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

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in February in our iNaturalist sample; 7 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 February

Canada Goose1,451 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,434 obs.

Mallard1,286 obs.

American Robin1,137 obs.

Eastern Bluebird906 obs.

White-throated Sparrow837 obs.

Great Blue Heron802 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk789 obs.

Song Sparrow756 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco692 obs.

Northern Mockingbird687 obs.

Downy Woodpecker684 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in February

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,451	Apr (rising)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,434	Apr (rising)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,286	Apr (rising)
4	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	1,137	Apr (rising)
5	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	906	Apr (rising)
6	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	837	Apr (rising)
7	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	802	Apr (rising)
8	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	789	Jan (past peak)
9	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	756	Mar (rising)
10	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	692	Jan (past peak)
11	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	687	Apr (rising)
12	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	684	Jan (past peak)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	672	Apr (rising)
14	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	660	Feb (peak)
15	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	615	Feb (peak)
16	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	599	Apr (rising)
17	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	593	Apr (rising)
18	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	588	Apr (rising)
19	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	579	Feb (peak)
20	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	555	Apr (rising)
21	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	514	Apr (rising)
22	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	497	Apr (rising)
23	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	493	Apr (rising)
24	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	455	Apr (rising)
25	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	452	Apr (rising)
26	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	407	Jan (past peak)
27	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	393	Apr (rising)
28	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	390	Apr (rising)
29	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	379	Apr (rising)
30	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	373	Apr (rising)
31	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	365	Feb (peak)
32	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	334	Apr (rising)
33	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	325	Apr (rising)
34	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	324	Jan (past peak)
35	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	314	Apr (rising)
36	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	296	Feb (peak)
37	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	292	Jan (past peak)
38	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	290	Jan (past peak)
39	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	272	Apr (rising)
40	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	255	Apr (rising)
41	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	244	Apr (rising)
42	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	230	Jan (past peak)
43	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	192	May (rising)
44	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	189	Mar (rising)
45	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	176	Jan (past peak)
46	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	172	Feb (peak)
47	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	167	Feb (peak)
48	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	163	Apr (rising)
49	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	160	Apr (rising)
50	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	158	Oct (rising)

Birds Seen in Virginia in February

Top birds in February

All birds seen in Virginia in February