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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Pennsylvania

Our list for Pennsylvania has 205 bird species recorded regularly there: 44 residents, 50 summer visitors, 59 winter visitors, 48 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors

The list comes from 29 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
205
In October
148
Common
58
Busiest month
May

What's special about Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania is worth visiting for.

  1. Scarlet TanagerScarlet Tanager2.4×Summer visitor · 0.55% of records here, 0.23% across United States
  2. OvenbirdOvenbird2.1×Summer visitor · 0.65% of records here, 0.31% across United States
  3. Gray CatbirdGray Catbird2.0×Summer visitor · 2.5% of records here, 1.3% across United States
  4. Eastern Screech-owlEastern Screech-owl1.8×Winter visitor · 0.11% of records here, 0.06% across United States
  5. Black-throated Green WarblerBlack-throated Green Warbler1.8×Summer visitor · 0.37% of records here, 0.21% across United States
  6. Black-throated Blue WarblerBlack-throated Blue Warbler1.8×Summer visitor · 0.22% of records here, 0.13% across United States
  7. Black-billed CuckooBlack-billed Cuckoo1.8×Summer visitor · 0.04% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  8. Broad-winged HawkBroad-winged Hawk1.7×Summer visitor · 0.17% of records here, 0.10% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay4.67%
  2. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal3.50%
  3. American CrowAmerican Crow3.39%
  4. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker3.26%
  5. American RobinAmerican Robin3.15%
  6. Song SparrowSong Sparrow2.87%

Arriving now

  1. White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.32%
  2. Pine SiskinPine SiskinWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.29%
  3. Ruddy DuckRuddy DuckWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.19%
  4. GadwallGadwallWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.10%
  5. Common PheasantCommon PheasantWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.09%
  6. Common LoonCommon LoonWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.06%

Share of all bird records in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania

Records by month
Bird records in Pennsylvania by month, 2019–2024
January1,531,998
February1,675,085
March2,327,201
April3,651,413
May5,672,678
June2,722,304
July1,948,911
August1,777,760
September2,192,147
October2,027,608
November1,506,960
December1,547,241

May has the most records (5.7 million). 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 25
All 25 families in Pennsylvania

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 205 birds, A to Z

Show all 205 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Pennsylvania known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Pennsylvania stands out for Scarlet Tanager, Ovenbird, Gray Catbird and Eastern Screech-owl. Each is recorded at least 1.8 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 Pennsylvania?

205 species, each recorded regularly in Pennsylvania (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 44 residents, 50 summer visitors, 59 winter visitors, 48 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Pennsylvania, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Pennsylvania in October?

148 species on our list for Pennsylvania are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, Red-bellied Woodpecker and American Robin.

What are the most common birds in Pennsylvania?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Pennsylvania are Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, American Robin, American Crow and Song Sparrow.

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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