Birds to See in District of Columbia in February
71 bird species on our list for District of Columbia are recorded regularly in February
Of these, the most often recorded are Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Common Starling, Ring-billed Gull and Blue Jay. New this month: White-crowned Sparrow and Horned Lark.
On the move in February
GBIF · FebAt their peak
Leaving soon
From District of Columbia’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 71 birds in February
71 birds
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 4.37% in Feb
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 4.35% in Feb
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 4.21% in Feb
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRegularly Jul–May · 3.67% in Feb
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataResidentCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.56% in Feb
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 3.47% in Feb
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 3.46% in Feb
Song SparrowMelospiza melodiaResidentCommon12–17 cmRecorded all year · 3.42% in Feb
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 3.24% in Feb
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 3.15% in Feb
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentCommon23–34 cmRecorded all year · 2.80% in Feb
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensResidentCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 2.72% in Feb
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusResidentCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.54% in Feb
Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolorResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 2.53% in Feb
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosResidentCommon21–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.43% in Feb
Fish CrowCorvus ossifragusResidentCommon36–41 cmRecorded all year · 2.14% in Feb
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 1.79% in Feb
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 1.41% in Feb
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusResidentCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 1.31% in Feb
Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaSummer visitorCommon28–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.27% in Feb
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.26% in Feb
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 1.08% in Feb
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusResidentCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 1.04% in Feb
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorCommon53–65 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 1.04% in Feb
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisWinter visitorCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.01% in Feb
Turkey VultureCathartes auraResidentCommon62–81 cmRecorded all year · 1.00% in Feb
Ruby-crowned KingletCorthylio calendulaWinter visitorCommon9–11 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.85% in Feb
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.80% in Feb
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusResidentCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.76% in Feb
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasResidentCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.73% in Feb
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialisResidentCommon16–21 cmRecorded all year · 0.65% in Feb
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusResidentCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.65% in Feb
Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgianaWinter visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.65% in Feb
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus variusWinter visitorCommon19–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.55% in Feb
Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronataWinter visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.51% in Feb
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.46% in Feb
Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatusWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.42% in Feb
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.42% in Feb
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorCommon64–79 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.37% in Feb
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentCommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.36% in Feb
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorCommon24–33 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.36% in Feb
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaWinter visitorUncommon15–19 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.32% in Feb
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.31% in Feb
American Black DuckAnas rubripesWinter visitorUncommon54–59 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.28% in Feb
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorUncommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in Feb
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in Feb
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumResidentCommon15–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in Feb
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in Feb
Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celataWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.23% in Feb
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisWinter visitorUncommon35–43 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.20% in Feb
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.19% in Feb
Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensisSummer visitorCommon20–24 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.17% in Feb
GadwallMareca streperaWinter visitorUncommon46–56 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.16% in Feb
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.15% in Feb
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.14% in Feb
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentUncommon43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Feb
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.12% in Feb
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.10% in Feb
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.07% in Feb
Chipping SparrowSpizella passerinaSummer visitorCommon12–15 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Feb
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Feb
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorUncommon34–38 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.05% in Feb
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.04% in Feb
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.04% in Feb
Common LoonGavia immerWinter visitorUncommon66–91 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.03% in Feb
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorRare46–63 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.02% in Feb
Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalusWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.02% in Feb
White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrysPassage migrantUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.02% in Feb
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorRare120–150 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.01% in Feb
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisResidentUncommon16–20 cmRegularly Nov–Feb · 0.01% in Feb
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.01% in Feb
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