Birds in South Carolina in August: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in South Carolina in August 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 August

Northern Cardinal822 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird690 obs.

Great Egret573 obs.

Mourning Dove523 obs.

Laughing Gull447 obs.

House Finch443 obs.

Great Blue Heron415 obs.

Anhinga389 obs.

Northern Mockingbird346 obs.

Eastern Bluebird344 obs.

Tricolored Heron326 obs.

American Goldfinch324 obs.

All birds seen in South Carolina in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	822	Apr (past peak)
2	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	690	Sep (rising)
3	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	573	Jun (past peak)
4	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	523	Apr (past peak)
5	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	447	Jun (past peak)
6	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	443	May (past peak)
7	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	415	Jun (past peak)
8	Anhinga	Anhinga anhinga	Darters	389	Jun (past peak)
9	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	346	Apr (past peak)
10	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	344	Apr (past peak)
11	Tricolored Heron	Egretta tricolor	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	326	Jun (past peak)
12	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	324	Feb (past peak)
13	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	321	Jul (past peak)
14	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	302	Apr (past peak)
15	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	301	Mar (past peak)
16	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	283	Jun (past peak)
17	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	250	Oct (rising)
18	Wood Stork	Mycteria americana	Storks	245	Aug (peak)
19	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	227	Jun (past peak)
20	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	227	May (past peak)
21	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	220	Oct (rising)
22	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	217	Jun (past peak)
23	Painted Bunting	Passerina ciris	Cardinals and Allies	217	May (past peak)
24	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	216	Mar (past peak)
25	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	213	Mar (past peak)
26	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	200	Mar (past peak)
27	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	199	Jul (past peak)
28	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	197	Jan (past peak)
29	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	196	Apr (past peak)
30	Royal Tern	Thalasseus maximus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	192	May (past peak)
31	Roseate Spoonbill	Platalea ajaja	Ibises and Spoonbills	179	Sep (rising)
32	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	178	Apr (past peak)
33	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens	178	Apr (past peak)
34	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	174	Jul (past peak)
35	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	156	May (past peak)
36	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	148	Jan (past peak)
37	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	143	Apr (past peak)
38	Mississippi Kite	Ictinia mississippiensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	135	May (past peak)
39	Common Gallinule	Gallinula galeata	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	129	Mar (past peak)
40	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Sandpipers and Allies	125	Aug (peak)
41	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	123	Mar (past peak)
42	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	113	Apr (past peak)
43	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	113	Apr (past peak)
44	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	111	Jan (past peak)
45	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	108	Mar (past peak)
46	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	100	Apr (past peak)
47	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	100	Jan (past peak)
48	Boat-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus major	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	95	Mar (past peak)
49	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	94	Jun (past peak)
50	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	89	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in South Carolina in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in South Carolina in August