Birds to See in District of Columbia in January
73 bird species on our list for District of Columbia are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are Ring-billed Gull, Northern Cardinal, Common Starling, American Robin and Canada Goose. New this month: Blue-headed Vireo and Lincoln's Sparrow.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanAt their peak
Ring-billed GullBusiest month of the year · Jul–May
Hooded MerganserBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
Northern ShovelerBusiest month of the year · Sep–Apr
Orange-crowned WarblerBusiest month of the year · Sep–Apr
Pied-billed GrebeBusiest month of the year · Sep–Apr
Ruddy DuckBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
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 73 birds in January
73 birds
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRegularly Jul–May · 4.13% in Jan
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 4.06% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 4.00% in Jan
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 3.81% in Jan
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 3.79% in Jan
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataResidentCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.66% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 3.30% in Jan
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 3.09% in Jan
Song SparrowMelospiza melodiaResidentCommon12–17 cmRecorded all year · 3.00% in Jan
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensResidentCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 2.84% in Jan
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosResidentCommon21–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.72% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 2.71% in Jan
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusResidentCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.47% in Jan
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentCommon23–34 cmRecorded all year · 2.42% in Jan
Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolorResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 2.24% in Jan
Fish CrowCorvus ossifragusResidentCommon36–41 cmRecorded all year · 1.84% in Jan
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 1.78% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 1.54% in Jan
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorCommon53–65 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 1.53% in Jan
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.32% in Jan
Ruby-crowned KingletCorthylio calendulaWinter visitorCommon9–11 cmRegularly Sep–May · 1.21% in Jan
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisWinter visitorCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.12% in Jan
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 1.07% in Jan
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusResidentCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 1.00% in Jan
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasResidentCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.98% in Jan
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusResidentCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in Jan
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusResidentCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.78% in Jan
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusWinter visitorCommon64–79 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.75% in Jan
Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgianaWinter visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.71% in Jan
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.71% in Jan
Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus variusWinter visitorCommon19–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.71% in Jan
Turkey VultureCathartes auraResidentCommon62–81 cmRecorded all year · 0.67% in Jan
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusResidentCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Jan- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.52% in Jan
Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatusWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.49% in Jan- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.49% in Jan
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialisResidentCommon16–21 cmRecorded all year · 0.45% in Jan
Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronataWinter visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.44% in Jan- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celataWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.42% in Jan
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorCommon24–33 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.42% in Jan- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.40% in Jan
Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaSummer visitorCommon28–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.37% in Jan
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaWinter visitorUncommon15–19 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.35% in Jan
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.33% in Jan- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisWinter visitorUncommon35–43 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.32% in Jan
American Black DuckAnas rubripesWinter visitorUncommon54–59 cmRegularly Jul–Apr · 0.28% in Jan
GadwallMareca streperaWinter visitorUncommon46–56 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.26% in Jan
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorUncommon34–58 cmRecorded all year · 0.23% in Jan
Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensisSummer visitorCommon20–24 cmRegularly Apr–Feb · 0.21% in Jan
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumResidentCommon15–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.21% in Jan
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.18% in Jan
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentCommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.18% in Jan
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.16% in Jan
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorUncommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Jan
Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapillaPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.15% in Jan
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.12% in Jan
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentUncommon43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in Jan
Chipping SparrowSpizella passerinaSummer visitorCommon12–15 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan
Horned GrebePodiceps auritusWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.06% in Jan
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.05% in Jan
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Jan
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.04% in Jan
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorUncommon11–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.04% in Jan
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.04% in Jan
Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolniiPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.04% in Jan
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorUncommon34–38 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.04% in Jan
Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalusWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.03% in Jan
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.02% in Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaPassage migrantUncommon59–76 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.02% in Jan
Blue-headed VireoVireo solitariusPassage migrantUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.02% in Jan
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorRare46–63 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.02% in Jan
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorRare120–150 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.01% in Jan
Common LoonGavia immerWinter visitorUncommon66–91 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.01% in Jan
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