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

60 birds were recorded seen in Pennsylvania in October in our iNaturalist sample; 11 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 October

White-throated Sparrow1,130 obs.

Great Blue Heron1,108 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler1,010 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk997 obs.

Song Sparrow855 obs.

Blue Jay791 obs.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet710 obs.

Canada Goose673 obs.

Mallard662 obs.

American Robin644 obs.

Northern Cardinal638 obs.

House Sparrow616 obs.

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,130	Apr (past peak)
2	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,108	Aug (past peak)
3	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	1,010	Oct (peak)
4	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	997	Oct (peak)
5	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	855	Apr (past peak)
6	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	791	May (past peak)
7	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	710	Oct (peak)
8	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	673	Apr (past peak)
9	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	662	Apr (past peak)
10	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	644	Apr (past peak)
11	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	638	Apr (past peak)
12	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	616	Apr (past peak)
13	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	565	Apr (past peak)
14	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	560	Apr (past peak)
15	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	546	Apr (past peak)
16	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	541	Apr (past peak)
17	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	527	Apr (past peak)
18	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	471	Oct (peak)
19	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	456	Apr (past peak)
20	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	454	Apr (past peak)
21	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	448	Oct (peak)
22	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	427	Apr (past peak)
23	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	403	Apr (past peak)
24	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	382	Oct (peak)
25	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	365	May (past peak)
26	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	360	Apr (past peak)
27	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	359	Jan (past peak)
28	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	349	Apr (past peak)
29	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	348	Apr (past peak)
30	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	344	Jan (past peak)
31	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	337	Apr (past peak)
32	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	337	Aug (past peak)
33	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	324	Oct (peak)
34	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	314	May (past peak)
35	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	294	Aug (past peak)
36	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	293	May (past peak)
37	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	292	Apr (past peak)
38	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	261	Apr (past peak)
39	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	259	Apr (past peak)
40	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	257	Apr (past peak)
41	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	220	Oct (peak)
42	Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	New World Warblers	213	Oct (peak)
43	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	206	Feb (past peak)
44	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	188	Apr (past peak)
45	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	186	Apr (past peak)
46	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	184	Oct (peak)
47	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	174	Apr (past peak)
48	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	173	Oct (peak)
49	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	173	May (past peak)
50	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	169	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Pennsylvania in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Pennsylvania in October