WELCOME TO THE CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST

The Cherokee National Forest (CNF) is located in the Unaka range of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The diverse habitats found here include coniferous forests of red spruce, pine and hemlock in addition to cove and northern hardwood forests, mixed oak-hickory forests, treeless "balds," wide rivers, and narrow cascading streams. Elevations range from about 700 feet to over 6,000 feet above sea level.

These forest lands were originally purchased in 1912 and were organized into two separate national forests. In 1936, all Forest Service lands in the state were consolidated into the Cherokee National Forest that now includes over 636,000 acres. The forest is actively managed under the concept of ecosystem management for wildlife, recreation, timber, water and other resources, by the USDA Forest Service.

THE CHECKLIST

To date, 262 bird species are known to reside here year-round or to visit the Forest seasonally. Birds are very mobile creatures, and you are encouraged to study their movements. Some species, including the red-breasted nuthatch and brown creeper, nest at or near the southern limits of their range here and undergo seasonal, altitudinal migrations. They are found at the highest elevations during the summer nesting season and at variable elevations during other seasons.

Eighty-seven species found here are long-distance neotropical migrants that nest in North America and spend their wintering period primarily south of the United States. Numbers of many of these birds have declined in recent years for reasons that are not fully understood, but may be related to forest fragmentation and loss of habitat in both the temperate and tropical zones. An international initiative called Partners in Flight/Aves de las Americas, formed in 1990, is dedicated to the conservation of these birds.

Many migrant species are found within the CNF during both migration and the nesting season. Abundance codes listed for these species describe numbers of birds during the nesting season, and do not reflect the temporary influx of higher numbers of migrants. A bird in migration often uses a wider variety of habitats than the same bird during nesting season; nesting birds are often very habitat-specific.

This checklist is a reference to all lands within the proclamation boundary of the Forest, including nonforested private inholdings and several large reservoirs (a total of over 1.2 million acres). The Forest is divided into two distinct "halves" by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In some cases the seasonal status or abundance of a bird species may differ between the "north end" and the "south end" of the forest. In this checklist, this difference is noted by the two status codes for the same season. The "southern" status codes precede the "northern" status codes, and these are separated by a comma.

The nomenclature and arrangement of species follows the A.O.U. Check-list of North American Birds 7th Edition (1998).
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STATUS CODES

RESIDENCY
R-Permanent Resident
S-Summer Resident
M-Migrant
W-Winter Visitor

FREQUENCY/ABUNDANCE
A - Abundant: over 25 individuals on a given day in proper habitat/season.
C - Common: 5-25 individuals on a given day in proper habitat/season.
F - Fairly Common: at least one individual per day in proper habitat/season.
U - Uncommon: at least one individual per season of occurrence or several individuals per year.
O - Occasional: one individual per year or less.
X - Rare/Accidental: has occurred at least once but is not to be expected.

HABITAT
le - low elevation (mostly below 3,500 ft.)
he - high elevation (mostly above 3,500 ft.)
s - shrub/sapling
m - mixed coniferous/deciduous forest
s/f - red spruce and/or Fraser fir forest
l - lake/shoreline
g - grassy fields/balds
d - deciduous forest
c - coniferous forest

SPECIAL NOTATIONS
* - confirmed breeder
*? - suspected breeder
+ - recently reintroduced

GREBES (Podicipedidae)
_____Pied-billed Grebe UW l
_____Horned Grebe UW l
_____Red-necked Grebe XW l

PELICANS (Pelicanidae)
_____American White Pelican X l

CORMORANTS (Phalacrocoracidae)
_____Double-crested Cormorant UW, OW l

HERONS (Ardeidae)
_____American Bittern X l
_____Great Blue Heron OR-UW l
_____"Great White Heron" X l
_____Great Egret OM l
_____Snowy Egret OM l
_____Little Blue Heron OM l
_____Green Heron *FS l
_____Black-crowned Night-Heron OM l

IBISES (Threskiornithidae)
_____White Ibis XM l

VULTURES (Cathartidae)
_____Black Vulture *FR, *UR
_____Turkey Vulture *CR

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FALCONS (Falconidae)
_____American Kestrel *?CR, *FR
_____Merlin OM
_____Peregrine Falcon OM, UR+

GROUSE AND TURKEYS (Phasianidae)
_____Ruffed Grouse *FR d,m,c
_____Wild Turkey *UR g,s,m

QUAILS (Odontophoridae)
_____Northern Bobwhite *UR g,s

RAILS, GALLINULES AND COOTS (Rallidae)
_____Sora OM
_____Common Moorhen XM
_____American Coot FW l

CRANES (Gruidae)
_____Sandhill Crane OM, XM

PLOVERS (Charadriidae)
_____Semipalmated Plover UM l
_____Killdeer *FR

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SKUAS, GULLS AND TERNS (Laridae)
_____Pomarine Jaeger X l
_____Parasitic Jaeger X l
_____Laughing Gull X l
_____Bonaparte's Gull UW l
_____Ring-billed Gull CW l
_____Herring Gull UW l
_____Caspian Tern UM l
_____Royal Tern X l
_____Common Tern OM l
_____Forster's Tern UM l
_____Sooty Tern X l
_____Black Tern UM l

CUCKOOS (Cuculidae)
_____Black-billed Cuckoo *US d,m
_____Yellow-billed Cuckoo *FS d,m,s

BARN OWLS (Tytonidae)
_____Barn Owl *?OR g,d,m

TYPICAL OWLS (Strigidae)
_____Eastern Screech-Owl *CR d,m le
_____Great Horned Owl *FR c,d,m
_____Barred Owl *FR c,d,m
_____Northern Saw-whet Owl *?OR, *UR s/f,m he

GOATSUCKERS (Caprimulgidae)
_____Common Nighthawk *?FM/OS
_____Chuck-will's-widow *?FS c,m,d le
_____Whip-poor-will *CS c,m,d

SWIFTS (Apodidae)
_____Chimney Swift *CS

HUMMINGBIRDS (Trochilidae)
_____Ruby-throated Hummingbird *FS d,m

KINGFISHERS (Alcedinidae)
_____Belted Kingfisher *FR l le

WOODPECKERS (Picidae)
_____Red-headed Woodpecker *?UR, *?OR d le
_____Red-bellied Woodpecker *CR, *FR d,m le
_____Yellow-bellied Sapsucker *US d he/FW d,m le

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VIREOS (Vireonidae)
_____White-eyed Vireo *FS s le
_____Blue-headed Vireo *FS d,m,s/f
_____Yellow-throated Vireo *US d,m le
_____Warbling Vireo *OS 1 with d,m (north only)
_____Philadelphia Vireo OM
_____Red-eyed Vireo *AS d,m,c

JAYS AND CROWS (Corvidae)
_____Blue Jay *CR d,m,c,s/f
_____American Crow *CR d,m,c,s/f
_____Common Raven *?UR, *FR d,m,s/f he

LARKS (Alaudidae)
_____Horned Lark *US g, (north only)

CHICKADEES AND TITMICE (Paridae)
_____Carolina Chickadee *CR d,m,c
_____Black-capped Chickadee *UR, *?OR d,m,s/f he
_____Tufted Titmouse *CR d,m,c

NUTHATCHES (Sittidae)
_____Red-breasted Nuthatch *UR, *FR d,m,c,s/f he;
         F-UW le
_____White-breasted Nuthatch *CR d,m,c
_____Brown-headed Nuthatch *OR m,c (south only)

CREEPERS (Certhiidae)
_____Brown Creeper *?UR, *?UR he; FW le

WRENS (Troglodytidae)
_____Carolina Wren *CR s,d,m,c
_____Bewick's Wren (extirpated)
_____House Wren *US, *FS d,m
_____Winter Wren *FR, *CR d,m,s/f he
_____Sedge Wren OM
_____Marsh Wren OM

KINGLETS (Regulidae)
_____Golden-crowned Kinglet *FR, *CR m,s/f he; FW
_____Ruby-crowned Kinglet FM/UW

SILVIIDAE (Old World Warblers)
_____Blue-gray Gnatcatcher *CS d,m,c

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STARLINGS (Sturnidae)
_____European Starling *UR, d,m,g

MOCKINGBIRDS & THRASHERS (Mimidae)
_____Gray Catbird *CSXW s
_____Northern Mockingbird *UR s
_____Brown Thrasher *FS/OW s,d,m

PIPITS (Moticillidae)
_____American Pipit UW, UM g
_____Sprague's Pipit XW

WAXWINGS (Bombycillidae)
_____Cedar Waxwing *CR d,m,s/f

WOOD-WARBLERS (Parulidae)
_____Blue-winged Warbler *US s, le
_____Golden-winged Warbler *?US,*US s
_____Tennessee Warbler CM
_____Orange-crowned Warbler OM
_____Nashville Warbler UM
_____Northern Parula *FS d,m
_____Yellow Warbler *?FS, *FS s
_____Chestnut-sided Warbler *CS s he
_____Magnolia Warbler FM, *?FS s/f he
_____Cape May Warbler CM
_____Black-throated Blue Warbler *CS d,m,s/f he

TANAGERS (Thraupidae)
_____Summer Tanager *US,*?US d,m le
_____Scarlet Tanager *CS d,m

SPARROWS (Emberizidae)
_____Eastern Towhee *CR, s
_____Bachman's Sparrow *?OS, X g,s
_____Chipping Sparrow *CS/OW d,m,c,s,g
_____Field Sparrow *FS g,s
_____Vesper Sparrow UM, *US g he
_____Savannah Sparrow UW/UM g

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CARDINALS, GROSBEAKS (Cardinalidae)
_____Northern Cardinal *CR s,d,m
_____Rose-breasted Grosbeak *FS d,m he
_____Blue Grosbeak *US g,s
_____Indigo Bunting *AS d,m,c,s

BLACKBIRDS (Icteridae)
_____Bobolink OM g
_____Red-winged Blackbird *UR, *FR g,s
_____Eastern Meadowlark *UR, *FR g
_____Rusty Blackbird UW s,d
_____Common Grackle *UR, *CR s,g,d,m,c le
_____Brown-headed Cowbird *CR s,g,d,m,c
_____Orchard Oriole *?FS, *US d le
_____Northern Oriole *US d le

FINCHES (Fringillidae)
_____Purple Finch UW d,m,c (XS he north only)
_____House Finch *?UR s,d,m,c
_____Red Crossbill OR,*?UR c,s/f he
_____White-winged Crossbill OW (north only)
_____Pine Siskin A-UW d,m,c,s/f; *?OS he
_____American Goldfinch *CR s,d,m
_____Evening Grosbeak OW,O-FW d,m,c,s/f

OLD WORLD SPARROWS (Passeridae)
_____House Sparrow *UR urban or farms

FOR MORE INFORMATION
     Hamel, Paul. Tennessee Wildlife Viewing Guide. Helena and Millings, MT: Falcon Press, 1993.
     Gemmill, D., R. Wauer, and W. Boyle, eds. Birdfinding in Forty National Forests and Grasslands. Colorado Springs, CO: American Birding Association, 1994.

The CNF welcomes all well-documented records of unusual sightings and breeding confirmation for "suspected breeders." Contact Forest Biologist, Cherokee National Forest, P.O. Box 2010, Cleveland, TN 37320.

This checklist was originally produced by The Cradle of Forestry in America Interpretive Association, a nonprofit educational organization, in partnership with the Cherokee National Forest, East Tennessee State University, and the Tennessee Ornithological Society.

Originally Compiled by Dr. Fred J. Alsop III and Cathi J. Sullins, August 1993.
Reviewed by R. L. Knight, C. P. Nicholson and Dr. S. J. Stedman
Revised by Charles P. Nicholson, June 2000