Birds of Ocean City & Assateague

25 starter species curated for visitors—not the full 300+ Assateague checklist. Likelihood stars rate how often a typical visitor might notice the bird around OC / Assateague MD (1 rare · 5 common). Always respect nesting closures, especially for Piping Plovers and beach-nesting terns.

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Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major · Songbird · ★★★★★ Large coastal blackbird of marshes and parking lots. Males show keel-shaped “boat” tails and glossy iridescence. Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum · Seabird · ★★★★★ Dark diver that surfaces with a fish. Common on bay pilings, channel markers, and Assateague waters. Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias · Wader / heron · ★★★★★ The tall, slow stalker of Assateague marshes and Ocean City bay edges. Easy to spot year-round. Great Egret Ardea alba · Wader / heron · ★★★★★ All-white wader of Assateague marsh edges in the warm months. Larger than a Snowy Egret, with a yellow bill. Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla · Gull / tern · ★★★★★ The summer boardwalk gull, with a black head in breeding plumage and a loud laughing call over Ocean City beaches. Osprey Pandion haliaetus · Raptor · ★★★★★ Fish-eating raptor of bay platforms and channel markers. One of the easiest “wow” birds for Ocean City visitors. Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus · Songbird · ★★★★★ Marsh soundtrack of Assateague summers. Males flash red shoulder patches from reeds and rushes. Sanderling Calidris alba · Shorebird · ★★★★★ The classic “wave chaser” on Ocean City and Assateague beaches, racing the foam line for tiny prey. Willet Tringa semipalmata · Shorebird · ★★★★★ A large, gray shorebird of beaches and marsh edges. Loud “pill-will-willet” calls give it away before you see the bold wing stripe. American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus · Shorebird · ★★★★☆ Big, black-and-white shorebird with a carrot-orange bill, often on inlet shell bars and Assateague beaches. Brant Branta bernicla · Waterfowl · ★★★★☆ Small dark sea goose. NPS describes winter flocks of hundreds off Assateague after nesting in northern Canada. Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis · Seabird · ★★★★☆ Plunge-diving summer visitor. NPS notes Brown Pelicans as warm-season birds still expanding after DDT-era recovery. Northern Gannet Morus bassanus · Seabird · ★★★★☆ Large white seabird that plunge-dives offshore. Reliable in winter from Ocean City and Assateague beaches on clear days. Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius · Raptor · ★★★★☆ Low-flying marsh hunter. NPS notes winter harriers working Assateague’s marsh grasses for small mammals and birds. Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus · Gull / tern · ★★★★☆ Large orange-billed tern of the Inlet and ocean, often loafing with other terns on sandbars. Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres · Shorebird · ★★★★☆ Calico-patterned shorebird that flips shells and wrack on Inlet rocks and Assateague beaches. Snowy Egret Egretta thula · Wader / heron · ★★★★☆ Smaller white egret with a black bill and bright yellow feet. “Golden slippers” flash in the marsh. Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata · Songbird · ★★★★☆ Winter warbler of bayberry thickets. Birders Guide notes Assateague’s bayberries filled with Yellow-rumps in winter. Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus · Raptor · ★★★☆☆ Recovered national symbol, seen soaring over Assateague marshes and bay shorelines, especially in cooler months. Black Skimmer Rynchops niger · Gull / tern · ★★★☆☆ Odd, knife-billed flyer that skims the water’s surface. Look for them at dusk over quiet bay edges and inlet flats. Clapper Rail Rallus crepitans · Other · ★★★☆☆ Secretive salt-marsh specialist. NPS lists Clapper Rails among summer hunters of Assateague marsh edges. Least Tern Sternula antillarum · Gull / tern · ★★★☆☆ Tiny diving tern of open beaches, often sharing nesting habitat management with Piping Plovers on Assateague. Piping Plover Charadrius melodus · Shorebird · ★★★☆☆ A small, sand-colored shorebird that nests on Assateague’s storm-washed beaches. It’s also why seasonal beach closures exist. Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus · Owl · ★★☆☆☆ Tiny winter owl of Assateague pines. NPS notes the island as a study site for this secretive migrant. Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus · Raptor · ★★☆☆☆ World-class aerial hunter. Assateague and the inlet can produce migrants and winter birds chasing shorebirds and ducks.