Backyard birds in McDonough, Georgia
Which birds visit McDonough yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from McDonough's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 33.447°, -84.147°
- Population
- 23,417
- June 21 daylight
- 14 h 22 min
- December 21 daylight
- 9 h 56 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 7:07 AM / 6:26 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 7a–9a
Nesting timing in McDonough
The state guides give nesting windows for Georgia as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 33.3°N). McDonough is at 33.4°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. McDonough goes from 9 h 56 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 14 h 22 min in June, a 4 h 26 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window March–September
- Eastern Bluebird — state window March–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Carolina Chickadee — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window April–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- Tufted Titmouse — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window March–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window April–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
Birds you can expect in McDonough
Year-round residents (63)
Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Wrens, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Chipping Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Towhees, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Phoebes, Pine Warblers, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Northern Bobwhites, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Field Sparrows, Hooded Mergansers, Canada Gooses, Killdeers, American Woodcocks, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Barn Owls, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, Brown-headed Nuthatchs, Boat-tailed Grackles, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (39)
Purple Martins, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Painted Buntings, Gray Catbirds, Barn Swallows, Chimney Swifts, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Spotted Sandpipers, Green Herons, Ospreys, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos
Winter visitors (28)
Purple Finchs, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Tree Swallows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Rufous Hummingbirds, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Merlins, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Swamp Sparrows, White-winged Crossbills, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds
Mild winters bring irregular purple finch and pine-siskin irruptions from the north.
When to watch: dawn chorus in McDonough
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In McDonough, sunrise is around 7:07 AM in mid-April, 6:26 AM at the June solstice and 7:36 AM in late December (local time, America/New York). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for McDonough yards
High-fat fall fruit critical before migration and winter.
Winter berry-cones and dense roosting cover.
Fall fruit.
Nectar through spring and summer.
Early-summer berries.
Seed heads in fall.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.
Nearby cities in Georgia
- Stockbridge — 8 mi away, nesting about the same time as McDonough
- Griffin — 15 mi away, nesting about the same time as McDonough
- Conyers — 17 mi away, nesting about the same time as McDonough
- Forest Park — 18 mi away, nesting about the same time as McDonough
- Fayetteville — 18 mi away, nesting about the same time as McDonough
- Stonecrest — 18 mi away, nesting about the same time as McDonough
Frequently asked
What birds live in McDonough all year?
Year-round residents across Georgia include Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker. All of them visit backyard feeders in McDonough.
When do birds start nesting in McDonough?
McDonough sits at a different latitude from Georgia's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in McDonough?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In McDonough, sunrise is around 7:07 AM in mid-April and 6:26 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Georgia
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.