Reference
How many bird species are in Nebraska?
Nebraska has 472 bird species on its official list (Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, no date on the list), the 20th highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. Of these, 346 are regular, 24 casual and 96 accidental (the list's words for rare visitors), 4 are no longer found in Nebraska and 2 are extinct.
Updated
Nebraska bird list at a glance
| Official count | 472 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | Not given on the list (we read it on October 2, 2026) |
| Kept by | Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (Records Committee) |
| Regular | 346 species |
| Rare visitors | 24 casual, 96 accidental |
| Extinct or gone | 2 extinct, 4 no longer found in Nebraska |
| Among US states | 20th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Birds of Nebraska (NOU state list) |
What does Nebraska’s count include?
- 346 regular species.
- 120 rare visitors: 24 the list calls casual and 96 accidental.
- 4 species no longer found in Nebraska and 2 extinct species.
- Some species are accepted on sight records.
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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska; 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.
Nebraska’s state bird
Western Meadowlark
Nebraska’s state bird is the Western Meadowlark, the state bird since 1929. Designated by legislative action.
Source: State Symbols (Nebraska Secretary of State), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
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: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota.
- 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.