Birds of District of Columbia

The District is 68 square miles, and a surprising amount of it is trees and water. Rock Creek cuts a wooded valley from the Maryland line almost to the Potomac, the Anacostia has marsh along its eastern bank, and the two rivers meet at Hains Point. Around all that is a city of street trees, small yards and parks, which is why the everyday sound of Washington is robin, cardinal, starling, Blue Jay, House Sparrow and Carolina Wren, and why 346 species have been recorded here as of June 2021, a large list for a place this size.

It also sits on a migration route. Twice a year, in April and May and again from late August into October, warblers, vireos, thrushes and flycatchers move through the parks.

The District of Columbia album

These are the 100 birds people report most often in District of Columbia, ranked by how frequently they turn up. The common and uncommon ones are shown; the rare and legendary cards stay face down until you catch them in the game.

Backyard birds you will hear first

The American Robin leads the album and the dawn chorus, a run of rising and falling phrases from the street trees before the traffic starts. The Northern Cardinal whistles cheer, cheer from a fence, the Carolina Wren shouts teakettle from under a porch, and the Mourning Dove coos from a wire. Add the House Sparrow's chirping in every hedge, the starling's whistles and clicks on a chimney, and a Blue Jay yelling jay from the oaks.

Along the rivers, the Mallard is the most reported waterbird, Canada Geese graze the lawns at Hains Point and Kenilworth, and a Great Blue Heron croaks when you flush it from a creek edge. The Northern Mockingbird sings from parking lot lights and the Fish Crow's nasal uh-uh replaces the American Crow's caw as you get closer to the water.

The regions, by ear

Rock Creek Park

Mature oak and beech forest along the creek, and the closest thing DC has to real woods. More than 150 species have been recorded in the park, some year-round, most passing through on migration. This is where the Wood Thrush sings in May and June, with the Eastern Wood-Pewee giving its slow pee-a-wee all afternoon, Red-eyed Vireos talking to themselves in the canopy, and Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers working the trunks. Warblers and vireos feed in the treetops on migration, and nuthatches and Brown Creepers work the bark in winter.

The Anacostia and Kenilworth

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens is the only urban wetland in the capital, and it often records the highest species counts in the District, over 250 in all. Red-winged Blackbirds sing conk-la-ree from the cattails, Belted Kingfishers rattle over the ponds, Great Blue Herons and Canada Geese stay all year, and Great Egrets and Green Herons arrive for the warm months. The park runs a guided bird walk on Tuesday mornings.

The Potomac and the Mall

Open water and lawn. Gulls loaf on the Tidal Basin, Ospreys whistle over the river in summer, and Chimney Swifts chitter over the Mall on summer evenings.

Best months to listen

Spring migration runs from March through June at Kenilworth, and the peak in the woods is late April into the middle of May, when residents and migrants sing at once and the Wood Thrush is back. Fall migration is long and quieter, August through November, with chip notes instead of songs. Summer mornings are busy until the humidity takes over, and the wetlands stay loud with herons and blackbirds. Winter brings White-throated Sparrows and juncos to the yards, and ducks to the rivers. Whatever the month, be out in the first hour after sunrise.

Places worth the drive

• Rock Creek Park, Northwest: more than 150 species in oak forest along the creek, Wood Thrush in May and June, warblers on migration.
• Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Northeast: over 250 species in the District's only urban wetland, with a Tuesday morning bird walk.
• Hains Point, East Potomac Park: geese, gulls and ducks where the rivers meet, best in winter.

None of them is required. A Capitol Hill backyard with a feeder and a street tree hands you the first 25 cards of the Warble album by May.

Listen before you go

Three of the common District of Columbia birds, so the first songs you hear outside already ring a bell.

Canada Goose song

0:12

Recording by Chase Harris, CC0, via iNaturalist.

Wood Duck song

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Recording by Chase Harris, CC0, via iNaturalist.

Mallard song

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Recording by Fionn Ó Marcaigh, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist.

Questions people ask

Nearby albums

Album data: public bird observations aggregated through GBIF, ranked by report frequency in District of Columbia. Updated September 30, 2026.