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

60 birds were recorded seen in Kentucky in October 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 October

Tennessee Warbler127 obs.

Wild Turkey115 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler102 obs.

Great Blue Heron94 obs.

Northern Cardinal91 obs.

Blue Jay82 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk81 obs.

Carolina Wren80 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk79 obs.

Northern Mockingbird79 obs.

Bay-breasted Warbler75 obs.

American Robin70 obs.

All birds seen in Kentucky in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	127	Oct (peak)
2	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	115	Apr (past peak)
3	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	102	Apr (past peak)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	94	May (past peak)
5	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	91	Apr (past peak)
6	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	82	Apr (past peak)
7	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	81	Feb (past peak)
8	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	80	Apr (past peak)
9	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	79	Nov (rising)
10	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	79	Apr (past peak)
11	Bay-breasted Warbler	Setophaga castanea	New World Warblers	75	Sep (past peak)
12	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	70	Apr (past peak)
13	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	68	Apr (past peak)
14	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	62	Apr (past peak)
15	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	62	Apr (past peak)
16	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	60	Apr (past peak)
17	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	58	Apr (past peak)
18	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	58	Apr (past peak)
19	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	58	Apr (past peak)
20	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	58	Apr (past peak)
21	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	57	Apr (past peak)
22	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	56	Mar (past peak)
23	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	55	Apr (past peak)
24	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	53	Nov (rising)
25	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	53	Apr (past peak)
26	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	53	Apr (past peak)
27	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	53	Apr (past peak)
28	Black-throated Green Warbler	Setophaga virens	New World Warblers	52	Oct (peak)
29	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	51	Mar (past peak)
30	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	51	Apr (past peak)
31	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	51	Jan (past peak)
32	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	50	Apr (past peak)
33	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	47	Apr (past peak)
34	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	43	Apr (past peak)
35	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	41	Sep (past peak)
36	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	41	Apr (past peak)
37	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	40	Apr (past peak)
38	Eastern Screech-Owl	Megascops asio	Typical Owls	40	Jun (past peak)
39	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	40	Apr (past peak)
40	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	39	Apr (past peak)
41	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	38	Apr (past peak)
42	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	36	May (past peak)
43	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	33	Apr (past peak)
44	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	31	Oct (peak)
45	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	31	May (past peak)
46	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	30	Apr (past peak)
47	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	29	May (past peak)
48	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	29	May (past peak)
49	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	25	May (past peak)
50	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	24	Oct (peak)

Birds Seen in Kentucky in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Kentucky in October