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

60 birds were recorded seen in District of Columbia in January in our iNaturalist sample; 8 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

House Sparrow202 obs.

Northern Cardinal147 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk137 obs.

Mallard115 obs.

European Starling115 obs.

Northern Mockingbird110 obs.

American Robin109 obs.

Ring-billed Gull108 obs.

Cooper's Hawk90 obs.

White-throated Sparrow82 obs.

Downy Woodpecker78 obs.

Canada Goose58 obs.

All birds seen in District of Columbia in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	202	Apr (rising)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	147	Apr (rising)
3	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	137	Jan (peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	115	Apr (rising)
5	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	115	Apr (rising)
6	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	110	Apr (rising)
7	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	109	Apr (rising)
8	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	108	Feb (rising)
9	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	90	Dec (rising)
10	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	82	Apr (rising)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	78	Mar (rising)
12	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	58	May (rising)
13	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	58	Mar (rising)
14	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	54	Mar (rising)
15	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	53	Jan (peak)
16	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	52	Jun (rising)
17	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	52	Mar (rising)
18	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	47	Apr (rising)
19	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	42	Mar (rising)
20	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	41	Apr (rising)
21	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	40	May (rising)
22	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	36	Mar (rising)
23	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	34	Jan (peak)
24	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	32	Apr (rising)
25	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	32	Oct (rising)
26	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	32	Apr (rising)
27	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	31	Jan (peak)
28	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	31	Feb (rising)
29	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	29	Dec (rising)
30	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	25	Apr (rising)
31	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	25	Oct (rising)
32	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	24	Apr (rising)
33	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	24	Mar (rising)
34	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	23	Dec (rising)
35	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	23	Apr (rising)
36	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	23	May (rising)
37	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	18	Mar (rising)
38	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	18	Oct (rising)
39	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	18	Mar (rising)
40	Orange-crowned Warbler	Leiothlypis celata	New World Warblers	17	Jan (peak)
41	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	17	Jan (peak)
42	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	15	Apr (rising)
43	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	14	Apr (rising)
44	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	13	Jan (peak)
45	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	13	Nov (rising)
46	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	13	Aug (rising)
47	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	12	Jan (peak)
48	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falcons and Caracaras	11	Oct (rising)
49	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	11	Feb (rising)
50	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	11	Mar (rising)

Birds Seen in District of Columbia in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in District of Columbia in January