Birds in North Carolina in January: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in North Carolina in January in our iNaturalist sample; 20 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 Cardinal1,636 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk1,003 obs.

White-throated Sparrow1,003 obs.

American Robin979 obs.

Eastern Bluebird934 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco859 obs.

Tufted Titmouse851 obs.

Northern Mockingbird836 obs.

Great Blue Heron832 obs.

Carolina Chickadee788 obs.

Downy Woodpecker738 obs.

Carolina Wren716 obs.

All birds seen in North Carolina in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,636	Apr (rising)
2	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,003	Jan (peak)
3	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,003	Jan (peak)
4	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	979	Apr (rising)
5	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	934	Apr (rising)
6	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	859	Jan (peak)
7	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	851	Jan (peak)
8	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	836	Apr (rising)
9	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	832	Apr (rising)
10	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	788	Apr (rising)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	738	Jan (peak)
12	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	716	Apr (rising)
13	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	687	Jan (peak)
14	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	655	Jan (peak)
15	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	594	Apr (rising)
16	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	572	Apr (rising)
17	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	572	Jan (peak)
18	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	550	Apr (rising)
19	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	487	Jan (peak)
20	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	453	Apr (rising)
21	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	444	Jan (peak)
22	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	436	Apr (rising)
23	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	433	Jan (peak)
24	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	405	Mar (rising)
25	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	397	Jan (peak)
26	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	391	Jan (peak)
27	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	387	Jul (rising)
28	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	380	Jan (peak)
29	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	365	Jan (peak)
30	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	364	Apr (rising)
31	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	349	Apr (rising)
32	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	345	Apr (rising)
33	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	331	Aug (rising)
34	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	315	Jan (peak)
35	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	293	Apr (rising)
36	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	277	Jan (peak)
37	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	257	Apr (rising)
38	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	255	Apr (rising)
39	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	251	Jan (peak)
40	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	245	Apr (rising)
41	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	239	Apr (rising)
42	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	231	Dec (rising)
43	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	219	Oct (rising)
44	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	218	Apr (rising)
45	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	209	Jan (peak)
46	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	207	Apr (rising)
47	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	198	Aug (rising)
48	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	191	Jan (peak)
49	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	173	Dec (rising)
50	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	169	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in North Carolina in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in North Carolina in January