John Denver called West Virginia "almost heaven," and I assume he meant the feeders, because nobody describes a January wind on a mountain ridge that way. The winter birds in West Virginia split into two crowds: locals who tough it out all year, and visitors who decided the Mountain State counts as "south" (it's all relative when you summer in Quebec).
The state bird is one of the locals. The Northern Cardinal became West Virginia's state bird in 1949, picked partly because it lives near people and visits backyard feeders, and it stays put all winter, so you'll see plenty of red against the snow. Joining it are Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, and, in the right years, flocks of northern finches. In one recent Christmas Bird Count season in West Virginia, volunteers on 21 counts tallied 122 species, so there's more out there than the cardinal-and-chickadee starter pack.
Types of Winter Birds in West Virginia
There are 3 types of winter birds in West Virginia you'll see on this list:
- Resident West Virginia Birds – found here year-round, and many of them visit feeders
- Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that breed farther north (or higher up) and spend the winter in West Virginia. Big rivers and dams are a good place to look, like the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, where diving ducks such as Canvasback and Common Goldeneye show up in winter
- Irruptive Species – birds that pour south in big numbers some winters (and skip the state entirely in others), usually when seed and cone crops fail up north
Each of these winter birds of West Virginia comes with ID tips, male vs female differences, calls, where to find it in the state, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you're wondering where the summer warblers ran off to, here's where birds go in the winter.
1. Northern Cardinal
- Family – Cardinalidae
- Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- West Virginia State Bird (Resident West Virginia Bird)
The Northern Cardinal is the bird most West Virginians could pick out of a lineup, and it showed up at 92 percent of West Virginia sites in a Project FeederWatch ranking of the state's feeder birds. It eats seeds, fruit, and insects, and in winter it relies on sunflower, safflower, and whatever berries are left on the shrubs.
Males are bright red all over with a black face around a thick orange-red bill. Females are a warm tan-brown with reddish tints on the crest, wings, and tail, and they carry the same chunky bill. Both raise and lower the crest, usually when something at the feeder annoys them.
The song is a loud, whistled cheer-cheer-cheer or birdie-birdie-birdie, and the call is a sharp, metallic chip you'll hear from the hedge before you see the bird. Cardinals often start singing again on sunny days in late winter.
Cardinals live statewide, from Huntington backyards to farm hedgerows in the Eastern Panhandle, anywhere with dense shrubs for cover and roosting.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn on a platform
2. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
Here's the surprise of the FeederWatch list: the Tufted Titmouse, not the cardinal, took the top spot, turning up at 100 percent of West Virginia sites. It's a small gray songbird with a pointed crest, big black eyes, and peachy-orange flanks, and it eats insects, seeds, and nuts.
Males and females look alike. The titmouse is a grab-and-go eater: it takes one seed, flies to a branch, holds it with its feet, and pounds it open before coming back for the next.
The song is a whistled peter-peter-peter, often repeated so many times that you'll start hearing it in your sleep. It also gives a husky, scolding call that sounds like a chickadee with a cold.
Titmice are statewide in deciduous woods, older neighborhoods, and parks, often traveling with chickadees and nuthatches in mixed winter flocks.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, shelled peanuts, suet
3. Carolina Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
West Virginia gets both chickadee species, and in most of the lowlands it's the Carolina Chickadee. In the mid-Appalachians, Carolina Chickadees usually stick to lower elevations, with Black-capped Chickadees taking over higher up. It's a tiny bird with a black cap and bib, white cheeks, and a gray back, and it eats insects, seeds, and berries.
Males and females look alike. The two chickadee species can interbreed where their ranges meet, and they even learn each other's songs, which is about as helpful to birders as a twin who borrows your clothes.
The song is a four-note whistle, fee-bee-fee-bay, and the call is a quick, high chick-a-dee-dee-dee.
Look for Carolina Chickadees in valleys and lower hills statewide, including the Ohio and Kanawha River valleys, in woods, parks, and yards.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts
4. Black-capped Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile atricapillus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird (higher elevations)
The Black-capped Chickadee is the mountain chickadee of West Virginia (not to be confused with the actual Mountain Chickadee, which lives out West and has never heard of Pocahontas County). It showed up at 23 percent of FeederWatch sites in the state, and the West Virginia DNR lists it as common year-round.
It looks a lot like the Carolina, but a little bigger, with brighter white edges on the wing feathers and a messier lower edge to the black bib. Males and females look alike.
The song is usually a two-note fee-bee, slower and lower than the Carolina's four notes. Its chick-a-dee-dee-dee call is also slower and a bit hoarser. Since the two species copy each other, your best bet is to note where you are before you decide which one you're hearing.
Look for Black-capped Chickadees in the higher country of the Allegheny Mountains and the Monongahela National Forest, in hardwoods, spruce edges, and mountain towns with feeders.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts
5. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Mourning Dove was at 87 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites, usually sitting on the platform like it pays rent there. It's a ground feeder that eats almost nothing but seeds, swallowing them whole into its crop and digesting later.
It's a slim, soft gray-brown bird with black spots on the wings, a small head, and a long, pointed tail edged in white. Males have a rosy wash on the breast and a bluish-gray crown, while females are a bit plainer and browner.
The song is a soft, low coo-OO-oo-oo-oo, which is often mistaken for an owl. When a dove takes off, its wings make a loud whistle.
Mourning Doves live statewide, especially in farm country and suburbs, and in winter they gather in flocks around feeders and grain fields.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground
6. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in West Virginia and one of the most reliable, tying the dove at 87 percent of FeederWatch sites. It digs insect larvae out of bark and weed stems and is happy to work a suet cake for half an hour.
It's black and white with a white stripe down the back, white spots on the wings, and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, and females don't.
The call is a soft pik, and it also gives a high, whinnying rattle that drops in pitch at the end. In late winter, listen for its quick, even drumming on dead branches.
Downies are statewide in woodlots, parks, orchards, and yards, often hanging out with chickadees and titmice.
Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts
7. Hairy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates villosus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Hairy Woodpecker is the Downy's look-alike, and it's not as common at West Virginia feeders, showing up at 46 percent of FeederWatch sites. It digs for beetle larvae in bigger trees and comes to suet in winter.
The giveaway is the bill: on a Hairy, it's almost as long as the head, while a Downy's bill is short and dainty. Hairies are also noticeably bigger, closer to robin-sized, and their outer tail feathers are pure white without the Downy's black spots. Males have a red patch on the back of the head, and females don't.
The call is a loud, sharp peek, and the rattle is a fast, even run of notes that doesn't drop in pitch like the Downy's. (I still get these two mixed up, so don't feel bad.)
Hairy Woodpeckers live statewide in mature forests and wooded neighborhoods, and they're common in the big woods of the Monongahela National Forest.
Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts
8. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is the bird people email me to rename, because the red belly is so faint you basically need it to sit for a portrait. It was at 87 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites, eating acorns, nuts, fruit, and insects, and storing food in bark cracks for later.
It has a pale gray face and underparts and a black-and-white zebra-striped back. Males have red from the bill all the way over the crown to the nape, while females have red only on the nape, with a gray crown.
The call is a rolling churr or kwirr, one of the most common winter sounds in West Virginia woods, plus a sharp chiv-chiv.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers are statewide in hardwood forests, river bottoms, and older suburbs, and they're bold at feeders.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
9. Pileated Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryocopus pileatus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Pileated Woodpecker is about crow-sized, and it hits a tree like it's personally offended by it. It eats mostly carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae, digging deep rectangular holes in dead trees and logs. It visited 15 percent of FeederWatch sites in the state, which is pretty good for a bird this shy.
It's black with bold white stripes on the face and neck, white wing linings in flight, and a flaming red crest. Males have a red stripe at the base of the bill (the "mustache") and red all the way to the forehead, while females have a black mustache and a black forehead.
The call is a loud, wild wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk that sounds like it belongs in a jungle movie, and its drumming is slow and booming.
Pileated Woodpeckers live statewide in large stands of mature forest, from the New River Gorge to the Allegheny Highlands, and they'll visit wooded yards.
Feeder favorites: suet
10. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Sphyrapicus varius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (also breeds in the mountains)
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has the most honest name on this list: it drills neat rows of small holes in tree bark and comes back to drink the sap. The West Virginia DNR rates it fairly common in winter, more than in any other season, since northern birds move in for the winter while a few breed in the mountains.
It's black and white with a bold white stripe along the folded wing and a pale yellow wash on the belly. Both sexes have a red forehead. Males have a red throat, and females have a white throat.
Its call is a nasal, catlike neeah, and its drumming is uneven, starting with a quick roll and then slowing into a few separate taps, like someone typing in Morse code.
Look for sapsuckers in woods, orchards, and yards statewide in winter, especially on trees with rows of sap wells.
Feeder favorites: suet
11. White-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The White-breasted Nuthatch spends its day climbing headfirst down tree trunks, which is the bird version of walking down the stairs backward. It was at 85 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites. It wedges seeds and nuts into bark and hacks them open with its bill, which is where the "hatch" part of the name comes from.
It's blue-gray above with a white face and breast and a rusty patch under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap, while females often show a duller, grayer cap.
The call is a nasal yank-yank, given over and over as it moves through the trees. Pairs stay together all winter and keep in touch with softer ank notes.
White-breasted Nuthatches live statewide in hardwood forests, parks, and yards with big trees.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
12. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Uncommon Resident / Irruptive
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a small, busy nuthatch that the West Virginia DNR lists as uncommon in every season, but numbers jump in winters when northern cone crops fail and birds move south. It eats conifer seeds and insects, and it caches food in bark.
It has a blue-gray back, a black cap, a bold white eyebrow, a black eye line, and a rusty-orange belly. Females and young birds have a grayer cap and paler underparts than males.
The call is a high, nasal yank-yank, often compared to a tiny tin horn, and it's higher and more toylike than the White-breasted Nuthatch's.
Look for them in spruce, hemlock, and pine stands, especially in the high mountains, and at feeders near conifers during irruption winters.
Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower
13. Carolina Wren
- Family – Troglodytidae
- Species – Thryothorus ludovicianus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Carolina Wren is the loudest bird per ounce you'll find at a West Virginia feeder, and it was at 64 percent of FeederWatch sites in the state. It eats insects and spiders, poking into brush piles, woodpiles, garages, and anything left open on the porch.
It's a round, warm brown bird with a buffy belly, a long white eyebrow, and a tail that it often cocks upward. Males and females look alike, and pairs defend their territory together all year.
The male's song is a booming teakettle-teakettle-teakettle, and he sings it even in the dead of winter. Both birds give a scolding, rattling chatter.
Carolina Wrens are statewide but most common at lower elevations, in thickets, overgrown yards, and woodland edges. Hard, snowy winters can knock their numbers down, so a brush pile really helps.
Feeder favorites: suet, mealworms, peanut pieces
14. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (breeds in the high mountains)
The Dark-eyed Junco is the "snowbird" that tells you winter is here. In one West Virginia Christmas Bird Count season, volunteers counted 8,446 juncos, making it the third most abundant bird after American Crows and European Starlings. Some breed in the state's highest mountains, but most of the juncos at lowland feeders arrive from the north in fall.
West Virginia's juncos are the "slate-colored" type, gray above with a white belly and a pale pink bill. Males are darker, cleaner gray, while females are paler with a brownish wash. Both flash white outer tail feathers when they fly.
The call is a sharp tick or smack, and the song is a fast, musical trill.
Juncos are statewide in winter, in small flocks under feeders, along brushy edges, and on back roads.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground
15. White-throated Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Zonotrichia albicollis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The White-throated Sparrow breeds in northern forests and winters in West Virginia's thickets, where it showed up at 54 percent of FeederWatch sites. It kicks through leaf litter with both feet at once looking for seeds.
It has a crisp white throat, a yellow spot between the eye and bill, and a striped crown. The crown stripes come in white-striped and tan-striped forms, and both forms occur in males and females, so you can't sex them by the stripes.
The song is a clear whistle often written as Oh-sweet-Canada-Canada-Canada, and you'll sometimes hear it on mild winter days. Its winter calls are a thin tseet and a metallic pink.
You'll find them statewide in hedgerows, brushy woodland edges, and shrubby yards, usually in small flocks with juncos.
Feeder favorites: white millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground
16. Song Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Melospiza melodia
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Song Sparrow is the streaky brown sparrow most likely to be under your feeder all year, and it was at 38 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites. In winter it eats weed and grass seeds, and in summer it switches to insects.
It's brown and gray with thick brown streaks on a white chest that often pull together into a dark central spot. It pumps its long, rounded tail up and down in flight. Males and females look alike.
The song is a cheerful mix of notes and trills, sometimes written as maids-maids-maids-put-on-your-teakettle, and the winter call is a short chimp.
Song Sparrows live statewide in brushy fields, stream edges, marshes, and yards with shrubs.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground
17. American Tree Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Spizelloides arborea
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Uncommon Winter Migrant / Visitor
The American Tree Sparrow comes down from the Arctic for the winter, and the West Virginia DNR rates it uncommon. It turned up at 8 percent of FeederWatch sites in the state, so if you get one, it's a nice brag. Despite the name, it feeds mostly on the ground, on weed and grass seeds.
It has a rusty cap, a rusty stripe behind the eye, a gray face, a plain gray chest with a dark central spot, and a two-toned bill that's dark above and yellow below. Males and females look alike.
The call is a high tseet, and flocks give a soft, tinkling twitter.
Look for tree sparrows statewide in weedy fields, hedgerows, and open farm country, often in small flocks with juncos.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn on the ground
18. Fox Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Passerella iliaca
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Uncommon Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Fox Sparrow is a big, rusty sparrow that scratches the ground like a chicken, hopping forward and kicking back with both feet. West Virginia Christmas Bird Counts tallied 115 in one season, including a record 70 in Pendleton County.
The eastern "red" Fox Sparrow is bright fox-red on the wings and tail, with gray on the face and back and heavy reddish spots on the chest that crowd into a central blotch. Males and females look alike.
It's mostly quiet in winter, giving a sharp smack or tchep call from the brush. Males sometimes start singing their rich, whistled song in late winter before they head north.
Look for Fox Sparrows in thickets, brushy woodland edges, and under feeders, especially after a snowfall pushes them out of the woods.
Feeder favorites: white millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips on the ground
19. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The House Finch is a small, chatty finch that was at 79 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites. It's originally a western bird that spread east after being released in New York in the 1940s, and it eats almost entirely seeds, buds, and fruit.
Males have a red head, breast, and rump, though the red can range from orange to yellowish depending on what they've been eating. Females are plain brown with blurry streaks and no strong face pattern.
The song is a long, bubbly warble that often ends on a buzzy, rising note, and the flight call is a cheerful cheep.
House Finches live statewide in towns, farms, and suburbs, anywhere with feeders and shrubs. If you see one with swollen, crusty eyes, it may have finch eye disease, so clean your feeders regularly.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer
20. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The American Goldfinch was at 74 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites, but in winter it's easy to walk right past one. The bright yellow is gone by fall, swapped for a muted olive-brown coat, like it's trying to blend in at a funeral.
In winter, males keep some yellow on the face and throat and have jet-black wings with bold white bars, while females are grayer and duller. Both have a small, pale, cone-shaped bill for seeds.
The flight call is a bouncy po-ta-to-chip, given as the birds rise and fall in a roller-coaster flight.
Goldfinches are statewide in weedy fields, woodland edges, and yards with tube feeders, often in noisy flocks.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower
21. Purple Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous purpureus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, numbers vary)
The Purple Finch is the bird that makes everyone question their House Finch ID. It showed up at 21 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites, and winter numbers change a lot from year to year (one Christmas Bird Count season tallied 194 statewide). The DNR lists it as uncommon in every season, with a few breeding in the mountains.
Males look like they've been dipped in raspberry juice, with the color washing over the head, back, and wings. A male House Finch's red is mostly on the head and chest, with a brown back. Female Purple Finches are brown and white with a bold white eyebrow and a dark mustache stripe, while female House Finches have a plain face.
The flight call is a dry tick, and the song is a rich, fast warble.
Look for Purple Finches in mixed woods, conifer edges, and feeders statewide, especially in winters when they move south in bigger numbers.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips
22. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive
The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that shows up in West Virginia in some winters and barely at all in others. The DNR lists it as uncommon in winter, and one Christmas Bird Count season tallied 259 statewide. It eats conifer, birch, and alder seeds, and it mobs feeders when it does come.
It's brown and heavily streaked, with a thin, pointed bill and flashes of yellow in the wings and tail. Males and females look similar, though some males show more yellow.
The call is a buzzy, rising zreeee, like someone slowly zipping up a jacket, and flocks keep up a constant twittering.
Look for siskins in conifer stands in the mountains and at well-stocked feeders statewide during irruption years.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
23. Evening Grosbeak
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Coccothraustes vespertinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive (rare in most winters)
The Evening Grosbeak is one of the most wanted winter birds in West Virginia, and the DNR lists it as rare. In a big flight year, though, it can show up in force: one Christmas Bird Count season tallied 319, with 160 of those on the Canaan count alone. It's a chunky finch with a huge, pale bill built for cracking seeds.
Males are golden-yellow and dark brown with a bright yellow eyebrow, a black tail, and big white patches on black wings. Females are mostly silvery gray with a yellow-green tint on the neck and bold black-and-white wings.
The call is a loud, ringing peer or cleer, and flocks are noisy, so you'll often hear them before you see them.
Your best shot is the high country around Canaan Valley and the Monongahela National Forest during an irruption winter, at feeders with plenty of space.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower on a platform feeder
24. Redpoll
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Acanthis flammea
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive (rare)
The Redpoll is a small Arctic finch that only makes it to West Virginia in big irruption winters, and the DNR lists it as rare. You may know it as the Common or Hoary Redpoll, but in 2024 the American Ornithological Society combined them into one species, the Redpoll. One West Virginia Christmas Bird Count season tallied just 16.
It's a small, streaky gray-brown finch with a red cap (the "poll"), a black chin, and a tiny, pointy yellow bill. Males have a pink wash on the breast and flanks, while females are streakier with little or no pink.
The call is a dry, rattling chit-chit-chit and a rising, wheezy sweeee.
If you find one in West Virginia, it'll likely be at a nyjer feeder or in birch and alder trees in the northern part of the state or the high mountains, often mixed in with goldfinches or siskins.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
25. Blue Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta cristata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Blue Jay was at 79 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites, and it makes sure everyone knows it. Christmas Bird Count volunteers counted 3,244 in one season. It eats acorns, seeds, fruit, and insects, and it buries acorns by the thousands in fall, forgetting enough of them to help plant new oaks.
It's bright blue above and white below, with a crest, a black necklace, and black bars on the wings and tail. Males and females look alike.
The call is a loud jay-jay, but Blue Jays also make gurgles, clicks, soft whistles, and a dead-on Red-shouldered Hawk scream that's fooled me more times than I'll admit.
Blue Jays live statewide in oak and hickory forests, towns, and yards with big trees.
Feeder favorites: peanuts in the shell, black oil sunflower, suet
26. American Crow
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Corvus brachyrhynchos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The American Crow was the most numerous bird on West Virginia's Christmas Bird Counts in one recent season, with 32,891 counted. Crows eat just about anything: grain, insects, roadkill, and your trash if you leave the lid loose.
They're all black, including the bill, legs, and eyes, with a squared-off or rounded tail. Males and females look alike. If it croaks and has a wedge-shaped tail, you're likely looking at a Common Raven, which also lives in West Virginia's mountains.
The call is the classic caw-caw-caw, plus rattles, clicks, and a surprising amount of crow gossip.
Crows are statewide, and in winter they gather in huge night roosts. Counters estimated about 18,500 crows at one roost in Raleigh County and about 9,500 at another in Charleston.
Feeder favorites: peanuts, cracked corn
27. Eastern Bluebird
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Sialia sialis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Eastern Bluebird is a small thrush that many people think leaves for the winter, but the West Virginia DNR lists it as common in every season. In winter it switches from insects to berries like sumac, dogwood, holly, and cedar, and it moves around in small family flocks.
Males are bright blue on top with a rusty-orange throat and breast and a white belly. Females are grayer above with blue in the wings and tail and a paler orange breast.
The call is a soft, musical tu-wee, and the song is a low, warbling cheer, cheerful charmer.
Look for bluebirds in open country across the state, like farm fields, pastures, orchards, and golf courses with scattered trees and fence lines.
Feeder favorites: mealworms, suet, chopped fruit
28. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The American Robin is the "first sign of spring" that, in West Virginia, never actually left. The DNR lists it as common in every season, but in winter robins stop pulling worms from lawns and start roaming in flocks, eating berries and fruit, so a lot of people don't notice them.
Males have a dark gray to blackish head, a gray-brown back, and a rich brick-orange breast. Females are paler, with a grayer head and a more washed-out orange breast.
Winter robins mostly give a tut-tut call and a high, thin see in flight, saving the full cheerily-cheer-up song for spring.
Look for robins statewide around fruiting trees and shrubs, like crabapple, holly, cedar, and sumac, and in sheltered river valleys.
Feeder favorites: chopped apples, softened raisins, mealworms
29. Golden-crowned Kinglet
- Family – Regulidae
- Species – Regulus satrapa
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (also breeds in the high mountains)
The Golden-crowned Kinglet is about the size of a hummingbird and still spends the winter in West Virginia's mountains, which makes me feel bad about complaining when my coffee goes cold. The DNR lists it as fairly common in winter. It eats tiny insects and insect eggs picked from the twigs and needles of conifers.
It's olive-gray with white wing bars and a striped face. Males have an orange patch in the middle of a yellow crown, while females have a plain yellow crown.
The call is a very high, thin tsee-tsee-tsee that's easy to miss if your hearing isn't what it used to be.
Look for kinglets in spruce and hemlock stands in the Monongahela National Forest and other high country, often traveling with chickadees and nuthatches.
30. Hooded Merganser
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Lophodytes cucullatus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (some breed)
The Hooded Merganser is the duck with a crest that opens like a Japanese fan, and the West Virginia DNR rates it fairly common in winter. It's a small diving duck that hunts fish, crayfish, and aquatic insects underwater.
Males have a black head with a large white fan-shaped crest, black-and-white stripes on the chest, and chestnut flanks. Females are gray-brown with a shaggy cinnamon crest, which is a hairstyle I couldn't pull off.
Hooded Mergansers are mostly quiet in winter, though males make a low, froglike grunt during courtship.
Look for them on beaver ponds, farm ponds, reservoirs, and slow backwaters along the Ohio and Kanawha rivers, anywhere the water stays open.
31. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird & Winter Migrant
The Bald Eagle has made a big comeback in West Virginia, and it was reported on 85 percent of the state's Christmas Bird Counts in one season, with 167 counted. It eats mostly fish, but in winter it also scavenges dead deer and steals food from other birds.
Adults have a dark brown body, white head and tail, and a big yellow bill. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and take about five years to get the full white head. Males and females look alike, but females are bigger.
The call is a surprisingly weak, high-pitched chatter, a lot less dramatic than what Hollywood gives it.
Look for Bald Eagles along big rivers and reservoirs where the water stays open, like the Ohio River, the Potomac in the Eastern Panhandle, and the larger lakes.
32. Red-tailed Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo jamaicensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Red-tailed Hawk is the big hawk you'll see sitting on fence posts and highway light poles all winter. The West Virginia DNR rates it common year-round, and northern birds join the locals in winter. It hunts mostly voles, mice, rabbits, and squirrels.
Adults are brown above and pale below, usually with a band of dark streaks across the belly and a brick-red tail. Males and females look alike, but females are bigger.
The call is a hoarse, screaming keee-eeer, the sound movies love to dub over Bald Eagles.
Look for Red-tailed Hawks statewide over farm fields, pastures, and highway edges, perched where they can watch open ground.
33. Cooper's Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Astur cooperii
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Cooper's Hawk is the hawk that turns your feeder into a buffet for itself. It was at 8 percent of West Virginia FeederWatch sites, and the DNR lists it as fairly common year-round. It hunts mostly medium-sized birds like doves, jays, and starlings, chasing them through trees at full speed.
Adults are blue-gray above with rusty barring on the chest, red-orange eyes, and a long, rounded tail with dark bands. Males and females look alike, but females are much bigger. The smaller Sharp-shinned Hawk looks very similar, but has a squared-off tail and a smaller head.
The call is a fast, harsh cak-cak-cak, usually given near the nest, so it's mostly quiet in winter.
Look for Cooper's Hawks statewide in woods and suburbs, especially around backyard feeders. If one shows up, take the feeders down for a few days.
34. Barred Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Strix varia
- Primary Activity Time – Night
- Nocturnal
- Resident West Virginia Bird
The Barred Owl is the owl you're most likely to hear in West Virginia's river bottoms and wooded hollows, and the DNR rates it fairly common year-round. It eats mice, voles, squirrels, frogs, crayfish, and the occasional small bird.
It's a big, round-headed owl with no ear tufts, dark brown eyes, and gray-brown plumage with bars across the chest and streaks down the belly. Males and females look alike, though females are larger.
The call is the classic Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all? Pairs sometimes do loud duets full of cackles and hoots that sound like a monkey house at the zoo. Late winter is courtship season, so it's a great time to listen.
Look for Barred Owls statewide in mature forests near water, like river bottoms, swamps, and wooded hollows.
35. Snowy Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo scandiacus
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Crepuscular
- Irruptive (rare)
The Snowy Owl is an Arctic owl that the West Virginia DNR lists as rare, but in irruption winters a few birds make it this far south. In the 2017–2018 winter, the state had three confirmed sightings, and Snowy Owls have turned up near Huttonsville, Morgantown, and Parkersburg. It eats mainly small mammals and birds and hunts from low perches in wide-open country.
It's a big white owl with yellow eyes. Adult males can be almost pure white, while females and young birds have heavy dark barring.
Snowy Owls are mostly silent in winter.
Look for them in places that look like the tundra, such as airports, large farm fields, and big flat parking lots. If you find one, give it plenty of space and don't flush it for a photo, since every flight costs it energy it needs.
Where to Find Birds of West Virginia in Winter
You don't need to go far, since most of these West Virginia birds will come to a feeder. But if you want the specialists, here's where to look:
- The high country – Canaan Valley, the Monongahela National Forest, and other high elevations for Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and, in good years, Evening Grosbeaks
- The big rivers – the Ohio, Kanawha, and Potomac for Bald Eagles and ducks. Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area near Huntington adds Northern Harriers, which hunt there from fall through spring
- Open farm country – pastures, hayfields, and airports for Red-tailed Hawks, bluebirds, American Tree Sparrows, and the occasional Snowy Owl
Water is the hardest thing for birds to find in a freeze. You don't have to buy a heated bath, though, since there are cheaper ways to keep a bird bath from freezing in winter with things you probably already have.
West Virginia Winter Birds FAQ
What birds stay in West Virginia in the winter?
Year-round residents like the Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina and Black-capped Chickadees, Carolina Wren, woodpeckers, and Blue Jay stay put. They're joined by winter visitors like Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and Golden-crowned Kinglets, plus irruptive finches in some years. For the neighbors' version of the list, see our guides to winter birds in Virginia and winter birds in Pennsylvania.
What are the most common birds of West Virginia at feeders?
In Project FeederWatch's West Virginia ranking, the Tufted Titmouse topped the list, followed by the Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco, House Finch, Blue Jay, and American Goldfinch.
What is the state bird of West Virginia?
The Northern Cardinal has been West Virginia's state bird since 1949, and it lives here year-round. Males are bright red, and females are tan-brown with red accents.
Are there Snowy Owls in West Virginia?
Sometimes. Snowy Owls are rare in West Virginia and only show up in irruption years, when more of them move south from the Arctic. They've been seen around Huttonsville, Morgantown, and Parkersburg, usually at airports and big open fields.
What should I feed birds in West Virginia in winter?
Black oil sunflower attracts the most species, so start there. Add suet for woodpeckers, nuthatches, and wrens, nyjer for goldfinches and siskins, and millet on the ground for juncos and sparrows. Skip the bread, which has no real nutrition for birds.
What birds have you seen in West Virginia lately?
Share your sightings on the Sparkbird App and see what other birders in the Mountain State are finding this winter.
And if you've been waiting at the window all winter for an Evening Grosbeak, keep the sunflower stocked. Country roads take them home eventually, they just don't text first.
Happy Birding.
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