An Ohio winter has two settings: gray and slightly different gray. Luckily the birds didn't get the memo (I'd like to think they're doing it for morale). Ohio winter birds range from the cardinal at your kitchen window to Snowy Owls loafing on the Lake Erie shoreline, and you don't need a heated blind or a 600mm lens to enjoy most of them.
The Buckeye State's official bird, the Northern Cardinal, has held the title since 1933, and it doesn't go anywhere in winter. It's here all year, and it's easier to spot in January than in June because a red bird against snow is about as subtle as a Christmas sweater. If you want more of them in your yard, here's how to attract cardinals in winter.
Types of Winter Birds in Ohio
There are 3 types of winter birds in Ohio you'll see on this list:
- Irruptive Species – birds from farther north that show up in big, unpredictable numbers some winters (usually when seed or prey runs short at home) and barely at all in others
- Resident Ohio Birds – found year-round, and many of them are regulars at feeders
- Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that come to Ohio for the winter from Canada and the Arctic. The Ohio Division of Wildlife's winter birding picks point to places like Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area for Short-eared Owls and Magee Marsh for Tundra Swans
The list starts with the birds Ohio feeder watchers report most, then works out to the raptors, owls, waterfowl, and finches people drive to see. Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Ohio, and feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you're wondering where all the warblers went, here's where birds go in the winter.
1. Northern Cardinal
- Family – Cardinalidae
- Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (Ohio State Bird)
The Northern Cardinal ties for the most reported bird at Ohio feeders in winter. In Project FeederWatch's December count for Ohio, cardinals and Dark-eyed Juncos each showed up at 90% of the 381 sites. It eats seeds, berries, and the odd dormant insect, and it likes to feed low, often first thing in the morning and again at dusk.
Males are bright red with a black mask around a thick orange-red bill. Females are a warm tan-brown with red edging on the wings, tail, and crest, plus the same orange bill. Both wear the crest, and both can raise it like a tiny, judgmental mohawk.
The song is a loud, whistled cheer-cheer-cheer or birdie-birdie-birdie, and females sing too, which isn't true of most North American songbirds. The call note is a sharp metallic chip.
Cardinals live statewide in Ohio, from Toledo backyards to the hollows of southeastern Ohio, anywhere with shrubs, hedgerows, or thick cover close to food.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn on a platform feeder
2. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Dark-eyed Junco is Ohio's most reliable sign that winter has arrived. Most breed in Canada and the northern forests, then turn up in Ohio in fall and stay until spring. They feed on the ground under feeders, hopping and scratching for seed the messier birds dropped.
Ohio's juncos are almost all the "slate-colored" form: gray above, clean white belly, pale pink bill. Males are a darker, crisper slate, while females and young birds are paler gray with a brownish wash. When they flush, both flash white outer tail feathers.
The call is a sharp tick or smack, often given in a chattering string as a flock takes off. The song is a dry, even trill that you might hear on mild late-winter days.
Juncos winter statewide in Ohio, in yards, woodland edges, brushy fields, and parks, usually in loose flocks.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
3. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The House Finch is a seed-eater that arrived in the eastern U.S. as a released cage bird and has since made itself very much at home. It's the third most reported feeder bird in Ohio in winter, usually showing up in chatty groups that take over a tube feeder like it's a timeshare.
Males have a red or orange-red wash on the head, breast, and rump, with brown streaks on the flanks. Females are plain brown and blurry-streaked, without the bold face pattern of a female Purple Finch.
The song is a long, jumbled warble that often ends on a rising or buzzy note. The call is a short, slightly nasal cheep.
House Finches live statewide in Ohio, most densely in towns, suburbs, and farmsteads with feeders and ornamental shrubs.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
4. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is North America's smallest woodpecker and one of the easiest to attract. It works twigs, weed stems, and small branches for insect larvae and eggs, and it's quick to find a suet cake.
It's black and white with a white stripe down the back and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head. Females don't. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers look nearly identical, so check the bill length (more on that at the Hairy entry).
Its call is a soft, flat pik, and its whinny is a quick series of notes that falls in pitch toward the end. In late winter you'll hear it drumming on dead limbs.
Downy Woodpeckers live statewide in Ohio, in woodlots, parks, and wooded neighborhoods, often traveling with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
5. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Mourning Dove eats almost nothing but seeds. It fills its crop fast at the feeder, then flies off to digest in a quiet tree, which is my exact strategy at a holiday buffet.
It's a slim, soft gray-tan bird with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail edged in white. Males have a faint rosy breast and a bluish-gray crown, while females are a little browner overall.
The call is a soft, mournful coo-OO-oo-oo-oo, often mistaken for an owl. Their wings also whistle when they take off.
Mourning Doves winter statewide in Ohio, especially around farm country and suburbs with open ground and feeders, and they often roost together in evergreens.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground
6. Blue Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta cristata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (some migrate)
The Blue Jay is a loud, clever corvid that eats acorns, seeds, and nuts, and it caches food all fall to get through winter. Some Blue Jays migrate and some don't, and nobody has fully figured out why a given bird picks one or the other.
Males and females look alike: bright blue above with black and white in the wings and tail, a pale gray-white belly, and a black necklace. Males average slightly larger, but you won't see that in the yard.
The classic call is a harsh jay-jay, but Blue Jays also give whistles, rusty-gate creaks, and a very good Red-shouldered Hawk impression.
Blue Jays live statewide in Ohio, anywhere with oaks, mature trees, and edges, and they'll empty a peanut feeder before you finish your coffee.
Feeder favorites: whole peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet
7. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Red-bellied Woodpecker has one of the least helpful names in birding. Its "red belly" is a faint pinkish wash you'll only see if it's hanging upside down on your suet feeder at exactly the right angle. It eats insects, nuts, acorns, and fruit, and stores food in bark crevices.
Look for a black-and-white barred "zebra" back and a pale tan face and breast. Males have red from the bill all the way over the crown to the nape. Females have red only on the nape, with a gray crown.
The call is a rolling churr or kwirr, one of the most common sounds in an Ohio woodlot in winter.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers live statewide in Ohio, in deciduous woods, river corridors, and wooded suburbs.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
8. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The American Goldfinch stays in Ohio all winter, but it puts the yellow away for the season. It eats almost only seeds and picks thistle, coneflower, and other weed heads as well as feeder seed.
In winter, males are olive-brown with a yellowish face and throat and jet-black wings with bold white bars. Females are duller and grayer, with brownish-black wings. If a dull little finch at your nyjer feeder has crisp black wings, it's probably a male in his off-season wardrobe.
The flight call is a bouncy po-ta-to-chip given with each dip of its roller-coaster flight.
Goldfinches winter statewide in Ohio, in weedy fields, edges, and backyards with tube feeders.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower
9. White-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The White-breasted Nuthatch spends its winter going headfirst down tree trunks, which is roughly how I go down my icy front steps. It wedges seeds into bark and hammers them open.
It's blue-gray above with a white face and breast and a chestnut wash under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap, while females often show a grayer or duller cap.
The call is a nasal yank or quank, often given in a short series as it moves along a branch.
White-breasted Nuthatches live statewide in Ohio, in mature deciduous woods, parks, and older neighborhoods, usually with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
10. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Tufted Titmouse is a small, crested gray bird that grabs one seed at a time and flies off to crack it or cache it. It eats seeds, nuts, and insects, and it often leads the mixed winter flocks through Ohio woods.
It's soft gray above and pale below with rusty-buff flanks, a pointed gray crest, and large black eyes. Males and females look alike.
The song is a loud, whistled peter-peter-peter, and you'll hear it on sunny days all winter. Its scolding calls sound like a raspy chickadee.
Tufted Titmice live statewide in Ohio, in deciduous and mixed woods, parks, and yards with mature trees.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
11. Carolina Wren
- Family – Troglodytidae
- Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Carolina Wren is a small, round wren with a voice that's way too big for it. It mostly eats insects and spiders, which makes winter tough, and a long stretch of snow and ice can knock its numbers back. It ranked 13th among Ohio feeder birds in the December FeederWatch count.
It's warm rusty-brown above and buffy-orange below, with a bold white eyebrow and a long, slightly curved bill. Males and females look alike.
The song is a rolling teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, sung by the male year-round. Pairs also chatter and scold at each other from the brush.
Carolina Wrens live across most of Ohio and are most common in the south. Look in brushy tangles, woodpiles, and around porches and garages, where they'll happily poke into anything with a gap.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanut pieces, mealworms
12. Black-capped Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile atricapillus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (northern Ohio)
The Black-capped Chickadee is a tiny, fearless bird that hides seeds by the hundreds in fall and remembers where they are, which is more than I can say for my car keys. It eats seeds, insect eggs, and larvae, and it's often the first bird to find a new feeder.
It has a black cap and bib, white cheeks, a gray back, and buffy sides. The wing feathers have bright white edges. Males and females look alike.
The call is the namesake chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the song is a clear, two-note whistle, fee-bee.
In Ohio, Black-capped Chickadees live in the northern part of the state. Carolina Chickadees take over to the south, and the two meet and hybridize in a band across central Ohio, so in the middle of the state the bird at your feeder can be either one (or both at once).
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
13. Carolina Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (southern Ohio)
The Carolina Chickadee is the southern Ohio version of the chickadee, and it behaves the same way: seeds, insects, caching, and a lot of confidence for its size. Ohio FeederWatch sites report it less often than the Black-capped, plus a sizable share of birds people simply log as Carolina/Black-capped, which tells you how hard the two are to split.
It looks almost the same as the Black-capped, but the bib's lower edge is neater, the wing feathers show less white edging, and the sides are grayer. Males and females look alike.
The easiest way to tell them apart is the song. Carolina sings four notes, fee-bee-fee-bay, while Black-capped sings two. Its chick-a-dee call is also higher and faster.
Carolina Chickadees live across southern Ohio in woods, yards, and parks, up to the hybrid zone in the middle of the state.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
14. Hairy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates villosus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Hairy Woodpecker is basically the Downy with a gym membership. It's larger, works bigger trunks and limbs, and digs deeper for beetle larvae.
The bill is the giveaway: on a Hairy, it's nearly as long as the head, while a Downy's bill is short and stubby. Hairies also have clean white outer tail feathers without the Downy's black spots. Males have a red patch on the back of the head, and females don't.
Its call is a sharp, loud peek, stronger than the Downy's pik, plus a rattling whinny that stays on one pitch.
Hairy Woodpeckers live statewide in Ohio, in mature forests, woodlots, and wooded neighborhoods.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
15. White-throated Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The White-throated Sparrow comes to Ohio from Canada and the northern forests for winter. It scratches in leaf litter for seeds with a two-footed hop-kick, and it shows up at about four in ten Ohio FeederWatch sites in December.
It has a bright white throat, a yellow spot between the eye and bill, and a striped head. Some birds have white head stripes and some have tan stripes, and that difference isn't about sex. Males and females look alike.
The song is a clear, whistled Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada or Old-Sam-Peabody-Peabody. Winter birds sing on mild days, and the call is a sharp pink.
White-throated Sparrows winter statewide in Ohio, in brushy edges, thickets, and yards with brush piles or thick shrubs.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
16. Song Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Melospiza melodia
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Song Sparrow is the streaky brown sparrow you see everywhere and can never quite name. (I've walked past dozens and called every one "some sparrow.") It eats seeds in winter and lives in brushy, often damp places.
It's brown and gray with heavy streaks on the breast that often pool into a dark central spot, plus a bold dark stripe down each side of the throat. It pumps its long, rounded tail in flight. Males and females look alike.
The call is a husky chimp. The song starts with a few clear notes and then breaks into a buzzy trill, and males sing on warm winter days.
Song Sparrows live statewide in Ohio year-round, in hedgerows, marsh edges, stream banks, and brushy backyards.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground
17. American Tree Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Spizelloides arborea
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The American Tree Sparrow breeds near the Arctic tree line and spends its winters in places like Ohio, which tells you everything about what it considers warm. Despite the name, it feeds mostly on the ground, picking grass and weed seeds.
It has a rusty cap, a rusty line behind the eye, a gray face, a two-toned bill (dark above, yellow below), and a small dark spot in the middle of a plain gray breast. Males and females look alike.
The call is a high tseet, and winter flocks give a soft, musical teedle-eet twitter.
American Tree Sparrows winter statewide in Ohio and are most common in open country: weedy fields, hedgerows, marsh edges, and rural yards near fields.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn scattered on the ground
18. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (winter visitor)
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is mainly a bird of northern conifer forests, and in Ohio it's a winter visitor whose numbers swing a lot from year to year. When cone crops fail up north, it comes south in force. It ranked in the top 20 of Ohio's December FeederWatch count.
It's blue-gray above and rusty-cinnamon below, with a black cap, a white eyebrow, and a black eye line. Males have a black cap and richer underparts. Females have a grayer cap and paler underparts.
The call is a nasal, high yank-yank, often compared to a tiny tin horn.
In Ohio, look for Red-breasted Nuthatches in pines, spruces, and other conifers, including planted pine groves in parks and cemeteries, as well as at feeders near evergreens.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower
19. European Starling
- Family – Sturnidae
- Species – Sturnus vulgaris
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (Non-Native Species)
The European Starling was introduced to North America in the late 1800s and now lives across the continent, Ohio included. It's an omnivore that probes lawns and fields for insects and grubs and eats fruit, grain, and scraps in winter. It's a suet-feeder bully that arrives in gangs.
In winter, starlings are glossy black covered in white and buff spots, with a dark bill that turns yellow by spring. Males and females look alike in the field.
The song is a long run of whistles, rattles, clicks, and imitations of other birds (and sometimes car alarms).
Starlings winter statewide in Ohio, especially around cities, farms, and livestock operations, and they gather in huge roosts in winter.
Feeder favorites: suet, cracked corn, kitchen scraps. (If you'd rather feed anyone else, try a cage feeder or switch to safflower.)
20. House Sparrow
- Family – Passeridae
- Species – Passer domesticus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (Non-Native Species)
The House Sparrow is a non-native that lives almost entirely around people, which is a level of codependency I recognize. It eats grain and seeds and will gobble most feeder mixes.
Males have a gray crown, a chestnut nape, and a black bib that's smaller and duller in winter. Females are plain buff-brown with a pale stripe behind the eye and a streaky back.
The call is a constant cheep or chirrup, the sound track of every fast-food parking lot in Ohio.
House Sparrows live statewide in Ohio around towns, cities, barns, and farmsteads, roosting in hedges and under eaves.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower seed
21. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (partial migrant)
The American Robin doesn't leave Ohio in winter so much as change jobs. Instead of pulling worms from lawns, winter robins switch to berries and travel in nomadic flocks between fruiting trees.
Males have a dark gray-black head and a deep orange-red breast. Females are paler, with a grayer head and a softer orange breast.
In winter you'll mostly hear clucking tut-tut calls and thin, high flight notes, not the cheery spring song.
Robins winter across Ohio wherever there's fruit: crabapples, hollies, hackberry, sumac, and red cedar, often in river bottoms and wooded parks. A heated bird bath can pull them into a yard fast (see our picks for the 7 Best Heated Bird Baths for Winter (and Where to Put One)).
Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, mealworms
22. Cooper's Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Astur cooperii
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Cooper's Hawk is the hawk most likely to show up at your feeder, and not for the sunflower seeds. It hunts birds like doves, starlings, and jays by ambushing them around shrubs and fences. If your feeder suddenly goes silent and empty, look for one perched nearby.
Adults are blue-gray above with fine rusty barring on the breast, a dark cap, and a long, rounded, banded tail. Males and females look alike, but females are noticeably larger. Young birds are brown with brown streaks.
The call is a loud, rapid cak-cak-cak, mostly heard near nests, so winter birds are usually quiet.
Cooper's Hawks live statewide in Ohio, in woodlands and, more and more, in cities and suburbs where feeders keep prey on the menu.
23. Red-tailed Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo jamaicensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Red-tailed Hawk is the big hawk on the highway light pole. It hunts voles, mice, rabbits, and squirrels from a perch, and in winter it often sits for long stretches over open ground.
Adults usually have a pale breast with a dark band of streaks across the belly and a brick-red upper tail. Males and females look alike, but females are larger. Young birds have a brown, banded tail.
The call is a raspy, screaming kee-eeee-arrr, the "eagle" scream used in movies.
Red-tailed Hawks live statewide in Ohio and are easiest to see along interstates, rural roads, and farm country, where open fields meet scattered trees.
24. Rough-legged Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo lagopus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, open country)
The Rough-legged Hawk breeds in the Arctic and comes to Ohio's open country for winter, hunting voles and mice. It's one of the few big hawks that hovers in place while it looks for prey.
It comes in light and dark forms. Light birds have a pale head, a dark belly patch, and dark "wrist" marks under the wings. The tail is white at the base with a dark tip. Adult females usually show a solid dark belly patch and one broad tail band, while adult males are more mottled across the breast and have several narrow tail bands. Its legs are feathered to the toes, hence the name.
It's usually quiet in winter. When it does call, it gives a cat-like, whistled scream.
In Ohio, look over big grasslands, marshes, and reclaimed strip mines. The Ohio Ornithological Society's guide to birding The Wilds lists light and dark Rough-legged Hawks there in winter, along with Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls. Maumee Bay State Park and the farmland near Lake Erie are also good bets.
25. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Ohio Bird (winter visitors from the north add to the count)
The Bald Eagle is a comeback story. It was nearly gone from Ohio in the 1970s, and today it nests across most of the state. It eats fish, waterfowl, and carrion, so winter eagles stick close to open water.
Adults have a white head and tail, a dark brown body, and a heavy yellow bill. Males and females look alike, but females are larger. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and can take up to five years to get the full white head.
The call is surprisingly high and thin: a series of whistled chirps and chattering notes that sound nothing like the hawk scream movies give them.
In winter, the Ohio Division of Wildlife points eagle watchers to Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area on Lake Erie, Delaware Wildlife Area, and Caesar Creek Lake Wildlife Area, along with big rivers like the Muskingum and Scioto.
26. Great Horned Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo virginianus
- Primary Activity Time – Night
- Nocturnal
- Resident Ohio Bird
The Great Horned Owl is Ohio's biggest resident owl, and it gets an early start on the year. It's one of the earliest nesting birds in North America, and it's often on eggs while there's still snow on the ground. It hunts everything from mice and rabbits to skunks and other birds.
It's large and bulky with long ear tufts, yellow eyes, a white throat, and fine gray-brown barring. Males and females look alike, but females are larger. In a duet, the male's hoot is lower than the female's, even though he's the smaller bird.
The hoot is a deep hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo, and winter is the best time to hear pairs calling back and forth at dusk.
Great Horned Owls live statewide in Ohio, in woodlots, farmland, parks, and suburbs.
27. Short-eared Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Asio flammeus
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Crepuscular
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, grasslands)
The Short-eared Owl is the owl for people who don't like staying up late. It hunts open grasslands at dusk, flying low and floppy over the fields like a giant moth, and its numbers in Ohio rise and fall with vole populations.
It's tawny-buff with heavy streaking on the breast, yellow eyes set in dark patches, and short ear tufts you'll rarely see. In flight, look for a dark mark at the wrist and pale under-wings. Females tend to be darker and buffier, while males are paler, but there's overlap.
It's mostly quiet in winter, with an occasional raspy bark.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife lists Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area, Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area, and Crown City Wildlife Area as top spots. Watch from your car at the edges of big fields in the last hour of daylight. No owl photo is worth stressing the owl. The ABA Code of Birding Ethics asks birders to avoid stressing birds and to use caution and restraint when approaching them, and wintering owls need every calorie they've got. Stay on the road, keep your distance, and let the owl do the flying.
28. Snowy Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo scandiacus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (uncommon, mostly near Lake Erie)
The Snowy Owl is the winter bird Ohioans post about most, and it doesn't show up every year. Snowies breed on the Arctic tundra, and their Ohio numbers vary hugely from winter to winter depending on how the lemmings did up north. Unlike most owls, they hunt by day, from open perches.
It's a big white owl with yellow eyes and no visible ear tufts. Adult males can be nearly pure white, while females and young birds have heavy dark barring. Females are larger.
It's almost always silent in Ohio. On the breeding grounds males give a deep, booming hoot.
The best places to look are wide open spaces that look a little like tundra: Lake Erie beaches, breakwalls, docks, and airports. The Ohio Division of Wildlife suggests Maumee Bay State Park, Headlands Beach State Park, and Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area, and Cleveland's lakefront gets birds in good years.
29. Tundra Swan
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Cygnus columbianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (peaks in late fall and early spring)
The Tundra Swan breeds in the Arctic and passes through Ohio on its way to and from wintering grounds on the Atlantic coast. Big flocks stop in Ohio marshes and fields in November and December and again in early spring, and some linger where water stays open.
It's all white with a black bill, usually with a small yellow spot in front of the eye. Males and females look alike. It's smaller than the Trumpeter Swan, which also lives in Ohio and often mixes in, and the Trumpeter has an all-black bill and a longer, wedge-shaped head.
The call is a high, yelping woo-ho, and a flock overhead sounds a bit like a pack of very polite hounds.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife suggests Deer Creek Wildlife Area, Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area, Killdeer Plains, and Magee Marsh for swans.
30. Common Goldeneye
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Bucephala clangula
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Common Goldeneye is a diving duck that comes to Ohio from Canada for winter. It dives for crayfish, mussels, aquatic insects, and small fish, and its wings make a whistling sound in flight that you'll hear before you see it.
Males are mostly white with a black back, a dark, glossy green head, and a round white spot in front of the yellow eye. Females have a chocolate-brown head, a gray body, and a dark bill that's often tipped with yellow.
Males are mostly quiet, except during courtship, when they throw their heads back and give a sharp, nasal peent. Late winter is when that starts.
Look on Lake Erie and big inland lakes as long as there's open water. The Ohio Ornithological Society's Maumee Bay State Park guide says to expect large numbers of scaup, Common Mergansers, and Common Goldeneyes there in winter, while inland, Alum Creek, Buckeye Lake, and Mosquito Creek are good for diving ducks.
31. Snow Bunting
- Family – Calcariidae
- Species – Plectrophenax nivalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (local, open country)
The Snow Bunting is an Arctic songbird that winters in Ohio's bleakest-looking places: plowed fields, beaches, and windswept shorelines. It eats weed and grass seeds and waste grain, and flocks swirl up from the ground like a snow globe someone just shook.
In winter it's white below with warm brown and tan on the head and back. Males show more white in the wings than females, and both get whiter as winter goes on and the feather tips wear away.
The call is a rattling, rolling chirp and a clear, whistled tew, given mostly in flight.
In Ohio, look in big, open farm fields after fresh snow, especially near manure-spread fields, and along the Lake Erie shoreline. Maumee Bay State Park is a regular spot, and they often travel with Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs.
32. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that comes south from the northern forests in irruption years. Some winters Ohio feeders are buried in them, and some winters you won't see one. It eats conifer, birch, and alder seeds and loves nyjer.
It's brown and heavily streaked, with a thin, pointed bill and yellow edges on the wings and tail that flash in flight. Males usually show more yellow than females, but it can be hard to see.
The call is a rising, buzzy zreeeee and a lot of twittering chatter, like a goldfinch with a sore throat.
In Ohio, look in conifers, birches, and sweetgums, and at nyjer feeders, especially in big flight years. Siskins can spread disease at crowded feeders, so clean feeders often when they're around.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
33. Redpoll
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Acanthis flammea
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (uncommon to rare, mostly northern Ohio)
You may know it as the Common Redpoll or Hoary Redpoll, but in 2024 the American Ornithological Society lumped them into a single species, the Redpoll. Three birds became one, which is the only reunion tour I've ever wanted. It's an Arctic finch that comes south in big numbers in some winters, and in Ohio it's an uncommon to rare visitor, mostly in the north.
It's a small, streaky finch with a red cap, a black chin, and a short, pointed yellow bill. Males have a rosy-pink wash on the breast, while females are streakier and lack the pink. Some birds are much paler and frostier than others, which is where the old Hoary name came from.
The call is a dry, rattling chit-chit-chit and a rising dzweee.
In Ohio, redpolls are most likely in the northern counties in irruption winters, feeding on birch and alder seed and at nyjer feeders, often with goldfinches and siskins. Michigan usually gets more of them, so if you're heading north, see our guide to winter birds in Michigan.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
Ohio Winter Birds FAQ
What birds stay in Ohio during the winter?
Plenty. Year-round residents like the Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, both chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers stay put. Winter visitors like Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, and American Tree Sparrows arrive from the north, and some winters bring irruptive birds like Pine Siskins, Redpolls, and Snowy Owls.
What are the most common birds in Ohio in winter at feeders?
In Project FeederWatch's mid-December count, the top 10 at Ohio feeders were Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, House Finch, House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Red-bellied Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, and White-breasted Nuthatch. Black oil sunflower and suet will bring in most of them.
Where can I see winter birds of Ohio's Lake Erie shore?
Maumee Bay State Park, Magee Marsh, and Metzger Marsh near Toledo cover owls, eagles, ducks, and gulls, while Headlands Beach State Park and Cleveland's lakefront are good for Snowy Owls and gulls. Inland, Killdeer Plains is the classic spot for Short-eared Owls and winter raptors.
Does Ohio get Snowy Owls every winter?
Not every winter. Snowy Owl numbers in Ohio swing a lot from year to year, tied to lemming numbers in the Arctic. In good years they turn up along Lake Erie and at big open sites inland, and in lean years there may be only a handful in the state.
What is the state bird of Ohio, and does it stay in winter?
The Northern Cardinal, Ohio's state bird since 1933, stays all year. It's one of the most common feeder birds in the state in winter, and it's most active at dawn and dusk.
What Ohio Birds Have You Seen This Winter?
Share them on the Sparkbird App, where you can post your sightings and find other birders near you to go looking for owls with.
And if you drive all the way to Killdeer Plains and the Short-eared Owls never show, don't worry. The Red-tailed Hawk on the light pole next to your car saw the whole thing and thinks you did great.
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