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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Carolina in October in our iNaturalist sample; 5 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

Northern Cardinal959 obs.

Eastern Bluebird625 obs.

Northern Mockingbird552 obs.

Great Egret495 obs.

House Finch448 obs.

Great Blue Heron442 obs.

Carolina Chickadee398 obs.

Mourning Dove385 obs.

Carolina Wren338 obs.

White Ibis325 obs.

Snowy Egret321 obs.

Eastern Phoebe319 obs.

All birds seen in South Carolina in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	959	Apr (past peak)
2	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	625	Apr (past peak)
3	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	552	Apr (past peak)
4	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	495	Jun (past peak)
5	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	448	May (past peak)
6	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	442	Jun (past peak)
7	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	398	Oct (peak)
8	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	385	Apr (past peak)
9	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	338	Apr (past peak)
10	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	325	Jul (past peak)
11	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	321	Mar (past peak)
12	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	319	Oct (peak)
13	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	317	Sep (past peak)
14	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	313	Mar (past peak)
15	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	308	Jan (past peak)
16	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	308	Jan (past peak)
17	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	294	Oct (peak)
18	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	294	Oct (peak)
19	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	274	Apr (past peak)
20	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	261	May (past peak)
21	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	258	Apr (past peak)
22	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	242	Jun (past peak)
23	Wood Stork	Mycteria americana	Storks	239	Aug (past peak)
24	Tricolored Heron	Egretta tricolor	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	217	Jun (past peak)
25	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	216	Sep (past peak)
26	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	215	Feb (past peak)
27	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	214	Jan (past peak)
28	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	208	Jan (past peak)
29	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	203	Mar (past peak)
30	Anhinga	Anhinga anhinga	Darters	201	Jun (past peak)
31	Boat-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus major	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	200	Mar (past peak)
32	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	197	Jun (past peak)
33	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	190	Dec (rising)
34	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	179	Apr (past peak)
35	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	175	May (past peak)
36	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	170	Mar (past peak)
37	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	166	Jun (past peak)
38	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	166	Apr (past peak)
39	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	165	Apr (past peak)
40	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	165	Mar (past peak)
41	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	163	Jul (past peak)
42	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	157	Apr (past peak)
43	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	154	Mar (past peak)
44	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	152	Mar (past peak)
45	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	151	Oct (peak)
46	Roseate Spoonbill	Platalea ajaja	Ibises and Spoonbills	146	Sep (past peak)
47	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	137	Apr (past peak)
48	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	137	Jan (past peak)
49	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	135	Sep (past peak)
50	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	132	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in South Carolina in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in South Carolina in October