Birds in Alabama in January: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Alabama in January in our iNaturalist sample; 25 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in January

Northern Cardinal750 obs.

Sandhill Crane448 obs.

Northern Mockingbird413 obs.

Great Blue Heron386 obs.

Eastern Bluebird334 obs.

Chipping Sparrow330 obs.

Pine Warbler303 obs.

House Finch298 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler291 obs.

White-throated Sparrow285 obs.

Downy Woodpecker282 obs.

Tufted Titmouse281 obs.

All birds seen in Alabama in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	750	Apr (rising)
2	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	448	Jan (peak)
3	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	413	Apr (rising)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	386	Apr (rising)
5	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	334	Apr (rising)
6	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	330	Jan (peak)
7	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	303	Jan (peak)
8	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	298	Apr (rising)
9	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	291	Jan (peak)
10	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	285	Jan (peak)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	282	Jan (peak)
12	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	281	Jan (peak)
13	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	273	Apr (rising)
14	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	272	Apr (rising)
15	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	257	Apr (rising)
16	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	250	Apr (rising)
17	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	250	Jan (peak)
18	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	226	Apr (rising)
19	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	223	Apr (rising)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	220	Feb (rising)
21	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	217	Oct (rising)
22	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	215	Apr (rising)
23	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	211	Jan (peak)
24	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	208	Jan (peak)
25	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	203	Jan (peak)
26	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	200	Jan (peak)
27	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	188	Jan (peak)
28	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	186	Jan (peak)
29	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	178	Jan (peak)
30	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	177	Jan (peak)
31	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	163	Nov (rising)
32	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	154	Jan (peak)
33	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	152	Oct (rising)
34	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	152	Sep (rising)
35	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	146	Jan (peak)
36	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	144	Apr (rising)
37	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	144	Jan (peak)
38	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	142	Jan (peak)
39	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	140	Apr (rising)
40	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	136	Jan (peak)
41	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	132	Nov (rising)
42	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	128	Jan (peak)
43	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	126	Jan (peak)
44	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	125	Nov (rising)
45	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	123	Jan (peak)
46	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	123	Apr (rising)
47	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	117	Jan (peak)
48	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	109	Apr (rising)
49	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	106	Mar (rising)
50	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	103	Feb (rising)

Birds Seen in Alabama in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Alabama in January