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

60 birds were recorded seen in Washington in January in our iNaturalist sample; 12 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

Bald Eagle1,626 obs.

Mallard1,312 obs.

Bufflehead1,158 obs.

Song Sparrow1,026 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco1,008 obs.

Great Blue Heron1,007 obs.

American Wigeon894 obs.

Common Goldeneye869 obs.

American Robin858 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant800 obs.

American Crow790 obs.

Anna's Hummingbird687 obs.

All birds seen in Washington in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,626	Apr (rising)
2	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,312	Apr (rising)
3	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,158	Jan (peak)
4	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,026	Apr (rising)
5	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,008	May (rising)
6	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,007	May (rising)
7	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	894	Mar (rising)
8	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	869	Jan (peak)
9	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	858	Apr (rising)
10	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	800	Jan (peak)
11	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	790	Apr (rising)
12	Anna's Hummingbird	Calypte anna	Hummingbirds	687	Apr (rising)
13	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	668	Apr (rising)
14	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	657	Mar (rising)
15	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	613	Apr (rising)
16	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	589	Mar (rising)
17	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	544	Apr (rising)
18	Varied Thrush	Ixoreus naevius	Thrushes	543	Jan (peak)
19	Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	522	Feb (rising)
20	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	514	Apr (rising)
21	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	507	Jun (rising)
22	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	504	Mar (rising)
23	Golden-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia atricapilla	New World Sparrows	490	Apr (rising)
24	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	474	May (rising)
25	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	473	Jan (peak)
26	Surf Scoter	Melanitta perspicillata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	454	Jan (peak)
27	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	443	Jan (peak)
28	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	438	Mar (rising)
29	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	430	Mar (rising)
30	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	425	Jan (peak)
31	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	410	Mar (rising)
32	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	409	May (rising)
33	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	406	Jan (peak)
34	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	375	Jan (peak)
35	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	368	Apr (rising)
36	Short-billed Gull	Larus brachyrhynchus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	365	Oct (rising)
37	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	363	Jan (peak)
38	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	329	May (rising)
39	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	329	Jan (peak)
40	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	308	Aug (rising)
41	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	304	Aug (rising)
42	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	290	May (rising)
43	Bewick's Wren	Thryomanes bewickii	Wrens	280	Apr (rising)
44	Chestnut-backed Chickadee	Poecile rufescens	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	270	Apr (rising)
45	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	262	Apr (rising)
46	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	262	Apr (rising)
47	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	261	Sep (rising)
48	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	257	Mar (rising)
49	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	249	Apr (rising)
50	Glaucous-winged Gull	Larus glaucescens	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	232	Aug (rising)

Birds Seen in Washington in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Washington in January