Tennessee is home to a variety od unique birds including its fair share of white birds. In this article I’ll be covering 5 white birds that consider the state of Tennessee home so continue reading to learn more about them.

• White Breasted Nuthatch 
• Great Egret 
• Cattle Egret 
• Snowy Egret 
• American Herring Gull

5 White Birds In Tennessee

1. White Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta Carolinensis)

• Size: 13 – 14cm
• Weight: 18 – 30 grams
• Wingspan: 20 – 27cm

White breasted nuthatches can be found all throughout Tennessee on a year round basis.

These white breasted nuthatches are recognised by their gray back, wings and the upper head with white breast feathers. Females look the same as the males.

As for where you would find these white breasted nuthatches, it would be around mature woods and woodland edges, where they’re most commonly located by deciduous stands that have maple, hickory, basswood, oak and are even found in some coniferous forests.

They mostly consume nuts, seeds and insects, which can include hazelnuts, sunflower seeds and suet.

As for how long white breasted nuthatches live in the wild, it tends to be around 2 years with the longest lifespan recorded around 12 years.

2. Great Egret (Ardea Alba)

• Size: 80 -100cm
• Weight: 0.7 – 1.5kg
• Wingspan: 130 – 170cm

These egrets can be found in western Tennessee throughout their spring and summer breeding months. As for the remainder of the state, they will typically use the state as a migratory passage.

Great egrets are recognised by their extremly long necks, yellow bill, long black legs and mostly white plumage. Both males and females look very similar with the males being generally larger than the females.

Great egrets spend the majority of their time within marshes, ponds, shores and mud flats.

As for what they eat, it includes primarily consume fish along with crustaceans, amphibians, and small mammals. They will also forage around open areas.

Great egrets tend to live for around 15 years in the wild and around 22 years in captivity.

3. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus Ibis)

• Size: 45 – 50cm
• Weight: 270 – 512 grams
• Wingspan: 82 – 95cm

You’ll find cattle egrets in western Tennessee when they happen to breed whilst the remainder of the state is used as a migratory passage.

Cattle egrets are recognised by their mostly white plumages, with hints of orange around the head and chest, coupled with 2 yellow legs and a yellow beak. Females look very similar to the males but, are slightly smaller and have smaller breeding plumes than the opposite gender.

As for where you’ll be able to find these egrets, they will often reside by open habitats, wetlands, grasslands and woodlands generally following cattle around.

Cattle egrets generally tend to eat insects, worms, reptiles, frogs and mice.

In regards to lifespan, a cattle egret is known to live for around 10 years in the wild.

4. Snowy Egret (Egretta Thula)

• Size: 56 – 66cm
• Weight: 350 – 390 grams
• Wingspan: 95 – 105cm

You can spot snowy egrets within western and central Tennessee when they aren’t breeding, but they will typically migrate throughout the eastern part of the state.

Snowy egrets as their name would suggest are snow white birds with a long neck, black beak, black legs whilst also having a relatively large frame. Besides their sexual organs the only differentiating factors between males and females are that the males are slightly larger.

You’ll find these egrets by mudflats, beaches, and wetlands, but you can also see them forage in wet agricultural fields and along the edges of rivers and lakes. 

Snowy egrets eat a variety of foods from fish, insects, crustaceans which includes crabs, crayfish, frogs, snakes, snails, worms, lizards, rodents and more.

These egrets are known to live for around 5 – 6 years in the wild and upwards of 16 years in captivity.

5. American Herring Gull (Larus Smithsonianus)

• Size: 60 – 67cm
• Weight: 1 – 1.5kg
• Wingspan: 120 – 160cm

These herring gulls are mostly fall and winter non-breeding residents in the state of Tennessee.

American herring gulls are recognised by their gray wings, black tail feather, white feathers in the remainder of their body, yellow beak and reddish/orange legs. The females are typically a dirty light brown/gray color where it appears as if they’ve had mud sprayed across their feathers.

You’ll find these herring gulls around coasts and inland around rubbish tips, fields, large reservoirs and lakes.

In regards to what these gulls eat, it tends to be carrion, offal, seeds, fruits, young birds, eggs, small mammals, insects and fish.

American herring gulls are know to live for around 30 years on average, with the longest recorded hitting 49 years of age.