Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Sanctuary · United States

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Photo © Ron Shawley

Photo © Ron Shawley — CC BY 4.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Across the barrier islands and salt marshes of Virginia's Eastern Shore, where Atlantic tides sculpt an intricate mosaic of sandy spits and tidal flats, lies one of the Atlantic Coast's most vital wildlife sanctuaries. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge encompasses nearly 14,000 acres of habitat where freshwater impoundments meet brackish wetlands, maritime forest gives way to open water, and the rhythm of the seasons dictates the pulse of life itself. The landscape here belongs to the creatures that traverse it: migratory waders probing the mudflats, waterfowl dabbling in shallow pools, raptors quartering the skies above marsh channels, and the small mammals and invertebrates that anchor food webs sustaining thousands of visitors each year. The humid subtropical climate—with no true dry season—ensures year-round water availability and lush vegetation, creating productive wetlands that rank among North America's most important staging grounds for birds moving between arctic breeding grounds and southern wintering areas.

For wildlife photographers and serious birders, Chincoteague's calendar holds treasures throughout the year, though autumn and early winter deliver the densest congregations of migratory species. The refuge's network of observation towers, driving routes, and walking trails offers unobstructed views across open water and marsh channels where light quality rivals anywhere on the Atlantic seaboard—particularly during the golden hours when dawn breaks over still impoundments. Spring brings a different spectacle as northbound migrants pause to refuel, while summer residents establish territories in the maritime forest margins. The accessibility of the refuge, with its combination of elevated viewing platforms and ground-level trails, means that whether you arrive with a telephoto lens or binoculars alone, you will encounter concentrated populations of breeding and transient birds, with multiple opportunities for extended observation of feeding and courtship behavior across a single morning.

Website fws.gov/refuge/chincoteague

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Bubo scandiacus

Branta bernicla

Branta canadensis

Anser caerulescens

Cygnus buccinator

Cygnus columbianus

Spatula querquedula

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mareca strepera

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Anas platyrhynchos

American Black Duck

Northern Pintail

Aythya americana

Somateria mollissima

Melanitta perspicillata

White-winged Scoter

Melanitta deglandi

Melanitta americana

Long-tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis

Bucephala albeola

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Oxyura jamaicensis

Northern Bobwhite

Colinus virginianus

Meleagris gallopavo

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Chuck-will's-widow

Antrostomus carolinensis

Eastern Whip-poor-will

Antrostomus vociferus

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Zenaida macroura

Rallus crepitans

Rallus limicola

Fulica americana

Antigone canadensis

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Podiceps auritus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

American Oystercatcher

Haematopus palliatus

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Pluvialis squatarola

American Golden Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Charadrius vociferus

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponica

Black-tailed Godwit

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

American Woodcock

Phalaropus fulicarius

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Tringa semipalmata

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Calidris canutus

Calidris pugnax

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Calidris alpina

Purple Sandpiper

Calidris maritima

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias niger

White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

Sterna forsteri

Sterna paradisaea

Sterna dougallii

Thalasseus sandvicensis

Thalasseus maximus

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Leucophaeus atricilla

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Great Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Red-throated Loon

Sooty Shearwater

Great Shearwater

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

Northern Gannet

Great Cormorant

Phalacrocorax carbo

American White Ibis

Eudocimus albus

Plegadis falcinellus

White-faced Ibis

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Butorides virescens

Great Blue Heron

Pelecanus occidentalis

Coragyps atratus

Pandion haliaetus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Red-headed Woodpecker

Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

Hairy Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus villosus

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Falco columbarius

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Sayornis phoebe

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Eastern Wood Pewee

Contopus virens

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Couch's Kingbird

Tyrannus couchii

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

Vireo olivaceus

Philadelphia Vireo

Vireo philadelphicus

Eastern Warbling Vireo

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo solitarius

White-eyed Vireo

Northern Shrike

Lanius borealis

Cyanocitta cristata

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Corvus ossifragus

Bombycilla cedrorum

Carolina Chickadee

Poecile carolinensis

Eremophila alpestris

Tachycineta bicolor

Hirundo rustica

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Cistothorus stellaris

Cistothorus palustris

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Troglodytes hiemalis

Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Certhia americana

Dumetella carolinensis

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Toxostoma rufum

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Eastern Bluebird

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Catharus guttatus

Catharus fuscescens

Turdus migratorius

Passer domesticus

Haemorhous purpureus

Haemorhous mexicanus

Loxia curvirostra

American Goldfinch

Plectrophenax nivalis

Grasshopper Sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

Chondestes grammacus

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Clay-colored Sparrow

Spizella pallida

Spizella pusilla

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Seaside Sparrow

Ammospiza maritima

Nelson's Sparrow

Ammospiza nelsoni

Saltmarsh Sparrow

Ammospiza caudacuta

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Melospiza melodia

Melospiza georgiana

Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Yellow-breasted Chat

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Brown-headed Cowbird

Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus

Quiscalus quiscula

Boat-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus major

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Cape May Warbler

Setophaga tigrina

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Blackpoll Warbler

Setophaga striata

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Setophaga caerulescens

Setophaga pinus

Yellow-throated Warbler

Setophaga dominica

Prairie Warbler

Setophaga discolor

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Black-throated Green Warbler

Setophaga virens

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Passerina caerulea

Passerina cyanea

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor

Branta hutchinsii

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Tadorna ferruginea

Cairina moschata

Spatula cyanoptera

White-cheeked Pintail

Anas bahamensis

Aythya valisineria

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Somateria spectabilis

Histrionicus histrionicus

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Helmeted Guineafowl

Numida meleagris

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Chaetura pelagica

Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Porzana carolina

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

Purple Gallinule

Porphyrio martinica

Coturnicops noveboracensis

Aechmophorus occidentalis

American Flamingo

Phoenicopterus ruber

Charadrius melodus

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemastica

Gallinago delicata

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Calidris subruficollis

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Sternula antillarum

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Larus hyperboreus

Larus glaucoides

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Atlantic Puffin

Fratercula arctica

Thick-billed Murre

Wilson's Storm Petrel

Oceanites oceanicus

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Cory's Shearwater

Calonectris borealis

Scopoli's Shearwater

Calonectris diomedea

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

Sula leucogaster

Roseate Spoonbill

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Swallow-tailed Kite

Elanoides forficatus

Aquila chrysaetos

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Rough-legged Buzzard

American Barn Owl

Short-eared Owl

Eastern Screech Owl

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Empidonax flaviventris

Acadian Flycatcher

Empidonax virescens

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Alder Flycatcher

Empidonax alnorum

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Tufted Titmouse

Baeolophus bicolor

Riparia riparia

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Petrochelidon fulva

Salpinctes obsoletus

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Hylocichla mustelina

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Catharus minimus

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

Anthus rubescens

Acanthis flammea

Two-barred Crossbill

Loxia leucoptera

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

American Tree Sparrow

Spizelloides arborea

Pooecetes gramineus

LeConte's Sparrow

Ammospiza leconteii

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Seiurus aurocapilla

Worm-eating Warbler

Helmitheros vermivorum

Louisiana Waterthrush

Parkesia motacilla

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Golden-winged Warbler

Vermivora chrysoptera

Blue-winged Warbler

Vermivora cyanoptera

Swainson's Warbler

Limnothlypis swainsonii

Connecticut Warbler

Oporornis agilis

Mourning Warbler

Geothlypis philadelphia

Kentucky Warbler

Geothlypis formosa

Setophaga citrina

Cerulean Warbler

Setophaga cerulea

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

Cardellina canadensis

Spiza americana

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Melanitta nigra

European Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Eastern Cottontail

Sylvilagus floridanus

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

Ondatra zibethicus

Northern Short-tailed Shrew

Blarina brevicauda

North American Least Shrew

Cryptotis parvus

North American River Otter

Lontra canadensis

Northern Raccoon

Megaptera novaeangliae

Tamanend's Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops erebennus

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Eastern Fox Squirrel

Halichoerus grypus

Common Bottlenose Dolphin

Tursiops truncatus

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