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

60 birds were recorded seen in Texas in January in our iNaturalist sample; 24 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 Cardinal8,700 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler5,477 obs.

Great Blue Heron4,863 obs.

Northern Mockingbird4,691 obs.

Great Egret3,956 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk3,905 obs.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet3,363 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk3,341 obs.

American Goldfinch3,208 obs.

House Finch3,139 obs.

Eastern Phoebe3,100 obs.

Eastern Bluebird3,018 obs.

All birds seen in Texas in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	8,700	Apr (rising)
2	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	5,477	Jan (peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	4,863	Apr (rising)
4	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	4,691	Apr (rising)
5	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	3,956	Apr (rising)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	3,905	Jan (peak)
7	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	3,363	Jan (peak)
8	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	3,341	Feb (rising)
9	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	3,208	Jan (peak)
10	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	3,139	Apr (rising)
11	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	3,100	Oct (rising)
12	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	3,018	Apr (rising)
13	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	2,980	Jan (peak)
14	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,905	Jan (peak)
15	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	2,768	Jan (peak)
16	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	2,750	Feb (rising)
17	Orange-crowned Warbler	Leiothlypis celata	New World Warblers	2,673	Jan (peak)
18	White-winged Dove	Zenaida asiatica	Pigeons and Doves	2,583	Apr (rising)
19	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,580	Apr (rising)
20	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	2,529	Jan (peak)
21	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	2,515	Apr (rising)
22	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	2,513	Mar (rising)
23	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	2,490	Apr (rising)
24	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	2,445	Jan (peak)
25	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	2,442	Mar (rising)
26	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,414	Jan (peak)
27	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	2,410	Jan (peak)
28	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,379	Apr (rising)
29	Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,355	Apr (rising)
30	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	2,325	Jan (peak)
31	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	2,171	Jan (peak)
32	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	2,137	Apr (rising)
33	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	2,117	Jan (peak)
34	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	2,067	Jan (peak)
35	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	2,048	Apr (rising)
36	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	2,025	Apr (rising)
37	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	1,994	Apr (rising)
38	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	1,987	Apr (rising)
39	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	1,940	Jan (peak)
40	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,889	Jan (peak)
41	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	1,884	Apr (rising)
42	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	1,870	Jan (peak)
43	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,822	Jan (peak)
44	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,788	Jan (peak)
45	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,703	Apr (rising)
46	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,615	Jan (peak)
47	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	1,520	Apr (rising)
48	Loggerhead Shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	Shrikes	1,514	Jan (peak)
49	Crested Caracara	Caracara plancus	Falcons and Caracaras	1,504	Apr (rising)
50	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,488	Jan (peak)

Birds Seen in Texas in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Texas in January