Alabama Birding Trail

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.

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.

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.

Birds of the Upper Cahaba Trail
Birding in and around Birmingham and the beautiful Upper Cahaba River watershed affords the opportunity to experience diverse ornithological delights near Alabama's largest metrolpolitan area.

North Alabama Birding Trail
The Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries officially announced the development of the North Alabama Birding Trail on November 13, 2003 and completion is expected by fall 2005. There will be approximately 50 sites traversing the Tennessee Valley Region of north Alabama that will be unified by directional signage along highways and roads.

Photo Credits:

A snowy egret in breeding plumage explores a Dauphin Island swamp. Photo by Dan Brothers, Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel.

Photos of painted bunting, prothonotary warbler, red-eyed vireo, and yellow-billed cuckoo by Eric C. Soehren, Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources.

All other photos by Brothers, ABTT.