Birds in West Virginia in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in West Virginia in December 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 December

Canada Goose110 obs.

Northern Cardinal87 obs.

Mallard78 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco74 obs.

Tufted Titmouse73 obs.

Hooded Merganser67 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch62 obs.

Song Sparrow56 obs.

Downy Woodpecker54 obs.

Bald Eagle53 obs.

Eastern Bluebird48 obs.

Great Blue Heron44 obs.

All birds seen in West Virginia in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	110	Apr (past peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	87	Apr (past peak)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	78	Apr (past peak)
4	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	74	Jan (past peak)
5	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	73	Jan (past peak)
6	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	67	Jan (past peak)
7	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	62	Dec (peak)
8	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	56	Apr (past peak)
9	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	54	Jan (past peak)
10	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	53	Dec (peak)
11	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	48	Apr (past peak)
12	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	44	Aug (past peak)
13	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	43	Jan (past peak)
14	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	43	Apr (past peak)
15	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	42	Mar (past peak)
16	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	42	Apr (past peak)
17	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	40	Jan (past peak)
18	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	38	Apr (past peak)
19	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	36	Apr (past peak)
20	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	36	Oct (past peak)
21	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	35	Feb (past peak)
22	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	33	Dec (peak)
23	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	32	Apr (past peak)
24	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	32	Apr (past peak)
25	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	32	May (past peak)
26	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	30	Apr (past peak)
27	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	29	Dec (peak)
28	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	28	Apr (past peak)
29	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	26	Jan (past peak)
30	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	24	Feb (past peak)
31	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	24	May (past peak)
32	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	23	Jan (past peak)
33	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	22	Jan (past peak)
34	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	21	Sep (past peak)
35	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	21	Jan (past peak)
36	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	21	Jan (past peak)
37	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	21	Jan (past peak)
38	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	20	Apr (past peak)
39	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	20	Oct (past peak)
40	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	19	Mar (past peak)
41	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	19	Jan (past peak)
42	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	19	Jan (past peak)
43	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	19	Oct (past peak)
44	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	18	Apr (past peak)
45	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	16	Dec (peak)
46	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	15	Apr (past peak)
47	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	14	Aug (past peak)
48	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	14	Dec (peak)
49	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	14	Dec (peak)
50	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	13	Nov (past peak)

Birds Seen in West Virginia in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in West Virginia in December