Kentucky chose the Northern Cardinal as its state bird, and it is one of the few states where the official bird and the feeder bird are the same bird.
The cardinal turns up at 93.8% of Kentucky feeders — first on the list, all year round, because cardinals do not migrate. Here is who else shows up.
The twelve birds Kentucky 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 121 participants in Kentucky. The percentage is the share of Kentucky feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of KY feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Cardinal | 93.8% |
| 2 | House Finch | 88.4% |
| 3 | Mourning Dove | 85.3% |
| 4 | Downy Woodpecker | 83.7% |
| 5 | Dark-eyed Junco | 83.0% |
| 6 | Blue Jay | 80.6% |
| 7 | American Goldfinch | 78.3% |
| 8 | Tufted Titmouse | 78.3% |
| 9 | Carolina Chickadee | 76.0% |
| 10 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 76.0% |
| 11 | Carolina Wren | 75.2% |
| 12 | American Robin | 70.5% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
Second place goes to the bird people mistake for a cardinal
The House Finch is at 88% of Kentucky feeders. The male is red on the head and chest, which is why he gets reported as a cardinal — but the red sits over blurry brown streaks, the bird is sparrow-sized, and there is no crest at all. A cardinal is crested and red all over. If you are not sure which one you have, three questions will settle it.
The middle of the list is two dead heats
American Goldfinch and Tufted Titmouse share seventh place at exactly 78.29%. Carolina Chickadee and Red-bellied Woodpecker share ninth at 75.97%. Four very different birds, each at roughly three out of four Kentucky feeders.
Your chickadee is a Carolina
Kentucky is Carolina Chickadee country — the Black-capped does not even make the state's top 25. The two look nearly identical; the Carolina is slightly smaller, with a faster, higher version of the same chick-a-dee call.
The junco is fifth, and it will not use your hanging feeder
Slate-grey above, white belly, pale pink bill. Juncos arrive in autumn, feed on the ground under the feeder rather than on it, and leave again in spring. If your only feeder is a tube, you may never get a proper look at the fifth most widely reported bird in the state.
What is on our Kentucky mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of Kentucky mug shows the Northern Cardinal (#1, 94%), the House Finch (#2, 88%), the Mourning Dove (#3, 85%) and the Blue Jay (#6, 81%). All four are in the Kentucky top six.
The one we would add next is the Downy Woodpecker at #4. It is 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, titmouse and chickadee at once. Suet keeps both woodpeckers and the Carolina Wren around through the cold. Nyjer in a mesh sock holds the goldfinches. Millet scattered on a low tray or bare ground brings in the doves and juncos, which rarely use a hanging feeder.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for Kentucky, 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.
See the mugs for the other states → · Identify a bird in three questions →