BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

West Virginia Breeding Birds

165 species recorded across 63 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. Browse by family or guild below.

West Virginia Bird Population TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in West Virginia: down 100% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Tree Swallow has surged in West Virginia: up 23× on the route-weighted index since 1977.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Bank Swallow has collapsed in West Virginia: down 97% on the route-weighted index since 1976.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Blue-headed Vireo has surged in West Virginia: up 23× on the route-weighted index since 1971.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Grasshopper Sparrow has collapsed in West Virginia: down 96% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Yellow-throated Warbler has surged in West Virginia: up 20× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

How Bird Guilds Are Faring in West VirginiaGuild trendA mean-index aggregate across the species in this group — the structural direction of the guild, with individual-species noise smoothed out.Full methodology →

-92%

Game birds

4 species
-83%

Grassland birds

7 species
-74%

Generalists

11 species
-71%

Wetland birds

4 species
-43%

Aerial insectivores

16 species
-21%

Forest birds

77 species
-6%

Shorebirds

3 species
+88%

Birds of prey

13 species
+606%

Waterfowl

3 species

West Virginia Bird Survey Routes

Browse West Virginia Birds By FamilyTrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →

Each species links to its trend in West Virginia.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle -17%Broad-winged Hawk -60%Cooper's Hawk -66%Red-shouldered Hawk +364%Red-tailed Hawk +448%Sharp-shinned Hawk -60%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -93%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -10%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Canada Goose 11×Mallard +78%Wood Duck -18%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -71%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Great Blue Heron +390%Green Heron -85%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +172%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Eastern Whip-poor-will -80%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak -28%Indigo Bunting -50%Northern Cardinal +4%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +575%Scarlet Tanager +41%Summer Tanager -91%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +112%Turkey Vulture +376%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +754%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -35%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Mourning Dove +91%Rock Pigeon -67%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow -28%Blue Jay +230%Common Raven 18×Fish Crow -46%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -87%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -44%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -26%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -47%House Finch +754%Purple Finch -57%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -97%Barn Swallow -35%Cliff Swallow -94%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -5%Purple Martin -66%Tree Swallow 23×

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -38%Bobolink +393%Brown-headed Cowbird -68%Common Grackle -91%Eastern Meadowlark -85%Orchard Oriole +13%Red-winged Blackbird -62%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -93%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -44%Gray Catbird -1%Northern Mockingbird +5%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -100%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +3%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +225%Carolina Chickadee +16%Tufted Titmouse +70%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +181%Black-and-white Warbler +40%Black-throated Blue Warbler 15×Black-throated Green Warbler +381%Blackburnian Warbler 14×Blue-winged Warbler -25%Canada Warbler 12×Cerulean Warbler -29%Chestnut-sided Warbler +365%Common Yellowthroat -61%Golden-winged Warbler -96%Hooded Warbler +152%Kentucky Warbler -80%Louisiana Waterthrush +57%Magnolia Warbler +815%Mourning Warbler +229%Northern Parula +52%Northern Waterthrush +149%Ovenbird +171%Pine Warbler -65%Prairie Warbler -95%Prothonotary Warbler -63%Swainson's Warbler +301%Worm-eating Warbler -38%Yellow Warbler -60%Yellow-throated Warbler 20×

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow -40%Eastern Towhee +2%Field Sparrow -49%Grasshopper Sparrow -96%Henslow's Sparrow -88%Savannah Sparrow -83%Song Sparrow +10%Vesper Sparrow -96%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -89%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -64%Ruffed Grouse -60%Wild Turkey +436%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker -18%Hairy Woodpecker +61%Pileated Woodpecker +62%Red-bellied Woodpecker +304%Red-headed Woodpecker +104%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 11×

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -47%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +363%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -74%Spotted Sandpiper -85%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch +800%White-breasted Nuthatch +100%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +203%Eastern Screech-Owl -57%Great Horned Owl +1%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -64%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +53%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren -81%Carolina Wren +296%Northern House Wren +2%Winter Wren +345%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -5%Eastern Bluebird -13%Hermit Thrush 20×Swainson's Thrush +61%Veery 11×Wood Thrush -21%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher -7%Alder Flycatcher +282%Eastern Kingbird -25%Eastern Phoebe +5%Eastern Wood-Pewee -23%Great Crested Flycatcher -67%Least Flycatcher +573%Willow Flycatcher -23%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo 23×Red-eyed Vireo +43%Warbling Vireo -78%White-eyed Vireo -53%Yellow-throated Vireo +74%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.