Birds in Pennsylvania in August: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Pennsylvania in August in our iNaturalist sample; 6 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 August

Great Blue Heron1,494 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird1,108 obs.

American Goldfinch1,061 obs.

Great Egret1,046 obs.

Osprey975 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk838 obs.

Gray Catbird832 obs.

Mourning Dove793 obs.

Mallard730 obs.

House Sparrow724 obs.

Northern Cardinal634 obs.

Canada Goose620 obs.

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,494	Aug (peak)
2	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	1,108	Aug (peak)
3	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	1,061	Aug (peak)
4	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,046	Aug (peak)
5	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	975	Aug (peak)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	838	Oct (rising)
7	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	832	May (past peak)
8	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	793	Apr (past peak)
9	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	730	Apr (past peak)
10	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	724	Apr (past peak)
11	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	634	Apr (past peak)
12	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	620	Apr (past peak)
13	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	610	May (past peak)
14	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	573	Aug (peak)
15	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	572	Apr (past peak)
16	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	561	Apr (past peak)
17	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	468	Apr (past peak)
18	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	466	Apr (past peak)
19	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	463	Apr (past peak)
20	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	407	Apr (past peak)
21	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	395	Apr (past peak)
22	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	331	May (past peak)
23	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	325	Jan (past peak)
24	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	301	Apr (past peak)
25	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	298	Apr (past peak)
26	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	294	May (past peak)
27	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	282	Apr (past peak)
28	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	281	Apr (past peak)
29	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	272	Apr (past peak)
30	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	260	Apr (past peak)
31	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	258	May (past peak)
32	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	240	Apr (past peak)
33	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	234	Apr (past peak)
34	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	219	Sep (rising)
35	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	215	May (past peak)
36	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	201	Apr (past peak)
37	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	195	May (past peak)
38	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	178	Apr (past peak)
39	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	174	Apr (past peak)
40	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	172	Sep (rising)
41	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	170	Apr (past peak)
42	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	165	May (past peak)
43	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	162	Feb (past peak)
44	Broad-winged Hawk	Buteo platypterus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	160	Apr (past peak)
45	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	154	May (past peak)
46	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	153	Apr (past peak)
47	Solitary Sandpiper	Tringa solitaria	Sandpipers and Allies	151	May (past peak)
48	Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla	Sandpipers and Allies	148	May (past peak)
49	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	148	May (past peak)
50	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	146	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in Pennsylvania in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in August