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

60 birds were recorded seen in Kentucky in January in our iNaturalist sample; 7 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 Cardinal225 obs.

American Robin123 obs.

White-throated Sparrow120 obs.

European Starling117 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco113 obs.

Northern Mockingbird106 obs.

Downy Woodpecker104 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker97 obs.

Song Sparrow96 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk94 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk84 obs.

Mourning Dove80 obs.

All birds seen in Kentucky in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	225	Apr (rising)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	123	Apr (rising)
3	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	120	Apr (rising)
4	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	117	Apr (rising)
5	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	113	Jan (peak)
6	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	106	Apr (rising)
7	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	104	Apr (rising)
8	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	97	Apr (rising)
9	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	96	Mar (rising)
10	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	94	Feb (rising)
11	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	84	Nov (rising)
12	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	80	Apr (rising)
13	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	78	May (rising)
14	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	74	Apr (rising)
15	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	73	Apr (rising)
16	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	72	Apr (rising)
17	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	71	Jan (peak)
18	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	68	Apr (rising)
19	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	61	Mar (rising)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	57	Apr (rising)
21	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	56	Apr (rising)
22	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	55	May (rising)
23	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	54	Nov (rising)
24	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	52	Apr (rising)
25	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	50	Apr (rising)
26	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	46	Apr (rising)
27	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	45	Apr (rising)
28	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	45	Apr (rising)
29	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	45	Apr (rising)
30	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	40	Apr (rising)
31	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	40	Apr (rising)
32	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	35	May (rising)
33	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	34	Dec (rising)
34	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	34	Jan (peak)
35	Eastern Screech-Owl	Megascops asio	Typical Owls	32	Jun (rising)
36	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	32	Dec (rising)
37	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	31	May (rising)
38	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	31	Apr (rising)
39	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	26	Feb (rising)
40	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	26	Feb (rising)
41	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Dec (rising)
42	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	23	Apr (rising)
43	Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	New World Sparrows	23	Jan (peak)
44	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	22	Apr (rising)
45	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	21	May (rising)
46	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	21	Apr (rising)
47	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	20	Jan (peak)
48	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	20	Apr (rising)
49	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	19	Jan (peak)
50	Winter Wren	Troglodytes hiemalis	Wrens	19	Jan (peak)

Birds Seen in Kentucky in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Kentucky in January