Birds in District of Columbia in August: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in District of Columbia in August in our iNaturalist sample; 1 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 August

European Starling258 obs.

Mallard243 obs.

House Sparrow224 obs.

Great Egret125 obs.

American Goldfinch125 obs.

Great Blue Heron111 obs.

Northern Cardinal107 obs.

American Robin98 obs.

Mourning Dove91 obs.

Northern Mockingbird89 obs.

Osprey61 obs.

Blue Jay60 obs.

All birds seen in District of Columbia in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	258	Apr (past peak)
2	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	243	Apr (past peak)
3	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	224	Apr (past peak)
4	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	125	Sep (rising)
5	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	125	Aug (peak)
6	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	111	May (past peak)
7	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	107	Apr (past peak)
8	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	98	Apr (past peak)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	91	Apr (past peak)
10	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	89	Apr (past peak)
11	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	61	Apr (past peak)
12	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	60	Jun (past peak)
13	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	60	Jun (past peak)
14	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	56	May (past peak)
15	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	55	Jan (past peak)
16	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	49	Jul (past peak)
17	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	49	Apr (past peak)
18	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	48	May (past peak)
19	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	41	Sep (rising)
20	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	41	Apr (past peak)
21	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	41	Sep (rising)
22	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	38	Apr (past peak)
23	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	36	Apr (past peak)
24	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	36	Mar (past peak)
25	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	34	Apr (past peak)
26	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	34	Mar (past peak)
27	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	34	Dec (rising)
28	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	32	Feb (past peak)
29	Great Crested Flycatcher	Myiarchus crinitus	Tyrant Flycatchers	29	May (past peak)
30	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	28	May (past peak)
31	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens	24	Apr (past peak)
32	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	20	Sep (rising)
33	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	19	Mar (past peak)
34	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	17	Mar (past peak)
35	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	17	Feb (past peak)
36	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	17	Apr (past peak)
37	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	15	Apr (past peak)
38	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	15	Apr (past peak)
39	Roseate Spoonbill	Platalea ajaja	Ibises and Spoonbills	15	Jul (past peak)
40	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	15	May (past peak)
41	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	14	Apr (past peak)
42	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	14	Sep (rising)
43	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	13	Jan (past peak)
44	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	13	Mar (past peak)
45	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	12	Apr (past peak)
46	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	12	May (past peak)
47	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	12	Jun (past peak)
48	Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	Cardinals and Allies	12	May (past peak)
49	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	11	Apr (past peak)
50	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	10	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in District of Columbia in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in District of Columbia in August