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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in District of Columbia

Our list for District of Columbia has 145 bird species recorded regularly there: 38 residents, 17 summer visitors, 35 winter visitors, 47 passage migrants and 8 scarce visitors

The list comes from 1.8 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
145
In October
101
Common
65
Busiest month
May

What's special about District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia is worth visiting for.

  1. Fish CrowFish Crow4.8×Resident · 2.6% of records here, 0.54% across United States
  2. Cape May WarblerCape May Warbler3.6×Passage migrant · 0.31% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  3. Black-throated Blue WarblerBlack-throated Blue Warbler2.9×Passage migrant · 0.37% of records here, 0.13% across United States
  4. Blackpoll WarblerBlackpoll Warbler2.8×Passage migrant · 0.31% of records here, 0.11% across United States
  5. Magnolia WarblerMagnolia Warbler2.2×Passage migrant · 0.39% of records here, 0.18% across United States
  6. Scarlet TanagerScarlet Tanager2.2×Summer visitor · 0.49% of records here, 0.23% across United States
  7. House SparrowHouse Sparrow1.9×Resident · 3.8% of records here, 2.0% across United States
  8. Common StarlingCommon Starling1.9×Resident · 4.7% of records here, 2.4% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay4.04%
  2. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal3.63%
  3. American RobinAmerican Robin3.50%
  4. Common StarlingCommon Starling2.96%
  5. American CrowAmerican Crow2.84%
  6. Song SparrowSong Sparrow2.72%

Arriving now

  1. Swamp SparrowSwamp SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.03% → Oct 1.00%
  2. Hermit ThrushHermit ThrushWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.48%
  3. Pine SiskinPine SiskinWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.19%
  4. American Herring GullAmerican Herring GullWinter visitorSep 0.07% → Oct 0.18%
  5. White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowPassage migrantSep 0.00% → Oct 0.15%
  6. GadwallGadwallWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.09%

Share of all bird records in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia

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 District of Columbia

Records by month
Bird records in District of Columbia by month, 2019–2024
January111,861
February101,203
March153,031
April278,109
May361,588
June103,802
July88,507
August90,307
September176,773
October155,428
November108,593
December114,842

May has the most records (362,000). 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 22
All 22 families in District of Columbia

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 145 birds, A to Z

Show all 145 birds

Questions

4

What birds is District of Columbia known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, District of Columbia stands out for Fish Crow, Cape May Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler. Each is recorded at least 2.7 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 District of Columbia?

145 species, each recorded regularly in District of Columbia (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 38 residents, 17 summer visitors, 35 winter visitors, 47 passage migrants and 8 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in District of Columbia, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in District of Columbia in October?

101 species on our list for District of Columbia are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Common Starling and American Crow.

What are the most common birds in District of Columbia?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in District of Columbia are American Robin, Northern Cardinal, House Sparrow, Common Starling and Ring-billed Gull.

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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