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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Virginia

Our list for Virginia has 219 bird species recorded regularly there: 54 residents, 49 summer visitors, 66 winter visitors, 44 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors

The list comes from 21 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
219
In October
159
Common
57
Busiest month
May

What's special about Virginia

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 Virginia is worth visiting for.

  1. Fish CrowFish Crow2.7×Resident · 1.5% of records here, 0.54% across United States
  2. Eastern BluebirdEastern Bluebird2.5×Resident · 3.1% of records here, 1.2% across United States
  3. Pileated WoodpeckerPileated Woodpecker2.2×Resident · 1.6% of records here, 0.71% across United States
  4. Prothonotary WarblerProthonotary Warbler2.2×Summer visitor · 0.17% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  5. Scarlet TanagerScarlet Tanager2.1×Summer visitor · 0.49% of records here, 0.23% across United States
  6. Tufted TitmouseTufted Titmouse1.9×Resident · 3.9% of records here, 2.0% across United States
  7. Northern GannetNorthern Gannet1.9×Winter visitor · 0.09% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  8. Yellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied Sapsucker1.9×Winter visitor · 0.60% of records here, 0.32% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay4.05%
  2. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal3.82%
  3. American CrowAmerican Crow3.58%
  4. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker3.15%
  5. Tufted TitmouseTufted Titmouse2.71%
  6. Downy WoodpeckerDowny Woodpecker2.46%

Arriving now

  1. Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerWinter visitorSep 0.09% → Oct 1.83%
  2. Yellow-bellied SapsuckerYellow-bellied SapsuckerWinter visitorSep 0.03% → Oct 0.76%
  3. Swamp SparrowSwamp SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.69%
  4. Hermit ThrushHermit ThrushWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.33%
  5. Pine SiskinPine SiskinWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.18%
  6. White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.18%

Share of all bird records in Virginia 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 Virginia

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 Virginia

Records by month
Bird records in Virginia by month, 2019–2024
January1,540,944
February1,593,900
March1,757,631
April2,750,665
May3,460,523
June1,771,309
July1,331,214
August1,204,103
September1,535,963
October1,575,340
November1,408,303
December1,538,793

May has the most records (3.5 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 28
All 28 families in Virginia

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 219 birds, A to Z

Show all 219 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Virginia known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Virginia stands out for Fish Crow, Eastern Bluebird, Pileated Woodpecker and Prothonotary Warbler. Each is recorded at least 2.1 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 Virginia?

219 species, each recorded regularly in Virginia (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 54 residents, 49 summer visitors, 66 winter visitors, 44 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Virginia, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Virginia in October?

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

What are the most common birds in Virginia?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Virginia are Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, American Crow and American Robin.

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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