Birds starting with “W” offer some of the most fascinating avian species out there! From woodpeckers to waxwings and warblers galore, these birds can be found all over the globe in their natural habitats.
In this blog we’ll go through 9 wonderful birds that start with W.
List of 11 Wonderful Birds that start with W- Pictures & Info
Wood Stork
The Wood Stork ( Mycteria americana ) is a wading bird native to North America and the only stork that breeds in the United States. A large wetland bird , it inhabits marshes, swamps, streams, coastal areas and ponds in the southern United States. The species is also a breeding bird in South America in particular Argentina.
In fact, the scientific name for the Wood Stork is Mycteria americana which translates to “American wood stork.”
The Wood Stork is a unique bird, making it easily recognizable due to its size and appearance. These large wading birds grow to be up to 4 feet tall with wingspans reaching close to 6 feet wide.
White-headed Woodpeckers
White-headed Woodpeckers are a North American bird that starts with W, known scientifically as Picoides albolarvatus. They have a unique appearance thanks to their namesake white head and white stripe down the neck.
In fact, they’re the only regularly occurring woodpecker in North America with this distinguishing characteristic.
These birds usually live in mature coniferous forests including western redcedar, Douglas fir and western hemlock, as well as moist deciduous forests consisting of bigleaf maple, oak and willows.
White-headed Woodpeckers are about the same size of an American Robin, with mostly inky black plumage all over, except for their bright white heads and white stripes on their wings.
Adult Males also have a vibrant red patch on their heads similar to other species of woodpeckers.
Whimbrel
The Whimbrel is a bird that starts with W and is part of the Numenius phaeopus species. Found in habitats near shallow wetlands and the shoreline, such as mudflats and grasslands.
The Whimbrel ( Numenius phaeopus ) is a fairly large wader with distinctive long down-curved bills. A migratory species distributed worldwide, these waders breed across much of North America, Africa, Europe and Asia.
Whimbrels also typically migrate between their wintering grounds in South America and their breeding grounds along the coastline of Northern Europe and North America during springtime.
Williamson’s Sapsuckers
Williamson’s Sapsuckers are a species of birds that start with w, and are known to live in the western parts of North America.
Williamson’s Sapsuckers are primarily found in the forests of the Rocky Mountains and westward. They roost in natural or excavated cavities and prefer nesting in a larger, and older trees.
These birds migrate to south during the winter months and arrive in more northern regions come spring. These birds starting with W have brown bodies covered with black stripes, white bellies, red crest, and yellow throats.
Willet
The Willet, scientifically known as Tringa semipalmata, is a widely distributed shorebird that can be found in multiple different habitats. Interestingly enough, Willets are some of the few birds that start with the letter W.
The species breeds from central Canada to northeastern California and winters along the Atlantic Coast.
Standing at about 11 inches tall, this lovely bird has a white belly and gray upperparts adorned with black streaks on its wings. Its head and neck sport distinct black markings giving it almost a painted look.
Woodcock
These are one of the birds that start with W, and commonly lives in the forests, forest edges, old fields, and wet meadows of eastern North America. The Woodcock is a small, plump bird that features a long bill and short legs.
The Woodcock is any of eight species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two species namely. The Eurasian Woodcock ( Scolopax rusticola ) and the American Woodcock ( Scolopax minor ) are widespread, the others, including the Philippine Woodcock (Scolopax bukidnonensis) are local island endemics.
The scientific name for Woodcock is Scolopax minor and its close relatives include birds that start with W such as Wilson’s Snipe and Whip-poor-will.
Western Gull
Birds that start with W such as the Western Gull are fun to look out for. This bird is said to have predatory behavior, which allows it to feed itself and protect its eggs which it keep in cup shaped nest.
In terms of its physical appearance, this gull usually sports a light gray head, gray wings.and neck, along with white underparts and black wings with white tips. A unique identifier of this species is yellow bill .
Waxwing
The Waxwing is a beautiful bird from the family of birds that start with W. It is small-medium in size, wingspan 12 inches, and 20 cm in length.
It has a crest on its head, colorful feathered patches on its forehead, black masklike markings around its eyes, and an yellowish-tipped tail.
The Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) and Cedar Waxwing (B. cedrorum) are the two North American species and the third species is the Japanese Waxwing (B. japonica).
This bird species have threehave mainly soft silky brown plumage characterized by unique red tips in some parts of the wing feathers.
White-faced ibis
The White-faced Ibis is one of the more unique birds that start with W, and its scientific name is ‘Plegadis chihi’ . These birds are mostly found in the wetlands of western North America, and found near ponds and marshes.
White-faced Ibis measure around 22 inches long, have black feathers on their body accompanied by red eyes, and their wings feature a distinguishing white face or half mask. Immature birds and non-breeding adults are solid brown and lack the white face.
Interestingly enough, these birds spend most of their time probing shallow wetland areas for marine worms, and other invertebrates using long bills for searching out food.
Western Grebe
These are the birds beginning with W, and their scientific name is Aechmophorus occidentalis. This species is the largest North American grebe, measuring roughly 30 inches long and weighing up to 1.4kgs, with a wingspan of up to 40 inches.
Their preferred habitat is shallow freshwater lakes or marshes and it’s not uncommon for them to have multiple colonies.
Warbling vireos
These birds beginning with W common songbirds in the United States and Canada during the summer, they spend their winters in Southern Mexico.
They have greyish green wings and backs, gray on their heads, and white underneath. Warbling vireos (Vireo gilvus) migrate across the continent twice a year for warmer climates, so these lovely creatures may be around one spring or summertime but gone by autumn.
Birds that Start with W – FAQs
Q. What blue bird starts with W?
Western Bluebirds is a blue bird that starts with W.
Q. What nocturnal bird starts with W?
Western screech owl is a nocturnal bird that starts with W.
Q. What bird begins with W in the United Kingdom?
Waxwing is a bird begins with W in the UK.
Finally, checkout the entire series of birds that start with or begin with the letter: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.
Hi, I’m Olivia Kepner and I am a zookeeper here in San Diego. Since I was a young girl I have always been fascinated by animals and species across the globe.
I used to beg my parents to take me to our local zoo every single weekend. Well, I say local – it was more like a two hour drive away. But they took me as much as they could, allowing me to fall in love with the animals again and again.
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