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

60 birds were recorded seen in West Virginia in January in our iNaturalist sample; 14 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

Canada Goose121 obs.

Northern Cardinal120 obs.

Song Sparrow91 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco90 obs.

Mallard89 obs.

White-throated Sparrow80 obs.

Tufted Titmouse78 obs.

Hooded Merganser74 obs.

Downy Woodpecker73 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk68 obs.

American Crow63 obs.

Common Merganser57 obs.

All birds seen in West Virginia in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	121	Apr (rising)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	120	Apr (rising)
3	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	91	Apr (rising)
4	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	90	Jan (peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	89	Apr (rising)
6	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	80	Jan (peak)
7	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	78	Jan (peak)
8	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	74	Jan (peak)
9	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	73	Jan (peak)
10	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	68	Jan (peak)
11	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	63	Mar (rising)
12	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	57	Feb (rising)
13	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	55	Apr (rising)
14	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	54	Oct (rising)
15	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	52	Apr (rising)
16	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	50	Dec (rising)
17	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	50	Apr (rising)
18	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	50	Dec (rising)
19	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	48	Apr (rising)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	48	Apr (rising)
21	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	43	Jan (peak)
22	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	43	Apr (rising)
23	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	Jan (peak)
24	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	39	Jan (peak)
25	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	39	May (rising)
26	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	38	Apr (rising)
27	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	34	Apr (rising)
28	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	34	May (rising)
29	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	33	Jan (peak)
30	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	33	Jan (peak)
31	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	32	Dec (rising)
32	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	32	Apr (rising)
33	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	30	Feb (rising)
34	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	27	Aug (rising)
35	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	26	Apr (rising)
36	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Mar (rising)
37	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Jan (peak)
38	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	23	Jan (peak)
39	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	22	Oct (rising)
40	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	21	Jan (peak)
41	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	21	Apr (rising)
42	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	20	Mar (rising)
43	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	20	Oct (rising)
44	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	19	Apr (rising)
45	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	18	Sep (rising)
46	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	18	Apr (rising)
47	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	18	Dec (rising)
48	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	18	Nov (rising)
49	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	17	Nov (rising)
50	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	17	Feb (rising)

Birds Seen in West Virginia in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in West Virginia in January