Birds of Cape Coral

Learn more about the many species of birds that can be spotted in Cape Coral and how to identify some of them.

Cape Coral is home to a wide variety of birds thanks to its diverse habitat. Our city is surrounded by salt water, has numerous fresh water ponds and canals and has wetland and upland habitats.

Great Egret

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron

White Ibis

Roseate Spoonbill

Brown Pelican

Anhinga

Cormoran

Mottled Duck

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Below is a list of birds that have been seen in recent years. (The list is by no means complete).

This list has been amended from the Florida Ornithological Society bird list. Checked birds have been seen in Cape Coral.

	GEESE, DUCKS		SANDPIPERS, ALLIES		CHICKADEES, TITMICE
x	Black-bellied Whistling-Duck	x	Spotted Sandpiper		Carolina Chickadee
	Fulvous Whistling-Duck	x	Solitary Sandpiper		Tufted Titmouse
	Greater White-fronted Goose	x	Greater Yellowlegs		NUTHATCHES
	Snow Goose	x	Willet		White-breasted Nuthatch
	Canada Goose	x	Lesser Yellowlegs		Brown-headed Nuthatch
x	Muscovy Duck		Upland Sandpiper		CREEPERS
x	Wood Duck	x	Whimbrel		Brown Creeper
	Gadwall		Long-billed Curlew		WRENS
X	Eurasian Wigeon	x	Marbled Godwit		Carolina Wren
x	American Wigeon	x	Ruddy Turnstone	x	House Wren
	American Black Duck		Red Knot		Sedge Wren
x	Mallard	x	Sanderling		Marsh Wren
x	Mottled Duck	x	Semipalmated Plover		GNATCATCHERS
x	Blue-winged Teal	x	Western Sandpiper	x	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
	Cinnamon Teal	x	Least Sandpiper		BULBULS
x	Northern Shoveler	x	White-rumped Sandpiper		Red-whiskered Bulbul
x	Northern Pintail				KINGLETS
x	Green-winged Teal				Golden-crowned Kinglet
x	Canvasback	x	Dunlin		Ruby-crowned Kinglet
x	Redhead	x	Stilt Sandpiper		THRUSHES, ALLIES
x	Ring-necked Duck		Buff-breasted Sandpiper	x	Eastern Bluebird
	Greater Scaup		Ruff		Veery
x	Lesser Scaup	x	Short-billed Dowitcher		Gray-cheeked Thrush
	Surf Scoter	x	Long-billed Dowitcher		Swainson’s Thrush
	White-winged Scoter	x	Wilson’s Snipe		Hermit Thrush
	Black Scoter	x	American Woodcock		Wood Thrush
	Long-tailed Duck	x	Wilson’s Phalarope	x	American Robin
	Bufflehead		Red-necked Phalarope		MOCKINGBIRDS, ALLIES
	Common Goldeneye		GULLS, TERNS, SKIMMER	x	Gray Catbird
x	Hooded Merganser	x	Bonaparte’s Gull	x	Northern Mockingbird
x	Red-breasted Merganser	x	Laughing Gull		Bahama Mockingbird
x	Ruddy Duck		Franklin’s Gull	x	Brown Thrasher
x	Ring-necked Duck	x	Ring-billed Gull		STARLINGS, MYNAS
	TURKEY, QUAIL	x	Herring Gull	x	European Starling
x	Wild Turkey	x	Lesser Black-backed Gull		Common Myna
x	Northern Bobwhite		Great Black-backed Gull		PIPITS
	LOONS		Brown Noddy		American Pipit
	Red-throated Loon		Black Noddy		Sprague’s Pipit
x	Common Loon		Sooty Tern		WAXWINGS
	GREBES		Bridled Tern	x	Cedar Waxwing
x	Pied-billed Grebe	x	Least Tern		WARBLERS
x	Horned Grebe				Ovenbird
	Eared Grebe	x	Caspian Tern		Worm-eating Warbler
	FLAMINGOES		Black Tern		Louisiana Waterthrush
	American Flamingo		Roseate Tern	x	Northern Waterthrush
	SHEARWATERS		Common Tern		Golden-winged Warbler
	Cory’s Shearwater	x	Forster’s Tern		Blue-winged Warbler
	Great Shearwater	x	Royal Tern	x	Black-and-white Warbler
	Audubon’s Shearwater	x	Sandwich Tern		Prothonotary Warbler
	STORM-PETRELS	x	Black Skimmer		Swainsonʼs Warbler
	Wilson’s Storm-Petrel		JAEGERS		Tennessee Warbler
	WOOD STORK		Pomarine Jaeger		Orange-crowned Warbler
x	Wood Stork		Parasitic Jaeger
	FRIGATEBIRDS		RAZORBILL		Nashville Warbler
x	Magnificent Frigatebird		Razorbill		Connecticut Warbler
	BOOBIES, GANNETS		PIGEONS, DOVES		Mourning Warbler
	Masked Booby	x	Rock Pigeon		Kentucky Warbler
	Brown Booby		White-crowned Pigeon	x	Common Yellowthroat
x	Northern Gannet	x	Eurasian Collared-Dove		Hooded Warbler
	CORMORANTS	x	White-winged Dove		American Redstart
x	Double-crested Cormorant	x	Mourning Dove		Cape May Warbler
	ANHINGA	x	Common Ground-Dove		Cerulean Warbler
x	Anhinga		PARAKEETS		Northern Parula
	PELICANS		Budgerigar	x	Magnolia Warbler
x	Brown Pelican	x	Monk Parakeet		Bay-breasted Warbler
x	American White Pelican	x	Nanday Parakeet		Blackburnian Warbler
	HERONS, EGRETS			x	Yellow-throated Warbler
	American Bittern		CUCKOOS, ANIS		Chestnut-sided Warbler
x	Least Bittern	x	Yellow-billed Cuckoo		Blackpoll Warbler
x	Great Blue Heron	x	Mangrove Cuckoo		Black-throated Blue Warbler
x	Great Egret		Smooth-billed Ani	x	Palm Warbler
x	Snowy Egret			x	Pine Warbler
x	Little Blue Heron			x	Yellow-rumped Warbler
x	Tricolored Heron		OWLS		Prairie Warbler
x	Reddish Egret		Barn Owl		Black-throated Gray Warbler
x	Cattle Egret	x	Eastern Screech-Owl		Black-throated Green Warbler
x	Green Heron	x	Great Horned Owl		Canada Warbler
x	Black-crowned Night-Heron	x	Burrowing Owl		Wilsonʼs Warbler
x	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	x	Barred Owl		Yellow-breasted Chat
	IBIS, SPOONBILLS				SPINDALIS
x	White Ibis		NIGHTHAWKS, NIGHTJARS		Western Spindalis
	Scarlet Ibis		Lesser Nighthawk		SPARROWS
x	Glossy Ibis	x	Common Nighthawk		Black-faced Grassquit
x	Roseate Spoonbill		Chuck-will’s-widow	x	Eastern Towhee
	VULTURES		Eastern Whip-poor-will		Bachman’s Sparrow
x	Black Vulture				Chipping Sparrow
x	Turkey Vulture		SWIFTS		Clay-colored Sparrow
	OSPREY	x	Chimney Swift		Field Sparrow
x	Osprey		HUMMINGBIRDS		Vesper Sparrow
	KITES, HAWKS, EAGLES	x	Ruby-throated Hummingbird		Lark Sparrow
x	Swallow-tailed Kite		Black-chinned Hummingbird		Savannah Sparrow
	White-tailed Kite		Rufous Hummingbird		Grasshopper Sparrow
x	Snail Kite		KINGFISHERS		Henslow’s Sparrow
	Mississippi Kite	x	Belted Kingfisher		Le Conte’s Sparrow
x	Bald Eagle		WOODPECKERS		Nelson’s Sparrow
x	Northern Harrier	x	Red-headed Woodpecker		Saltmarsh Sparrow
x	Sharp-shinned Hawk	x	Red-bellied Woodpecker		Seaside Sparrow
x	Cooper’s Hawk	x	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker		Fox Sparrow
x	Red-shouldered Hawk	x	Downy Woodpecker		Song Sparrow
x	Broad-winged Hawk	x	Hairy Woodpecker		Lincoln’s Sparrow
x	Short-tailed Hawk		Red-cockaded Woodpecker	x	Swamp Sparrow
	Swainson’s Hawk	x	Northern Flicker		White-throated Sparrow
x	Red-tailed Hawk	x	Pileated Woodpecker		White-crowned Sparrow
	FALCONS				House Sparrow
			FLYCATCHERS		JUNCOS
x	American Kestrel		Eastern Wood-Pewee		Dark-eyed Junco
x	Merlin		Acadian Flycatcher		TANAGERS
x	Peregrine Falcon		Alder Flycatcher		Summer Tanager
	RAILS, GALLINULES, COOT		Willow Flycatcher		Scarlet Tanager
	Black Rail		Least Flycatcher		Western Tanager
x	Clapper Rail	x	Eastern Phoebe		CARDINALS, BUNTINGS
	King Rail		Vermilion Flycatcher	x	Northern Cardinal
x	Virginia Rail	x	Great Crested Flycatcher		Rose-breasted Grosbeak
x	Sora		Brown-crested Flycatcher		Blue Grosbeak
x	Purple Gallinule		La Sagra’s Flycatcher		Lazuli Bunting
x	Common Gallinule		Tropical Kingbird	x	Indigo Bunting
x	American Coot		Cassin’s Kingbird		Painted Bunting
	LIMPKIN		Western Kingbird		Dickcissel
x	Limpkin		Eastern Kingbird		BLACKBIRDS, ALLIES
	CRANES		Gray Kingbird		Bobolink
x	Sandhill Crane		Loggerhead Kingbird	x	Red-winged Blackbird
			Scissor-tailed Flycatcher	x	Eastern Meadowlark
	PLOVERS		Fork-tailed Flycatcher		Yellow-headed Blackbird
x	Black-bellied Plover		SHRIKE		Rusty Blackbird
	American Golden-Plover	x	Loggerhead Shrike	x	Common Grackle
x	Snowy Plover		VIREOS	x	Boat-tailed Grackle
x	Wilson’s Plover		White-eyed Vireo		Shiny Cowbird
x	Semipalmated Plover		Bell’s Vireo		Bronzed Cowbird
x	Piping Plover		Yellow-throated Vireo		Brown-headed Cowbird
x	Killdeer		Blue-headed Vireo		Orchard Oriole
	OYSTERCATCHER		Philadelphia Vireo		Spot-breasted Oriole
x	American Oystercatcher		Red-eyed Vireo	x	Baltimore Oriole
	STILTS, AVOCETS		Black-whiskered Vireo		FINCHES, ALLIES
x	Black-necked Stilt		JAYS, CROWS		Purple Finch
x	American Avocet	x	Blue Jay	x	House Finch
		x	Florida Scrub-Jay		Pine Siskin
		x	American Crow	x	American Goldfinch
		x	Fish Crow		Evening Grosbeak
			MARTINS, SWALLOWS		OLD-WORLD SPARROWS
		x	Purple Martin		House Sparrow
		x	Tree Swallow
			Northern Rough-winged Swallow
			Bank Swallow
			Cliff Swallow
			Cave Swallow
			Barn Swallow
	Unusual Sightings
x	Yellow-billed Cuckoo
x	Eurasian Wigeon
x	Swan Goose

Browse more Cape Coral Wildlife

Burrowing Owl

Cape Coral, Florida: Home to Florida's largest population of Burrowing Owls, charming and tiny, these owls reside in underground burrows.

Gopher Tortoise

The Gopher Tortoise is a native, keystone species that is listed as threatened due to severe habitat loss.

Bald Eagle

The American Bald Eagle is protected by both federal and local laws. Their nests are typically found in old growth pine tree stands.

Florida Scrub Jay

The Scrub Jay is endemic to Florida, meaning it is not found anywhere else in the wild. It is another species under grave threat due to severe habitat loss.

Purple Martin

The Purple Martin is a migratory bird species that stops in Southwest Florida each year. CCFW volunteers have provided important habitat and monitoring.

Cape Coral Butterflies

Florida was named for its plethora of flowers. The pollinators they support, such as butterflies and skippers, are just as numerous and eye-catching!

Cats

Domestic and feral cats are not wildlife, but outdoor cats can have a terrible impact, often hunting and killing other species we care about.

Manatee

The lovable, docile manatee can be spotted relatively easily in the warm waters around Southwest Florida and Cape Coral.

Alligators

Alligators can be dangerous and should be treated with respect, but there have been no fatal encounters in Cape Coral's history.

Brown/Green Anole

What the heck are all these lizards running around? Learn to identify the most common anoles and geckos.

Coyotes

As in many parts of the country, coyotes are extending their range into urban areas as they are driven out of their native habitats.

Bees

Bees and their pollination work are widely viewed as one the most critical building blocks in every ecosystem.