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

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in July in our iNaturalist sample; 1 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 July

Great Blue Heron1,160 obs.

Northern Cardinal996 obs.

American Goldfinch860 obs.

Green Heron759 obs.

American Robin749 obs.

Gray Catbird676 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird670 obs.

Great Egret609 obs.

Osprey607 obs.

Northern Mockingbird598 obs.

Eastern Bluebird565 obs.

House Sparrow561 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in July

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,160	Apr (past peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	996	Apr (past peak)
3	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	860	Apr (past peak)
4	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	759	Aug (rising)
5	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	749	Apr (past peak)
6	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	676	May (past peak)
7	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	670	Aug (rising)
8	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	609	Aug (rising)
9	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	607	Apr (past peak)
10	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	598	Apr (past peak)
11	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	565	Apr (past peak)
12	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	561	Apr (past peak)
13	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	558	Apr (past peak)
14	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	537	Apr (past peak)
15	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	489	Apr (past peak)
16	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	462	Apr (past peak)
17	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	450	Apr (past peak)
18	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	448	Jul (peak)
19	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	416	Apr (past peak)
20	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	402	Apr (past peak)
21	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	401	May (past peak)
22	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	374	May (past peak)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	366	Apr (past peak)
24	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	352	Aug (rising)
25	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	351	Apr (past peak)
26	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	340	Apr (past peak)
27	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	335	Mar (past peak)
28	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	310	Jan (past peak)
29	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	308	May (past peak)
30	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	285	Apr (past peak)
31	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	270	Apr (past peak)
32	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	262	Apr (past peak)
33	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	260	May (past peak)
34	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	250	Apr (past peak)
35	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	247	Apr (past peak)
36	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	235	Apr (past peak)
37	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	233	Apr (past peak)
38	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	227	Jan (past peak)
39	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	224	Apr (past peak)
40	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	224	Apr (past peak)
41	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	219	Feb (past peak)
42	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	206	Apr (past peak)
43	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	198	Jan (past peak)
44	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	197	Apr (past peak)
45	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	194	Apr (past peak)
46	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	184	Apr (past peak)
47	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	177	Apr (past peak)
48	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	175	Sep (rising)
49	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Polioptila caerulea	Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens	157	Apr (past peak)
50	Scarlet Tanager	Piranga olivacea	Cardinals and Allies	154	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in Virginia in July

Top birds in July

All birds seen in Virginia in July