Just a few ALPHA CODES FOR CAVITY NESTING BIRDS that may use nestboxes. A full list of alpha codes is available here. Another more complete list of 4 letter codes (for English common names) and 6 letter codes (for scientific names) is found at The Institute for Bird Populations.
Commonly used alpha codes for birds names have four letters. Generally, the rule for alpha codes for two word bird names is the first two letters of the first word followed by the first two letters of the second word – thus Eastern Bluebird = EABL, and PUrple MArtin = PUMA. See neat online bird identification guide.
Note that my list is NOT authoritative! Different groups/individuals may use different lists of cavity nesters. It gets complicated for a variety of reasons:
- how species are divided (some may list subspecies or use different taxonomic classifications) or lumped together (e.g., introduced varieties of lovebirds, parrots and parakeets)
- how they define cavity (e.g., does it include a hole in a cliff or a chimney?), whether they ALWAYS, sometimes or occasionally use a cavity
- whether to count non-native (introduced) species like parrots
- whether to count parasitic birds (like cowbirds which don’t build their own nest but will lay an egg in another bird’s nest)
- what geographic area is covered (e.g., United States/North America)
- how current the list is (e.g., old lists may not have noted that Red-cockaded Woodpeckers will use a nestbox; new non-natives are being introduced)
- whether the list is evidence based (n confirmed reports/research)
Also see acronyms list and glossary.
Exceptions:
- When there are more than one species of bird with the same letters, they use the first 3 letters of the first word and the first letter only of the second word – thus TRUmpeter Swan = TRUS and Tree Swallow = TRES.
- Four word bird names use the first letter of first word, first letter of second word, and first two letters of third word. Another exception when all four words have same initials: BTNW = Black-throated Green Warbler, BTYW = Black-throated Gray Warbler.
- Subspecies: ETTI refers to the subspecies Eastern Tufted Titmouse. You really need to have the bird in hand to get to subspecies. If you just hear the titmouse in the tree or see it at the feeder, it’s a TUTI, a regular Tufted Titmouse. If you just hear a flicker, it’s a NOFL, a Northern Flicker. If you can see the color on the wings, you can call it a Red- or Yellow-shafted Flicker, RSFL or YSFL.
Click on the alpha code for more info on biology, nesting behavior, nestboxes, etc.
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(An asterisk [*] indicates they may use a NESTBOX) Not all bird names and codes may be up to date. (Some are not listed on Nestwatch.org as using nestboxes)
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| EABL = Eastern Bluebird * MOBL = Mountain Bluebird * WEBL = Western Bluebird ****ACWO = Acorn Woodpecker AMKE = American Kestrel * ATFL = Ash-throated Flycatcher * BADO = Barred Owl BANO = Barn Owl – also BNOW * BCCH = Black-capped Chickadee * BBWD = Black-bellied Whistling Duck * BCTI = Black-crested titmouse (TX and Mexico) * (not listed on Nestwatch.org) BEWR = Bewick’s wren * BHCO = Brown-headed cowbird (nest parasite – does not build it’s own nest, not listed on Nestwatch.org) BEWR = Bewick’s wren * BHNU = Brown-headed Nuthatch * BNOW = Barn Owl – also BANO * BOCH = Boreal Chickadee * BUFF = Bufflehead * BRTI = Bridled titmouse * BROC = Bronzed Cowbird (nest parasite, not listed on Nestwatch.org) CACH = Carolina Chickadee * CARW = Carolina Wren * CBCH = Chestnut-backed Chickadee * CHSW = Chimney Swift (nests in chimneys, not listed on Nestwatch.org) COGO = Common Goldeneye * COME = Common Merganser* DEJU = Dark-eyed Junco (rare)* DOWO = Downy Woodpecker * (roosting) EASO = Eastern Screech Owl * EUST = European Starling * (not listed on Nestwatch.org) ETSP = Eurasian Tree Sparrow * (not listed on Nestwatch.org) ETTI= see TUTI or BCTI – the ETTI code is no longer in use * FLOW = Flammulated Owl (not listed on Nestwatch.org) GCFL = Great Crested Flycatcher * GIFL = Gilded Flicker (not listed on Nestwatch.org) GRCH = Gray-headed Chickadee (not listed on Nestwatch.org) |
HAWO = Hairy Woodpecker * (not listed on Nestwatch.org) SOME NEWLY INTRODUCED (Non-native) SPECIES USING CAVITIES |
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Other North American Birds that reportedly MAY nest in cavities |
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| Barrow’s Goldeneye Black-backed Woodpecker Black Vulture Boreal Owl* Brown-crested Flycatcher * Burrowing Owl (nests in ground) California Condor Canary-winged Parakeet Cliff Swallow (nests in holes in cliffs) Common Grackle *? Crested Myna Ducky-capped Flycatcher Eared Trogon Cordilleran Flycatcher Elegant Trogon Elf Owl Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gila Woodpecker Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Golden-Fronted Woodpecker* |
Ivory-billed Woodpecker Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lucy’s Warbler Mallard Muscovy Duck* Northern Hawk-Owl Northern Pygmy Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl* Nuttall’s Woodpecker Pacific-slope Flycatcher Pileated Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted sapsucker Say’s Phoebe Spotted Owl Strickland’s Woodpecker Three-toed Woodpecker Turkey Vulture Vaux’s Swift Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Whiskered Screech Owl White Wagtail White-headed Woodpecker Williamson’s Sapsucker |
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North American Birds that nest on PLATFORMS (not true cavity nesters in my opinion)
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| American Robin Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Great Blue Heron |
Mourning Dove Osprey Say’s Phoebe |
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Unusual Cases of Birds Nesting in Boxes
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| According to Nestwatch at Cornell, they have documented a Dark-eyed Junco nesting in a nest box, a Greater Roadrunner using an open-fronted nestbox, and Common Grackles using nestboxes if the entrance hole is large enough! | |
MORE INFORMATION:
There is another alphabet, whispering from every leaf, singing from every river, shimmering from every sky.
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