Reference
How many bird species are in Maryland?
Maryland has 463 bird species on its official list (Maryland/District of Columbia Records Committee, October 2, 2024), tied for the 23rd highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. The same committee keeps the District of Columbia's list. Birds of questionable or captive origin are listed separately and not counted.
Updated
Maryland bird list at a glance
| Official count | 463 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | October 2, 2024 |
| Kept by | Maryland/District of Columbia Records Committee (Maryland Ornithological Society) |
| Among US states | Tied for 23rd highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Official List of the Birds of Maryland (as of 2 October 2024) |
What does Maryland’s count include?
- Species accepted for Maryland, numbered 1 to 463 in the first part of the list.
- Not counted: subspecies and forms, birds of questionable origin, and exotic birds, each in a separate part of the list.
Why might you see a different number?
A state’s count is every species ever accepted on its official list, so a figure from another year, or one that counts something else, won’t match.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own Maryland list?
Your state list is every species you’ve seen in the state. If you log your sightings in eBird, it lets you filter your life list by place, a state included (eBird’s My eBird help page, updated March 28, 2025), and the data download you can ask for gives the state of every sighting: our guide shows how to download your own eBird data. On paper, count the species you’ve seen in Maryland; what is a life list? explains how birders keep their lists.
If you’d like your whole life list in print, Birdfolio turns it into a hardcover book, each species beside a classic painting.
Maryland’s state bird
Baltimore Oriole
Maryland’s state bird is the Baltimore Oriole, the state bird since 1947. Chapter 54, Acts of 1947.
Audubon painted it too: plate 12 of The Birds of America.
Source: Maryland State Bird: Baltimore Oriole (Maryland Manual, Maryland State Archives), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Maryland
Our birding festivals calendar lists 2 in Maryland, with dates from each festival’s own website:
- Waterfowl Festival, Easton: November 13–15, 2026
- Eagle Festival at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: March 14, 2026)
In winter you can also join a Christmas Bird Count near you; our guide explains how.
More about bird counts
- How many bird species are in each state: all 50 states, DC and Canada, each from its official list.
- Bird lists of nearby states: Delaware, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.
- State birds of all 50 states, each with its classic painting.
- How many bird species are in the US and Canada, and how birders count them.
- Bird splits and lumps: when one species becomes two, state lists change too.