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

60 birds were recorded seen in West Virginia in October in our iNaturalist sample; 8 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 October

Yellow-rumped Warbler98 obs.

Blue Jay96 obs.

Turkey Vulture71 obs.

Canada Goose71 obs.

Song Sparrow67 obs.

Northern Cardinal65 obs.

Mallard56 obs.

Cedar Waxwing55 obs.

Great Blue Heron54 obs.

Wild Turkey51 obs.

Carolina Wren51 obs.

House Sparrow51 obs.

All birds seen in West Virginia in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	98	Oct (peak)
2	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	96	Oct (peak)
3	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	71	Apr (past peak)
4	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	71	Apr (past peak)
5	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	67	Apr (past peak)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	65	Apr (past peak)
7	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	56	Apr (past peak)
8	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	55	Jun (past peak)
9	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	54	Aug (past peak)
10	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	51	Sep (past peak)
11	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	51	Apr (past peak)
12	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	51	Apr (past peak)
13	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	49	Apr (past peak)
14	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	47	Jan (past peak)
15	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	47	Oct (peak)
16	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	44	Dec (rising)
17	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	44	Apr (past peak)
18	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	43	Mar (past peak)
19	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	43	Dec (rising)
20	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	42	May (past peak)
21	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	42	Jan (past peak)
22	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	39	May (past peak)
23	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	38	Jan (past peak)
24	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	37	Apr (past peak)
25	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	36	Nov (rising)
26	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	36	Oct (peak)
27	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	34	Apr (past peak)
28	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	34	Oct (peak)
29	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	32	Apr (past peak)
30	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	31	May (past peak)
31	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	31	Apr (past peak)
32	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	30	Oct (peak)
33	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	30	Apr (past peak)
34	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	29	Jan (past peak)
35	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	28	Jan (past peak)
36	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	27	Jan (past peak)
37	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	25	Aug (past peak)
38	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	25	Sep (past peak)
39	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	24	Jan (past peak)
40	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	24	Dec (rising)
41	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	24	Apr (past peak)
42	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	23	Apr (past peak)
43	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	23	Oct (peak)
44	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	23	Dec (rising)
45	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	22	Apr (past peak)
46	Field Sparrow	Spizella pusilla	New World Sparrows	21	Apr (past peak)
47	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	21	Oct (peak)
48	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	19	Apr (past peak)
49	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	19	May (past peak)
50	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	19	Sep (past peak)

Birds Seen in West Virginia in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in West Virginia in October