to November, wintering in Central and South America, before returning in March and April. However, some birds will remain year-round, as long as their habitat remains flooded and they can find food; these birds may move locally or regionally in pursuit of better conditions.

One final note. In the Zechariah passage quoted above, the women with stork-like wings are carrying an ephah (probably like a bushel basket). Those storks are not using the basket to deliver babies to their new families! But there was a woman sitting inside the basket that the others carried. So maybe this passage contributed to the tradition of storks carrying babies. Certainly it is in keeping with the reality of their powerful wings.

Hawks

Raptors! Some birders love them and come alive only during raptor migration. Backyard birders might not love them, because of the threat they present to the smaller visitors that frequent their feeders. And some birders are just confused by them because of the challenges in identification.

I’ve always been closest to the third group. My guiding principle was “If it’s a big, hungry-looking bird sitting in a tree or soaring overhead, it’s probably a red-tailed hawk.” Three years ago I decided to do something about my ignorance, and I started to regularly visit a local raptor migration spot. I asked lots of questions, I listened a lot, I studied the materials provided, and I tried to learn to distinguish the various raptors that flew past. I still don’t consider myself a raptor expert, but I’m a lot better than I used to be.

The hawk watch I visit counts migrating vultures, osprey, eagles, hawks, and falcons. The hawk species that could be seen during migration in the eastern U.S. include the northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk, American goshawk (rare), red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, broad-winged hawk, and rough-legged hawk (rare).

The Bible acknowledges this element of diversity, stating that there are different kinds of hawks. “And the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind” (Leviticus 11:16). “And the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds” (Deuteronomy 14:15). These birds are listed among the unclean species in the Jewish dietary laws.

The Bible has four references to hawks, utilizing two different Hebrew words. For neither word are translators 100% sure that hawk is the precise translation, but both are confidently birds of prey. The more common Hebrew word (used in the two verses above and in Job below) could be a hawk, falcon, or even an extinct bird of prey. The other word (in Isaiah below) could be a hawk or kite.

“The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there, and it will hatch and gather them under its protection. Yes, the hawks will be gathered there, every one with its kind” (Isaiah 34:15). This passage refers to a desolate and burned-out land where most birds and creatures will not live. There are only a few creatures that tolerate and can survive in that harsh environment, and hawks are one such group. Again, the Bible refers to multiple kinds of hawks, as well as to their tendency to gather with others of their own kind.

The final verse refers to how the hawk flies – both its soaring in the sky and its seasonal migration. “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, stretching his wings toward the south?” (Job 39:26).

I have learned some interesting things about the soaring of hawks. When hawks reach their soaring height, they rarely flap. They can glide, soar, and circle for a long time. The sharp-shinned hawk gives itself away by its flapping pattern – flap, flap, flap, glide – flap, flap, flap, glide. It is also more unstable and tossed about in its flight compared to the other accipiter, the Cooper’s hawk. Red-tailed hawks do something called kiting; they suddenly stop their forward progress and hover in place, high up in the sky.

During migration, the broad-winged hawks typically travel in groups. (The other hawk species travel through as individuals.) A group is called a kettle, and when the hawks lift off the for the day, or when they start to lose altitude, they form a kettle. In a kettle, the hawks circle round and round, gradually higher, seeking a thermal to give them altitude. When they finally get the right conditions, they will stream out of the kettle one by one. It’s amazing to see a kettle of one hundred or so hawks! Of course, some kettles are very small. When only two or three hawks are traveling together, we jokingly call it a teacup.

Hawks are among the species that have been tagged regularly, and this has allowed naturalists to study migration patterns and even track individual birds. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary provides data and interactive maps on migrating raptors. (Broad-winged Hawk Tracking Maps | Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Learn Visit Join) These hawks go to the Great Lakes area for the summer, or to eastern Canada. During migration they follow the Appalachian ridge or the Mississippi River, then down through Mexico. Most of them end up for the winter in Central America or Columbia, and a few travel further south, just below the Amazon basin. For each bird, the starting point, travel path, and ending point are consistent year after year.

Typical season for fall migration is August 15 through December 15. You can visit www.hawkcount.org to locate hawkwatch sites and statistics. The site I visit is called Second Mountain. For the 2025 season, we counted 58 northern harriers, 1054 sharp-shinned hawks, 108 Cooper’s hawks, 1 American goshawk, 55 red-shouldered hawks, 4332 broad-winged hawks, and 531 red-tailed hawks.

I still don’t consider myself to be a raptor afficionado. I prefer the smaller birds. However, I have learned to appreciate the raptors more as I have learned about them and have embraced them more fully within my birding repertoire.

Migration

Probably the best-known and perhaps most fascinating bird instinct is migration. “Somehow” each bird knows when it is time to fly south (or back north). The birds know which pathways to travel and what their destinations should be. The “somehow” is explained in an incredibly wise God who taught each bird what to do. “Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration” (Jeremiah 8:7). “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, stretching his wings toward the south?” (Job 39:26).

The vast majority of birds migrate twice each year, in the spring and again in the fall. For many, that means going from Canada or the U.S. to Central or South America. For some birds, the shift is less dramatic, and they may move from far-northern Canada to southern Canada, or from the northern U.S. to the southern U.S. Some cold-loving birds move back and forth between the northern and southern arctic zones. In general, most birds do not want to winter in frigid areas. (Can you blame them?)

This means, at least where I live in Pennsylvania, that winter is not the most active time for birding. There just aren’t that many year-round residents. For Lebanon County, of the 304 (last time I checked) bird species ever reported on eBird, only 43 have been reported or would be likely to see in all twelve months. These year-round birds include Canada geese, mallards, doves, vultures, bald eagles, a few hawks, most woodpeckers, corvids, starlings, bluebirds, robins, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, finches, some sparrows, and cardinals. Of course, there are additional birds that are here only during the winter. (I actually love winter birding, because it is so quiet and peaceful, as well as invigorating and refreshing.)

Spring, however, is the most exciting time for many birders, for two reasons. First, after the drabness and dearth of winter, birds are returning for the summer, and birders watch for their feathered friends to come back in a predictable pattern. The early mornings become alive with bird songs. Second, migrating birds pass through on their way to points further north, often Canada, and a few weeks or months in spring provide the brief opportunity to see them. As a bonus, most spring-migrating birds are in breeding plumage.

There is a consistent schedule for migration, and this pattern guides birders in what to look for and which habitats to frequent. (The below observations are based on south-central Pennsylvania.) Winter birding often focuses on waterfowl. The migration of ducks, geese, swans, and allies varies some, because these birds are dependent on open water. Some years the ice melts early, and other years it stubbornly lingers. As a general rule, waterfowl migration starts early in February and peaks in mid-February to mid-March. It really tapers off through the month of April.

Raptors start migrating in March, and various species take their turns through at least late-April, before winding down by mid-May. (More about this next time.)

Shorebird migration is an extended season. Early shorebirds can start arriving in March. April becomes busier, and May is prime. Some migration can even continue into June.

Some birders really love raptors, and others work hard to become proficient at tricky shorebirds, but the overall favorite group of birds tends to be songbirds (passerines). It’s tough to see returning songbirds before April, but in March some of the bravest species start trickling in. Many people consider the arrival of robins to be the first sign of spring (more about that in a minute), but probably the true harbingers of spring are brown-headed cowbirds, common grackles, tree swallows, and eastern phoebes.

The beginning of May introduces prime time for songbirds, and it features that exciting time known as warbler season. Some warblers nest in the area, but for others there is a two- to three-week window in which to spot them on their way through. Yellow-rumped warblers can winter over, but the first migrating warblers are palm and pine warblers, which could start sneaking in mid-March. Black-throated green warblers are next, possibly starting at the beginning of April, and each week introduces new arrivals, ending with Cape May warblers in mid- to late-May. While this sounds like nearly a two-month warbler season, there is a difference between when the first few appear and when the main crowd arrives. For almost every warbler, the peak time frame falls within the first three weeks of May.

By the end of May, pretty much every bird that is coming back or passing through has done so. If someone wants to go birding only one week of the entire year and wants to choose the most exciting time with the highest potential number of species, the second week of May is the time to go. This year’s “biggest week in American birding” was celebrated May 8-17, with “Big Day” on May 9. There is also a fall “Big Day” to coincide with fall migration. This year it was October 10.

Fall migration is kind of like saying goodbye. Summer residents return to their winter homes. Generally, those that arrive earliest in the spring are the last to leave, and the birds gradually disappear. Sometimes you notice them gathering in preparation for mass migration (tree swallows, chimney swifts). Often, though, one day you find yourself thinking, “I haven’t seen a __ in a while. I guess they’re gone until next spring.” Birds seen only during migration also pass through, usually in reverse order of when they came. Fall birds for almost all species are more challenging to identify; they are in non-breeding plumage, and less-marked immature birds are mixed in – hence, one of the great challenges of birding – “confusing fall warblers.”

Some species are partial migrators: robins, goldfinches, blue jays, and Canada geese, to name some of the more common examples. For these birds, some will migrate and some will overwinter. Robins generally hide out in the woods, and a careful observer can find them all year; in winter, they are more likely to be in the treetops than on the ground. Goldfinches lose their bright coats, but many of these drab birds frequent feeders all winter. Large groups of blue jays are on the move in October, and honking V’s of Canada geese take off each morning, but some remain for the winter. At least for some of these species, or so the theory goes, the local winter population may not be the same individuals as the local summer population. It is possible that the entire group of Canada geese, for example, shifts southward, and Pennsylvania might become the northern edge of the range instead of somewhere in the middle.

I tend to be a pretty local birder, but avid birders often travel to other locations for migration. That’s because there are invisible pathways in the sky. Certain routes are most advantageous for birds. Flying long distances over water is draining, and some birds are visual flyers, relying on landmarks like mountain ridges and lakes. Migrating birds also need places to rest and feed. They will divert to avoid weather events, and of course, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. There are four major migration routes in the U.S., and these determine the hotspots for birders, but there will always be a smaller number of birds that don’t strictly follow those routes.

The Atlantic Flyway (shorebirds, waterfowl, warblers) and the Pacific Flyway (shorebirds, raptors, Western songbirds) follow the coastlines. In the interior of the U.S., there is the Mississippi Flyway, which gets the lion’s share; some people call it a superhighway. Closer to the Rocky Mountains is the Central Flyway (cranes and waterfowl). Warbler-manic birders go to Ohio (specifically, Magee Marsh) or to Cape May, NJ. I prefer quiet and peaceful over commotion and crowds, so I don’t feel a burning urge to go to the “best” places. There is enough of God’s beauty and wonder to satisfy me in quieter spots.

Migration, on the one hand, is a complex ecological picture, with many interwoven factors. On the other hand, it is quite precise and individualized, with each species having unique plans designed by God. Each species knows when to go, which path to take, and where its destination is.

Instinct

A recent post examined the vulnerability of birds. They are frail creatures. However, God has not left birds defenseless. He has given them what science can describe only as natural instinct. Instinct includes the strategies, tactics, practices, built-in tendencies, and characteristic behaviors designed by God for each bird. These instincts contribute to the birds’ protection, well-being, and survival.

A common saying is “Birds of a feather flock together.” Is this true? The Bible agrees. “Yes, the hawks will be gathered there, every one with its kind” (Isaiah 34:15). Birders will attest to this habit of birds to congregate with others of their own kind. On breeding grounds or feeding grounds, different species gather in their "assigned” area. An informed naturalist can point out the various nesting areas in a wildlife refuge – terns here, ducks there, pelicans over there. Both over-wintering flocks and migrating flocks do the same.

This spring I was at a large lake when the ice finally went out, and the waterfowl had descended by the thousands. I scanned the lake from side to side, counting first one species, then another. Yes, there were some blurred lines and overlap between groups, but the for the most part the members of each species were clumped together – a blob of wigeons, a clump of redheads, an area of buffleheads, a section of teals, and so on.

Other birds do the same. Vultures and broad-winged hawks form kettles. In the fall, blue jays, robins, and crows fly in loose flocks. European starlings fly in a tight, and often very large, flock known as a murmuration. Geese and cormorants form their V's or lines in the sky. In fact, different species even coordinate their morning departure times. I’ve seen snow geese lift from the lake by the tens of thousands, seemingly all at once. A glance around reveals the remaining tundra swans, which will lift off a little later.

Birds of a feather definitely flock together. This is a helpful piece of information for identifying female and young birds. These harder-to-discern individuals are usually the same species as the males they are gathered with. Pairs of ducks often swim together, and the brightly-colored male helps confirm the identity of his plainer brown mate. In the woods or field, the confusing drab bird (perhaps a female indigo bunting or red-winged blackbird) is often the mate of the nearby males that are more easily identified.

But … never assume that every bird is a group is the same. Sometimes an odd bird will be mixed into a flock. Stray individuals will often “adopt” a friendly flotilla, and birders will report that there is one bufflehead, for example, that is swimming in the group of scaups. One of my birding strategies is to look for the one that is different, rather than quickly moving on from a group that appears homogenous at first glance.

By instinct, birds sometimes harass each other. “Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me? Are the birds of prey against her on every side?” (Jeremiah 12:9). This verse hints that several birds are coming on the attack against a single bird. Birds are territorial and will defend their air (or ground or water) space. During migration, local raptors will sometimes harass the raptors that are migrating through their territory. Other birds are known for their boldness, even when significantly out-sized. The eastern kingbird is well-known for this brash behavior. It is appropriately named Tyrannus tyrannus. Red-winged blackbirds will do the same. Blue jays will gang up on a larger intruder to their territory, such as a hawk or an owl.

Instinct also makes birds wary. Birds can be tricked and trapped. However, this is less likely in the daytime or if the trap is obvious. “Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net in the sight of any bird” (Proverbs 1:17). The birds won’t be caught unless there is something attractive or deceptive about the trap. “Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no bait in it?” (Amos 3:5).

Instinct for one species will not be identical to instinct for another species. God has made each one as He intended. God tells of His purposeful bestowing of a certain instinct to the ostrich. “For she abandons her eggs to the earth and warms them in the dust, and she forgets that a foot may crush them, or that a wild beast may trample them. She treats her young cruelly, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned; because God has made her forget wisdom, and has not given her a share of understanding. When she lifts herself on high, she laughs at the horse and his rider” (Job 39:14-18).

The ostrich, for whatever reason God chose, is unusual in the casual treatment of its eggs and young. Brown-headed cowbirds are another unusual species. They surreptitiously lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving their young to be hatched and raised by strangers. Most other birds by instinct are much more protective and invested.

Instincts must be different among birds, because species vary in size, habitat, nesting practices, diet, migration status, and more. God instinctively made each bird with the knowledge of how it ought to act and of what it must do to survive.

Proliferation

Like every other creature on earth, birds must reproduce in order to survive. This was God’s plan from the beginning. At the time of creation, “God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth’” (Genesis 1:22).

The word “multiply” means to increase greatly or exceedingly. We all understand that multiplication results in bigger totals than does addition. I believe it is quite possible that God deliberately blessed the reproduction of birds in the beginning years after creation, so that they could fill the skies.

There is one other time that God gave a similar directive. After the Flood, He instructed Noah, “Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth” (Genesis 8:17).

This time, not only were the birds to “be fruitful and multiply,” as at the time of creation, but they were also to “breed abundantly.” This Hebrew word is translated as “swarm” or “teem” in other passages, like the plague of frogs in Egypt. It appears to indicate births beyond the norm, and I believe this was God’s direct intervention to repopulate the species following the Flood.

In normal times, what is bird proliferation like? Well, that depends a lot on the species. In general, though, birds must have multiple offspring per year to keep each species from dying out. One major factor in the necessity for multiple births is that, as a rule of thumb, more than half of chicks die during their first year. This is true for the majority of bird species. Having only two chicks per year (with only one surviving) is not a sustainable number.

Another factor is the short life expectancy for wild birds. Most small birds (sparrows, warblers, finches) are likely to live only two to five years. Larger birds (crows, blue jays) might live five to fifteen years, and some of the largest birds (eagles, cranes, waterfowl) can live two or more decades. Obviously, birds with short life spans have a limited number of attempts at raising chicks.

Most birds have a clutch of multiple eggs, and many birds raise more than one brood per year. House sparrows are a highly productive bird; they average twenty chicks per year, laying four to seven eggs in each of three or four broods. Even if half the chicks die, leaving ten (theoretically, five males and five females), house sparrows can multiply their number by five each year. This bird was first introduced in the US in 1851, and is now believed to be our most abundant species, with an estimated 100 million birds. I’m usually aware when a new brood fledges, because suddenly my neighbor’s hedge is alive with loudly chirping birds that fly around the area in large groups.

At the other end of the spectrum is the albatross. (Picture an extremely large gull. The largest species of albatross has a wingspan of up to twelve feet, and even the smaller species have a wingspan greater than six feet.) The albatross lays one egg per year, and sometimes they skip a year, meaning one egg every two years. This is due to the great physical demands of egg-laying for this bird, as well as the nine (or so) months of dependency of the chick. Raising an albatross chick requires a great deal of commitment. Some other large birds, like kiwi and California condor, also lay a single egg per year or per two years. The tradeoff is that these large birds can live several decades, so that they can still have a significant number of young over their lifetime. There is a tagged Laysan albatross named Wisdom that breeds at Midway Island. She is now over 75 years old and still nesting. (She hatched a chick in 2025 that did not survive, and in 2026 she was raising a grandchick.) It is believed that she has successfully raised over 30 chicks.

Many duck species have a large clutch. Wood ducks might lay up to fifteen eggs. The nice thing about ducks is that if you are in the right place at the right time, you can see (and possibly count) the large number of chicks. Momma duck will be swimming in a lake or creek, and she will have a long trail of very cute chicks trailing out behind her. I have seen this with wood ducks, mallards, and common mergansers.

If we consider a well-known bird, like the American robin, we find that there are usually two clutches per year, although it can be three to four clutches, especially in more southern regions. Robins typically lay three to five eggs in each clutch, yielding six to ten chicks per year for northern birds and perhaps twice that down south. Probably fewer than half survive, but that is still enough for the overall population to grow, which is not hard to believe if you’ve ever looked at a grassy lawn in the spring or summer.

In our complex world of changing conditions – weather, available food, land development, interplay of predators, conservation efforts, and other factors, certain birds flourish and other birds struggle. Species can trend in a positive or negative direction, and that trend can reverse as conditions change. In recent history (1968-2025), the species with the sharpest decrease in population is the common tern, down 98% in that time frame. Meanwhile, Canada geese lead the opposite end of the spectrum, having multiplied 105 times in that same time frame. (Data from US Breeding Birds Survey). So if you have thought that geese are everywhere, fouling up parks and parking lots, honking loudly every morning, and taking over ponds and lakes, you’re right!