Birds have long been a favorite subject of poets. Their color, their song, their presence in both wilderness and city—they invite reflection. They’re also universal, found throughout the world.
I think their accessibility is one of their most beloved traits, though. Whereas most animals flee long before you get near them unless you are extremely quiet, even a family with loud children will likely see some birds on a nature hike.
I’ve been birdwatching since I was a kid and writing poetry nearly as long. These haiku began as short impressions on my walks in the woods—an attempt to capture the spirit of the birds I was seeing in just 17 syllables.
Because birds are abundant, they became an easy subject. I’ve enjoyed trying to write each haiku on a different bird species in an attempt to encompass what I feel they represent in just 17 syllables.
My natural tendency is to be a deep, lyrical poet (despite nature still being one of my major themes), so I’ve enjoyed containing myself in a traditional haiku form (modern English haiku doesn’t demand 5–7–5 format). These poems are organized by species, each one a tribute to the birds I’ve seen, loved, or imagined as mythic watchers in the trees. The list will be updated regularly.
General Bird Haiku Poems
Warmth wakes sleepy beaks.
Magical tweets thaw despair—
life leaves winter lairs.
Justin Farley
Bugs hide beneath bark,
evade pecks of hungry beaks—
deadly hide-and-seek.
Justin Farley
Did You Know?
- Birds have hollow bones in order to help them fly, but they are still strong.
- Birds are living dinosaurs. Not descended from dinosaurs. But actual dinosaurs—just a specific type that didn’t go extinct.
| ~~~ |
Owl Poems
Starlight shines on kings.
Crowns rest upon tufted ears.
Hushed wings carry truth
Justin Farley
Did You Know?
- Owls eyes don’t move in their sockets which is why they must turn their entire head to see.
- Owls fly nearly soundless; the unique shape of the feathers muffles the sound of their wings.
| ~~~ |
Barn Owl Poems
A ghost with feathers
haunts meadows on silent flights.
Screeches pierce the night.
Justin Farley
Barn Owl Short Poem – Haiku with interesting bird facts and a reflection
Did You Know?
- Barn owls don’t hoot like the call commonly associated with owls; they scream or screech.
- The barn owls’ heart-shaped face actually has a function. It helps provide sound to their asymmetrical ears.
| ~~~ |
Explore My Collection Of Nature Poems Here
American Crow
Caws pierce dawn’s first light.
Whispers of wings fill the sky—
crows invoke the morn.
Justin Farley
Morning Crow Haiku Poem – full post with reflection and interesting facts
The caws of a crow
echo wisdom to the soul—
ancient knowledge flies.
Justin Farley
Crow Haiku Poem – full post with reflection and interesting facts
Caws flood the forest—
a winged choir hounds its foe.
Owl gets no rest.
Justin Farley
Crow and Owl Haiku Poem – full post with reflection and interesting facts
Did You Know?
- Crows are not only one of the smartest birds but one of the smartest animals on Earth. A crow has an intelligence relatively equivalent to that of a 7 year old child.
- Crows have regional dialects like humans. Their language has slight variations depending on where you live which suggests that they share and learn from information in their social groups.
| ~~~ |
Blue Jay Poems
A shrill, blue squawker—
Guardian of forest gates.
Jay waits to cry out.
Justin Farley
Original post with this Blue Jay haiku, interesting bird facts, and a reflection.
Did You Know?
- Blue Jays can mimic hawks, especially red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks. They do this to scare other birds away from food sources.
- Blue Jays bury acorns in the fall. Many of these acorns are forgotten over the winter and become oak trees, making them great foresters.
| ~~~ |
Northern Cardinal Poems
Bird perched on wire—
feathers scarlet as fire—
sings bright melody.
Justin Farley
A Bird Poem About Cardinals – Full post with additional facts and a reflection.
Did You Know?
- Male cardinals feed females beak to beak like a kiss during courtship.
- Whereas most female birds let males do all the singing, both male and female cardinals sing, and their calls are different.
| ~~~ |
American Robin Poems
Robin holds the keys
to open the dawn with song,
unlocking daylight.
Justin Farley
Robin Haiku Bird Poem – Full post and reflection
Worms pulled out of the earth
Like garlic during harvest—
Robin slurps their feast.
Justin Farley
Did You Know?
- When robins tilt their heads, they’re actually listening for worms underground.
- Robins often sing alone but sleep in communal groups in roosts at night.
| ~~~ |
Sparrow Bird Poems
Sparrows flock to shrubs.
The mob hacks through feathers, bone—
life's violence unveiled.
Justin Farley
Haiku Poem About Sparrows – Original post plus interesting facts about the bird
Did You Know?
- Scientists suggest sparrow mob killings may occur when a weak or diseased bird is targeted by the group.
- Sparrows have long been symbols of simplicity and survival in poetry, but their true nature holds contradictions.
| ~~~ |
Canada Goose Poems
Geese fly east to roost.
Fires in the west fade to ash—
Stars open their eyes.
Justin Farley
Did You Know?
- Canada geese usually mate for life and will often show visible signs of mourning if their partner dies such as calling, withdrawing, and sometimes never searching for a new partner.
- While many people refer to them as Canadian geese, the correct term is actually Canada geese…I guess I’ve been referring to them by the wrong name my whole life!
| ~~~ |
Black-capped Chickadee Poems
The chickadees wait,
hopping, twitching at feeders—
calling for their seeds.
Justin Farley
Poem About Chickadees – Original post with the haiku and interesting facts about the bird
Did You Know?
- The brain of a chickadee actually changes in the winter. It increases its spatial memory which allows it to remember more caches of food.
- The call of their namesake, the “chick-a-dee-dee-dee”, isn’t actually a song but a type of alarm system. The more “dees” there are the more urgent the warning.
| ~~~ |
Blackbird Haiku Poems
Red-winged Blackbird stands
guard at the gates of meadows—
trills rise from grasses.
Justin Farley
Red-winged Blackbird Poem – Original post with the haiku and interesting facts about the bird
Did You Know?
- Males often display their shoulder patches while singing to establish territory.
- Females look very different, with brown, streaky plumage that helps them blend into nesting habitats.
| ~~~ |
Mourning Dove Poems
Coos in the morning,
echoes of grief after night—
sobs softened by light.
Justin Farley
Poem About Mourning Doves and Grief- Original post with the haiku and a reflection.
Did You Know?
- Their feathers contain an oily coating that helps waterproof them.
- The male and female share in incubating and feeding the young.
| ~~~ |
Sandhill Crane
Above cloud kingdoms,
Sandhill Cranes soar as decrees—
seeds begin spring's reign.
Justin Farley
Sandhill Crane Spring Nature Haiku – Full Post
Did You Know?
- The courtship of Sandhill Cranes include elaborate dancing—leaps, bows, and stick tosses.
- Sandhill Cranes can migrate at altitudes well over a mile and ride thermals to conserve energy.
| ~~~ |
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron
stands on stilts in deep rivers—
fish see only sticks.
Justin Farley
Great Blue Heron 5-7-5 Nature Haiku – Full Post
Did You Know?
- Great Blue Herons are patient hunters. They’ll stand perfectly still for minutes at a time, waiting for the right moment to spear fish with their beaks.
- Even though they are very large birds, Great Blue Herons build their nests high up in trees, often in groups with dozens (or even hundreds) of other herons.
| ~~~ |
Gray Catbird
Meowing in trees;
Cats that fly with feathered wings—
Songbirds with secrets.
Justin Farley
Songbird Poem About Catbirds- Original post with the haiku and bird facts
Did You Know?
- Gray Catbirds are master mimics and can imitate birds, frogs, and even mechanical sounds. Their songs can include up to 100 different sounds.
- While known for their almost annoying “meow” call, catbirds actually have very beautiful songs hidden beneath their stereotyped cry; we just don’t often realize it’s actually a catbird singing.
| ~~~ |
White-Breasted Nuthatch
First bird down the trunk,
nuthatch dives headfirst to earth;
seeing paths most miss.
Justin Farley
Nature Poem About Nuthatches – Original post with the haiku and interesting bird facts
Did You Know?
- The nuthatches name comes from its habit of wedging seeds into bark and “hatching” them open with its beak.
- Males perform a courtship display that includes bowing and wing-flicking.
| ~~~ |
Belted Kingfisher
Blue wings skim water.
The fisher dons a spiked crown—
chubs dart in horror.
Justin Farley
Poem About Kingfishers – Haiku with additional facts and a reflection on the bird.
Did You Know?
- Kingfishers close their eyes before diving in water, trusting their memory, timing, and internal geometry instead of their vision.
- Kingfishers are one the few species where the females are actually more colorful than the males. Female Belted kingfishers have a rust-colored band on their chests that males lack.
| ~~~ |
Red-tailed Hawk
Talons grip tree limbs—
sickles to slice through furred-skin.
Tails of flame take flight.
Justin Farley
Red-tailed Hawk Haiku Poem – with more interesting bird facts and a nature reflection.
Did You Know?
- Red-tailed hawks often mate for life, and their courtship involves aerial displays such as dives, spirals, and soaring together.
- The scream or screech that you hear in movies from birds of prey is almost always the red-tailed hawk even when it’s being portrayed as an eagle.
| ~~~ |
Pileated Woodpecker
Beak like wood-chipper,
Pileated Woodpecker
Rattles rot off pine.
Justin Farley
Haiku about the Pileated Woodpecker – full post and bird facts
Mad cackles in trees;
Pileated Woodpecker
echoes Pan's laughter.
Justin Farley
Pileated Woodpecker Haiku about Pan – full post and facts
Did You Know?
- Pileated Woodpeckers have shock-absorbent bones in their skulls that allows them to hammer up to 20 times per second.
- The original Woody Woodpecker cartoon character was based upon the Pileated Woodpecker.
| ~~~ |
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Yellow flashes in
bushes—Golden-Crowned Kinglet
flits away like light.
Justin Farley
Haiku Bird Poem About the Golden-Crowned Kinglet – Full post and fun facts.
Did You Know?
- The Golden-Crowned Kinglet only weighs 0.1 to 0.3 ounces (about the weight of two pennies) and is one of the smallest perching birds in North America.
- These birds can withstand cold temperatures as low as -40°F, thanks to their high metabolic rate and their habit of huddling together for warmth.
NATURE | SPIRITUALITY | MENTAL HEALTH
Join my newsletter to receive new poems along with reflections on nature, spirituality, and mental health (usually a few times a month). My emails are intentional and never spammy—just words to carry with you.
If you enjoyed these nature haiku poems about nature, here’s a few full length poems about birds as well as all my online nature poetry.
I am also posting a link to all of my haiku posts, some of which contain the poems above. If you want more details about the bird species and background information about the inspiration for the poem, check out the individual pages.
ALONG THE BARREN ROAD 
Leave a comment