Ohio boasts a varied climate of forests, grassland, and wetlands that almost every kind of bird has a natural habitat.
Whether you are an ornithologist or a backyard bird watcher, Ohio has around 424 different species of birds you can see in the Buckeye state.
Here are the most common backyard birds of Ohio.
1. Northern Cardinal
Ohio’s state bird is the Northern Cardinal, officially designated as such in 1933.
The males have bright red coloration, along with a black stripe extending from the beak to the throat region of the head.
The females appear pale brown overall, with a prominent brown crest edged in red, and a red beak.
This avian species may exhibit excessive territory defense during breeding seasons as they may engage in aggressive attacks against members of their species.
If you want to have the opportunity to see these spectacular birds in your yard, place millet, milo, peanut hearts, and sunflower seeds in your bird feeder.
Northern Cardinals will also take food from hoppers, large tube feeders, platform feeders, or scattered food on the ground.
These are medium-sized birds, averaging 8.8″ in body length and a 12.2″ wingspan, and weigh between 1.2 – 2.3 oz.
2. Blue Jay
The Blue Jay, which is originally from North America, has since spread to other regions.
These birds live in wooded areas and breed in forests.
In terms of appearance, these birds have blue and white coloring, hence their name.
The underside of the Blue Jay is white while they are blue in the back and wings. You could see this species any time of the year.
Both males and females have similar size, color and shape.
The body length varies from 9 to 12 inches with a wing span of 13 to 17 inches. They weigh as much as 3.5 ounces.
Blue jays enjoy eating, berries, nuts, soft fruits, soft insects, seeds, and worms. During breeding season, the female watches over the eggs and nestlings, and the male searches for food.
The young birds remain under parental care for up to two months before they fly into the wild.
3. American Robin
The American Robin is a native bird to the Northern half of the United States, but it migrates to the south in the winter.
The shape and size of its body are more similar to a Blue Jay.
The only distinguishing feature is in its plumage, its wings and back are gray and brown.
While the undersides of this species are rusty-orange.
They like open woodlands or farmland, and sometimes are also found in urban parks or lawns.
They spend some of the hotter months in Northern US and the winters are spent in Mexico and in Central American countries.
Eating habits: American Robins prefer eating worms or other invertebrates; though they occasionally eat berries or small fruits.
4. Red-bellied Woodpecker
True to its name, this bird has a red belly.
It is a member of the woodpecker family and likes to tap tree trunks with its sharp beaks during foraging.
The red-bellied woodpecker has a red neck and head and a black and white colored back and wings.
When attracting females for mating during breeding season, males produce high-pitched melodious sounds.
Males have a much larger body than females and can weigh 0.3 ounces more than females, who also have smaller wingspans.
As with all woodpeckers, they have strong beaks and create holes as they forage in trees. Red-bellied woodpeckers feeds on berries, nuts, insects, and worms.
5. Mourning Doves
Mourning doves display a tiny head, pear-shaped body, and elongated tapering tail.
Soft brown feathering with wing spots and markings resemble pencil lead, as the coloration appears somewhat washed out.
Mourning doves can be found in flat open woodland areas.
In urban areas, Mourning doves might also be found in yards foraging on the ground, or resting on a nearby telephone wire.
Mourning doves are a commonly seen bird throughout the year, although they may migrate south during the migration for the winter after the nesting season.
The best way to attract Mourning doves to your outdoor area is to scatter millet on a platform feeder or the ground.
Other foods Mourning doves will eat include cracked corn, peanut hearts, and sunflower seeds.
6. Red-winged Blackbird
The Red-winged Blackbird resembles many other birds with mostly dark black plumage but has distinguishable red and yellow patches on its shoulders.
The female Red-winged Blackbird displays a dull brown pattern on her feathering.
Unlike other species of bird, the Red-winged Blackbird is a resident species in many states across the United States, but is a migratory species that moves south for the winter.
Like the dove, this bird can often times be found perched on telephone wires. Males are aggressive and territorial and can show aggressive behavior towards others during mating season.
They are even known to attack humans if they are occupying the space around their nest.
The Red-winged Blackbird feeds on worms, small insects, and their larvae.
This species of bird also feeds on plant material such as berries, nuts that have been cracked open, and seeds from shrubs and trees.
7. House Finch
Originally from the western region, the House Finch is frequently found throughout North America.
It is popular for being comfortable around humans, which is why it is common in cities.
It can be seen all year long.
Males will make a high-pitched noise in courtship with females.
In size, adults are small with a ten inch wing span and weigh on average 0.7 ounces.
Adults reach a length of no more than six inches.
The color is the key to distinguishing the sexes.
Males have brown bodies with dark brown markings on the wings, whereas females have gray-brown markings on their bodies.
House Finches prefer little worms, small seeds, berries, and insects. The easiest way to attract these birds to your back yard is to throw some cracked nuts and small seeds.
8. European Starlings
Even though European Starlings are a new addition to Ohio, they have adapted to the climate of Ohio quite well.
They are stout-bodied birds with blue, green, and purple shine to their feathers.
They mostly eat insects and their larvae, including beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, flies, and spiders.
They also eat fruits, berries, sumac, the Virginia Creeper, seeds, and grains.
Some people consider European Starlings a pest, due to their aggressive behavior and noisy flocks. They like to fly over fields and perch in the trees.
If you’d like to attract them to your yard, put out cracked corn, peanuts, suet, and sunflower seeds in your backyard feeder.
9. American Crow
The American Crow is a common blackbird known for its entirely black body and is widespread in Ohio.
They are very easy to spot on top of buildings, electric poles, tall trees, etc. They are known for their annoying, raspy, cawing noise.
The diet of a crow is mostly ground foraging for any variety of food including fruit, insects, seeds, and worms.
Crows will also eat birds’ eggs and baby birds, fish, baby turtles, and mussels.
In winter, crows will come together in large bands of up to 2 million birds!
Example: The best way to attract crows to your backyard is by spreading nuts on the ground. This species can also be a nuisance if you leave out trash!
10. Belted Kingfisher
The Ligated Kingfisher is average or medium-sized species that have shaggy crest and a long, strong bill.
A distinct feature is the white band around the neck, also referred to as its ‘belt’.
The female is brighter and more colorful than the male. The head is slate blue with the distinctive white collar, and it has a large blue band on the chest.
The underparts are white while the wings and back are blue and black with white dots.
Interestingly, the female Ligated Kingfisher is larger than the male. The male can weigh 6.3 ounces and the female can weigh as much as 7.1 ounces.
This species prefers habitats located near freshwater bodies such and will primarily feed on amphibians, insects, small fishes, small mammals etc.
The female lays eggs and sits on them to hatch while the male brings food to the family.
11. Tufted Titmouse
The Tufted Titmouse has bold black eyes, gray backs, white bellies, and lovely gray crests.
They frequently ‘bully’ small birds that they meet in woodlots and generally open parks.
Tufted Titmice favor foraging for ants, caterpillars, beetles, snails, spiders, and various small insects. They also eat berries, seeds that they have hoarded, and nuts.
To attract a Tufted Titmouse to your backyard, use peanuts, put out suet, or use tube feeders with sunflower seeds. If you want to attract males and females during breeding season, be sure to put out a nest!
12. Song Sparrow
Song Sparrows are mostly brownish-colored and enjoy singing in the spring and summer months to attract potential mates.
They can be found in shrubby habitats and backyard feeders.
Their diet consists of plants and insects such as beetles, berries, cereal grains, worms, spiders, and other similar items.
You can attract more birds to your own backyard by putting cracked corn, suet, or sunflower seeds in your backyard bird feeders.
Wrapping Up
The birds mentioned above are just a small sample of possible birds you can see in Ohio.
If you want to see as many as you can, the best time to go is in spring and summer.
This is because most birds will go south for the winter to avoid the cold.