There are 4 types of winter birds in Pennsylvania you’ll see on the list:

• Irruptive Species – irregular / unpredictable movement of a large number of birds outside their normal winter range. Typically driven by a "boom-and-bust" cycle in food resources, such as a failure of crops in the birds' northern breeding and wintering grounds. Presence varies significantly year-to-year
• Resident Pennsylvania Bird  – native or non-native species that stay year-round instead of migrating
• Native Pennsylvania Bird - birds that evolved or originated from Pennsylvania
• Migratory / Visitor – birds that migrate to Pennsylvania for the Winter

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1. Cooper’s Hawk

• Family – Accipitridae
• Species – Accipiter cooperii
• Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
• Resident & Partial Migrant

The Cooper’s Hawk is a medium-sized, agile winter bird in Pennsylvania. It is a carnivorous raptor that specializes in hunting other birds, frequently patrolling backyard bird feeders for a quick meal. Its long tail and rounded wings allow it to fly at high speeds through dense forest canopies and suburban yards.

Adults feature a dark blue-gray back and a crown that is noticeably darker than the neck, with a white-tipped tail that is more rounded than that of the smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk. This stealthy Pennsylvania bird sounds like a series of sharp, nasal kak-kak-kak notes, though it is often silent while hunting.

In Pennsylvania winters, the Cooper’s Hawk range is primarily focused in the southern half of the state, particularly in suburban areas where bird feeders provide a steady concentration of prey.

2. Black Vulture

• Family – Cathartidae
• Species – Coragyps atratus
• Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
• Vagrant / Rare Visitor

The Black Vulture is a somewhat rare winter bird in Pennsylvania. It’s a scavenging bird that feeds almost exclusively on carrion, often locating its food by watching the behavior of other scavengers like Turkey Vultures. Unlike many raptors, they are highly social and may roost in large groups.

This bird is identified by its entirely black plumage, a gray-skinned featherless head, and white star-like patches at the very tips of its wings. Its call or sound is like low grunts or hisses, as it lacks a syrinx (voice box) to produce complex songs.

In Pennsylvania winters, the Black Vulture range is mostly in the southeastern parts of the state and are increasingly becoming more abundant (but not quite high numbers). 

3. Turkey Vulture

• Family – Cathartidae
• Species – Cathartes aura
• Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
• Resident Pennsylvania Bird

The Turkey Vulture is a large, soaring winter bird in Pennsylvania, though most individuals migrate south by late autumn. It is a scavenging specialist that uses a highly developed sense of smell to locate carrion from the air. They are often seen soaring in "teetering" circles with their wings held in a distinct V-shape.

Adults are recognizable by their featherless red heads and brownish-black bodies with silver-gray feathers on the undersides of their wings. Like its cousin, this Pennsylvania bird sounds only like low hisses or grunts when disturbed or feeding.

Turkey vultures can be found in the southern most parts of the state.

4. Common Redpoll

• Family – Fringillidae
• Species – Acanthis flammea
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Irruptive

A tiny, energetic finch specialized for small seeds, the Common Redpoll is primarily granivorous, focusing on birch, alder, and weed seeds. It stores seeds in an expandable throat pouch to process out of the wind. Insects are taken opportunistically in thaw periods.

It shows a red forehead cap, black chin, and streaked brown body. Many males have a rosy wash on the breast. This Irruptive Pennsylvania bird sounds like a buzzing “chit chit chit” or “che che che” as they swirl to nyjer feeders or birch catkins.

Redpolls can occur statewide during irruption alongside other winter birds in Pennsylvania, frequenting weedy fields and open woodlands. Attract this bird to your yard with thistle or nyjer seed feeder.

5. Ruffed Grouse

• Family – Phasianidae
• Species – Bonasa umbellus
• Primary Activity Time – Day (Diurnal)
• Pennsylvania State Bird

The Ruffed Grouse is known for its remarkable snow-roosting behavior and its preference for young aspen forests. Its cryptic brown or gray plumage blends seamlessly with leafless woodlands and snowy forest floors. Sharp Tailed Grouse vs Ruffed Grouse: the difference is in the tail. 

A Ruffed Grouse call is soft clucks, low grunts, and sudden, powerful wingbeats as it bursts from cover. These explosive flushes are often the primary cue to its presence but the ruffed grouse call is not loud enough to ID by sound per se. 

Ruffed Grouse range in northern and central Pennsylvania is among aspen forests, mixed woodlands, and brushy uplands. 

6. Pine Grosbeak

• Family – Fringillidae
• Species – Pinicola enucleator
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Crepuscular)
• Irruptive

The Pine Grosbeak is one of many irruptive winter birds in Pennsylvania. It’s a stout finch that favors a granivorous and frugivorous diet, taking seeds, buds, and winter berries. It often targets mountain‑ash, crabapple, and boxelder crops and will visit feeders for black‑oil sunflower. Its calm demeanor and slow feeding pace make it approachable in winter towns.

Males show a rosy‑red wash over gray wings and tail, while females are olive‑yellow with the same gray patterning. This Irruptive Pennsylvania bird sounds like a mellow, whistled tee‑tee‑tew that carries on cold air.

In Pennsylvania winters the Pine Grosbeak range is most likely in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula especially where ornamental fruiting trees are abundant.

• Related: 29 Winter Birds in Minnesota

7. Snowy Owl

• Family – Strigidae
• Species – Bubo scandiacus
• Primary Activity Time – Dusk (Nocturnal)
• Irruptive

The Snowy Owl is a powerful arctic owl is a bird of prey that mainly eats small mammals especially lemming‑like rodents. Along coasts it will also take waterfowl and shorebirds but in wintering areas it hunts from open perches and ground vantage points.

They’re a large pale white owl– easy to miss against a snowy background. You may know the Snowy Owl from Harry Potter named Hedwig. Hedwig is actually a female Snowy Owl in the books but is portrayed by a male Snowy Owl in the Harry Potter movies! Young or female Snowy Owls show heavier dark barring, whereas adult males can appear nearly pure white.

Snowy Owl size varies in that females are usually larger than males, and their wingspan can reach near 5.5 feet. The call is a booming double hoot despite many winter birds being often silent and relying on visual hunting at low light.

In Pennsylvania, Snowy Owl range spans the open shorelines, airports, farm fields, and coastal areas. There’s recently been a "baby boom" irruption this winter which has prompted appearances in Philadelphia and near Lake Erie.

8. Northern Cardinal

• Family – Cardinalidae
• Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

The Northern Cardinal is an omnivore that eats seeds, fruits, and insects. This canonical winter bird relies heavily on sunflower, safflower, and berries, often foraging low in shrubs and at platform feeders.

Males are vivid red with a black mask and crest. A female Northern Cardinal, on the other hand, is warm brown with orange bills and subtle red highlights. Both the male and female Northern Cardinal have a tuft of hair that looks like an expertly styled mohawk.

The Northern Cardinal sounds like a clear, whistled cheer‑cheer‑cheer with varied phrases. Some of the Northern Cardinal sounds and calls are to the tune of a cartoon  plane dropping bombs, making it recognizable among other Pennsylvania bird species.

Found statewide in Pennsylvania settled areas, woodlots, and brushy edges through winter, especially where feeders and dense cover are present. It's hard to miss if you’re bird watching in Pennsylvania. You can easily attract it to your yard with a simple feeder.

9. Pine Siskin

• Family – Fringillidae
• Species – Spinus pinus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Irruptive

The Pine Siskin is a strongly granivorous bird with a fine bill. It often feeds on conifer seeds, alders, and birches, and readily visits nyjer seed and sunflower chips at feeders. It supplements with small insects in mild spells.

They’re streaky brown with subtle yellow flashes in the wings and tail.

A Pine Siskin call is buzzy, often giving rising “zreee” sounds and chatter. They roam widely with cone availability. Their appearance won’t make them easy amidst Pennsylvania bird identification but their call makes them a slightly easier bird to ID by sound.

Its appearances among the winter birds in Pennsylvania during their irruption can vary year to year. Numbers can build statewide in irruption winters making the Pine Siskin range quite expansive as they flock to conifer stands and well‑stocked feeders.

10. Purple Finch

• Family – Fringillidae
• Species – Haemorhous purpureus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Irruptive

A robust finch that is largely granivorous and frugivorous, the Purple Finch feeds on tree seeds and winter fruit and readily visits sunflower feeders. Buds and blossoms are taken when available.

Males are raspberry‑washed over the head and breast without strong streaking, and females are brown with bold facial lines. The males are one of the prettiest winter birds in Pennsylvania during irruption, in my opinion.

The Purple Finch call sounds like a rich, rolling warble of soft pik and tek sounds. It’s bird call reminds me of a loquacious busy-body you run into while doing errands.

Irruptions bring this species into Pennsylvania in variable numbers, with higher counts in northern forests but also showing up at feeders statewide in some winters.

• Related: Bird Watching Groups in Michigan

11. Dark-Eyed Junco

• Family – Passerellidae
• Species – Junco hyemalis
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Migratory/Visitor

The Dark Eyed Junco granivorous sparrow that favors millet and mixed seeds on the ground or low trays. It also picks weed seeds in winter fields. Flocks often include other sparrows and finches.

They have clean gray slate‑colored upperparts with white belly and distinctive flashing white outer tail feathers.

Calls are soft tiks and a musical trilling song in mild spells. It’s soft and song-like which can make it tricky to ID by sound alone.

They’re abundant winter visitors statewide in Pennsylvania, from forest edges to yards and parks. This adorable winter bird is readily attracted to ground‑level feeding areas.

12. Red-bellied Woodpecker

• Family – Picidae
• Species – Melanerpes carolinus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

An omnivore that takes acorns, nuts, fruit, and insects. It frequently visits suet feeders and peanut feeders in winter, and caches food in bark and deadwood for lean times.

Pale gray face with a striking red crown and nape, laddered black‑and‑white back, and a faint pinkish belly. Calls are rolling chur notes and loud “kwirr” rattles.

Resident through much of Pennsylvania, especially the Lower Peninsula’s woodlands, suburbs, and riparian corridors.

13. Black-capped Chickadee

• Family – Paridae
• Species – Poecile atricapillus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

The Black-capped Chickadee is a tiny omnivore that favors seeds, suet, and dormant insects, caching food in bark crevices. It adapts well to winter with high metabolism and flock foraging.

It's got a distinctive black cap and bib with white cheeks, soft gray body, and is constantly active.

The Black-capped Chickadee song sounds like chick‑a‑dee‑dee‑dee notes and a clear fee‑bee song on mild days. In fact, the Black-capped Chickadee call is highly varied and includes other sounds and phrases like "cheeseburger" and “hey sweetie” along with its trademark chick‑a‑dee song.

They’re petite stature and coloring help with bird identification despite the many Pennsylvania bird species.

This chickadee is abundant statewide with other winter birds in Pennsylvania in woodlands, parks, and neighborhoods– and quick to find feeders with sunflower seed and suet.

14. Tufted Titmouse

• Family – Paridae
• Species – Baeolophus bicolor
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Migratory/Visitor

A small omnivore that feeds on seeds, nuts, and insects, frequently visiting sunflower and peanut feeders in winter. It often travels with chickadee‑led mixed flocks.

Gray with a neat crest, big black eyes, buffy flanks, and sports a gray faux-hawk / mohawk. The female Tufted Titmouse is identical to the male.

The Tufted Titmouse call is a clear peter‑peter‑peter song and the occasional scolding calls. Many people find the Tufted Titmouse song melodic and seek it out in birding. Its distinct sound makes the tufted titmouse a great bird to ID by sound.

A Tufted Titmouse nest is often in a tree cavity or birdhouse, so you can create an inviting habitat by putting out a bird house for them!

Tufted Titmouse range during irruption in Pennsylvania is mostly from southern and central Pennsylvania, with winter movements. They’re common around feeders, woodlots, and suburban parks.

15. American Goldfinch

• Family – Fringillidae
• Species – Spinus tristis
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Migratory/Visitor

A granivorous finch that favors nyjer and sunflower chips in winter. The American Goldfinch also eats weed seeds in fields and edges. 

In winter plumage the bird is duller, yellowish‑brown with black wings and pale bill. A female American Goldfinch sports only a small dull yellow patch on its breast while the male American Goldfinch will retain a yellow chartreuse hue.

Its calls are sweet po‑ta‑to‑chip notes and twittering flight phrases.

An American Goldfinch in winter ranges widely with food supply but you can create an inviting space with a nyjer seed feeder. The American Goldfinch is widespread amongst winter birds in Pennsylvania in fields, towns, and feeder yards.

16. White-breasted Nuthatch

• Family – Sittidae
• Species – Sitta carolinensis
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

The White-breasted Nuthatch diet consists of insects, seeds, and nuts. It frequently visits suet and sunflower feeders, too, making this winter bird an omnivore. White-breasted Nuthatch size varies quite little from 0.6 to 1 ounce. Despite its tiny size, they have a strong backward hallux, or toe, allowing it to climb head first downwards on trees.

White Breasted Nuthatch male vs female: the male is a slate blue with white face and underparts, and a black cap connecting its bill to its back. The female White Breasted Nuthatch has a gray cap.

A White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank‑yank note. Of the winter birds in Pennsylvania, it sings in late winter, and the male White-breasted Nuthatch sounds like a “wha-wha-wha”. Some have also compared their call to an old school car horn honking.

Among other native birds, this Pennsylvania bird species is widespread in mature woods, parks, and yards, and is commonly seen at feeders and tree trunks around homes.

17. White-throated Sparrow

• Family – Passerellidae
• Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
• Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
• Migrant/Winter Resident

The White-throated Sparrow is a crisp-patterned winter bird in Pennsylvania. It is primarily granivorous during the winter, scratching through leaf litter or snow for fallen seeds. They are frequent visitors to platform feeders or ground-feeding stations.

These birds are distinguished by a bright white throat patch and yellow "lores" (the area between the eye and beak). This melodic Pennsylvania bird sounds like a clear, whistled song often described as Old-Sam-Peabody-Peabody-Peabody.

The White-throated Sparrow range is typically restricted to the southern half of the state, where they frequent brush piles and thickets that offer protection from the wind.

 

18. Downy Woodpecker

• Family – Picidae
• Species – Dryobates pubescens
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

The Downy Woodpecker is an omnivorous woodpecker taking insects, larvae, and eggs from twigs and bark, plus suet and seeds at feeders. It scales small branches and weed stems deftly.

It's a small bird  with a short bill and is fairly common to see when bird watching in Pennsylvania. The black‑and‑white patterning and a tiny red nape patch make it stand out against other winter birds. I recall always seeing them in my grandmother’s feeders in her lilac bushes in Massachusetts.

A Downy Woodpecker call has a sharp pik note and short descending whinny trills. There are a few different sounds that you can learn to identify a Downy woodpecker call, actually. It may blend in with other Pennsylvania bird sounds if you’re not familiar.

Their range is widespread across Pennsylvania forests, edge habitats, and towns with other common winter birds in Pennsylvania. You can attract them by keeping a suet feeder or mixed seed feeder.

• Related: 26 Winter Birds in Wisconsin

19. Hairy Woodpecker

• Family – Picidae
• Species – Dryobates villosus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

A larger cousin of the Downy, this omnivorous woodpecker consumes beetle larvae and other insects, and readily takes suet and nuts. It forages on larger trunks and limbs.

Hairy Woodpecker vs Downy Woodpecker: Longer bill and larger size than Downy, but similarly patterned in black and white. The male Hairy Woodpecker also has a black apostrophe mark on its breast. It’s also larger with a bigger beak-to-head ratio. A Female Hairy Woodpecker is identical to the male except for its red nape patch.

A Hair Woodpecker sounds like a sharp “peek” and a rattly, longer whinny.

Common across Pennsylvania’s mature woodlands, parks, and yards in winter, often detected by steady drumming and trunk foraging.

20. Common Merganser

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Mergus merganser
• Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
• Winter Migrant

The Common Merganser is a sleek, "saw-billed" winter bird in Pennsylvania. It is a piscivorous diving duck that hunts fish in the frigid, open currents of rivers. They’re often seen floating in long lines or "rafts" in the middle of moving water.

Males are striking with crisp white bodies and dark, iridescent green heads, while females (often called "red-heads") have shaggy cinnamon crests. This hardy Pennsylvania bird sounds like a low, harsh croak, though they are generally silent during the winter months.

In Pennsylvania winters, the Common Merganser range is restricted to any ice-free water.

21. Mallard

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Anas platyrhynchos
• Primary Activity Time – Day (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird 

The Mallard duck is a common dabber. They feed on plans, seeds, and small invertebrates. Their adaptability enables them to remain in heavily populated areas year-round.

A Mallard duck’s colors are the quintessential glossy green head and yellow beak for males. A mallard hen, or female, are mottled brown with orange bills. Both show blue wing patches, or speculums, in flight.

Mallards are the stereotypical Barbie of the duck world– the Mallard Duck call is merely a simple “quack”. This Barbie is actually the reason behind Weird Duck Season.  

They overwinter across Pennsylvania making the Mallard duck’s range as widespread as there are unfrozen waters.

• Related: 12 Weird Ducks and Where to Find Them

22. Canada Goose

• Family – Anatidae
• Species – Branta canadensis
• Primary Activity Time – Day (Diurnal)
• Resident Pennsylvania Bird 

Canada Geese, or the Canada Goose, feed on grasses, grains, aquatic vegetation, and waste grain in harvested fields. They’re what I call the ankle biters of birds— despite not having teeth— because they’re known to bite and attack people when threatened. 

Recognized by their black heads and necks they also have a bold white chinstrap with gray-brown bodies. Their V-shaped migratory flocks are iconic across the Midwest. There are actually 7 subspecies of canada geese: Atlantic, Dusky, Giant, Interior, Lesser, Moffitt’s, and Vancouver.

A Canada Goose call sounds like a resonant “honk honk”. 

Many Canada Geese overwinter in Pennsylvania in cities, farm fields, river valleys, and open-water lakes throughout the state.

23. Red-tailed Hawk

• Family – Accipitridae
• Species – Buteo jamaicensis
• Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
• Partial Migrant

The Red-tailed Hawk is a large, conspicuous winter bird in Pennsylvania. It is a carnivorous raptor, primarily hunting small mammals like voles and mice in snow-covered fields. It is frequently seen perched on roadside high-tension wires or lone trees overlooking open terrain.

Adults are identified by their broad, rounded wings and a hallmark cinnamon-red upper tail. This majestic Pennsylvania bird sounds like a hoarse, screaming keee-aaaaah that is often used in movies to represent eagles.

In Pennsylvania winters, the Red-tailed Hawk range is most visible along highway corridors and agricultural plains where the wind sweeps snow thin, making it easier to spot prey.

24. Bald Eagle

• Family – Accipitridae
• Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native & Migratory 

The Bald Eagle is a piscivorous raptor that also scavenges carrion and takes waterfowl when opportunities arise. It gathers near fish runs and carcass sites for feeding which is why you’ll find it near bodies of water.

It’s a large bird with a dark body, white head and tail (in adults,) and a powerful yellow bill. A Bald Eagle baby, on the other hand, is mottled and looks more like an ugly duckling.

A Bald Eagle call sounds like high‑pitched chatters. The repeating screech makes the Bald Eagle call an easy bird to ID by sound.  Their wing posture is plank‑straight while soaring, and can reach over 7 feet!

These birds are concentrated near open, ice‑free waters across Pennsylvania.

25. Pileated Woodpecker

• Family – Picidae
• Species – Dryocopus pileatus
• Primary Activity Time – Day (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America outside the Ivory-billed. They feed heavily on carpenter ants, beetle larvae, and other wood-boring insects, but will also visit suet feeders in winter. Their dramatic excavations create important cavities for owls, ducks, and small mammals.

Pileated Woodpecker - Male vs Female

Both have bold black plumage with white wing patches and a prominent red crest (how you’d think a stereotypical woodpecker looks). A male Pileated Woodpecker has a red stripe on its cheek, though, whereas a female Pileated Woodpecker**** has a black one. 

A Pileated Woodpecker sounds like a ringing “kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk”  that’s reminiscent of a monkey. Similarly, a Pileated Woodpecker drumming sound on hollow trees is slower and more resonant than other woodpeckers.

In winter the Pileated Woodpeckers’ range will span the state where there are mature forests, wooded river corridors, and suburban areas with large trees.

26. Blue Jay

• Family – Corvidae
• Species – Cyanocitta cristata
• Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
• Native Pennsylvania Bird

An omnivorous corvid that eats acorns, seeds, fruits, and insects. It is a regular at peanut and sunflower feeders. Jays cache nuts and broadcast alarm calls around predators.

 Female vs Male Blue Jay: both**** are nearly identical with bold blue plumage and a black necklace with crisp white underparts.**** Male and female Blue Jay birds are bold, noisy, and social. 

One difference to tell apart the males from females is their slightly larger size.  They also share domestic duties (i.e. building the nest).

A Blue Jay call ranges from jeer alarms to soft whistles and uncanny hawk imitation– all with a flat or falling call pattern. To the novice birder a Blue Jay call can sound like a crow. The Blue Jay mating call is more melodic and cheery.

Year‑round native can be found mingling with winter birds in Pennsylvania everywhere.