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

60 birds were recorded seen in District of Columbia in December in our iNaturalist sample; 4 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 December

House Sparrow194 obs.

Mallard162 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk133 obs.

Ring-billed Gull119 obs.

European Starling117 obs.

Cooper's Hawk114 obs.

Northern Mockingbird96 obs.

Northern Cardinal82 obs.

American Robin80 obs.

White-throated Sparrow74 obs.

Downy Woodpecker69 obs.

Song Sparrow67 obs.

All birds seen in District of Columbia in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	194	Apr (past peak)
2	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	162	Apr (past peak)
3	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	133	Jan (past peak)
4	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	119	Feb (past peak)
5	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	117	Apr (past peak)
6	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	114	Dec (peak)
7	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	96	Apr (past peak)
8	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	82	Apr (past peak)
9	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	80	Apr (past peak)
10	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	74	Apr (past peak)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	69	Mar (past peak)
12	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	67	Mar (past peak)
13	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	62	Mar (past peak)
14	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	59	May (past peak)
15	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	55	Apr (past peak)
16	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	54	May (past peak)
17	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	54	Apr (past peak)
18	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	53	Jan (past peak)
19	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	49	Mar (past peak)
20	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	49	Apr (past peak)
21	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	48	Mar (past peak)
22	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	48	Dec (peak)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	46	Jun (past peak)
24	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	43	Mar (past peak)
25	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	30	Apr (past peak)
26	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	27	Oct (past peak)
27	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	26	Jan (past peak)
28	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	26	Feb (past peak)
29	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	25	Dec (peak)
30	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	25	Mar (past peak)
31	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	24	Dec (peak)
32	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	24	Aug (past peak)
33	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	22	Apr (past peak)
34	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	20	Apr (past peak)
35	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	20	May (past peak)
36	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	19	Feb (past peak)
37	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	17	Apr (past peak)
38	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	15	Apr (past peak)
39	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	14	Oct (past peak)
40	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	14	Apr (past peak)
41	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	13	Apr (past peak)
42	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	13	Jan (past peak)
43	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	12	Nov (past peak)
44	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	11	Feb (past peak)
45	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	11	Apr (past peak)
46	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	11	Oct (past peak)
47	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	10	Nov (past peak)
48	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	10	May (past peak)
49	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falcons and Caracaras	9	Oct (past peak)
50	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	9	Oct (past peak)

Birds Seen in District of Columbia in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in District of Columbia in December