Birds of West Virginia: The Official State Checklist

All 389 birds on the list

WVDNR checklist (256)

• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Ross’s Goose Anser rossii
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Mute Swan Cygnus olor
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors
• Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
• Gadwall Mareca strepera
• American Wigeon Mareca americana
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• American Black Duck Anas rubripes
• Northern Pintail Anas acuta
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca carolinensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Redhead Aythya americana
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta fusca
• Black Scoter Melanitta americana
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
• Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus
• Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
• Rock Pigeon Columba livia
• Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
• Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Chuck-will’s-widow Antrostomus carolinensis
• Eastern Whip-poor-will Antrostomus vociferus
• Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Sora Porzana carolina
• Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
• American Coot Fulica americana
• Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
• Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Dunlin Calidris alpina
• Baird’s Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
• Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
• Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
• Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Wilson’s Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Bonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Herring Gull Larus argentatus
• Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
• Black Tern Chlidonias niger
• Forster’s Tern Sterna forsteri
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum
• American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
• Least Bittern Ixobrychus exilis
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Great Egret Ardea alba
• Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter cooperii
• Northern Goshawk Accipiter atricapillus
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
• Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
• Barn Owl Tyto alba
• Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Long-eared Owl Asio otus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
• Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
• Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
• Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
• Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
• Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris
• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
• White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius
• Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
• Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
• Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
• American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
• Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Carolina Chickadee Poecile carolinensis
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Corthylio calendula
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
• Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
• House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
• Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
• European Starling Sturnus vulgarisInvasive
• Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Swainson’s Thrush Catharus ustulatus
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• House Sparrow Passer domesticusInvasive
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
• White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
• White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Henslow’s Sparrow Centronyx henslowii
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Lincoln’s Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
• Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
• Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
• Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
• Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
• Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
• Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
• Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera
• Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Swainson’s Warbler Limnothlypis swainsonii
• Tennessee Warbler Leiothylpis peregrina
• Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothylpis celata
• Nashville Warbler Leiothylpis ruficapilla
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Cerulean Warbler Setophaga cerulea
• Northern Parula Setophaga americana
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
• Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca
• Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
• Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
• Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata
• Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens
• Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
• Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus
• Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
• Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Wilson’s Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Dickcissel Spiza americana

WVBRC list only (116)

• Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
• Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
• Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
• Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
• King Eider Somateria spectabilis
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
• Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius
• Inca Dove Columbina inca
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis
• Mexican Violetear Colibri thalassinus
• Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
• Clapper Rail Rallus crepitans
• King Rail Rallus elegans
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus
• Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis
• Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis
• Limpkin Aramus guarauna
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris
• Red Knot Calidris canutus
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Wilson’s Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
• Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Sabine’s Gull Xema sabini
• Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Franklin’s Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
• Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus
• Least Tern Sternula antillarum
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
• Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
• Wood Stork Mycteria americana
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
• Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
• Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea
• White Ibis Eudocimus albus
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
• Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
• White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus
• Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
• Swainson’s Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
• Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
• Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis
• Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Fork-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus savana
• Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Bell’s Vireo Vireo bellii
• Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
• Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia
• Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonica
• Cave Swallow Petrochelidon fulva
• Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus
• Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• Bicknell’s Thrush Catharus bicknelli
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator
• Hoary Redpoll Acanthis hornemanni
• Smith’s Longspur Calcarius pictus
• Bachman’s Sparrow Peucaea aestivalis
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Harris’s Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• LeConte’s Sparrow Ammospiza leconteii
• Nelson’s Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
• Baird’s Sparrow Centronyx bairdii
• Canyon Towhee Melozone fusca
• Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
• Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
• Brewer’s Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Virginia’s Warbler Leiothylpis virginiae
• Kirtland’s Warbler Setophaga kirtlandii
• Black-throated Gray Warbler Setophaga nigrescens
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris

WVBRC exotic list (17)

• Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
• Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus
• Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
• Domestic Goose Anser domesticus
• Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
• Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata
• Domestic Duck Anas platyrhynchos domesticus
• Chukar Alectoris chukar
• Gray Partridge Perdix perdix
• Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus
• Ringed Turtle-Dove Streptopelia risoria
• Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus
• Monk Parakeet Myiopsitta monachus
• Amazon Parrot
• Eurasian Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
• Red-crested Cardinal Paroaria coronata
• Whydah

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 West Virginia

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

• Birds of West Virginia checklist seasons: spring March-May, summer June-August, autumn September-November, winter December-February. WVDNR

How to report

Report wildlife violations to any WVDNR district office or (844) 484-7367. Report sick or dead wildlife to a local district office. For nuisance wildlife, consult a WVDNR biologist or Natural Resources Police Officer, or hire a licensed Wildlife Damage Control Agent. For pest questions, WVDA Plant Industries Division: (304) 558-2212. No dedicated WVDNR invasive-species sighting line was found. WVDNR

About this list

The species list comes from West Virginia State Bird List; Birds of West Virginia Checklist (West Virginia Bird Records Committee, hosted by the Brooks Bird Club, February 20, 2024). 256 more entries come from other official sources named on each card.

Venom does not apply to birds.

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