Birds of Virginia: The Official State Checklist

All 397 birds on the list

• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• 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 Astur atricapillus
• American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus
• 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
• Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
• Arctic Loon Gavia arctica
• Arctic Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus tundrius
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica
• Bachman’s Sparrow Peucaea (=Aimophila) aestivalis
• Baird’s Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
• Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
• Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus bicknelli
• Black Scoter Melanitta americana
• Black Skimmer Rynchops niger
• Black Tern Chlidonias niger
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata
• Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• 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
• Boat-tailed Grackle Quiscalus major
• Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Bonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia
• Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonicus
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Brewster’s (Golden-winged x Blue-winged) Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera x cyanoptera
• Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus
• 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
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• California Gull Larus californicus
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Carolina Chickadee Poecile 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
• Clapper Rail Rallus crepitans
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Coastal Plain Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana nigrescens
• 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 Snipe Gallinago gallinago
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper’s Hawk Astur cooperii
• Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis
• 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 hudsonia
• Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
• Eastern Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis
• 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
• Elegant Tern Thalasseus elegans
• Eurasian Collared-dove Streptopelia decaoctoNonnative
• Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
• European Starling Sturnus vulgarisNonnative
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
• Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• Franklin’s Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Fulvous Whistling-duck Dendrocygna bicolor
• Gadwall Mareca strepera
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
• Golden-winged x Blue-Winged Warbler Hybrid Vermivora chrysoptera x cyanoptera
• Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• 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 Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Great Shearwater Ardenna gravis
• Great Skua Stercorarius skua
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
• Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon (=Sterna) nilotica
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris’ Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow’s Sparrow Centronyx (=Ammodramus) henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
• House Sparrow Passer domesticusNonnative
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
• Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea
• 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 Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lawrence’s (Blue-winged x Golden-winged) Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera x chrysoptera
• 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 Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• 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-eared Owl Asio otus
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
• Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Mallard X Black Duck Hybrid Anas platyrhynchos x rubripes
• Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Migrant Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus migrans
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachusNonnative
• Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson’s Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
• 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 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
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• 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
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Razorbill Alca torda
• Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
• Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
• Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
• Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
• Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
• Red-cockaded Woodpecker Dryobates borealis
• 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
• Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens
• Redhead Aythya americana
• Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Rock Pigeon Columba liviaNonnative
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii dougallii
• Ross’s Goose Anser rossii
• 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
• Rufa Red Knot Calidris canutus rufa
• 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
• Sargasso Shearwater Puffinus lherminieri
• Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich subspecies) Passerculus sandwichensis princeps
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Seaside Sparrow Ammospiza maritima
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris
• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
• Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata
• Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sooty Shearwater Ardenna grisea
• Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus
• Sora Porzana carolina
• Southern Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana georgiana
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• 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
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Wayne’s Warbler Setophaga virens waynei
• Western Cattle-Egret Ardea ibis
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• White Ibis Eudocimus albus
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
• White-cheeked Pintail Anas bahamensis
• 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 Scoter Melanitta deglandi
• White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet (Eastern) Tringa semipalmata semipalmata
• Willet (Western) Tringa semipalmata inornata
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson’s Plover Anarhynchus (=Charadrius) 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-breasted Chat Icteria virens
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea
• Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
• Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos
• Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica

Birds people confuse

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.

Bald eagle or Turkey vulture?

Bald eagle Not stated

Turkey vulture Not stated

Turkey vultures hold their wings in a shallow V; bald eagles soar on flat wings.

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.

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.

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.

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

When birds are active in Virginia

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

• Residential bear problems can happen any time of year but are more common in spring or when natural foods are scarce; DWR advises no bird feeders April-November. Virginia DWR

If you see one

Official advice from Virginia DWR:

• If you see a bear, watch from a distance; if close, back away slowly. Virginia DWR

How to report

Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline (DWR), toll-free 1-855-571-9003 (wildlife problems; feral hog and nutria reports). Northern snakehead catches: DWR 804-367-2925. Rare wildlife sightings: DWR Virginia Rare Animal Observations Form. Imported fire ants outside the quarantine area: VDACS Invasive Species Reporting Tool. Wildlife crimes: [email protected] or 800-237-5712. Virginia DWR

About this list

The species list comes from Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, List of Native and Naturalized Fauna of Virginia (BIRDS) (Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), May, 2026).

Venom does not apply to birds.

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Virginia.