Pennsylvania has a diverse range of backyard birds and In this article, I’ve listed the most common backyard birds of Pennsylvania.
Note: If you’re short on time I have compiled a table of all the backyard birds with identification and their Diet. You can also read about these birds in detail below.
Backyard Birds Of Pennsylvania | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
Northern Cardinal | 21-24 cm | 43 gm (1.51oz) | Males are red with a black patch around their face. Females have brown shades with red highlights and beaks. | Sunflower seeds, millet, milo, peanut hearts. |
Blue Jay | 22-30 cm | 65-110 gm (2.2- 3.8oz ) | Blue crest, black backs, and white undersides. | Acorns, insects, grain, nuts, and seeds. |
American Robin | 23-28 cm | 77 gm (2.71oz) | These birds have black heads and backs with a hint of red or orange in their breast. | Mostly insects, berries, earthworms. In an early summer, insects make up the majority of the diet; they also feed on many earthworms, snails, spiders, and other invertebrates. |
Mourning Dove | 22-36 cm | 120 gm (4.23oz) | Soft brown in color with hints of black on the wings. | Millet, black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, peanut hearts. |
American Crow | 40-53 cm | 320-620 gm (11.28-21.86oz) | These birds are large with all black bodies. They are found on treetops, beaches, and towns. | Earthworms, seeds, insects, fruits, fish, young turtles, clams, eggs, mussels, and nestlings of different species of birds. |
Song Sparrow | 12-17 cm | 19 gm (0.67oz) | Brown-streaked birds are well known for singing all day just in order to attract mates during the season. | They eat a wide variety of insects like caterpillars, beetles, midges, spiders, and earthworms, along with buckwheat, raspberries, sunflower, wild cherries, wheat, and rice. |
American Goldfinch | 11-13 cm | 14 gm (0.49oz) | They are quite popular, with bright yellow and black colors in males. The female counterparts however tend to be dull brown in shade. | Mostly seeds, some insects. Diet is primarily seeds, especially those of the daisy (composite) family, also those of weeds and grasses, and small seeds of trees such as elm, birch, and alder. Also eats buds, the bark of young twigs, maple sap. |
Downy Woodpecker | 14-17 cm | 21-28 gm (0.74-0.98oz) | They are b&w in color with patches of red here and there. They are found in woodlots, in backyards, and along streams. | Insects, beetle larvae, acorns, berries and grains, black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, millets. |
Tufted Titmouse | 15-17 cm | 21 gm (0.74) | Gray backs with a hint of white underneath and large eyes. | Insects like caterpillars, ants, beetles, spiders, snails, and wasps. Also nuts, berries, seeds, and shelled seeds. |
Red-bellied Woodpecker | 23-27 cm | 72 gm (2.5oz) | A pale red belly with a red cap b&w stripped back. | Insects, spiders, nuts, seeds, acorns, pine cones, grapes, oranges, hackberries, mangoes, sunflower seeds, peanuts. |
European Starling | 22 cm | 58-100 gm (2.04-3.52oz) | These birds are stocky black, with a purple, green and blue hue. These birds are famous for their aggressive behavior. | They eat insects like flies, beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, and spiders, along with fruits like cherries, holly berries, mulberries, Virginia Creeper, sumac, blackberries, and even seeds and grains. |
White-breasted Nuthatch | 27-28 cm | 20 gm (0.70oz) | These are active little birds with a grayish-blue back and white face and belly with a black cap. Their lower belly and tails are mostly of the chestnut shade. | They feed on insects and larvae like caterpillars, ants, and even spiders. Other than that, they also feed on acorns, sunflower seeds, hawthorns, and corn crops. |
Carolina Wren | 12-14 cm | 18-23 gm (0.6-0.8oz) | Shy Birds with Brownish feather tones, white eyebrow stripes, and an upright tail. | Insects, spiders, caterpillars, crickets, beetles, moths, and Grasshoppers. |
House Finch | 14 cm | 19-22 gm (0.67-0.77oz) | These birds have a redhead and breast in the males and a brown streak of colors in females. They are generally noisy and move in flocks. | Seeds, buds, and fruits like thistle, cactus, cherries, apricots, plums, blackberries, figs, and strawberries. |
Red-winged Blackbird | 24cm/37cm | 85 gm (2.9oz) | All black only with a bright red and yellow patch on the top of their wings. The female is pale brown. | Mixed grains. |
Gray Catbird | 21-24 cm | 35 gm (1.23oz) | Their songs sound like a cat’s mew. Gray in color with a black cal and reddish patch on the tails. | Fruits like dogwood, winterberry, and serviceberry. |
House Sparrow | 14-18 cm | 24-40 gm (0.84-1.41oz) | These birds are extremely common and would literally eat out of your hand. They are mostly found in busy areas close to human existence. | They feed on all grains and seeds, like birdseed, millet, corn, and sunflower seeds along with discarded food. |
Dark-eyed Junco | 12-16 cm | 19 gm(0.67oz) | These are dark-eyed variants of Sparrows. These birds are long-distance migratory birds. | Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. |
White-throated Sparrow | 15-19 cm | 21 gm (0.74oz) | These birds have a distinctive black and white combination on throats, heads and bills. They also exhibit tones of brown and gray. | They feed on seeds of grasses and weeds, and fruits like sumac, grape, mountain ash, blackberry blueberry along with various seeds. |
Northern Flicker | 30-35 cm | 120 gm(4.23oz) | Large woodpeckers, with a size in between crows and Robins, with brown body color and black spots, bars and crescents all over their bodies along with a red nape. They also have hints of yellow on their bodies as well. | Black oil sunflower seeds are their favorite. |
Common Grackle | 28-34 cm | 110 gm (3.88oz) | Tall blackbird with a long tail and glossy texture. These birds move in huge flocks. | Eats mostly insects, berries, seeds, fruit, bird eggs, although it is also known to eat frogs and snakes. |
Carolina Chickadee | 12 cm | 10 gm (0.3oz) | Tiny birds with significantly large heads with a black cap and neck and white cheeks and belly, gray back, tail, and wings. | Black oil sunflower seeds, Nyjer seeds, Suet seeds, and peanuts. |
Eastern Bluebird | 16-21 cm | 30 gm (1.05oz) | These birds are small thrushes with comparatively bigger heads that are round in shape, with large bellies and large eyes. The males are deep blue and red whereas the females are gray and blue, with a hint of orange-brown. | They eat a wide variety of insects and mealworms. |
Common Yellowthroat | 11-13 cm | 9 gm (0.31oz) | Small songbirds with a brown back with a hint of yellow and a long tail. They have an apparent black mask across their face. They might also have olive undertones. | They eat all kinds of insects. |
Indigo Bunting | 4.7-5.1 in (12-13 cm) | 0.4-0.6 oz (12-18 g) | This bird is covered in blue color, with slightly shiny blue on his head and a shiny, silver-gray bill. | This bird’s diet mostly consists of insects, seeds, and berries. |
Backyard Birds Of Pennsylvania In Different Seasons
Summer Backyard Birds
- American Robin 63%
- Northern Cardinal 50%
- Gray Catbird 49%
- Mourning Dove 48%
- Song Sparrow 47%
- Blue Jay 41%
- American Goldfinch 40%
- American Crow 38%
- Red-winged Blackbird 34%
- Common Grackle 31%
Winter Backyard Birds
- Northern Cardinal 44%
- Dark-eyed Junco 43%
- American Crow 39%
- Downy Woodpecker 38%
- Blue Jay 35%
- Tufted Titmouse 34%
- White-breasted Nuthatch 34%
- White-throated Sparrow 33%
- Mourning Dove 33%
- Red-bellied Woodpecker 32%
Year-round Backyard Birds
- Northern Cardinal 50%
- Blue Jay 44%
- American Robin 43%
- Mourning Dove 42%
- American Crow 41%
- Song Sparrow 38%
- American Goldfinch 36%
- Downy Woodpecker 34%
- Tufted Titmouse 33%
- Red-bellied Woodpecker 33%
Backyard Birds Of Pennsylvania In Detail
Northern Cardinal

The Northern Cardinal, often known as the common redneck, red-necked cardinal, or just cardinal, is a common bird in the Cardinalidae family.
It’s most common in central Canada, from Ontario to Quebec to New York, and west through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras to southern Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
These birds can be seen foraging on aquatic insects and larva in dense forests on the upper slopes of steep cliffs or near lakes and rivers.
How To Attract Them: If you want to attract Northern Cardinal To Your backyard you can feed them sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, millet, and milo.
Blue Jay

The blue jay is a lovely genus bird that may be found in huge flocks in parks, near water, and near human settlements. Mountainous locations with steep cliffs and exposed soil are frequent habitats for this species.
It’s a popular visitor’s bird, and its vivid, colorful plumage has long made it a favorite of photographers.
Blue jays are often regarded as the greatest bird for bird watchers and walkers since they are timid and may hide in long grass and oak trees.
They eat a variety of seeds, but sunflower seeds are their favorite. They also consume berries, suet, insects, worms, and carrion.
How To Attract Them: If you want to attract more Blue Jays to your yard, try feeding them peanuts, sunflower seeds, or suet in tray feeders or hopper feeders on a post. They’ll also like a birdbath.
American Robin

The American Robin is a tiny songbird that belongs to the common thrush family, the Turdidae family, and the genus Thrush.
Their breasts are reddish-orange, while their head, back, wings, and tail are all covered with black feathers. They also have long pointed beaks and white patterns on the margins of their wings.
They are timid and like to live in woodland settings. They are herbivores in their native environment, eating berries, leaves, and insects.
They are migratory birds that migrate from the southern United States to the cooler portions of Canada and Mexico in the winter and then back north in the summer.
The American Robin can be seen scavenging for food along roadways, in droughts, and in flooded fields in search of earthworms and other tiny invertebrates.
How To Attract Them: Sunflower seeds, suet and peanut hearts, fruit, and mealworms can all be used to attract more American Robins to your yard.
Platform feeders or food distributed on the ground are ideal. Plant juniper, sumac, hawthorn, and dogwood, which are natural plants that yield berries are also helpful in attracting these birds.
Mourning Dove

The mourning dove is a native member of the Columbidae family of doves. The mourning dove, rain dove, wetland dove, turtle dove, and, more lately, simply the mourning dove are all names given to the species.
It’s currently largely recognized in the southeastern United States, as well as Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, and Ontario, Canada.
It also frequents in metropolitan locations, including major cities, pastures, farm fields, parks, resorts, and even some residential areas.
How To Attract Them: By distributing millet on the ground or using platform feeders, you may attract more Mourning Doves to your yard. They’ll consume black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, and peanut hearts, among other things.
American Crow

The American Crow is a bright and colorful bird. This is one of the most common birds in the area, and it can be found all around the province.
Birders frequently discover these birds breeding in trees along the sides of roadways or even in people’s backyards.
They are frequently found grazing on the roots of trees and plants, although they seldom nectar from flowers.
They are one of the most active species of birds, meaning they are always on the search for new foods.
How To Attract Them: By throwing peanuts in your yard, you can attract additional American Crows.
Song Sparrow

The song sparrow is a New World bird of middling size. The Song Sparrow is perhaps one of the least well-known and least popular of all North American birds.
It’s certainly one of the most prolific, versatile, and adaptable species among North American native birds.
And it’s exciting to think that if this gorgeous bird decides to build a home in our backyard, we may be among the first to witness it.
They may live in a range of habitats, including tree bark, rocks, logs, and even steep rocky outcrops.
How To Attract Them: Put black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and nyjer on platform feeders to attract more song sparrows to your backyard feeders.
American Goldfinch

The American goldfinch, often known as the black-throated goldfinch or just goldfinch, is a lovely little North American bird.
Each year, they are known to move considerable distances, some as far north as southern Mexico and all the way down to the Canadian border’s eastern tip.
Marshes, backyards, meadows, woodlands, brushlands, fields, hedgerows, tall grasses, and oaks are just a few of the environments they like.
However, they prefer spruce and oak trees and may be found in groves near creeks, rivers, and streams.
How To Attract Them: If you want to attract American Goldfinches to your backyard grow thistles and milkweed in your yard. Most bird feeders will attract them, and they also like to feed on sunflower and Nyjer seed.
Downy Woodpecker

The downy woodpecker is a common woodpecker species in North America, and it is the smallest. They are typically found along the coasts of eastern states, as well as in Ontario, Canada.
They can frequently be heard shrieking or chirping in a high, difficult-to-reach tree. Sagebrush thickets and woodlands are where you’ll find them.
How To Attract Them: If you want to attract Downy Woodpeckers to your yard. You can feed black oil sunflower seeds, millet, and peanuts to Downy Woodpeckers on the platform and Suet feeder.
Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse is related to chickadees, but instead of a black bib, they have a crest.
They are a little bird, but a huge titmouse; larger than chickadees, they are around the size of a junco or House Finch. The body is rounded, the tail is long and full, the head is large, and the legs are lengthy.
They are dark blue-gray on top and pale on the bottom. their size is emphasized by the black feathers surrounding the eye.
They live in parks and deciduous woods with a dense canopy. Their distribution is increasing north and west, with origins in the eastern and southeastern United States. Backyard bird feeders may be assisting this species’ northward expansion.
How To Attract Them: Sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts on tube feeders or suet cages can attract Tufted Titmice to your backyard feeders. They’ll eat from platform feeders as well.
Red-bellied Woodpecker

For a backyard bird, Red-bellied Woodpeckers are rather enormous. In size, they are between a Starling and an American Robin. They are a smaller version of the Northern Flicker.
They have a big head and a short tail. They cling to tree stems with short stiff tails and sturdy short legs.
They have a Pale-gray body with several thin black-and-white bands over the back and wings. Males have a red nape that extends forward on the crown.
These birds may be found in a variety of habitats, including oak, hickory, and pine forests.
They may be found eastward from Florida to the southern boundary of the New England states, from the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in the lower 48 states, from Texas to extreme southern Canada.
This bird loves to clings to the tree trunk and bigger branches in traditional woodpecker form.
How To Attract Them: Suet feeders will attract more Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and will occasionally eat from hummingbird feeders.
European Starling

The European starling, often known as the common starling in the United Kingdom, is a medium-sized passerine bird that belongs to the Sturnidae family of the avian order songbirds.
It’s around 20 cm long and has metallic green plumage with a faint golden sheen that’s mottled with white at different times of the year.
Similar to many other songbirds, It has a tinny, high-pitched tone to it. In busy places like backyards, they are usually observed together.
How To Attract Them: Black oil sunflower seeds, suet, cracked corn, and peanuts may all be used to attract more European Starlings to your backyard feeders.
White-breasted Nuthatch

The white-breasted nuthatch is a lovely little songbird in the nuthatch family that may be found over much of North America’s mid-latitudes. Early spring to late summer expeditions into open woodlands are preferred by the white-breasted nuthatch.
It eats a wide range of insects, including moths, aphids, and spiders. These nuthatches, like many other birds, become exceptionally silent and secretive throughout the winter.
How To Attract Them: Sunflower seeds and peanuts in tube feeders or suet feeders can attract more White-breasted Nuthatches to your yard.
Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren is a tiny bird that falls between the American Goldfinch and the House Finch in size. They have a round body, short neck, flathead, vigorous tail fluttering.
They have a Rusty brown upper body with black bands on wings and tail. A buff underbelly and a white brow line.
They’re frequent backyard feeders and can be found in wooded or densely overgrown regions.
How To Attract Them: Suet feeders, hulled sunflower seeds, or peanut hearts in big tube feeders or on platform feeders can attract more Carolina Wrens to your backyard feeders.
House Finch

Originally a Western bird, it may now be found across the United States. Other red finches exist, but house finches are the ones that are most likely to be found in residential environments.
From bill tip to tail tip, the House Finch is around 6 inches long. Goldfinches and chickadees are smaller. With a medium-long notched tail, this bird has a medium-sized physique.
With a round head. Males have a crimson head, chest, and rump (occasionally orange or yellow).
Small flocks can be seen on wires, on treetops, and in shrubs. Originally, these areas were deserts and grasslands. They’re presently most frequent in rural and urban locations.
How To Attract Them: Black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer seeds in tube feeders or platform feeders can attract more House Finches to backyard feeders.
Red-winged Blackbird

The red-winged blackbird has all-black plumage and vivid red and yellow shoulder patches that make them simple to distinguish. In comparison to the streaky brown hue of the males, the females are quite drab.
They are frequently seen perched on telephone lines, and during the mating season, the males will fiercely protect their territory, even attacking individuals who come too close to nests.
They gather in huge flocks during winters. The majority of the United States is home to Red-winged Blackbirds.
How To Attract Them: Spread mixed grain and seeds on the ground to attract more Red-winged blackbirds to your yard. They’ll eat enormous tube feeders or platform feeders as well.
Gray Catbird

Gray Catbirds get their name from their characteristic catty mew song, which may last up to ten minutes. They’re medium-sized songbirds with slate grey plumage, a black crown and tail, and a scarlet spot underneath their tails.
Gray Catbirds may be found in thick shrubs, tiny trees, forest borders, and hedgerows.
How To Attract Them: Fruit and fruit trees or shrubs like dogwood, winterberry, and serviceberry can attract more Gray Catbirds to your backyard feeders.
House Sparrow

The house sparrow is a beautiful sparrow that may be found across North America. Many populations have been discovered in Canada, northern Germany, and Russia.
The house sparrow, like most members of its genus, has a thin incisor beak that it uses to split open fruits and pick little seeds.
The house sparrow, unlike most other birds, exhibits a high level of intellect. They are gregarious creatures who form lifelong pairs rather than mating.
They nest among trees in the spring but return to their natal holes in the fall.
How To Attract Them: Most types of birdseed, such as millet, maize, and sunflower seeds, will attract more House Sparrows to your backyard feeders.
Dark-eyed Junco

The dark-eyed junco is a dainty and attractive New World sparrow with a small range through central to southern Canada and to the northern United States.
Small dark-eyed birds appear to favor gardens with small open spaces, such as meadows, where they may feed on a diverse range of plant species.
Seed, particularly sunflower seeds, is the most common diet for these birds, but nectar and even caraway appear to be effective favorites as well.
How To Attract Them: Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts can all be used to attract additional Dark-eyed Juncos to backyard feeders. The ideal feeders are platform feeders or those that are dispersed on the ground.
White-throated Sparrow

The white-throated Sparrow is a common passerine found across North America and southern Europe’s maritime areas. White-throated sparrows, unlike most other birds, are rarely seen during the winter months.
This is due to the fact that they move southward in the spring when the temperature is mild, allowing them to survive the hard winter circumstances.
They are frequently spotted in deciduous woods or forested regions near the shoreline or river banks in the fall and winter when they are least likely to be seen.
Insects, tiny fish, and berries, as well as the leaves of trees and shrubs, are among their favorite foods.
How To Attract Them: Sunflower seeds, insects, berries, and peanuts in tube feeders or suet feeders can attract more white-throated Sparrow to your yard.
Northern Flicker

The northern flicker is a woodpecker that is modest in size. It’s widespread over North America, and it’s even endemic to portions of Central America, Mexico, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands.
Because they can forage almost everywhere, they make excellent bird feeders. You’ll encounter them in deciduous woods, evergreen forests, coniferous forests, and grasslands.
Flickers are most active at night, although they are quiet during the day, spending much of their time on the wing or perched on branches.
They are often seen eating only seeds or insects, making them an ideal choice for bird watchers.
How To Attract Them: Suet and black oil sunflower seeds can attract more Northern Flickers to your garden feeders.
Common Grackle

The common grackle is a big Icteridae that may be seen in vast flocks in North America. Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, was the first to identify it in 1758.
Common grackles may be found over most of the northern United States, particularly in the northern plains, along the central west and southeastern states, and in the continent’s northeastern regions.
How To Attract Them: Most mixed grain and seed, strewn on the ground or on platform feeders, can attract more Common Grackles to your garden.
Carolina Chickadee

Chickadees are little birds with a black crown and bib that make them easily identifiable. Their underbodies are bulbous and their cheeks are completely white. Their wings and backs are blackish-grey.
Eastern Texas is home to Carolina Chickadees, which are not to be confused with Black-capped Chickadees.
They frequent bird feeders and may be seen flying back and forth from one feeder to the next, looking for food.
How To Attract Them: If you want to attract Carolina Chickadees to your backyard you can feed them black oil sunflower seeds, Nyjer seeds, suets, or peanuts in a tube, platform feeders. You can also use suets cages for feeding.
Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Bluebirds are a little bigger than House Finches. Starlings are much smaller. The length is similar to the White-crowned Sparrow, but the proportions are different.
Chunky, with a huge head and a short tail. Straight, slim, and bent at the tip. Males are bright blue on top (including the wings and tail), rusty orange on the bottom, and white on the belly and under the tail. Females are often lighter, nearly grey in color.
Grasslands, pastures, golf courses, and open woodland margins are all good places to look. They live in the eastern United States and the Middle American highlands.
In the summer, reach the far north-eastern United States and far south-eastern Canada, before retreating in the winter.
They utilize nest boxes often, however, the entry hole must be smaller than a starling’s head and without a perch.
How To Attract Them: If your yard is reasonably wide and roomy, you may attract more Eastern Bluebirds to your yard by providing mealworms in nest boxes.
Common Yellowthroat

Yellowthroats are little songbirds with long tails that are brownish on the back and bright yellow beneath. The men’s faces are covered in black masks.
The intensity of the yellow varies by location, and certain areas beneath the surface may be more olive.
They breed over most of North America and may be found in marshy or wetland environments, brushy fields, and thick, tangled vegetation in the spring and summer.
They typically consume insects and can be found in big, densely vegetated backyards.
Indigo Bunting

Indigo Buntings are little birds with vivid blue males and brown females with black streaks on their wings and tails.
They migrate from their nesting areas in the eastern United States to Florida, Central and South America, and the Caribbean for the winter.
How To Attract Them: Indigo Buntings can be seen feeding on seeds and insects in weedy fields and shrubby places. Small seeds like nyjer and thistle might help you attract more to your yard.
Related Articles You May Like