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

60 birds were recorded seen in Pennsylvania in December in our iNaturalist sample; 2 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 December

Northern Cardinal970 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco944 obs.

White-throated Sparrow802 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk724 obs.

Canada Goose610 obs.

House Finch610 obs.

Downy Woodpecker592 obs.

House Sparrow557 obs.

Song Sparrow519 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker518 obs.

Eastern Bluebird502 obs.

Great Blue Heron501 obs.

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	970	Apr (past peak)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	944	Jan (past peak)
3	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	802	Apr (past peak)
4	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	724	Oct (past peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	610	Apr (past peak)
6	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	610	Apr (past peak)
7	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	592	Apr (past peak)
8	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	557	Apr (past peak)
9	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	519	Apr (past peak)
10	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	518	Apr (past peak)
11	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	502	Apr (past peak)
12	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	501	Aug (past peak)
13	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	487	May (past peak)
14	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	478	Apr (past peak)
15	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	429	Jan (past peak)
16	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	425	Apr (past peak)
17	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	419	Apr (past peak)
18	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	407	Apr (past peak)
19	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	396	Apr (past peak)
20	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	378	Feb (past peak)
21	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	339	Apr (past peak)
22	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	326	Apr (past peak)
23	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	309	May (past peak)
24	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	292	Apr (past peak)
25	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	260	Jan (past peak)
26	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	229	Apr (past peak)
27	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	222	Aug (past peak)
28	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	208	Oct (past peak)
29	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	207	Mar (past peak)
30	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	179	Feb (past peak)
31	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	174	May (past peak)
32	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	169	Apr (past peak)
33	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	167	Dec (peak)
34	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	164	Nov (past peak)
35	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	163	Apr (past peak)
36	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	159	Apr (past peak)
37	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	153	Mar (past peak)
38	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	135	Sep (past peak)
39	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	133	Mar (past peak)
40	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	129	Apr (past peak)
41	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	125	Oct (past peak)
42	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	123	Oct (past peak)
43	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	117	Apr (past peak)
44	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	117	Jan (past peak)
45	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	115	Dec (peak)
46	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	108	Apr (past peak)
47	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	104	Feb (past peak)
48	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	103	Apr (past peak)
49	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	103	Feb (past peak)
50	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	96	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Pennsylvania in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in December