Backyard birds in Winter Haven, Florida
Which birds visit Winter Haven yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Winter Haven's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 28.022°, -81.733°
- Population
- 37,689
- June 21 daylight
- 13 h 55 min
- December 21 daylight
- 10 h 22 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 7:02 AM / 6:30 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 8a–11b
Nesting timing in Winter Haven
The state guides give nesting windows for Florida as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 27.9°N). Winter Haven is at 28.0°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Winter Haven goes from 10 h 22 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 13 h 55 min in June, a 3 h 33 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window March–September
- Eastern Bluebird — state window March–July; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Carolina Chickadee — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window March–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- Tufted Titmouse — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window March–May; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Blue Jay — state window March–July
- House Finch — state window March–August
Birds you can expect in Winter Haven
Year-round residents (73)
Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Chipping Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Painted Buntings, Eastern Towhees, Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Phoebes, Pine Warblers, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Eurasian Collared-Doves, White-winged Doves, American Crows, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Northern Bobwhites, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Field Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, Florida Scrub-Jays, Hooded Mergansers, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-throated Warblers, White-eyed Vireos, Canada Gooses, American Coots, Killdeers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Barn Owls, Burrowing Owls, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Boat-tailed Grackles, Rock Pigeons, Monk Parakeets
Summer breeders (15)
Purple Martins, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Barn Swallows, Chimney Swifts, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Prothonotary Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos
Winter visitors (38)
American Goldfinchs, House Wrens, Purple Finchs, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Tree Swallows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Rufous Hummingbirds, Fox Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Lark Sparrows, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Ovenbirds, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, Spotted Sandpipers, Merlins, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Savannah Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Horned Larks, White-winged Crossbills, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds
Winter is the busy feeder season as northern migrants — goldfinches, wrens and others — arrive from October.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Winter Haven
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Winter Haven, sunrise is around 7:02 AM in mid-April, 6:30 AM at the June solstice and 7:13 AM in late December (local time, America/New York). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Winter Haven yards
Red-orange tubular flowers most of the year and small black fruit.
Waxy winter berries and dense evergreen cover.
Late-summer purple fruit clusters.
Blooms spring through summer.
Fruit and low, protective cover.
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Nearby cities in Florida
- Haines City — 9 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winter Haven
- Bartow — 11 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winter Haven
- Lake Wales — 12 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winter Haven
- Lakeland — 13 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winter Haven
- Poinciana — 19 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winter Haven
- Four Corners — 22 mi away, nesting about the same time as Winter Haven
Frequently asked
What birds live in Winter Haven all year?
Year-round residents across Florida include Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker. All of them visit backyard feeders in Winter Haven.
When do birds start nesting in Winter Haven?
Winter Haven sits at about the same latitude as Florida's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Winter Haven?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Winter Haven, sunrise is around 7:02 AM in mid-April and 6:30 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Florida
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.