Types of Wild Birds in the Winter in Massachusetts

Despite the harsh weather that a Massachusetts winter can whip up, many of the birds in the Bay State are year-round residents and do not fly south to avoid such conditions. These hardy birds rely on their resourcefulness to survive when snow, cold and wind combine to make finding food a difficult chore. Among the birds that overwinter in Massachusetts are a noisy and rambunctious visitor to bird feeders, a raptor renowned for its call and the Massachusetts state bird.

  1. Blue Jay

    • The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is one of the most recognizable birds anywhere, with a crested head, bright blue feathers interspersed with black and white and a familiar call of "Jay-jay." Many blue jays stay through the winter throughout their range, which includes Massachusetts and most of the eastern two-thirds of Southern Canada and the United States. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology website notes that an adult blue jay may migrate to a southern location one year, but then remain in its northern home the next, with the reasons unclear as to why. Blue jays tend to stay close to where oak trees grow, as they are fond of acorns. Blue jays live in forests, but typically on the borders of woodlands, with many also inhabiting urban and suburban locations. The blue jay is often noisy and can drive other species away from a bird feeder in winter. Blue jays will take acorns and other nuts and bury them, but often never recover them, in effect planting a tree in many instances.

    Black-Capped Chickadee

    • The black-capped chickadee is Massachusetts's state bird.

      The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) became the Massachusetts state bird on March 21, 1941, designated for the honor by the legislature of Massachusetts. The species is always curious and it will gladly investigate anything that comes into its area. Black-capped chickadees have a round black head, with the black broken up by a white area that extends from the beak back to the rear of the neck. The black-capped chickadee visits bird feeders through the long winter, with the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds" reporting that the bird makes trips around the neighborhood to feeders "with regularity." The chickadee, named for its "chick-a dee-dee-dee" call, can hang upside down while eating and will cache seeds in different hiding spots for later consumption. The small bird survives a freezing Massachusetts winter night by staying snug in a cavity it creates in rotten wood.

    Eastern Screech Owl

    • The eastern screech owl is a skilled hunter.

      The eastern screech owl (Otus asio) cannot eat fare such as frogs, insects and earthworms in the winter, so it turns its attention at night to small rodents such as mice, rats and squirrels. The eastern screech owl is a small owl, with a large specimen being 10 to 11 inches in length. The sounds the eastern screech owl makes include hoots and screeching noises. The eastern screech owl often lives in close proximity to people, taking advantage of the lack of competition from other raptors in an urban scenario and the number of rodents available to eat. The eastern screech owl will vigorously defend its nesting site, swooping down on a person who unknowingly comes too close to it. The eastern screech owl makes its home in tree cavities and has no problem making use of nest boxes provided for it. The bird will eat other songbirds and when it moves about during the day, it can ramp songbirds up into a frenzy if they see it.