Vermont chose the Hermit Thrush as its state bird, for its song — a slow, flute-like phrase that drifts out of the woods on summer evenings. It is a forest bird that eats insects and berries, and most Hermit Thrushes leave the state before winter, so it does not appear in the feeder count.
The bird that does lead Vermont's list is at 97.7% of feeders: the Black-capped Chickadee.
The twelve birds Vermont 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 167 participants in Vermont. The percentage is the share of Vermont feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of VT feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-capped Chickadee | 97.7% |
| 2 | Dark-eyed Junco | 94.2% |
| 3 | Blue Jay | 90.1% |
| 4 | American Goldfinch | 88.9% |
| 5 | Downy Woodpecker | 88.3% |
| 6 | Tufted Titmouse | 87.7% |
| 7 | Hairy Woodpecker | 83.6% |
| 8 | Mourning Dove | 82.5% |
| 9 | Northern Cardinal | 81.9% |
| 10 | White-breasted Nuthatch | 80.7% |
| 11 | House Finch | 55.6% |
| 12 | American Robin | 55.0% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
Ten regulars, then a cliff
The top ten are all above 80% of Vermont feeders. Eleventh place drops to 56%. In practice, a Vermont feeder in winter has a very settled cast of ten birds, and everything else is an occasional visitor.
The Hairy Woodpecker is seventh
At 84% of feeders, the Hairy Woodpecker ranks higher here than in most states. It looks like a bigger Downy — the giveaway is the bill, which on a Hairy is nearly as long as the head. Vermont's forests keep both close at hand.
Few House Finches, some Purple Finches
House Finch, the most widespread feeder bird in much of the country, is only at 56% of Vermont sites. Purple Finch is close behind at 50%. The male Purple Finch looks dipped in raspberry juice, with no heavy streaks on the belly; the female has a bold white stripe over the eye.
Goldfinches in flocks
American Goldfinch is fourth, and averages about eight birds per visit — the biggest groups in Vermont's top ten. In winter plumage they are olive-buff rather than yellow.
What is on our Vermont mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of Vermont mug shows the Black-capped Chickadee (#1, 98%), the Blue Jay (#3, 90%), the American Goldfinch (#4, 89%) and the Mourning Dove (#8, 82%). All four are in the Vermont top eight.
The ones we would add next are the Dark-eyed Junco (#2) and the Downy Woodpecker (#5). They are on the list of designs we still owe this state.
If you want more of them
Black-oil sunflower seed covers the chickadee, jay, titmouse, cardinal and nuthatch at once. Suet keeps both woodpeckers coming through a Vermont January. Nyjer in a mesh sock holds the goldfinch flocks. A low tray brings the juncos and doves.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for Vermont, 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 →