Alabama Birding Trails

Alabama is a birding paradise. Forests, mountains, meadows, swamps, and beaches dot the landscape, creating a plethora of avian habitats. From the majestic bald eagle, symbol of our nation's heritage, to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, to the crowd-pleasing painted bunting, over 400 species of birds grace the blue skies above Alabama.

Feathery friends welcome you to many sites. The number and variety of birds you can see at each location will vary by season and weather conditions, making each birding expedition a new adventure. So grab your binoculars, brush up on your bird-calling skills, and wing it to Alabama. It's for the birds!

Alabama Birding Trails:

Alabama Birding Trails Map
This map shows the different trail locations across the state.

Tennessee Valley Talon Trail
This route follows the Tennessee River as it cuts a wide arc across the upper plateau of Alabama.

Highland Flyers Trail
This hilly, mountainous route includes the southern terminus of the Appalachian ridge.

Riverbend Gliders Trail
This route weaves through the flat, fertile corridor of the Black Warrior, Cahaba, Alabama, Tombigbee, and Conecuh river basins.

Winged Plains Trail
This route rolls over gently unfolding fields and forests toward the Chattahoochee River valley of southeastern Alabama.

North Alabama Birding Trail
The North Alabama Birding Trail is not a "trail" in the traditional sense, but a series of mostly roadside stops throughout north Alabama selected for their birdwatching characteristics

Alabama Coastal Birding Trail
Looping around delta bottomlands, Mobile Bay, and the sandy terrain bordering the Gulf of Mexico, this route includes several highlights from the separately published "Alabama Coastal Birding Trail" (ACBT) brochure, which lists a total of 50 birding sites. For a copy, call 1-800-745-SAND or 1-800-5-MOBILE. This trail includes road signs identifying each birding site, corresponding to the codes shown in parentheses.

Other Alabama Birding Pages:

Alabama Birding Information
Everyday birds of Alabama, Alabama's state bird, bird banding.

Winging it by Water: Cruising for Birds
For a unique birding experience, climb aboard a boat to explore Alabama's rivers, swamps, and bays. Birders can literally get off the beaten path and look for ospreys, pelicans, blue herons, egrets, and other wading birds in their natural aquatic habitat.

American Birding Association's Code of Birding Ethics
Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment, and the rights of others. In any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first.

Alabama Birding Resources
Web sites, books and organizations.

Photo Credits