According to the Virginia Avian Records Committee of the Virginia Society of Ornithology (VARCOM), there are almost 490 bird species in Virginia – a number of those are very active during the night!
Examples of nocturnal birds in Virginia include the common nighthawk, American robin, black-crowned night heron, barred owl, northern mockingbird, and many others.
Do some of them sound familiar? Let’s jump in and see what each of these looks and sounds like!
Table of Contents
Night Birds In Virginia
1. Northern Mockingbird
- Scientific name: Mimus polyglottos
Northern mockingbirds are birds most often heard singing during the night in Virginia. The nighttime singers are often young, unattached males or older males without mates.
They are most noisy from March to August (their breeding season) and from late September to November (while establishing winter territories).
To reduce their constantly annoying singing, consider using bird nets on trees or placing cardboard cutouts of predators like hawks or owls.
These birds are year-round residents in VA and are aptly named, as they can mimic over 200 different songs and imitate up to 35 species.
Their mimicry extends to sounds like rusty hinges, car alarms, cackling hens, and dog barks, sometimes indistinguishable even with electronic analysis.
Read More: Loud night birds found in TX
2. Yellow-breasted Chat
- Scientific Name: Icteria virens
Yellow-breasted chats can be often heard singing in the morning and evening during summer in Virginia. They will also even sing at night during the height of their breeding season (May to July).
Often heard than seen, they are common around dense, brushy areas and hedgerows. These birds have a unique mix of cackles, clucks, whistles, and hoots in their songs, along with harsh “chak” calls.
Yellow-breasted Chat Song | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They can mimic other birds, sometimes confusing birdwatchers. During the breeding season, they become more conspicuous, singing from exposed spots and flying openly while gurgling their songs.
3. American Robin
- Scientific name: Turdus migratorius
American robins are songbirds and common sights in forests, lawns, and suburbs across VA, throughout the entire year.
As winter fades and daylight increases, they will be the first birds you hear singing just as dawn approaches, giving them the nickname “wake robins.”
The song is described as a “cheery” carol consisting of a string of 10 or so clear whistles; American robins also have a sharp “yeep” alarm call or a mumbled “tuk” when communicating with one another.
Source: G. McGrane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
However, when the sun goes down, their song changes. From sunset until it gets very dark, they add soft, almost whispered notes to their singing, making their song sound elegant and intricate.
Read More: Birds you can hear singing at night in South Carolina
4. Killdeer
- Scientific Name: Charadrius vociferus
Killdeers can be heard throughout the state. They inhabit open areas like sandbars, mudflats, fields, and even urban locations.
Killdeers are active day and night, with noticeable nighttime activity, especially in early spring and late summer. They often congregate in places like mall parking lots and well-lit ball fields, engaging in socializing, calling, and searching for food. Their name comes from their loud, piercing calls resembling “kill-deer, kill-deer.”
Killdeer Call | Source: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
5. American Woodcock
- Scientific Name: Scolopax minor
American woodcocks, small elusive birds, can be heard in Virginia from dusk to dawn. Look for them in fields near forests, especially around powerline cuts.
They’re challenging to spot due to their nocturnal habits and camouflaged colors. Listen for their distinctive “peent” call on the ground or twittering in the air.
American Woodcock Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Read More: What birds chirp at night in Tennessee?
6. Wilson’s Snipe
- Scientific Name: Gallinago delicata
Like American woodcocks, Wilson’s snipes are also found in VA. Often heard singing during winter nights there, they prefer wet fields, marshes, and bogs. Listen for them at dawn and dusk.
Recognize them by their “tuk-tuk” call from the ground. They also have an intriguing winnowing display flight, creating distinct sounds in the air. Males fly high in circles, then dive, producing longer-lasting sounds. You can observe this behavior both day and night.
Wilson’s Snipe Call | Source: Doug Hynes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They are also common in Louisiana; check out other night birds heard there on this link.
7. Eastern Screech-Owl
- Scientific Name: Megascops asio
Eastern screech owls are small, stocky, and strictly nocturnal. They live in Virgina’s woodlands near water and lower elevations year-round.
They’re most vocal near sunset, becoming quieter later at night. Calls increase around full moons and before storms. Listen for the “whinny” and trilling tremolo calls. In summer (June-August), watch for juvenile hissing sounds.
Eastern Screech-owl Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Read More: Oregon’s most common nocturnal birds
8. Great Horned Owl
- Scientific Name: Bubo virginianus
Great horned owls, one of Virginia’s largest raptors, can be heard singing mainly after dark and before dawn. These permanent residents of the state prefer open areas near forests and make deep, loud “ho-ho-hoo hoo hoo” sounds.
Great Horned Owl Call | Source: Michael & Katie LaTour, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Females have higher-pitched calls, peaking after midnight. They may sing in duets in winter or spring and have distinctive juvenile begging calls in summer, sometimes resembling barn owls’ calls.
9. Barn Owl
- Scientific Name: Tyto alba
One of the most widely distributed species of owl in the world, barn owls are permanent residents of Virginia.
These medium-sized owls often have a “ghostly” appearance, especially if seen at night, around open habitats, including grasslands, marshes, and agricultural areas.
Barn owls do not hoot and make bone-chilling screams instead. They hunt for rodents during the night and roost in nest boxes, caves, tree hollows, and old buildings.
Barn Owl Call | Source: Luis Gracia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They are quite common throughout the USA and belong to the list of Florida’s nocturnal birds.
10. Barred Owl
- Scientific Name: Strix varia
Barred owls are year-round Virginia’s residents, found in dense forests near water. They’re active at night, known for their “who-cooks-for-you” song and “hoo-ahhh” calls, often in duets.
Barred Owl Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Juveniles have a unique high-pitched raspy hissing sound. These massive owls have mottled brown and white plumage and dark, almost black eyes.
11. Short-eared Owl
- Scientific Name: Asio flammeus
Short-eared owls, widely distributed worldwide except in Antarctica and Australia, visit Virginia during winter. They’re often heard in open grasslands, including fields, marshes, and even airports.
If you live in areas like Boyce near UVA’s Blandy Experimental Farm, Tazewell, Culpeper, Orange counties, or DWR’s Saxis Wildlife Management Area, there’s a good chance you might hear short-eared owls at night.
These owls have striking yellow eyes with black rings, resembling mascara. While usually quiet, they produce “voo-hoo-hoo” calls.
Short-eared Owl Call | Source: Jamescandless, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
They are mostly nocturnal but can be crepuscular and occasionally diurnal.
Read More: What birds will sing at night in Michigan?
12. Northern Saw-whet Owl
- Scientific Name: Aegolius acadicus
Virginia’s smallest owls, Northern saw-whet owls are nonbreeding residents of the state during winter.
They were named after their loud and repetitive whistles described as “a saw being sharpened on a whetstone”. Their calling peaks around 2 hours after sunset and decreases until just before sunrise.
Listen for the tooting advertising song of males, a repeated “toot-toot-toot.” They give a variety of other calls, and later in the season, juveniles produce a raspy, hissing call.
The compound called porphyrin makes their flight feathers unique – the pigment gives their feathers a neon pink fluorescence when exposed to UV light.
13. Pied-billed Grebe
- Scientific Name: Podilymbus podiceps
Pied-billed grebes, small and stocky water birds, are common around Virginia’s marshes and ponds with emergent vegetation throughout the year. Active at night, they produce loud, whooping, cuckoo-like songs, often duetting with their mates.
Their brown plumage, darkening on the crown and back, provides effective camouflage, making them a bit challenging to spot.
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14. Eastern Whip-poor-will
- Scientific Name: Antrostomus vociferus
Eastern whip-poor-wills visit Northern VA during the breeding season. These cryptic nocturnal birds are heard more often than seen. They hide during the day, typically in pine barrens and forest openings.
At dawn and dusk, they begin singing their famous “whip-poor-will” song. Male whip-poor-wills make calls to mark their breeding territory and to attract a mate.
Eastern whip-poor-will Call | Source: G. McGrane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
They hunt at night, catching flying insects from the ground. Similar to common nighthawks, their distinctive call helps differentiate the two species.
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15. Common Nighthawk
- Scientific Name: Chordeiles minor
During the summer breeding season in Virginia, common nighthawks can be heard singing at dawn and dusk. These medium-sized raptors with deeply split tails and long wings can be found in prairies, forests, savannahs, and urban areas.
These birds create a distinct peent sound and perform courtship displays with rapid dives that produce a booming sound as air rushes over their wings.
Common Nighthawk Call | Source: Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Common nighthawks are well-camouflaged during the day, with gray, black, and brown plumage and white patches near the base of their primary feathers.
16. Chuck-will’s-widow
- Scientific Name: Antrostomus carolinensis
Chuck-will’s-widows, nocturnal birds in Virginia, have distinctive features: big heads, short bills, and long tails. They’re most active from April to August, particularly on full or near-full moon nights.
They can be found in pine barrens and swamp edges, often camouflaged in grayish to rufous plumage. These birds sing their “chuck-will’s-widow” songs, which you can hear during the night.
Chuck-will’s-widow Call | Source: James G. Howes, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
You might have spotted them in your headlights while driving as they love to sit on the roads and roadsides at night.
17. Common Gallinule
- Scientific Name: Gallinula galeata
Common gallinules are medium-sized marsh birds with dark plumage, white undertails, red frontal plates on their heads, and distinctive long legs and toes.
In the state, they are most common during the summer breeding season and prefer freshwater wetlands with open water and emergent vegetation.
They are most active during dawn and dusk, becoming more vocal from April to June during the breeding season. Listen for their “marsh chicken sound” and single “clucks,” which are their most commonly heard calls.
18. American Coot
- Scientific Name: Fulica americana
American coots are small water birds with black plumage, bright white beaks, red eyes, and yellow-green legs.
Although they resemble ducks, American coots are only distantly related to them. These winter residents of Virginia can be seen and heard in freshwater wetlands with open water and emergent vegetation around dawn and dusk.
They produce a sharp “poot” call and a screeching “kree” sound, and they are particularly noisy swimmers, so you may also recognize them by splashing water sounds.
19. King Rail
- Scientific Name: Rallus elegans
King rails, the largest North American rail species, can be heard singing in VA mostly during the night.
They will emit low, repeated grunt calls that go “kek-kek-kek.”
These chicken-sized birds are skilled foragers, using their long beaks to probe the mud for aquatic insects and crustaceans. In a courtship display, scientists discovered one male who once caught 7 crayfish in 2 hours, offering 5 to his partner.
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20. Virginia Rail
- Scientific Name: Rallus limicola
Virginia rails are compact aquatic birds commonly heard in VA during summer nights. They are found around wetlands with cattails, where they often make harsh “kuk-kuk-kuk” calls; their “grunt” calls can be used for communication between mates.
They are often found together with soras; short-billed soras feed on seeds, while the long-billed Virginia rails mostly consume insects.
21. Sora
- Scientific Name: Porzana carolina
Soras are small waterbirds found during winter in the state. They are common around wetlands containing cattails and patches of open water.
Soras use a descending “whinny” call between mated pairs and when establishing territories. They also have a “ker-wee” call for attracting mates and are most active during dawn and dusk.
Sora Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The best times to spot soras are early in the mornings or late in the evenings when they’re more likely to come out from the thick plants in search of food.
22. American Bittern
- Scientific Name: Botaurus lentiginosus
American bitterns are well-camouflaged solitary birds that spend winter throughout eastern parts of VA before departing north to breed. These birds prefer large cattail or sedge marshes and wet meadows.
More often heard than seen, they are mainly nocturnal with most of the activity happening around dusk. American bitterns have a distinctive booming call that resembles a congested pump that people describe as “oong-kach-oonk.“
American Bittern Call | Source: Alejandro Erickson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Read More: What birds sing the most at night in Ohio?
23. Least Bittern
- Scientific Name: Ixobrychus exilis
Least bitterns are one of the smallest heron species in the world. They can be heard at night in eastern parts of VA during their breeding season (May to August). They are more active at dawn and dusk and less vocal in windy or rainy conditions.
Least bitterns are common around marshes with a mix of open water and vegetation, often with cattails, phragmites, or lily pads. Males can be recognized by their soft “coo-coo-coo” and “reek-reek-reek” calls.
Least Bittern Call | Source: Niels Krabbe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Identify them also by their long legs, daggerlike bills, and orange, black, and white plumage.
24. Black-crowned Night Heron
- Scientific Name: Nycticorax nycticorax
Black-crowned night herons can be occasionally heard around wooded swamps, ponds, lakes, and mangroves in eastern parts of VA.
Unlike many other herons, they’re active at night or dusk and also migrate in flocks during the night. Their name “Nycticorax” means “night raven” in Greek, reflecting their nocturnal habits and crow-like calls.
Black-crowned Night Heron Call | Source: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
These herons often bait fish, luring prey with thrown food before striking with their long beaks.
25. Yellow-crowned Night Heron
- Scientific Name: Nyctanassa violacea
Yellow-crowned night-herons are very vocal, with various calls like “quawk,” “yup-yup,” and “huh.”
While occasionally seen during the day, they are primarily nocturnal, roosting in trees during daylight and feeding at night, with crabs and crayfish being their main prey.
26. Ovenbird
- Scientific name: Seiurus aurocapilla
Ovenbirds sing regularly at night but at a relatively low song rate. These small migratory songbirds can be heard during summer nights in northern parts of the state.
Lister for their territorial rapid, resounding “tea-cher, tea-cher” song consisting of 8-13 phrases. They also have several short calls, including the “ple-bleep,” “whink,” and high “tsip.”
Ovenbird Song | Source: G McGrane, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Ovenbirds got their name from the nest they built called the “oven” – it is a dome-like structure placed on the ground with a side entrance that makes it resemble a Dutch oven.
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What Birds Sing At Night In Virginia?
The most common birds that sing at night in Virginia are northern mockingbirds.
Mockingbirds singing all night are often young, unattached males or older males without a mate. In case you want to stop their nighttime singing, try to cover your tree with bird netting or add an owl/hawk cardboard cutout to scare them away.
You might have also heard yellow-breasted chats singing in the darkness as they call out to the females, American robins and their cheery carol, or even barn owls and their bone-chilling screams.
Read More: What birds chirp at night in Indiana?
Summary
Virginia’s rich avifauna is brimming with nocturnal birds. Some can be seen year-round there, like several owl species and northern mockingbirds, while others, like yellow-breasted chats, and common nighthawks visit the state only to breed.
In case you’ve stumbled upon or heard any of these birds, we hope this guide helped you identify which ones they were.
Feel free to read our other popular guides on night birds commonly found in New York and night birds commonly found in Georgia.