Reference
How many bird species are in Mississippi?
Mississippi has 429 bird species on its official list (Mississippi Ornithological Society Bird Records Committee, June 2022), the 39th highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. The list dates from June 2022. It includes species known only from sight records, accepted on written descriptions, and species no longer found in Mississippi.
Updated
Mississippi bird list at a glance
| Official count | 429 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | June 2022 |
| Kept by | Mississippi Ornithological Society Bird Records Committee |
| Among US states | 39th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Checklist of Birds of Mississippi (June 2022) |
What does Mississippi’s count include?
- Species known only from sight records the committee accepted on written descriptions (shown in brackets).
- Species no longer found in Mississippi.
- Species names as of the American Ornithological Society's 62nd checklist supplement.
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 Mississippi 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 Mississippi; 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.
Mississippi’s state bird
Northern Mockingbird
Mississippi’s state bird is the Northern Mockingbird (officially, the “Mockingbird”).
Audubon painted it too: plate 21 of The Birds of America.
Source: Mississippi State Emblems & Symbols (ms.gov, State of Mississippi), archived copy (the copy saved on June 15, 2026), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Mississippi
Our birding festivals calendar lists one festival in Mississippi, with dates from its own website:
- North Mississippi Hummingbird Festival, Southaven: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: September 12–13, 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: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee.
- 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.