Delaware is one of two states whose official bird is a chicken — the Blue Hen, a fighting-cock breed tied to the state's Revolutionary War history. (The other is Rhode Island, with the Rhode Island Red.) It is a fine symbol. It is not coming to your feeder.
The bird that does lead Delaware's list is at 92.5% of Delaware feeders: the Northern Cardinal.
The twelve birds Delaware feeders report most
From Project FeederWatch, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's winter count, in which volunteers record what turns up at their own feeders. The 2023–24 season had 66 participants in Delaware — a small sample, so treat close numbers as ties rather than rankings. The percentage is the share of Delaware feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of DE feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Cardinal | 92.5% |
| 2 | House Finch | 91.0% |
| 3 | Mourning Dove | 88.1% |
| 4 | Dark-eyed Junco | 88.1% |
| 5 | Blue Jay | 83.6% |
| 6 | Carolina Wren | 82.1% |
| 7 | House Sparrow | 80.6% |
| 8 | Downy Woodpecker | 79.1% |
| 9 | American Robin | 77.6% |
| 10 | Tufted Titmouse | 77.6% |
| 11 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 76.1% |
| 12 | White-throated Sparrow | 73.1% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
Blackbird country
Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, European Starling and Brown-headed Cowbird all appear in Delaware's top 18, each at more than 60% of feeders and each arriving in groups of five to seven. Flat farmland and marsh make Delaware good blackbird country. If they empty your feeder, a weight-triggered feeder or safflower seed usually helps.
The robin is ninth — in winter
In most states the robin sits low on a winter feeder list, because it eats worms and fruit rather than seed. In Delaware it is at 78% of sites, tied with the Tufted Titmouse. Many robins spend the winter here rather than moving further south, often in flocks around fruiting trees.
The chickadee is only fifteenth
Carolina Chickadee, 69% of Delaware feeders — well below its place in most southern states. It is still common; it is just outnumbered at Delaware feeders by a longer list of regulars.
Dove and junco tie for third
Both at exactly 88.06%, and both feed mostly on the ground. A low tray or seed scattered under the feeder brings in two of the four most reported birds in the state.
What is on our Delaware mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of Delaware mug shows the Northern Cardinal (#1, 93%), the House Finch (#2, 91%), the Mourning Dove (#3, 88%) and the Blue Jay (#5, 84%). All four are in the Delaware top five.
The ones we would add next are the Dark-eyed Junco (#4) and the Carolina Wren (#6). They are on the list of designs we still owe this state.
If you want more of them
Black-oil sunflower seed covers the cardinal, House Finch, jay and titmouse at once. Suet keeps the woodpeckers and the Carolina Wren coming. Millet on a low tray brings the doves, juncos and White-throated Sparrows. For the robins, a fruiting shrub such as winterberry does more than any feeder.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for Delaware, 2023–24 season. These are volunteer reports from their own feeders, not a formal survey, and they describe the winter feeding season rather than the whole year. Percentages are the share of participating sites that reported the species; group sizes are the average when the bird was seen.
See the mugs for the other states → · Identify a bird in three questions →