This list of birds of Virginia includes species credibly documented in the U.S. state of Virginia by the Virginia Avian Records Committee of the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VARCOM). As of January 1, 2022 the list contained 487 species and four species pairs. Of them, 109 are considered accidental. Seven species were introduced to North America, one is extinct, and one has been extirpated. Four additional species, now extinct, are believed to have occurred in Virginia, but there is insufficient evidence to include them in the main list. The published list includes identifiable subspecies which are not presented here. An additional extirpated species is added from another source.
This list is presented in the taxonomic sequence of the Check-list of North and Middle American Birds, 7th edition through the 62nd Supplement, published by the American Ornithological Society (AOS). Common and scientific names are also those of the Check-list, except that the common names of families are from the Clements taxonomy because the AOS list does not include them.
Unless otherwise noted, all species listed below are considered to occur regularly in Virginia as permanent residents, summer or winter visitors, or migrants. The following codes are used to annotate some species:
(A) - Accidental - a species that has "less than six accepted physical or written records in the past 50 years" according to VARCOM (R) - Rare - "A species that is so scarce that it cannot be expected with any certainty, or one that occurs in a very specific and extremely limited habitat" according to VARCOM (I) - Introduced - a species introduced to North America by humans (H) - Historical - "Species believed to have occurred historically" according to VARCOM
Ducks, geese, and waterfowl
Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
The family Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, bills which are flattened to a greater or lesser extent, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to special oils. Forty-eight species have been recorded in Virginia.
Black-bellied whistling-duck, Dendrocygna autumnalis (R) West Indian whistling-duck, Dendrocygna arborea (A) Fulvous whistling-duck, Dendrocygna bicolor (R) Snow goose, Anser caerulescens Ross's goose, Anser rossii (R) Greater white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons Pink-footed goose, Anser brachyrhynchus (A) Brant, Branta bernicla Barnacle goose, Branta leucopsis (R) Cackling goose, Branta hutchinsii Canada goose, Branta canadensis Mute swan, Cygnus olor (I) Trumpeter swan, Cygnus buccinator (A) Tundra swan, Cygnus columbianus Wood duck, Aix sponsa Garganey, Spatula querquedula (A) Blue-winged teal, Spatula discors Cinnamon teal, Spatula cyanoptera (A) Northern shoveler, Spatula clypeata Gadwall, Mareca strepera Eurasian wigeon, Mareca penelope (R) American wigeon, Mareca americana Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos American black duck, Anas rubripes Mottled duck, Anas fulvigula (A) White-cheeked pintail, Anas bahamensis (A) Northern pintail, Anas acuta Green-winged teal, Anas crecca Canvasback, Aythya valisineria Redhead, Aythya americana Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris Tufted duck, Aythya fuligula (A) Greater scaup, Aythya marila Lesser scaup, Aythya affinis King eider, Somateria spectabilis (R) Common eider, Somateria mollissima (R) Harlequin duck, Histrionicus histrionicus (R) Surf scoter, Melanitta perspicillata White-winged scoter, Melanitta deglandi Black scoter, Melanitta americana Long-tailed duck, Clangula hyemalis Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola Common goldeneye, Bucephala clangula Barrow's goldeneye, Bucephala islandica (A) Hooded merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus Common merganser, Mergus merganser Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator Ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis
New World quail
Order: GalliformesFamily: Odontophoridae
The New World quails are small, plump terrestrial birds only distantly related to the quails of the Old World, but named for their similar appearance and habits. One species has been recorded in Virginia.