Reference
How many bird species are in West Virginia?
West Virginia has 357 bird species on its official list (West Virginia Bird Records Committee, May 28, 2025), the 45th highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. It counts the main list only; 14 hypothetical species are listed separately.
Updated
West Virginia bird list at a glance
| Official count | 357 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | May 28, 2025 |
| Kept by | West Virginia Bird Records Committee (Brooks Bird Club) |
| Among US states | 45th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | West Virginia State Bird List (May 28, 2025) |
What does West Virginia’s count include?
- The main list of West Virginia birds, as of May 28, 2025.
- Not counted: 14 hypothetical species.
- Species on the committee's review and watch lists are part of the 357, not extra.
Why might you see 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.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own West Virginia 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 West Virginia; 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.
West Virginia’s state bird
Northern Cardinal
West Virginia’s state bird is the Northern Cardinal (officially, the “cardinal”), the state bird since 1949. House Resolution 12, March 7, 1949, which let public school pupils and civic organizations name the bird.
Audubon painted it too: plate 159 of The Birds of America.
Source: West Virginia State Symbols (West Virginia Legislature), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in West Virginia
Our birding festivals calendar lists one festival in West Virginia, with dates from its own website:
- New River Birding & Nature Festival, Fayette County: April 26 – May 1, 2027
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: Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and 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.