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

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in January in our iNaturalist sample; 11 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 Cardinal1,491 obs.

White-throated Sparrow1,114 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco1,012 obs.

Downy Woodpecker889 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk885 obs.

Song Sparrow853 obs.

Eastern Bluebird804 obs.

American Robin756 obs.

Mallard741 obs.

Canada Goose734 obs.

Great Blue Heron727 obs.

Bald Eagle691 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,491	Apr (rising)
2	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,114	Apr (rising)
3	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,012	Jan (peak)
4	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	889	Jan (peak)
5	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	885	Jan (peak)
6	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	853	Mar (rising)
7	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	804	Apr (rising)
8	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	756	Apr (rising)
9	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	741	Apr (rising)
10	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	734	Apr (rising)
11	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	727	Apr (rising)
12	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	691	Apr (rising)
13	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	675	Apr (rising)
14	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	672	Apr (rising)
15	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	669	Apr (rising)
16	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	632	Apr (rising)
17	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	578	Apr (rising)
18	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	575	Feb (rising)
19	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	567	Apr (rising)
20	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	539	Apr (rising)
21	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	483	Apr (rising)
22	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	476	Feb (rising)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	465	Apr (rising)
24	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	426	Apr (rising)
25	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	419	Apr (rising)
26	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	419	Jan (peak)
27	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	408	Jan (peak)
28	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	406	Jan (peak)
29	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	396	Apr (rising)
30	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	381	Jan (peak)
31	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	338	Apr (rising)
32	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	328	Apr (rising)
33	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	327	Feb (rising)
34	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	313	Feb (rising)
35	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	294	Apr (rising)
36	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	290	Feb (rising)
37	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	282	Apr (rising)
38	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	262	Oct (rising)
39	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	253	Apr (rising)
40	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	250	Jan (peak)
41	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	250	Apr (rising)
42	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	210	Apr (rising)
43	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	190	Apr (rising)
44	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	186	Jan (peak)
45	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	185	Oct (rising)
46	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	178	Jan (peak)
47	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	175	May (rising)
48	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	164	Jan (peak)
49	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	161	Apr (rising)
50	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	160	Feb (rising)

Birds Seen in Virginia in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Virginia in January