These deciduous forests attract many summer-breeding birds. Scarlet Tanagers are common, and up to 15 warblers and vireos can be found here during the summer months. The most elusive of these are the Cerulean and Swainson's Warblers. Cerulean Warblers prefer the tall trees immediately below the parking lot at the Chimney, and the Swainson's Warbler is found in rhododendron thickets, especially along the Forest Stroll. This makes Chimney Rock Park attractive for several high-elevation species such as the Darkeyed Junco and the Common Raven, both of which breed here at a much lower elevation than anywhere else in the state.
Birds of prey are an integral part of the area.
The most exciting of these is a pair of Peregrine Falcons that has been present in the Park for the past few years. In 1990 they successfully fledged three chicks in Chimney Rock Park. The spring and fall migration of birds through Hickory Nut Gorge is very impressive. These are the best times for birding in the Park. Mixed flocks of tanagers, warblers and vireos move through the Gorge in the spring on the way to their summer breeding grounds in the north and return on their journey back to the south in the fall.