Birds of Pennsylvania: The Official State Checklist

All 456 birds on the list

• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• Allen’s Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin
• American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
• American Barn Owl Tyto furcata
• American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
• American Black Duck Anas rubripes
• American Coot Fulica americana
• American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
• American Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• American Goshawk Accipiter atricapillus
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Mareca americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
• Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
• Anna’s Hummingbird Calypte anna
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
• Bachman’s Sparrow Peucaea aestivalis
• Bahama Woodstar Nesophlox evelynae
• Baird’s Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Band-rumped Storm-Petrel Hydrobates castro
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Barrow’s Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
• Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
• Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
• Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus bicknelli
• Black Guillemot Cepphus grylle
• Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis
• Black Scoter Melanitta americana
• Black Skimmer Rynchops niger
• Black Tern Chlidonias niger
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
• Black-backed Oriole Icterus abeillei
• Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
• Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata
• Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
• Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
• Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens
• Black-throated Gray Warbler Setophaga nigrescens
• Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
• Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca
• Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata
• Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea
• Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
• Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius
• Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors
• Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera
• Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus
• Bonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia
• Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonicus
• Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus
• Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Brewer's Sparrow Spizella breweri
• Broad-billed Hummingbird Cynanthus latirostris
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
• Brown-headed Nuthatch Sitta pusilla
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
• Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
• Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullockii
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• California Gull Larus californicus
• Calliope Hummingbird Selasphorus calliope
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Carolina Chickadee Poecile carolinensis
• Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
• Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva
• Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
• Cerulean Warbler Setophaga cerulea
• Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
• Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
• Chuck-will’s-widow Antrostomus carolinensis
• Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
• Clapper Rail Rallus crepitans
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Common Eider Somateria mollissima
• Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina
• Common Gull Larus canus
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
• Common Swift Apus apus
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii
• Corn Crake Crex crex
• Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis
• Crested Caracara Caracara plancus
• Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum
• Dovekie Alle alle
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
• Dunlin Calidris alpina
• Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
• Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
• Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
• Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
• Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
• Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio
• Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
• Eastern Whip-poor-will Antrostomus vociferus
• Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
• Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis
• Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
• Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
• European Robin Erithacus rubecula
• European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
• Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana
• Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• Franklin’s Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Gadwall Mareca strepera
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
• Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
• Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Gray Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii
• Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Leucosticte tephrocotis
• Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
• Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
• Great Egret Ardea alba
• Great Gray Owl Strix nebulosa
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis
• Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
• Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Hammond’s Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris’s Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow’s Sparrow Centronyx henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Hermit Warbler Setophaga occidentalis
• Herring Gull Larus argentatus
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
• House Sparrow Passer domesticus
• Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
• Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
• Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• King Eider Somateria spectabilis
• King Rail Rallus elegans
• Kirtland’s Warbler Setophaga kirtlandii
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
• Leach’s Storm-Petrel Hydrobates leucorhous
• Least Bittern Botaurus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sternula antillarum
• LeConte’s Sparrow Ammospiza leconteii
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Lewis’s Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Limpkin Aramus guarauna
• Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
• Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
• Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
• Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
• Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
• Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
• Long-billed Murrelet Brachyramphus perdix
• Long-eared Owl Asio otus
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
• Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
• MacGillivray’s Warbler Geothlypis tolmiei
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Masked Duck Nomonyx dominicus
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Mottled Duck Anas fulvigula
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olor
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson’s Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
• Neotropic Cormorant Nannopterum brasilianum
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis
• Northern Gannet Morus bassanus
• Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
• Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
• Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
• Northern Parula Setophaga americana
• Northern Pintail Anas acuta
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
• Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
• Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
• Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
• Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
• Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
• Pacific Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva
• Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius
• Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
• Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
• Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus
• Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
• Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
• Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator
• Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
• Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus
• Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
• Red Knot Calidris canutus
• Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
• Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
• Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
• Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
• Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
• Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
• Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
• Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
• Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
• Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
• Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
• Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
• Redhead Aythya americana
• Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Redwing Turdus iliacus
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
• Rock Pigeon Columba livia
• Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
• Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii
• Ross’s Goose Anser rossii
• Ross’s Gull Rhodostethia rosea
• Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
• Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Corthylio calendula
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Ruff Calidris pugnax
• Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini
• Saltmarsh Sparrow Ammospiza caudacuta
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
• Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Scott’s Oriole Icterus parisorum
• Seaside Sparrow Ammospiza maritima
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris
• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
• Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Shiny Cowbird Molothrus bonariensis
• Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus
• Snail Kite Rostrhamus sociabilis
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• Snowy Plover Anarhynchu nivosus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus
• Sora Porzana carolina
• Spotted Rail Pardirallus maculatus
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• Surfbird Calidris virgata
• Swainson’s Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Swainson’s Thrush Catharus ustulatus
• Swainson’s Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii
• Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
• Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina
• Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia
• Townsend’s Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend’s Warbler Setophaga townsendi
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Trindade Petrel Pterodroma arminjoniana
• Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
• Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
• Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
• Tundra Bean-Goose Anser serrirostris
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
• Varied Bunting Passerina versicolor
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Cattle-Egret Ardea ibis
• Western Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• White Ibis Eudocimus albus
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
• White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
• White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
• White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
• White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus
• White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
• White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi
• White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson’s Plover Anarhynchus wilsonia
• Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Wilson’s Storm-Petrel Oceanites oceanicus
• Wilson’s Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• Wood Stork Mycteria americana
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
• Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum
• Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis
• Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
• Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii
• Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea
• Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
• Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica

Birds people confuse

Turkey vulture or Black vulture?

Turkey vulture Not stated

No confirmed photo of Black vulture

Black vulture Not stated

Black vulture: grayish-black head, shorter tail, a white patch near the wing tips (seen from below), and wings held nearly horizontal when soaring, with frequent flapping (Missouri). Tennessee and NPS Everglades say the same: black head, white patch at the wing tips, wings held flat. Turkey vulture: red head (adults), two-toned wings held in a V, rarely flaps. Note: juvenile turkey vultures also have dark heads.

Turkey vulture or Eagle?

Turkey vulture Not stated

Eagle Not stated

An eagle holds its wings flat and they are uniformly black; a turkey vulture's are held in a slight V and are two-toned.

Bald eagle or Golden eagle?

Bald eagle Not stated

No confirmed photo of Golden eagle

Golden eagle Not stated

Young bald eagles lack the white head and tail and are often mistaken for golden eagles. Bald eagles have unfeathered lower legs and hold their wings flat when soaring; TWRA says golden eagles have feathered legs, limited white under the wing, and lift the outer wing in a slight V.

Red-tailed hawk or Red-shouldered hawk?

Red-tailed hawk Not stated

No confirmed photo of Red-shouldered hawk

Red-shouldered hawk Not stated

A red-tail's rust-colored, broad, short tail distinguishes it from the smaller red-shouldered hawk (North Carolina). Tennessee: the red-shouldered hawk has a black and white banded tail and appears more uniformly colored.

Northern cardinal or Summer tanager?

Northern cardinal Not stated

Summer tanager Not stated

MDC: the adult male summer tanager is entirely rosy red, slightly darker on wings and tail, and is a summer resident; the adult male northern cardinal has a crest and a black area around its large red bill and is present year-round. TWRA says the summer tanager is the only other all-red songbird in Tennessee.

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When birds are active in Pennsylvania

Records of birds in Pennsylvania peak in March to June and September to October. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).

About this list

The species list comes from The Official List of the Birds of Pennsylvania (seventh edition, 2024) (Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee (PORC), Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology, accepted records as of April 27, 2024).

Venom does not apply to birds.