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

60 birds were recorded seen in Pennsylvania in January in our iNaturalist sample; 4 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 Cardinal1,510 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco1,436 obs.

White-throated Sparrow1,411 obs.

Song Sparrow858 obs.

House Sparrow818 obs.

Downy Woodpecker792 obs.

House Finch754 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk694 obs.

Mourning Dove656 obs.

Canada Goose651 obs.

Eastern Bluebird650 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker580 obs.

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,510	Apr (rising)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,436	Jan (peak)
3	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,411	Apr (rising)
4	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	858	Apr (rising)
5	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	818	Apr (rising)
6	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	792	Apr (rising)
7	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	754	Apr (rising)
8	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	694	Oct (rising)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	656	Apr (rising)
10	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	651	Apr (rising)
11	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	650	Apr (rising)
12	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	580	Apr (rising)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	547	Apr (rising)
14	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	530	Apr (rising)
15	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	530	May (rising)
16	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	518	Apr (rising)
17	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	511	May (rising)
18	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	502	Apr (rising)
19	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	476	Jan (peak)
20	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	462	Apr (rising)
21	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	446	Apr (rising)
22	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	426	Feb (rising)
23	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	375	Mar (rising)
24	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	358	Aug (rising)
25	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	333	Jan (peak)
26	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	331	Apr (rising)
27	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	281	Aug (rising)
28	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	264	Apr (rising)
29	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	234	Oct (rising)
30	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	233	Apr (rising)
31	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	217	Apr (rising)
32	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	192	May (rising)
33	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	191	Feb (rising)
34	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	166	Dec (rising)
35	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	165	Apr (rising)
36	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	160	Apr (rising)
37	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	155	Apr (rising)
38	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	155	Jan (peak)
39	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	151	Mar (rising)
40	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	126	Mar (rising)
41	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	116	Apr (rising)
42	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	115	Apr (rising)
43	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	114	Oct (rising)
44	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	112	Apr (rising)
45	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	111	Dec (rising)
46	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	106	Feb (rising)
47	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	106	Oct (rising)
48	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	101	Sep (rising)
49	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	97	Mar (rising)
50	Eastern Screech-Owl	Megascops asio	Typical Owls	96	Feb (rising)

Birds Seen in Pennsylvania in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in January