Reference
How many bird species are in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania has 448 bird species on its official list (Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee, April 27, 2024), the 32nd highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. Each species is backed by a specimen, a clear photo or a recording; 10 provisional species without that proof bring the full list to 458.
Updated
Pennsylvania bird list at a glance
| Official count | 448 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | April 27, 2024 |
| Kept by | Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee (Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology) |
| Among US states | 32nd highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Official List of the Birds of Pennsylvania, 7th edition (2024) |
What does Pennsylvania’s count include?
- Only species backed by a specimen, a photo clear enough to identify it, or a recording (the list's Class I).
- Extinct species, and species no longer found in Pennsylvania.
- Not counted: 10 provisional species, listed separately (458 in all).
- Records through April 27, 2024, in the 7th edition of the official list.
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:
- 458. The whole official list, counting the 10 provisional species too.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania; 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.
Pennsylvania’s state bird
Ruffed Grouse
Pennsylvania’s state bird is the Ruffed Grouse, the state bird since 1931.
Audubon painted it too: plate 41 of The Birds of America.
Source: Ruffed Grouse (Pennsylvania Game Commission), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Pennsylvania
Our birding festivals calendar lists 2 in Pennsylvania, with dates from each festival’s own website:
- Kettle Creek's Annual Birding Festival, Kettle Creek State Park (Renovo): May 8, 2027
- Festival of the Birds at Presque Isle, Erie: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: May 15–17, 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: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio 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.