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

60 birds were recorded seen in Virginia in March in our iNaturalist sample; 2 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 March

American Robin2,028 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,891 obs.

Mallard1,517 obs.

Canada Goose1,516 obs.

Eastern Bluebird1,103 obs.

Northern Mockingbird1,038 obs.

Song Sparrow1,007 obs.

Great Blue Heron886 obs.

Downy Woodpecker771 obs.

Mourning Dove765 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk752 obs.

White-throated Sparrow727 obs.

All birds seen in Virginia in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	2,028	Apr (rising)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,891	Apr (rising)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,517	Apr (rising)
4	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,516	Apr (rising)
5	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	1,103	Apr (rising)
6	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	1,038	Apr (rising)
7	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,007	Mar (peak)
8	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	886	Apr (rising)
9	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	771	Jan (past peak)
10	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	765	Apr (rising)
11	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	752	Jan (past peak)
12	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	727	Apr (rising)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	713	Apr (rising)
14	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	691	Jan (past peak)
15	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	688	Apr (rising)
16	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	674	Apr (rising)
17	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	664	Apr (rising)
18	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	641	Apr (rising)
19	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	640	Apr (rising)
20	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	640	Apr (rising)
21	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	622	Apr (rising)
22	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	584	Apr (rising)
23	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	560	Apr (rising)
24	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	549	Apr (rising)
25	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	537	Apr (rising)
26	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	471	Apr (rising)
27	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	428	Apr (rising)
28	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	413	Apr (rising)
29	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	411	Apr (rising)
30	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	410	Apr (rising)
31	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	364	Apr (rising)
32	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	361	Apr (rising)
33	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	358	Jan (past peak)
34	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	348	Feb (past peak)
35	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	334	Apr (rising)
36	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	323	Jan (past peak)
37	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	317	Feb (past peak)
38	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	315	Apr (rising)
39	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	305	Apr (rising)
40	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	295	Apr (rising)
41	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	290	Feb (past peak)
42	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	289	Apr (rising)
43	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	269	Mar (peak)
44	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	263	Feb (past peak)
45	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	260	Jan (past peak)
46	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	255	Apr (rising)
47	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	253	Apr (rising)
48	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	244	Jan (past peak)
49	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	239	Apr (rising)
50	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	237	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in Virginia in March

Top birds in March

All birds seen in Virginia in March