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

60 birds were recorded seen in Maryland in January in our iNaturalist sample; 12 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 Cardinal1,416 obs.

White-throated Sparrow1,355 obs.

Ring-billed Gull1,310 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco1,290 obs.

Canada Goose1,045 obs.

Bald Eagle991 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk935 obs.

Mallard913 obs.

Eastern Bluebird902 obs.

Song Sparrow869 obs.

Downy Woodpecker740 obs.

Great Blue Heron737 obs.

All birds seen in Maryland in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,416	Apr (rising)
2	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,355	Jan (peak)
3	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	1,310	Jan (peak)
4	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,290	Jan (peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,045	Apr (rising)
6	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	991	Jan (peak)
7	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	935	Jan (peak)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	913	Apr (rising)
9	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	902	Apr (rising)
10	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	869	Jan (peak)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	740	Jan (peak)
12	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	737	May (rising)
13	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	690	Feb (rising)
14	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	647	Jan (peak)
15	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	646	Apr (rising)
16	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	621	Apr (rising)
17	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	562	Apr (rising)
18	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	532	Apr (rising)
19	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	518	Apr (rising)
20	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	509	Apr (rising)
21	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	503	Apr (rising)
22	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	481	Apr (rising)
23	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	455	Feb (rising)
24	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	455	Apr (rising)
25	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	438	Apr (rising)
26	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	418	Mar (rising)
27	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	411	Apr (rising)
28	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	400	Oct (rising)
29	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	372	Jan (peak)
30	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	348	Mar (rising)
31	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	339	Apr (rising)
32	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	322	Apr (rising)
33	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	314	Nov (rising)
34	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	312	Apr (rising)
35	Canvasback	Aythya valisineria	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	298	Feb (rising)
36	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	296	Apr (rising)
37	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	294	Jan (peak)
38	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	292	Feb (rising)
39	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	283	Jan (peak)
40	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	274	Oct (rising)
41	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	270	Feb (rising)
42	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	269	Apr (rising)
43	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	267	Feb (rising)
44	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	266	Apr (rising)
45	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	261	Feb (rising)
46	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	243	Jan (peak)
47	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	221	Apr (rising)
48	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	191	Feb (rising)
49	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	189	Feb (rising)
50	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	183	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in Maryland in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Maryland in January