West Virginia bird checklist

392 bird species in 63 families have been recorded in West Virginia, according to eBird; about 299 of them are seen regularly, and the rest are rarities, vagrants and escaped or introduced birds. Download the full list as a PDF, or tick birds off on your phone, with counts and notes, even without signal.

The most common birds in West Virginia right now

  1. 1Canada Goose
  2. 2American Robin
  3. 3American Crow
  4. 4Yellow-rumped Warbler
  5. 5Turkey Vulture
  6. 6Savannah Sparrow
  7. 7House Sparrow
  8. 8Blue Jay
  9. 9Swainson's Thrush
  10. 10Mourning Dove
The top 20, and how they are ranked

West Virginia bird checklist

392 species · loading the checklist tools…

Cassowaries and Emu

  • Emu

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl

  • Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
  • Bar-headed Goose
  • Snow Goose
  • Ross's Goose
  • Graylag Goose
  • Swan Goose
  • Greater White-fronted Goose
  • Brant
  • Barnacle Goose
  • Cackling Goose
  • Canada Goose
  • Mute Swan
  • Black Swan
  • Trumpeter Swan
  • Tundra Swan
  • Egyptian Goose
  • Ruddy Shelduck
  • Muscovy Duck
  • Wood Duck
  • Mandarin Duck
  • Garganey
  • Blue-winged Teal
  • Cinnamon Teal
  • Northern Shoveler
  • Gadwall
  • Eurasian Wigeon
  • American Wigeon
  • Mallard
  • American Black Duck
  • White-cheeked Pintail
  • Northern Pintail
  • Green-winged Teal
  • Canvasback
  • Redhead
  • Ring-necked Duck
  • Tufted Duck
  • Greater Scaup
  • Lesser Scaup
  • King Eider
  • Harlequin Duck
  • Surf Scoter
  • White-winged Scoter
  • Black Scoter
  • Long-tailed Duck
  • Bufflehead
  • Common Goldeneye
  • Hooded Merganser
  • Common Merganser
  • Red-breasted Merganser
  • Ruddy Duck

Guineafowl

  • Helmeted Guineafowl

New World Quail

  • Northern Bobwhite
  • California Quail

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies

  • Wild Turkey
  • Ruffed Grouse
  • Golden Pheasant
  • Ring-necked Pheasant
  • Indian Peafowl
  • Red Junglefowl
  • Chukar

Pigeons and Doves

  • Rock Pigeon
  • Passenger Pigeon
  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
  • Inca Dove
  • White-winged Dove
  • Mourning Dove

Cuckoos

  • Yellow-billed Cuckoo
  • Black-billed Cuckoo

Nightjars and Allies

  • Lesser Nighthawk
  • Common Nighthawk
  • Chuck-will's-widow
  • Eastern Whip-poor-will

Swifts

  • Chimney Swift

Hummingbirds

  • Mexican Violetear
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
  • Black-chinned Hummingbird
  • Rufous Hummingbird

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots

  • King Rail
  • Virginia Rail
  • Sora
  • Common Gallinule
  • American Coot
  • Purple Gallinule
  • Yellow Rail
  • Black Rail

Limpkin

  • Limpkin

Cranes

  • Sandhill Crane

Stilts and Avocets

  • Black-necked Stilt
  • American Avocet

Plovers and Lapwings

  • Black-bellied Plover
  • American Golden-Plover
  • Killdeer
  • Semipalmated Plover
  • Piping Plover

Sandpipers and Allies

  • Upland Sandpiper
  • Hudsonian Whimbrel
  • Hudsonian Godwit
  • Marbled Godwit
  • Short-billed Dowitcher
  • Long-billed Dowitcher
  • American Woodcock
  • Wilson's Snipe
  • Wilson's Phalarope
  • Red Phalarope
  • Red-necked Phalarope
  • Spotted Sandpiper
  • Solitary Sandpiper
  • Lesser Yellowlegs
  • Willet
  • Greater Yellowlegs
  • Ruddy Turnstone
  • Great Knot
  • Red Knot
  • Stilt Sandpiper
  • Buff-breasted Sandpiper
  • Sanderling
  • Dunlin
  • Baird's Sandpiper
  • White-rumped Sandpiper
  • Least Sandpiper
  • Pectoral Sandpiper
  • Western Sandpiper
  • Semipalmated Sandpiper

Skuas and Jaegers

  • Long-tailed Jaeger
  • Parasitic Jaeger

Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers

  • Little Gull
  • Black-legged Kittiwake
  • Sabine's Gull
  • Bonaparte's Gull
  • Laughing Gull
  • Franklin's Gull
  • Ring-billed Gull
  • Kelp Gull
  • American Herring Gull
  • Great Black-backed Gull
  • Glaucous Gull
  • Lesser Black-backed Gull
  • Iceland Gull
  • Sooty Tern
  • Least Tern
  • Caspian Tern
  • Black Tern
  • Forster's Tern
  • Arctic Tern
  • Common Tern

Grebes

  • Pied-billed Grebe
  • Horned Grebe
  • Red-necked Grebe
  • Eared Grebe
  • Western Grebe

Loons

  • Red-throated Loon
  • Pacific Loon
  • Common Loon

Storks

  • Wood Stork

Frigatebirds

  • Magnificent Frigatebird

Anhingas

  • Anhinga

Cormorants and Shags

  • Great Cormorant
  • Double-crested Cormorant

Ibises and Spoonbills

  • White Ibis
  • Glossy Ibis
  • White-faced Ibis
  • Roseate Spoonbill

Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns

  • American Bittern
  • Least Bittern
  • Yellow-crowned Night Heron
  • Black-crowned Night Heron
  • Little Blue Heron
  • Tricolored Heron
  • Snowy Egret
  • Green Heron
  • Western Cattle-Egret
  • Great Egret
  • Great Blue Heron

Pelicans

  • American White Pelican
  • Brown Pelican

New World Vultures

  • Black Vulture
  • Turkey Vulture

Osprey

  • Osprey

Hawks, Eagles, and Kites

  • White-tailed Kite
  • Swallow-tailed Kite
  • Golden Eagle
  • Sharp-shinned Hawk
  • Cooper's Hawk
  • American Goshawk
  • Northern Harrier
  • Bald Eagle
  • Mississippi Kite
  • Broad-winged Hawk
  • Red-shouldered Hawk
  • Swainson's Hawk
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Rough-legged Hawk
  • Ferruginous Hawk

Barn-Owls

  • American Barn Owl

Owls

  • Eastern Screech-Owl
  • Snowy Owl
  • Great Horned Owl
  • Northern Hawk Owl
  • Barred Owl
  • Long-eared Owl
  • Short-eared Owl
  • Northern Saw-whet Owl

Kingfishers

  • Belted Kingfisher

Woodpeckers

  • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
  • Red-headed Woodpecker
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Black-backed Woodpecker
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Northern Flicker

Falcons and Caracaras

  • Crested Caracara
  • American Kestrel
  • Merlin
  • Gyrfalcon
  • Peregrine Falcon

Old World Parrots

  • Budgerigar
  • Red Lory
  • Fischer's Lovebird

New World and African Parrots

  • Monk Parakeet
  • Carolina Parakeet

Tyrant Flycatchers

  • Olive-sided Flycatcher
  • Eastern Wood-Pewee
  • Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
  • Acadian Flycatcher
  • Alder Flycatcher
  • Willow Flycatcher
  • Least Flycatcher
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • Say's Phoebe
  • Vermilion Flycatcher
  • Ash-throated Flycatcher
  • Great Crested Flycatcher
  • Western Kingbird
  • Eastern Kingbird
  • Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
  • Fork-tailed Flycatcher

Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis

  • White-eyed Vireo
  • Bell's Vireo
  • Yellow-throated Vireo
  • Blue-headed Vireo
  • Philadelphia Vireo
  • Eastern Warbling Vireo
  • Red-eyed Vireo

Shrikes

  • Loggerhead Shrike
  • Northern Shrike

Crows, Jays, and Magpies

  • Blue Jay
  • Black-billed Magpie
  • American Crow
  • Fish Crow
  • Common Raven

Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice

  • Carolina Chickadee
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Boreal Chickadee
  • Tufted Titmouse

Larks

  • Horned Lark

Swallows

  • Bank Swallow
  • Tree Swallow
  • Purple Martin
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  • Barn Swallow
  • Cliff Swallow
  • Cave Swallow

Kinglets

  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet

Nuthatches

  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch

Treecreepers

  • Brown Creeper

Gnatcatchers

  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Wrens

  • Northern House Wren
  • Winter Wren
  • Sedge Wren
  • Marsh Wren
  • Carolina Wren
  • Bewick's Wren

Starlings

  • European Starling

Mockingbirds and Thrashers

  • Gray Catbird
  • Brown Thrasher
  • Northern Mockingbird

Thrushes and Allies

  • Eastern Bluebird
  • Townsend's Solitaire
  • Varied Thrush
  • Veery
  • Gray-cheeked Thrush
  • Bicknell's Thrush
  • Swainson's Thrush
  • Hermit Thrush
  • Wood Thrush
  • American Robin

Waxwings

  • Bohemian Waxwing
  • Cedar Waxwing

Old World Sparrows

  • House Sparrow

Wagtails and Pipits

  • American Pipit

Finches, Euphonias, and Allies

  • Evening Grosbeak
  • Pine Grosbeak
  • House Finch
  • Purple Finch
  • Redpoll
  • Red Crossbill
  • White-winged Crossbill
  • Pine Siskin
  • American Goldfinch

Longspurs and Snow Buntings

  • Lapland Longspur
  • Smith's Longspur
  • Snow Bunting

New World Sparrows

  • Bachman's Sparrow
  • Grasshopper Sparrow
  • Chipping Sparrow
  • Clay-colored Sparrow
  • Field Sparrow
  • Lark Sparrow
  • Lark Bunting
  • American Tree Sparrow
  • Fox Sparrow
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • White-crowned Sparrow
  • Harris's Sparrow
  • White-throated Sparrow
  • Vesper Sparrow
  • LeConte's Sparrow
  • Nelson's Sparrow
  • Savannah Sparrow
  • Baird's Sparrow
  • Henslow's Sparrow
  • Song Sparrow
  • Lincoln's Sparrow
  • Swamp Sparrow
  • Green-tailed Towhee
  • Eastern Towhee

Yellow-breasted Chat

  • Yellow-breasted Chat

Troupials and Allies

  • Yellow-headed Blackbird
  • Bobolink
  • Western Meadowlark
  • Eastern Meadowlark
  • Orchard Oriole
  • Baltimore Oriole
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Brown-headed Cowbird
  • Rusty Blackbird
  • Brewer's Blackbird
  • Common Grackle

New World Warblers

  • Ovenbird
  • Worm-eating Warbler
  • Louisiana Waterthrush
  • Northern Waterthrush
  • Golden-winged Warbler
  • Blue-winged Warbler
  • Black-and-white Warbler
  • Prothonotary Warbler
  • Swainson's Warbler
  • Tennessee Warbler
  • Orange-crowned Warbler
  • Nashville Warbler
  • Virginia's Warbler
  • Connecticut Warbler
  • Mourning Warbler
  • Kentucky Warbler
  • Common Yellowthroat
  • Hooded Warbler
  • American Redstart
  • Kirtland's Warbler
  • Cape May Warbler
  • Cerulean Warbler
  • Northern Parula
  • Magnolia Warbler
  • Bay-breasted Warbler
  • Blackburnian Warbler
  • Northern Yellow Warbler
  • Chestnut-sided Warbler
  • Blackpoll Warbler
  • Black-throated Blue Warbler
  • Palm Warbler
  • Pine Warbler
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler
  • Yellow-throated Warbler
  • Prairie Warbler
  • Black-throated Gray Warbler
  • Black-throated Green Warbler
  • Canada Warbler
  • Wilson's Warbler

Cardinals and Allies

  • Summer Tanager
  • Scarlet Tanager
  • Western Tanager
  • Northern Cardinal
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • Black-headed Grosbeak
  • Blue Grosbeak
  • Indigo Bunting
  • Painted Bunting
  • Dickcissel

Tanagers and Allies

  • Red-crested Cardinal

Most common birds in West Virginia

Ranked by how recently and how widely each was reported to eBird in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, and whether it is one of West Virginia’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.

  1. Canada GooseBranta canadensis
  2. American RobinTurdus migratorius
  3. American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
  4. Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronata
  5. Turkey VultureCathartes aura
  6. Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
  7. House SparrowPasser domesticus
  8. Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
  9. Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
  10. Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
  11. Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
  12. Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
  13. Great EgretArdea alba
  14. Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
  15. Rock PigeonColumba livia
  16. American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
  17. Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
  18. Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
  19. European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
  20. KilldeerCharadrius vociferus

Largest bird families in West Virginia

Among its regular birds.

  • Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl38
  • New World Warblers34
  • Sandpipers and Allies26
  • Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers18
  • New World Sparrows16
  • Hawks, Eagles, and Kites11
  • Troupials and Allies10
  • Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns9

Reported in the last 30 days

198 species reported to eBird in West Virginia in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:

Canada Goose, American Crow, Blue Jay, Cooper's Hawk, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Savannah Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Black Vulture, Nashville Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Tennessee Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, Indigo Bunting, House Finch, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Gray Catbird, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Chipping Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, Scarlet Tanager, Common Raven, Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed Vireo, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Meadowlark, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Bay-breasted Warbler, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Ovenbird, Northern Flicker, Yellow-rumped Warbler, …

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