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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Delaware

Our list for Delaware has 206 bird species recorded regularly there: 43 residents, 42 summer visitors, 58 winter visitors, 53 passage migrants and 10 scarce visitors

The list comes from 4.1 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
206
In October
132
Common
85
Busiest month
May

What's special about Delaware

vs United States

The birds recorded far more often here than across United States, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Delaware is worth visiting for.

  1. Short-billed DowitcherShort-billed Dowitcher7.3×Summer visitor · 0.56% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  2. Purple SandpiperPurple Sandpiper6.3×Winter visitor · 0.07% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  3. DunlinDunlin5.9×Resident · 0.76% of records here, 0.13% across United States
  4. Semipalmated SandpiperSemipalmated Sandpiper5.9×Summer visitor · 0.64% of records here, 0.11% across United States
  5. Northern GannetNorthern Gannet5.6×Winter visitor · 0.25% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  6. Forster's TernForster's Tern5.6×Summer visitor · 1.2% of records here, 0.21% across United States
  7. Great CormorantGreat Cormorant5.4×Winter visitor · 0.10% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  8. Snow GooseSnow Goose5.1×Winter visitor · 0.60% of records here, 0.12% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay2.68%
  2. Turkey VultureTurkey Vulture2.53%
  3. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal2.49%
  4. Canada GooseCanada Goose2.02%
  5. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker2.01%
  6. Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped Warbler1.93%

Arriving now

  1. Pine SiskinPine SiskinWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.26%
  2. Hermit ThrushHermit ThrushWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.22%
  3. Surf ScoterSurf ScoterWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.20%
  4. Common LoonCommon LoonWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.19%
  5. Northern GannetNorthern GannetWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.15%
  6. White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.11%

Share of all bird records in Delaware in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Delaware

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Delaware

Records by month
Bird records in Delaware by month, 2019–2024
January285,625
February257,856
March291,625
April436,852
May717,296
June267,743
July316,647
August379,531
September322,210
October336,896
November254,846
December221,866

May has the most records (717,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 28
All 28 families in Delaware

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 206 birds, A to Z

Show all 206 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Delaware known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Delaware stands out for Short-billed Dowitcher, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpiper. Each is recorded at least 5.8 times as often here as across United States, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Delaware?

206 species, each recorded regularly in Delaware (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 43 residents, 42 summer visitors, 58 winter visitors, 53 passage migrants and 10 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Delaware, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Delaware in October?

132 species on our list for Delaware are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Blue Jay, Turkey Vulture, Northern Cardinal, Canada Goose and Red-bellied Woodpecker.

What are the most common birds in Delaware?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Delaware are Northern Cardinal, Turkey Vulture, Red-winged Blackbird, American Robin and Canada Goose.

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

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