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

60 birds were recorded seen in Ohio 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 Cardinal1,296 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco824 obs.

Downy Woodpecker764 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker714 obs.

Canada Goose656 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk651 obs.

Bald Eagle636 obs.

Mallard627 obs.

American Robin614 obs.

White-throated Sparrow571 obs.

House Finch542 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch504 obs.

All birds seen in Ohio in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,296	Apr (rising)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	824	Jan (peak)
3	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	764	Apr (rising)
4	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	714	Apr (rising)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	656	Apr (rising)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	651	Apr (rising)
7	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	636	May (rising)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	627	Apr (rising)
9	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	614	Apr (rising)
10	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	571	Apr (rising)
11	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	542	Apr (rising)
12	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	504	Apr (rising)
13	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	492	May (rising)
14	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	484	May (rising)
15	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	483	Apr (rising)
16	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	473	Feb (rising)
17	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	443	May (rising)
18	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	431	Jan (peak)
19	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	418	Jan (peak)
20	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	403	Apr (rising)
21	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	392	Aug (rising)
22	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	362	Apr (rising)
23	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	354	May (rising)
24	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	349	May (rising)
25	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	330	Apr (rising)
26	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	325	May (rising)
27	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	245	Mar (rising)
28	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	239	Apr (rising)
29	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	237	Sep (rising)
30	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	232	May (rising)
31	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	216	Jan (peak)
32	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	211	May (rising)
33	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	206	Apr (rising)
34	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	190	Jan (peak)
35	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	184	Feb (rising)
36	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	182	May (rising)
37	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	175	Apr (rising)
38	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	174	Mar (rising)
39	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	169	Feb (rising)
40	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	167	Apr (rising)
41	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	163	May (rising)
42	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	161	Feb (rising)
43	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	153	Jan (peak)
44	Eastern Screech-Owl	Megascops asio	Typical Owls	151	May (rising)
45	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	151	May (rising)
46	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	150	Apr (rising)
47	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	150	Feb (rising)
48	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	149	Jan (peak)
49	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	147	May (rising)
50	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	137	Mar (rising)

Birds Seen in Ohio in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Ohio in January