The National Parks With The Most Bird Species

Bird watching is having a moment. A report from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) estimates that 96 million people in the US watch birds. Birding has exploded for a few different reasons, including spending time in nature, its mental health benefits, and the simple satisfaction of recording the maximum number of species on your notebook, through a camera, or on a birding app. If you're late to joining the birding craze, there's still plenty of time to grab your ballcap and the binoculars. Head out to one of these six national parks with the most bird species, with a bonus detour to Point Reyes National Seashore because, while technically it isn't a national park, its bird list is too good to leave out.

Big Bend National Park, Texas

At Big Bend National Park, a good rule of thumb for birders is simple: if you're looking for birdlife, follow the water. Even the National Park Service's website recommends hanging around the riparian corridor at Rio Grande Village, the campground, and the Nature Trail. The old, abandoned Sam Nail Ranch along the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive is another birding hotspot. Its historic windmill still pumps water into a small oasis in the otherwise parched desert, and a wide variety of birds gather there for the shade and moisture.

Over 450 species live in Big Bend either year-round or migrate through the park's mix of unique habitats like desert, mountains, or river, thanks to its position on the Central Flyway. If you're interested in spotting rare or distinctive species, Big Bend is the only place in the United States where you may spot a Colima Warbler, which breeds in the park's Chisos Mountains. Spring is the best time of year to spot migratory species, while fall is the season for hawks and other raptors.

Everglades National Park, Florida

Use the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center entrance in Homestead, Florida, to see over 360 species of birds at Everglades National Park. The park is part of the Great Florida Birding & Wildlife Trail, a network of more than 500 wildlife viewing sites across Florida, and it holds one of the largest populations of wading birds in the country.

While the 0.8-mile Anhinga Trail has a reputation for its alligator sightings, the self-guided paved-and-boardwalk route runs over wetlands, and its elevated viewing platforms are a good vantage point for spotting the trail's namesake bird, the Anhinga, as it swims through the ponds. Another bird to add to your life list is the Purple Gallinule, the most colorful bird on the trail, which can be seen walking across lily pads. Birds live in the Everglades year-round, but February through May is the best window to spot migratory species passing through on their way north.

Acadia National Park, Maine

With a reputation as the "Warbler Capital of the World," Acadia National Park is home to over 20 species of warblers alone. Joining the warblers are another 340 or so bird species that can be spotted in its diverse habitats, such as beaches, forests, lakes, and mountains. The NPS offers birders a handy list of hotspots, including Cadillac Mountain and Otter Point, and suggests grabbing your binoculars and maybe a bicycle to explore the loops around Eagle Lake and Bubble Pond.

Birding is serious business in Maine. Every spring, birders head to Mount Desert Island for the annual Acadia Birding Festival, with its guided tours and pelagic seabird boat trips and plenty of chances to spy warblers, puffins, and peregrine falcons through your binoculars. The 28th Annual festival is set for June 3 to 6, 2027. The popular event sells out quickly, so bird enthusiasts are encouraged to register early.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho

Park staff at Yellowstone National Park have kept records of bird sightings since 1872, and the tally now stands at around 300 species, including year-round residents, migrants, and occasional vagrants. Due to the park's harsh winters, many species migrate in and out with the seasons, while others, like ravens, chickadees, and Clark's nutcrackers, tough it out all year long. What you'll see in Yellowstone depends heavily on the season, with around 150 species returning each year to mate and raise their young.

Many of these are neotropical migrants, such as warblers, Western Tanagers, swallows, and Lazuli Buntings, that winter in Mexico, Central America, and South America before flying north to spend the summer breeding in Yellowstone. Yellowstone is also home to a bird with a very different travel plan. Harlequin Ducks are among Wyoming's rarest breeding birds, arriving in spring to nest along the Yellowstone River before heading west to the Pacific Coast for winter.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Just like its namesake trees, it takes a special kind of bird to adapt to the arid environment of Joshua Tree National Park in California. Called "southwestern desert specialties" by the NPS website, the park's birdlife is well-suited to desert living, with Cactus Wrens, Verdins, Phainopeplas, and Le Conte's Thrashers living here year-round. But the best-known bird associated with Joshua Tree is the Greater Roadrunner, the model for the cartoon character pitted against Wile E. Coyote. Known for running far more than it flies, it can sprint up to 20 miles per hour and eats scorpions and other venomous prey, including rattlesnakes.

Over 250 species have been recorded in the park, but only 78 are known to nest and raise their young there. As well as the desert birds, other groups of birds you can add to your bird tally are raptors like Cooper's hawks, American kestrels, and golden eagles; woodpeckers like ladder-backed and Gila woodpeckers; and Great Horned, Western Screech, and Burrowing owls.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to around 250 bird species, with nearly 60 living in the park year-round. Like Yellowstone, the Smokies are an important stop for neotropical migrants, which arrive from Central and South America to breed or refuel before continuing north to summer breeding grounds. Some of the Smokies' birds are surprisingly easy to spot. Wild turkeys are year-round residents and the largest nesting birds in the park. The gobblers are among the park's most commonly seen animals, but other easily spotted birds include the bright red Northern cardinal, American robin, Canada goose, and the pileated woodpecker.

The park is considered one of the premier national parks for birdwatching, thanks to its diverse habitats and climates resulting from the dramatic elevation changes. The 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road is a safe bet when it comes to adding birds to your life list. The one-way drive passes scenic overlooks, historic buildings, and numerous hiking trails worth exploring.

Bonus Birding Hotspot: Point Reyes National Seashore, California

Its position on the Pacific Flyway and the shape of its peninsula make the 71,028-acre Point Reyes National Seashore one of the top birding hotspots in the country, with a strong claim to the greatest bird diversity of any national park unit. During Audubon's Christmas Bird Count, held between December 14 and January 5 each season, Point Reyes routinely ranks at or near the top nationally.

The park is home to nearly 490 species, representing over half of North America's birds. Its coastal setting, with undisturbed grasslands, estuaries, and forests, is a magnet for migrating and wintering birds. To increase your chances of spotting a "vagrant" (a bird not usually seen in a location), spend time in the lighthouse rocks and cliff areas, Limantour, and Abbotts Lagoon, where you may be lucky enough to add a threatened western snowy plover to your bird list.

The Best National Park For Birders

With bird tourism on the rise, why not join in by heading out to one of the best national parks in the U.S. for bird watching? These seven parks are packed with species to spot, from rare desert specialties and colorful warblers to raptors, giant turkeys, and quirky roadrunners. So grab your binoculars, download a birding app, and head out to some of the best birding destinations that offer lots of opportunities to add a few new species to your life lists.