Backyard birds in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Which birds visit Elizabeth City yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Elizabeth City's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 36.295°, -76.251°
- Population
- 17,988
- June 21 daylight
- 14 h 38 min
- December 21 daylight
- 9 h 41 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:32 AM / 5:47 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 3 days later than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 5b–8b
Nesting timing in Elizabeth City
The state guides give nesting windows for North Carolina as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 35.6°N). Elizabeth City is at 36.3°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 3 days later than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Elizabeth City goes from 9 h 41 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 14 h 38 min in June, a 4 h 57 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window April–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window March–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Carolina Chickadee — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window April–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- Tufted Titmouse — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
Birds you can expect in Elizabeth City
Year-round residents (67)
Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Black-capped Chickadees, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Wrens, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Towhees, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Phoebes, Pine Warblers, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Common Ravens, 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, Hooded Mergansers, Canada Gooses, Killdeers, American Woodcocks, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Barn Owls, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Boat-tailed Grackles, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (42)
Purple Martins, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Painted Buntings, Gray Catbirds, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Chimney Swifts, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Spotted Sandpipers, Green Herons, Ospreys, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos
Winter visitors (24)
Purple Finchs, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Pine Siskins, Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Merlins, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Swamp Sparrows, White-winged Crossbills, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds
Black-capped Chickadees and other northern birds are confined to the highest mountains; lowlands stay mild.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Elizabeth City
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Elizabeth City, sunrise is around 6:32 AM in mid-April, 5:47 AM at the June solstice and 7:12 AM in late December (local time, America/New York). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Elizabeth City yards
The state flower and a top fall fruit source.
Red fruit held into winter.
June fruit.
Winter food and cover.
Long nectar season.
Leave seed heads.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Nearby cities in North Carolina
- Greenville — 78 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days earlier than Elizabeth City
- Roanoke Rapids — 79 mi away, nesting about the same time as Elizabeth City
- Rocky Mount — 89 mi away, nesting about the same time as Elizabeth City
- New Bern — 93 mi away, nesting roughly 5 days earlier than Elizabeth City
- Wilson — 101 mi away, nesting about the same time as Elizabeth City
- Kinston — 103 mi away, nesting roughly 4 days earlier than Elizabeth City
Frequently asked
What birds live in Elizabeth City all year?
Year-round residents across North Carolina include Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker. All of them visit backyard feeders in Elizabeth City.
When do birds start nesting in Elizabeth City?
Elizabeth City sits at a different latitude from North Carolina's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 3 days later than the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Elizabeth City?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Elizabeth City, sunrise is around 6:32 AM in mid-April and 5:47 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — North Carolina
- 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.