Top 24 Birds of Pennsylvania: Common & Hard-to-Find Species

Pennsylvania's diverse habitats, from bustling urban centers to remote Appalachian forests, provide a home to a rich tapestry of avian life. Whether you're a seasoned birder or simply enjoy the presence of feathered visitors, the Keystone State offers a thrilling spectrum of species, from familiar backyard residents to elusive woodland wanderers.

Here, we explore 24 of Pennsylvania's most notable birds, offering a brief description and an intriguing fact about each, highlighting both the common sights and the prized finds.

Common Species

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

• • Description: Familiar songbird with a gray back and a brick-red breast, often seen hopping on lawns.
  • Interesting Fact: American Robins can sing over 50 different song types.

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

• Description: Brilliant red male with a crest and black mask; females are reddish-brown with red accents.
• Interesting Fact: Northern Cardinals are year-round residents and often the first birds to sing in the morning and the last to sing at night.

Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)

• • Description: Striking blue, black, and white plumage with a prominent crest, known for its intelligence and mimicry.
  • Interesting Fact: Blue Jays can imitate the calls of hawks, possibly to warn other jays of danger or to scare away other birds from feeders.

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

• • Description: Tiny, curious bird with a black cap and bib, and white cheeks, known for its "chick-a-dee-dee-dee" call.
  • Interesting Fact: Black-capped Chickadees can remember the location of thousands of food items they've cached for later consumption.

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)

• • Description: Small gray bird with a prominent gray crest and rusty flanks, often found in woodlands and suburban areas.
  • Interesting Fact: Tufted Titmice sometimes pluck hair from living mammals, including humans, to line their nests.

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

• • Description: Smallest woodpecker in North America, black and white with a short bill; males have a red patch on the nape.
  • Interesting Fact: Downy Woodpeckers can extend their barbed tongue nearly twice the length of their bill to reach insects deep within wood.

Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus)

• • Description: Larger than the Downy, with a longer bill relative to its head; similar black and white plumage, male with a red nape patch.
  • Interesting Fact: Hairy Woodpeckers often follow Pileated Woodpeckers to feed on insects exposed by the larger bird's excavations.

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

• • Description: Sleek, grayish-brown dove with a long, pointed tail, known for its mournful cooing.
  • Interesting Fact: Mourning Doves produce "crop milk," a nutritious secretion from the lining of their crop, to feed their young.

European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

• • Description: Glossy black bird with iridescent plumage, often seen in large flocks; yellow bill in breeding season.
  • Interesting Fact: Common Starlings can mimic a wide variety of sounds, including other birds, insects, and even mechanical noises.

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

• • Description: Small, stocky brown sparrow with a gray crown (male) or brown crown (female); often found in urban areas.
  • Interesting Fact: House Sparrows are native to Eurasia and were introduced to North America in the 19th century.

Moderately Common to Uncommon Species

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

• • Description: Black and white barred back, red on the head (more extensive in males), and a pale belly with a reddish tinge.
  • Interesting Fact: Red-bellied Woodpeckers use their sticky saliva to help them extract insects from bark crevices.

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

• • Description: Large, brownish woodpecker with black spots on its belly, a black crescent on its chest, and yellow underwings (Yellow-shafted form in Pennsylvania).
  • Interesting Fact: Northern Flickers are unique among North American woodpeckers for frequently foraging on the ground for ants and beetles.

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

• • Description: Male is a vibrant blue with a rusty breast; female is duller blue with an orange breast.
  • Interesting Fact: Eastern Bluebirds often use nest boxes provided by humans and may raise multiple broods in a single season.

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

• • Description: Small bird with a blue-gray back, white face and underparts, and a black cap; known for creeping headfirst down tree trunks.
  • Interesting Fact: White-breasted Nuthatches often wedge large nuts into bark crevices and then hammer them open with their strong bills.

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

• • Description: Small, slender brown bird with a long, downcurved bill, spiraling up tree trunks in search of insects.
  • Interesting Fact: Brown Creepers use their stiff tail feathers as a prop while climbing vertically.

Hard-to-Find to Rare Species

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

• • Description: Large, crow-sized black woodpecker with a prominent red crest and white stripes on the face and neck.
  • Interesting Fact: Pileated Woodpeckers excavate large, rectangular holes in trees, often leaving behind distinctive wood chips.

Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)

• • Description: Striking woodpecker with a completely red head, white underparts, and black back with white wing patches.
  • Interesting Fact: Red-headed Woodpeckers are known for their aerial acrobatics when catching insects and for storing food, such as acorns, in tree crevices.

Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)

• • Description: Small gray and white bird with a black mask and a hooked bill, known for impaling prey on thorns or barbed wire.
  • Interesting Fact: Loggerhead Shrikes are sometimes called "butcher birds" due to their habit of storing food in this manner.

Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera)

• • Description: Small gray warbler with yellow patches on its wings and crown, and black throat and facial markings (male).
  • Interesting Fact: Golden-winged Warblers hybridize with Blue-winged Warblers, producing two distinct hybrid forms known as Brewster's Warbler and Lawrence's Warbler.

American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus)

• • Description: Large, powerful accipiter with gray plumage, a dark cap, and a prominent white eyebrow stripe; elusive forest dweller.
  • Interesting Fact: American Goshawks are fiercely protective of their nests and will aggressively defend them against intruders, including humans.

American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)

• • Description: Cryptic, streaky brown heron-like bird found in marshes, known for its booming, guttural calls.
  • Interesting Fact: American Bitterns can stand motionless with their bills pointed skyward, mimicking reeds to avoid detection.

King Rail (Rallus elegans)

• • Description: Large, rusty-brown rail with heavily barred flanks, found in freshwater marshes and wetlands.
  • Interesting Fact: King Rails build a platform nest of dead vegetation just above the water level in dense marsh vegetation.

Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda)

• • Description: Medium-sized shorebird with a long neck and tail, found in grasslands and hayfields.
  • Interesting Fact: Despite being a shorebird, the Upland Sandpiper is rarely found near water, preferring dry, open habitats.

Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)

• • Description: Large, white owl with varying amounts of dark markings, typically a winter visitor from the Arctic.
  • Interesting Fact: Snowy Owl irruptions (sudden appearances in large numbers in areas south of their typical winter range) are often linked to fluctuations in their lemming prey populations in the Arctic.

Frequently Asked Questions

What rare birds can you find in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania is a hotspot for birdwatching, and while many species are common residents, the state's diverse habitats and position along major migratory routes mean that rare and unusual birds are occasionally spotted. These "vagrants" can be a result of storms blowing them off course, overshoots during migration, or even expanding ranges.

Birders in Pennsylvania are always on the lookout for unexpected visitors, and the last few years have indeed brought some exciting and surprising sightings:

• Hudsonian Godwit: In July 2023, a Hudsonian Godwit was spotted at Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County. This shorebird is typically found breeding in the Arctic and wintering in South America, making a Pennsylvania sighting incredibly rare – it was the first time this species had been seen at Middle Creek in 40 years, and only the third record for the area.
• Limpkin: This distinctive bird, normally associated with the wetlands of Florida and the southeastern U.S., caused a stir in Pennsylvania in July 2023 when it was observed in Lancaster County. Limpkins have been expanding their range northward in recent years, but a sighting in Pennsylvania was still considered a very rare and exciting event.
• Common Shelduck: While its provenance can sometimes be debated (as they are kept by private collectors), a Common Shelduck was recorded in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, in late 2022. This striking duck is native to Eurasia, making its appearance in Pennsylvania a notable occurrence, especially given a recent increase in European birds observed in the northeast.
• Barnacle Goose: In late 2024, a Barnacle Goose was sighted in Pennsylvania. These geese are native to the North Atlantic and Arctic regions, making them a rare but celebrated sight when they show up in North America, often associating with flocks of Canada Geese.
• Hermit Warbler: This western warbler was photographed in Delaware County in 2022, a significant deviation from its typical range along the Pacific Coast.

Birding communities in Pennsylvania, often relying on platforms like eBird and various rare bird alert groups, are crucial for documenting these infrequent but thrilling occurrences, providing valuable data on bird distribution and vagrancy.

What birds in Pennsylvania are frequent backyard visitors?

Pennsylvania offers a rich diversity of birdlife, and many species are quite accustomed to sharing our backyards. Here are some of the most frequent backyard visitors you're likely to spot in the Keystone State, many of which are year-round residents:

Northern Cardinal

Blue Jay

American Robin

Mourning Dove

Downy Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

White-breasted Nuthatch

American Goldfinch

House Finch

European Starling

House Sparrow

Eastern Bluebird

Northern Mockingbird

These birds are well-adapted to living alongside humans and are often the first to discover new food sources in a backyard setting.

What kinds of hummingbirds are in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, one hummingbird species is a common and beloved summer resident, while several others are considered rare or accidental visitors.

Here's the breakdown:

1. Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

This is the only hummingbird species that regularly breeds in Pennsylvania. It's a common and expected sight from late April/early May through early October.

While not common, Pennsylvania does occasionally host other hummingbird species, mostly western vagrants that get "lost" during migration and end up far east of their usual range. These sightings are highly prized by birders, and often require expert identification, sometimes even banding, to confirm.

Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus): This is the most frequently reported vagrant hummingbird in Pennsylvania. They are known for their incredible migrations, sometimes traveling from as far north as Alaska. Males have a fiery orange-red throat. They are usually seen in late fall or early winter.

Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope): The smallest breeding bird in North America, the Calliope is a very rare visitor to Pennsylvania, typically seen in late fall.

Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna): Primarily a West Coast resident, Anna's Hummingbirds are very rare but have occasionally been sighted in Pennsylvania, usually in early winter.

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri): This species is primarily found in the western U.S. and is an extremely rare but documented visitor to Pennsylvania.

Allen's Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin): Another western species, Allen's Hummingbirds are also very rare vagrants to Pennsylvania. Identifying them from Rufous Hummingbirds can be particularly challenging without expert knowledge or in-hand measurements.

If you spot a hummingbird in Pennsylvania outside of the typical Ruby-throated season (late October through March), it's highly recommended to document it with photos and report it to local birding organizations or the Pennsylvania Game Commission, as it's likely a rare visitor!

Wrapping Up

These diverse lists offer a glimpse into the fascinating avian world of Pennsylvania. Whether you're spotting a familiar cardinal at your feeder or embarking on a dedicated search for a more elusive species, the state's birdlife provides endless opportunities for discovery and appreciation.

Birds teach a great life lesson. Despite our environment and society, they teach us to be more resilient. Adaptability is essential for survival. Mingling with different types of species is harmless if you know more about each kind. It will give you a deeper comprehension of their behaviors.

So, if you got to this part, you already have learned about the diversity of the different birds of Pennsylvania. Hopefully, you will find all this information helpful in your next bird-watching activity.

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