Kentucky’s Must-Visit Bird Watching Sites

Kentucky has a wide variety of natural habitats to support wildlife, including hardwood forests, caves, rivers, wetlands, mountains, and open grasslands. Kentucky is part of the Mississippi Flyway, with hundreds of migratory bird species visiting the state each spring and fall. Over 350 bird species have been documented in Kentucky, which includes around 150 breeding species. There are at least 22 species of raptors and over 150 songbirds that occur in the state at some point during the year. Read on to discover Kentucky’s must-visit bird watching sites to see some of these amazing birds.

Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge (Long Point Unit)

Although most of the 10,428-acre Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge lies in Tennessee, the Long Point Unit is a 2,042-acre section that reaches into the southwestern edge of Kentucky. With a species list of over 200 birds for the Long Point Unit alone, it is one of the state’s must-visit birding sites. A variety of wading birds and waterfowl are common at Reelfoot Lake, but it is most well-known for the bald eagles that congregate here during the winter. Nesting birds include prothonotary warblers, eastern bluebirds, dickcissel, and many more.

Common birds you may see at Long Point Unit include:

• Canada geese
• Mallard ducks
• Pileated woodpecker
• Great egret
• Mississippi kite
• Yellow-throated warbler
• Blue grosbeak
• Red-headed woodpecker
• Snowy egret
• Wild turkey

Land Between the Lakes

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area is a 170,000-acre tract of mostly undeveloped forest and over 300 miles of shoreline between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Woodlands Nature Station staff have documented over 250 bird species at Land Between the Lakes. The lakes are a magnet for migrating waterfowl, including around 20 species of ducks and flocks of Sandhill Cranes in the winter, as well as American white pelicans in the spring and fall. The woodlands, grasslands, and scrub shelter breeding songbirds, such as Kentucky warblers, scarlet tanagers, yellow-throated vireo, and more. Visitors can also go on guided eagle tours led by Nature Station staff in January and February.

Common birds you may see at Land Between the Lakes include:

• Bald eagle
• osprey
• Double-crested cormorant
• Barred owl
• Pileated woodpecker
• Louisiana waterthrush
• Black-and-white warbler
• Prothonotary warbler
• Pine warbler
• Summer tanager

Sloughs Wildlife Management Area

The Sloughs Wildlife Management Area is located on the western edge of Henderson County and the northern part of Union County in the bottomland of the Ohio River. The 11,176-acre site has a bird list of around 250 species, including many species of ducks, geese, wading birds, and shorebirds. The wildlife management area supports up to 30,000 ducks and 40,000 geese each year. Wild turkeys, red-headed woodpeckers, and various warblers inhabit the forest, while dickcissel and northern bobwhite are found in the grasslands.

Birds you may see at the Sloughs Wildlife Management Area include:

• Greater white-fronted goose
• Tundra swan
• Bald eagle
• American bittern
• Least bittern
• King rail
• Virginia rail
• Red-headed woodpecker
• Black-and-white warbler
• Prothonotary warbler

Red River Gorge Geologic Area in Daniel Boone National Forest

Red River Gorge is located in east-central Kentucky, within the massive Daniel Boone National Forest that extends through 21 counties. The Red River Gorge canyon system not only has towering sandstone cliffs and arches, it also has mixed hardwood forests that are home to a wide variety of nesting birds. In the Rock Bridge area, east of Pine Ridge, visitors may see breeding birds including hawks, woodpeckers, and several species of warblers, among others.

Common birds at Red River Gorge include:

• Ruffed grouse
• Red-shouldered hawk
• Ovenbird
• Broad-winged hawk
• Pileated woodpecker
• Worm-eating warbler
• Blue-headed vireo
• Red-breasted nuthatch
• Hooded warbler
• Swainson’s warbler

John James Audubon State Park

Located beside the Ohio River, the John James Audubon State Park was named for the celebrated naturalist and bird artist who lived in Henderson, Kentucky from 1810 to 1819. The state park includes a museum with Audubon’s art and personal memorabilia. Over 6 miles of trails wind through the park. During the winter, visitors can see waterfowl, woodpeckers, and mixed flocks. From spring through fall, neotropical migrants such as warblers and tanagers are common. Just north of the State Park lies the Audubon Wetlands, a 649-acre site where warblers, waterfowl, and other woodland birds abound.

Common birds you may see at John James Audubon State Park include:

• Pileated woodpecker
• Barred owl
• Eastern bluebird
• Scarlet tanager
• Summer tanager
• Prothonotary warbler
• Kentucky warbler
• Louisiana waterthrush
• Baltimore oriole
• Acadian flycatcher

Bernheim Forest and Arboretum

The Bernheim Forest and Arboretum is more than 16,000 acres of wild forest located in Clermont, Kentucky, about 20 miles south of Louisville. There are over 40 miles of hiking trails through the forest, and more than 240 bird species have been recorded here. Golden eagles use the forest for their winter home. The forest also supports breeding species such as Henslow’s sparrows, blue-winged warblers, and purple martins. Other nesting birds include wild turkeys, Cooper’s hawk, wood thrush, and many others.

Some of the birds you may see at the Bernheim Forest and Arboretum include:

• Northern bobwhite
• Broad-winged hawk
• Ovenbird
• Yellow-throated vireo
• Louisiana waterthrush
• Worm-eating warbler
• Kentucky warbler
• Hooded warbler
• Prairie warbler
• Scarlet tanager

Other notable bird-watching spots in Kentucky include Falls of the Ohio State Park, the Jonathan Creek Embayment, Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery, Ballard Wildlife Management Area, Berea College Forest, and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Kentucky state parks also feature more than 300 miles of hiking trails with many opportunities for bird watching.