A Pennsylvania backyard in January can look abandoned, right up until a cardinal lands on the feeder like it pays rent. Plenty of PA winter birds stick around all season, and a few fly down from Canada on purpose (I'm choosing not to take that personally, as someone who complains about the cold from October onward).
Even the state bird stays put. The Ruffed Grouse has been Pennsylvania's official state bird since 1931, and it spends the winter right here in the woods, diving into deep snow to roost. Below are 31 species, each with ID tips, calls, where to find them in winter, and what they'll eat if you put out the right bird food.
The 4 Types of Winter Birds in Pennsylvania
- Irruptive Species – birds that move outside their normal winter range in large, unpredictable numbers, usually when seed and cone crops fail up north. Some years they flood in, some years you won't see one
- Resident Pennsylvania Bird – native or non-native species that stay year-round instead of migrating
- Native Pennsylvania Bird – birds that evolved or originated in Pennsylvania
- Migratory / Visitor – birds that migrate to Pennsylvania for the winter from farther north
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)
- Resident (mostly southern Pennsylvania)
The Black Vulture is an increasingly common winter bird in Pennsylvania, especially in the south. 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 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 southern and southeastern parts of the state, where they gather at communal roosts, and their numbers are growing.
3. Turkey Vulture
- Family – Cathartidae
- Species – Cathartes aura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
- Partial Migrant (winters in southern Pennsylvania)
The Turkey Vulture is a large, soaring winter bird in Pennsylvania, though many 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.
In winter, Turkey Vultures can be found in the southernmost parts of the state, often roosting alongside Black Vultures.
4. Redpoll
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Acanthis flammea
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
- Irruptive
A tiny, energetic finch specialized for small seeds, the 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. If you have an older field guide, it lists Common and Hoary Redpolls separately, but in 2024 they were lumped into a single species now called simply Redpoll, which saves everyone a lot of squinting.
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 years alongside other winter birds in Pennsylvania, frequenting weedy fields and open woodlands. In non-irruption winters, expect few or none. Attract this bird to your yard with thistle or a nyjer seed feeder.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
5. Ruffed Grouse
- Family – Phasianidae
- Species – Bonasa umbellus
- Primary Activity Time – Day (Diurnal)
- Pennsylvania State Bird
The Ruffed Grouse is Pennsylvania’s state bird, and it stays all winter. It 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)
- Rare Irruptive (irregular, mostly northern Pennsylvania)
The Pine Grosbeak is a rare, irregular irruptive among winter birds in Pennsylvania, so treat any sighting as a good day. 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 when it does show up.
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.
Most winters, Pine Grosbeaks don’t reach Pennsylvania at all. In the rare years they do, the Pine Grosbeak range is most likely the northern tier of the state, especially where ornamental fruiting trees are abundant.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower
- 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 bird of prey that mainly eats small mammals, especially lemming‑like rodents. It will also take waterfowl and shorebirds, and 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 as Hedwig. Hedwig is actually a female Snowy Owl in the books but is portrayed by male Snowy Owls 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, though in winter they’re often silent and rely on visual hunting in low light.
In Pennsylvania, the Snowy Owl range is open country: the Lake Erie shoreline, airports, and big farm fields. Numbers swing a lot from year to year, and in irruption winters they’ve turned up from Philadelphia to 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.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower
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.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
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. Its 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.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower
- 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 is a 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 a 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.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
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 most of Pennsylvania, most common in the southern half of the state, in woodlands, suburbs, and riparian corridors.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
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.
Their petite stature and coloring help with bird identification despite the many Pennsylvania bird species.
This chickadee is common across most of Pennsylvania in woodlands, parks, and neighborhoods, and quick to find feeders with sunflower seed and suet. The exception is the state’s southern counties, where the Carolina Chickadee (#30) takes over.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
14. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
- Resident Pennsylvania Bird
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.
The Tufted Titmouse range covers Pennsylvania year-round, and it’s most abundant in the southern and central parts of the state. They’re common around feeders, woodlots, and suburban parks.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
15. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
- Resident & Partial Migrant
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.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
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, it has 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.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
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.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground or a platform
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 (on males) 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.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
- 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: the two are patterned almost identically in black and white, but the Hairy is bigger, with a much longer bill. The easiest check is the beak-to-head ratio: a Hairy’s bill is nearly as long as its head, while a Downy’s is short and stubby. A female Hairy Woodpecker looks like the male but lacks his red nape patch.
A Hairy 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.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
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 dabbler. They feed on plants, 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, is mottled brown with an orange bill. 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.
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 North America. 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 their wingspan 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.
Feeder favorites: suet
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, a black necklace, and 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.
This year‑round native can be found mingling with winter birds in Pennsylvania everywhere.
Feeder favorites: peanuts (in or out of the shell), black oil sunflower, cracked corn
27. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
- Resident Pennsylvania Bird (non-native in the East)
The House Finch is one of the most common feeder birds in the state, and in recent FeederWatch counts for Pennsylvania it ranked third, behind only the cardinal and the junco. Originally a bird of the western U.S., it was released in the New York area in the 1940s and has since spread across the whole East. It eats almost nothing but seeds, plus buds and fruit.
Males have a red head, breast, and rump over streaky brown, while females are plain grayish-brown with blurry streaks and no strong face pattern. That plain face is the quickest way to tell a female House Finch from a female Purple Finch (#10), who wears bold facial stripes like she has somewhere to be.
The song is a long, jumbled, cheerful warble, and the call is a short cheep, often given in flight.
House Finches live statewide year-round, mostly around towns, suburbs, and farms. If you have a feeder in Pennsylvania, you probably already have House Finches.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
28. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
- Resident Pennsylvania Bird
The Mourning Dove is a slender, soft-tan winter bird in Pennsylvania with a small head and a long, pointed tail. It eats seeds almost exclusively and gulps them down fast, storing them in its crop to digest later from a safer perch. In FeederWatch’s East Central Top 25, Mourning Doves showed up at about 95 percent of sites, so odds are good one is sitting on your fence right now.
Both sexes have black spots on the wings. Males are a little larger, with a bluish-gray crown and a rosy wash on the breast, while females are browner overall.
The song is a soft, slow coo-OO-oo-oo-oo that people often mistake for an owl. Their wings also make a sharp whistle on takeoff. Despite the name, I’ve never met a more relaxed bird, which is more than I can say for myself before 9 a.m. (I’m not a mourning person.)
Mourning Doves are found statewide in winter, in farm fields, roadsides, and backyards, often feeding in loose flocks on the ground.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on the ground or a platform
29. House Sparrow
- Family – Passeridae
- Species – Passer domesticus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
- Resident Pennsylvania Bird (non-native)
The House Sparrow was brought to North America from Europe in the 1800s and has made itself very much at home. It’s the Kramer of the bird world: never invited, always around, and somehow part of the household now. It eats mostly grain and seeds, plus scraps around people.
Males have a gray crown, chestnut nape, white cheeks, and a black bib that gets bigger and darker in spring. Females are plain buffy-brown with a pale eyebrow stripe and streaked back.
Its call is a constant, cheerful cheep cheep, usually from a whole group at once.
House Sparrows live statewide year-round, almost always near buildings, farms, and shopping-center parking lots. You won’t find many in deep woods.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, mixed seed
30. Carolina Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk (Diurnal)
- Resident Pennsylvania Bird (southern Pennsylvania)
If you live in southern Pennsylvania, your “Black-capped” Chickadee may actually be a Carolina Chickadee. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Black-capped Chickadees are common statewide except the southern counties, where the Carolina Chickadee breeds, and its range has been creeping northward. Like its cousin, it eats insects, seeds, and berries, and caches food for later.
The two species look nearly identical, like the twins in The Parent Trap: black cap and bib, white cheeks, gray back. The Carolina looks a bit neater, with less white edging on the wing feathers. Males and females look alike.
The best clue is the song. A Carolina Chickadee whistles four notes, fee-bee-fee-bay, while the Black-capped sings just two, fee-bee. The Carolina’s chick-a-dee-dee call is also higher and faster.
Carolina Chickadees live year-round across southern Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas, in woodlands, parks, and yards. Where the two ranges meet, the species interbreed, and some birds are honestly anyone’s guess.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
31. American Tree Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Spizelloides arborea
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime (Diurnal)
- Migratory/Visitor
The American Tree Sparrow is a true winter visitor, arriving from its breeding grounds in the far north when the weather turns. Despite the name, it spends most of its time on the ground or in low weeds, eating grass and weed seeds. (Whoever named it was clearly having an off day. I relate.)
Look for a rusty cap, a rusty line behind the eye, a gray face, and a plain gray breast with a small dark spot in the center. The bill is two-toned, dark on top and yellow below. Males and females look alike.
Its call is a soft, musical teedle-eet, and winter flocks keep up a sweet twittering as they feed.
In Pennsylvania, American Tree Sparrows winter statewide in weedy fields, hedgerows, and marsh edges, and they’ll come to yards near open country, often alongside juncos.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, scattered on the ground
PA Winter Birds FAQ
What birds stay in Pennsylvania during the winter?
Plenty. Year-round residents like the Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, nuthatches, and woodpeckers are joined by winter visitors such as Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows. Irruptive finches like Pine Siskins and Redpolls show up in some years and skip others. Unfrozen water helps all of them, so a heated bird bath is one of the best upgrades you can make.
What are the most common backyard birds in Pennsylvania in winter?
In a recent mid-November FeederWatch count, the top 10 in Pennsylvania were Northern Cardinal, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, and House Sparrow. If you put out black oil sunflower and suet, you can expect most of them.
What is Pennsylvania’s state bird?
The Ruffed Grouse, official since 1931. It’s a woodland bird that stays all winter, so you won’t see it at your feeder, but you might hear one explode out of the brush on a winter hike and briefly reconsider all of your life choices.
Do I have Black-capped or Carolina Chickadees?
It depends on where you are. Black-capped Chickadees cover most of the state, while Carolina Chickadees live in the southern counties and are slowly moving north. The easiest way to tell is the song: two notes for Black-capped, four for Carolina.
Do robins stay in Pennsylvania in winter?
Many do. In winter, American Robins stop pulling worms from lawns and switch to berries and fruit, traveling in flocks through woods and wetlands. That’s why it can feel like they’ve left even when they’re still around.
Bird Watching in Pennsylvania This Winter
Winter is when a backyard feeder earns its keep, and it’s a good excuse to get outside, even for ten minutes with a coffee. If you want company, the Sparkbird App helps you find other birders near you and share what’s showing up at your feeders. Heading to another state this winter? Our guide to winter birds in Michigan covers what turns up a little farther west.
And if a brown bird keeps hopping around under your feeder and you can’t decide whether it’s a sparrow, a finch, or a female something, just call it a “little brown job” and go refill your coffee. The bird won’t mind, and neither will I.
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