West Virginia chose the Northern Cardinal as its state bird, and the feeder data agrees: it is the most reported bird in the state, at 94.5% of West Virginia feeders.
What makes West Virginia's list interesting is the bird right behind it — and how many woodpeckers the state's wooded hills bring to a backyard.
The twelve birds West Virginia 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 71 participants in West Virginia — a smaller sample than in bigger states, so treat close numbers as ties rather than rankings. The percentage is the share of West Virginia feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of WV feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern Cardinal | 94.5% |
| 2 | Tufted Titmouse | 91.8% |
| 3 | Blue Jay | 89.0% |
| 4 | Downy Woodpecker | 89.0% |
| 5 | American Goldfinch | 87.7% |
| 6 | Mourning Dove | 84.9% |
| 7 | Dark-eyed Junco | 84.9% |
| 8 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 84.9% |
| 9 | House Finch | 83.6% |
| 10 | White-breasted Nuthatch | 83.6% |
| 11 | Carolina Wren | 79.5% |
| 12 | Hairy Woodpecker | 64.4% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
The titmouse is second, at 92%
Tufted Titmouse, 91.8% of West Virginia feeders. Grey, crested, black-eyed, and far louder than a bird that size should be. It takes one sunflower seed, carries it to a branch, holds it under its feet and hammers it open, then comes straight back for the next.
Three woodpeckers in the top twelve
Downy (#4), Red-bellied (#8) and Hairy (#12). Downy and Hairy look almost identical — the difference is size and bill. The Downy is sparrow-sized with a stubby bill about a third the length of its head; the Hairy is bigger, with a bill nearly as long as its head. Suet brings all three.
Three birds tied at 84.9%
Mourning Dove, Dark-eyed Junco and Red-bellied Woodpecker all land on exactly the same share of feeders. A ground-feeding dove, a winter-visiting sparrow and a zebra-backed woodpecker, each at about five out of six West Virginia feeders.
The chickadees are there — the count is just split
West Virginia sits where Carolina and Black-capped Chickadees meet, and they are very hard to tell apart. FeederWatch keeps a separate row for chickadees the observer could not identify to species, and that row alone is at 53% of feeders, with Black-capped listed separately further down. The chickadees are common; the bookkeeping splits them.
What is on our West Virginia mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of West Virginia mug shows the Northern Cardinal (#1, 95%), the Blue Jay (#3, 89%), the American Goldfinch (#5, 88%) and the Mourning Dove (#6, 85%). All four are in the West Virginia top six.
The one we would add next is the Tufted Titmouse at #2. 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, titmouse, nuthatch, House Finch and chickadees at once. Suet is what keeps all three woodpeckers and the Carolina Wren coming through a mountain winter. Nyjer in a mesh sock holds the goldfinches. A low tray or bare ground brings in the doves and juncos.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for West Virginia, 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 →