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

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in December in our iNaturalist sample; 0 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 December

Northern Cardinal1,059 obs.

Great Blue Heron851 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk847 obs.

White-throated Sparrow839 obs.

Downy Woodpecker719 obs.

Eastern Bluebird662 obs.

Canada Goose658 obs.

Mallard655 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco655 obs.

Song Sparrow651 obs.

Carolina Wren631 obs.

Bald Eagle610 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,059	Apr (past peak)
2	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	851	Apr (past peak)
3	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	847	Jan (past peak)
4	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	839	Apr (past peak)
5	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	719	Jan (past peak)
6	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	662	Apr (past peak)
7	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	658	Apr (past peak)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	655	Apr (past peak)
9	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	655	Jan (past peak)
10	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	651	Mar (past peak)
11	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	631	Apr (past peak)
12	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	610	Apr (past peak)
13	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	538	Apr (past peak)
14	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	487	Apr (past peak)
15	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	469	Apr (past peak)
16	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	466	Apr (past peak)
17	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	460	Feb (past peak)
18	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	454	Apr (past peak)
19	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	451	Feb (past peak)
20	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	436	Apr (past peak)
21	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	434	Apr (past peak)
22	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	421	Apr (past peak)
23	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	405	Jan (past peak)
24	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	373	Apr (past peak)
25	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	367	Jan (past peak)
26	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	365	Jan (past peak)
27	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	349	Feb (past peak)
28	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	341	Apr (past peak)
29	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	332	Apr (past peak)
30	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	320	Jan (past peak)
31	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	309	Apr (past peak)
32	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	304	Apr (past peak)
33	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	289	Apr (past peak)
34	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	281	Apr (past peak)
35	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	262	Apr (past peak)
36	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	242	Feb (past peak)
37	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	236	Apr (past peak)
38	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	233	Feb (past peak)
39	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	229	Jan (past peak)
40	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	218	Apr (past peak)
41	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	212	Oct (past peak)
42	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	205	Oct (past peak)
43	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	165	Apr (past peak)
44	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	159	Jan (past peak)
45	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	156	Jan (past peak)
46	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	154	Aug (past peak)
47	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	151	Jan (past peak)
48	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	151	Jan (past peak)
49	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	146	Jan (past peak)
50	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	144	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Virginia in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Virginia in December