Birds in Virginia in August: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in August in our iNaturalist sample; 6 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

Great Blue Heron1,126 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird1,015 obs.

Northern Cardinal940 obs.

Green Heron861 obs.

American Goldfinch842 obs.

Great Egret724 obs.

Mourning Dove631 obs.

Osprey595 obs.

Northern Mockingbird523 obs.

Laughing Gull493 obs.

House Sparrow474 obs.

Canada Goose461 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,126	Apr (past peak)
2	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	1,015	Aug (peak)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	940	Apr (past peak)
4	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	861	Aug (peak)
5	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	842	Apr (past peak)
6	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	724	Aug (peak)
7	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	631	Apr (past peak)
8	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	595	Apr (past peak)
9	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	523	Apr (past peak)
10	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	493	Aug (peak)
11	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	474	Apr (past peak)
12	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	461	Apr (past peak)
13	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	426	Apr (past peak)
14	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	423	Apr (past peak)
15	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	416	Apr (past peak)
16	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	405	Apr (past peak)
17	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	402	Apr (past peak)
18	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	370	Apr (past peak)
19	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	337	Apr (past peak)
20	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	332	Jul (past peak)
21	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	329	May (past peak)
22	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	314	Sep (rising)
23	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	311	Apr (past peak)
24	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	311	Jan (past peak)
25	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	309	Jan (past peak)
26	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	298	Jan (past peak)
27	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	297	Apr (past peak)
28	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	275	Feb (past peak)
29	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	273	May (past peak)
30	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	268	Apr (past peak)
31	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	265	Apr (past peak)
32	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	258	Apr (past peak)
33	Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	Cardinals and Allies	256	May (past peak)
34	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	253	Mar (past peak)
35	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	243	Apr (past peak)
36	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	235	Aug (peak)
37	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	235	Apr (past peak)
38	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	212	May (past peak)
39	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	208	Apr (past peak)
40	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	198	Apr (past peak)
41	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	196	Apr (past peak)
42	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	193	Apr (past peak)
43	Solitary Sandpiper	Tringa solitaria	Sandpipers and Allies	186	May (past peak)
44	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens	186	Apr (past peak)
45	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	180	Apr (past peak)
46	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	178	Apr (past peak)
47	Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla	Sandpipers and Allies	172	Aug (peak)
48	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	160	Oct (rising)
49	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	160	Apr (past peak)
50	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	158	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Virginia in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in Virginia in August