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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Carolina in January in our iNaturalist sample; 12 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 Cardinal1,029 obs.

Eastern Bluebird844 obs.

House Finch535 obs.

Great Blue Heron501 obs.

Northern Mockingbird491 obs.

Mourning Dove483 obs.

Pine Warbler483 obs.

Chipping Sparrow448 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco431 obs.

White-throated Sparrow428 obs.

American Robin417 obs.

Great Egret402 obs.

All birds seen in South Carolina in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,029	Apr (rising)
2	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	844	Apr (rising)
3	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	535	May (rising)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	501	Jun (rising)
5	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	491	Apr (rising)
6	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	483	Apr (rising)
7	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	483	Jan (peak)
8	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	448	Mar (rising)
9	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	431	Jan (peak)
10	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	428	Jan (peak)
11	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	417	Mar (rising)
12	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	402	Jun (rising)
13	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	401	Apr (rising)
14	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	398	Feb (rising)
15	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	385	Oct (rising)
16	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	376	Jan (peak)
17	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	374	Apr (rising)
18	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	373	Jan (peak)
19	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	368	Jan (peak)
20	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	356	Dec (rising)
21	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	355	Mar (rising)
22	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	314	Jan (peak)
23	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	311	Jan (peak)
24	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	307	Apr (rising)
25	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	302	Jul (rising)
26	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	302	Jan (peak)
27	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	298	Oct (rising)
28	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	297	Jan (peak)
29	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	297	Mar (rising)
30	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	294	Mar (rising)
31	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	284	Feb (rising)
32	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	273	Apr (rising)
33	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	246	Apr (rising)
34	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	235	Jan (peak)
35	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	233	Dec (rising)
36	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	231	Jan (peak)
37	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	223	Jun (rising)
38	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	221	Apr (rising)
39	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	203	Jun (rising)
40	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	203	Mar (rising)
41	Common Gallinule	Gallinula galeata	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	201	Mar (rising)
42	Anhinga	Anhinga anhinga	Darters	198	Jun (rising)
43	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	196	May (rising)
44	Tricolored Heron	Egretta tricolor	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	195	Jun (rising)
45	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	186	Oct (rising)
46	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	183	Apr (rising)
47	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	182	Mar (rising)
48	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	179	Apr (rising)
49	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	163	Mar (rising)
50	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	153	Jul (rising)

Birds Seen in South Carolina in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in South Carolina in January