The Native Birds of Prince William County, Virginia.

 

Here’s a field-use starter list of native birds you can actually expect to encounter in Prince William County, grouped by how they use the county (year-round, breeders, winter visitors). I built it from regional checklists for Occoquan Bay NWR and Prince William Forest Park plus Virginia DWR site notes, then summarized traits and diets from Cornell Lab’s All About Birds and Audubon. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NPS History, National Park Service, Virginia Wildlife Resources)

What’s included

• Only native species regularly recorded in the county’s parks/refuges—no European Starling, House Sparrow, or other non-native introductions. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service)

• Diet & traits are concise field notes (e.g., “insects + seeds,” “fish specialist”) distilled from species accounts. (All About Birds)

Year-round residents (common)

Northern Cardinal — bright red male, crested; seeds, fruits, insects. (All About Birds)
Carolina Chickadee — tiny, black cap/bib; insects most of year; seeds/berries in winter. (All About Birds)
Tufted Titmouse — gray, small crest; insects, seeds, nuts. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Carolina Wren — rich brown, bold eyebrow; insects/spiders + some berries. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Red-bellied & Downy Woodpeckers — common suburban/woodland; insects, mast; take suet. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Pileated Woodpecker — very large, red crest; carpenter ants, beetle larvae, fruits. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Red-shouldered Hawk — rufous-barred forest hawk near water; small mammals, frogs, snakes. (All About Birds)
Red-tailed Hawk — open edges; rodents, rabbits, snakes. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Barred Owl — “who-cooks-for-you” call; small mammals, birds, amphibians. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Great Horned Owl — ear tufts; mammals & birds. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Turkey & Black Vultures — soaring scavengers; carrion. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Bald Eagle — along the Potomac/Occoquan; fish, carrion. (Virginia Wildlife Resources)
Osprey — nests on platforms; almost exclusively fish. (Virginia Wildlife Resources)
Belted Kingfisher — rattling call riverside; fish/crayfish. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Great Blue Heron — tall wader; fish, amphibians, small mammals. (Virginia Wildlife Resources)
Canada Goose, Mallard, Wood Duck — ponds/rivers; grasses & aquatic plants, plus invertebrates. (Virginia Wildlife Resources)
Mourning Dove — fields/edges; seeds/grains. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow — common corvids; nuts/seeds, insects, carrion (omnivores). (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrow, American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch — widespread; insects + seeds/fruits depending on season. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Breeding spring–summer (many are Neotropical migrants)

Wood Thrush — forest interior; insects/earthworms; berries late summer. (Virginia Wildlife Resources)
Scarlet Tanager — high canopy; insects, some fruit. (Virginia Wildlife Resources)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird — the East’s breeding hummer; nectar + tiny insects. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Eastern Phoebe — tail-wagging flycatcher; flying insects, berries in winter. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Tree & Barn Swallows — open water/meadows; flying insects (Tree Swallow also bayberries late). (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat — brushy/marshy edges; insects. (Virginia Wildlife Resources)
Orchard & Baltimore Orioles — riparian/edge trees; insects + fruit/nectar. (Birding Virginia)

Winter visitors (reliable)

White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco — ground flocks; seeds, some insects in spring. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Yellow-rumped Warbler — “butter-butt”; insects when available; bayberry/wax myrtle in winter. (Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

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Why these species are expected here

Prince William County sits on the Atlantic Flyway and includes prime habitat mosaics—tidal marsh, river, grassland, and mature Piedmont forest—at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Prince William Forest Park, where >100–200 bird species are regularly documented. These sites (plus Merrimac Farm WMA) anchor most of the county’s eBird hotspots. (Visit Prince William, Virginia Wildlife Resources, National Park Service)