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

60 birds were recorded seen in District of Columbia in October in our iNaturalist sample; 10 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 October

House Sparrow299 obs.

Mallard261 obs.

European Starling241 obs.

Great Blue Heron153 obs.

Northern Mockingbird153 obs.

Great Egret116 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler89 obs.

Blue Jay87 obs.

Mourning Dove84 obs.

Cooper's Hawk81 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant79 obs.

Downy Woodpecker76 obs.

All birds seen in District of Columbia in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	299	Apr (past peak)
2	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	261	Apr (past peak)
3	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	241	Apr (past peak)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	153	May (past peak)
5	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	153	Apr (past peak)
6	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	116	Sep (past peak)
7	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	89	Oct (peak)
8	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	87	Jun (past peak)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	84	Apr (past peak)
10	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	81	Dec (rising)
11	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	79	Apr (past peak)
12	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	76	Mar (past peak)
13	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	73	Jan (past peak)
14	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	68	Apr (past peak)
15	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	68	Oct (peak)
16	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	65	Apr (past peak)
17	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	59	Apr (past peak)
18	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	58	Mar (past peak)
19	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	58	Oct (peak)
20	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	57	Mar (past peak)
21	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	50	Oct (peak)
22	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	48	Oct (peak)
23	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	47	May (past peak)
24	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	47	Apr (past peak)
25	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	44	Sep (past peak)
26	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	44	Apr (past peak)
27	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	42	Apr (past peak)
28	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	40	Apr (past peak)
29	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	36	Feb (past peak)
30	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	36	Aug (past peak)
31	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	30	Mar (past peak)
32	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	29	Mar (past peak)
33	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	28	Jan (past peak)
34	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	28	Feb (past peak)
35	Black-throated Blue Warbler	Setophaga caerulescens	New World Warblers	28	Oct (peak)
36	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	27	Oct (peak)
37	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	27	Apr (past peak)
38	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	27	Jun (past peak)
39	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	26	Oct (peak)
40	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Mar (past peak)
41	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	25	Apr (past peak)
42	Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	New World Warblers	22	May (past peak)
43	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	21	May (past peak)
44	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	20	Apr (past peak)
45	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	20	Mar (past peak)
46	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	20	Oct (peak)
47	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	19	Jan (past peak)
48	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	18	Apr (past peak)
49	Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus	Falcons and Caracaras	17	Oct (peak)
50	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	16	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in District of Columbia in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in District of Columbia in October