Reference
How many bird species are in Ohio?
Ohio has 456 bird species on its official list (Ohio Bird Records Committee, July 2026), the 26th highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. It includes extinct species such as the Passenger Pigeon, and introduced species. An earlier report, from December 2025, gave 454.
Updated
Ohio bird list at a glance
| Official count | 456 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | July 2026 |
| Kept by | Ohio Bird Records Committee (Ohio Ornithological Society) |
| Among US states | 26th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Official OOS Ohio Bird Checklist |
What does Ohio’s count include?
- Extinct species, such as the Passenger Pigeon.
- Introduced species, on the main list.
- Species names follow the American Ornithological Society's 2025 supplement.
Why do other sources give a different number?
A state’s count is every species ever accepted on its official list, so a figure from another year, or one that counts something else, won’t match:
- 454. From the society's separate report of December 2025. The online checklist gave 456 as of July 2026.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own Ohio list?
Your state list is every species you’ve seen in the state. If you log your sightings in eBird, it lets you filter your life list by place, a state included (eBird’s My eBird help page, updated March 28, 2025), and the data download you can ask for gives the state of every sighting: our guide shows how to download your own eBird data. On paper, count the species you’ve seen in Ohio; what is a life list? explains how birders keep their lists.
If you’d like your whole life list in print, Birdfolio turns it into a hardcover book, each species beside a classic painting.
Ohio’s state bird
Northern Cardinal
Ohio’s state bird is the Northern Cardinal (officially, the “cardinal”), the state bird since 1933.
Audubon painted it too: plate 159 of The Birds of America.
Source: Ohio’s State Nature Symbols coloring book (Ohio Department of Natural Resources), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Ohio
Our birding festivals calendar lists 3 in Ohio, with dates from each festival’s own website:
- The Biggest Week in American Birding, Northwest Ohio (Oak Harbor area): May 7–16, 2027
- Birds in the Hills Festival, Hocking Hills (Camp Oty'Okwa): dates not announced yet (2026 festival: May 1–3, 2026)
- Headlands Birding Festival, Mentor: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: September 18–20, 2026)
In winter you can also join a Christmas Bird Count near you; our guide explains how.
More about bird counts
- How many bird species are in each state: all 50 states, DC and Canada, each from its official list.
- Bird lists of nearby states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
- State birds of all 50 states, each with its classic painting.
- How many bird species are in the US and Canada, and how birders count them.
- Bird splits and lumps: when one species becomes two, state lists change too.