Backyard birds in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Which birds visit Harrisburg yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Harrisburg's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 40.274°, -76.884°
- Population
- 50,183
- June 21 daylight
- 15 h 3 min
- December 21 daylight
- 9 h 18 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:30 AM / 5:37 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 5a–7b
Nesting timing in Harrisburg
The state guides give nesting windows for Pennsylvania as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 40.3°N). Harrisburg is at 40.3°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. Harrisburg goes from 9 h 18 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 15 h 3 min in June, a 5 h 45 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window April–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window April–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window April–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Carolina Chickadee — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window May–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- Tufted Titmouse — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
Birds you can expect in Harrisburg
Year-round residents (60)
Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Black-capped Chickadees, Carolina Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Purple Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Eastern Towhees, Northern Mockingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, American Crows, Common Ravens, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned 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, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Field Sparrows, Hooded Mergansers, Canada Gooses, Black Vultures, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Black-backed Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, White-winged Crossbills, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (58)
Purple Martins, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Chipping Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Pine Warblers, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Hermit Thrushs, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Yellow-throated Warblers, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, White-eyed Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Least Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Savannah Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Bobolinks
Winter visitors (12)
Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Tree Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Pine Grosbeaks, Merlins, Snow Buntings, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings
Snow cover makes suet and heated water valuable; both chickadee species meet in a narrow hybrid zone across the south of the state.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Harrisburg
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Harrisburg, sunrise is around 6:30 AM in mid-April, 5:37 AM at the June solstice and 7:26 AM in late December (local time, America/New York). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Harrisburg yards
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Winter fruit.
Thicket cover and white fall fruit.
Summer fruit and a major caterpillar host.
Fall seed.
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Acorns and insects.
Nearby cities in Pennsylvania
- Carlisle — 17 mi away, nesting about the same time as Harrisburg
- York — 23 mi away, nesting about the same time as Harrisburg
- Lebanon — 25 mi away, nesting about the same time as Harrisburg
- Hanover — 33 mi away, nesting about the same time as Harrisburg
- Lancaster — 35 mi away, nesting about the same time as Harrisburg
- Chambersburg — 47 mi away, nesting about the same time as Harrisburg
Frequently asked
What birds live in Harrisburg all year?
Year-round residents across Pennsylvania include Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Black-capped Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker. All of them visit backyard feeders in Harrisburg.
When do birds start nesting in Harrisburg?
Harrisburg sits at about the same latitude as Pennsylvania'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 Harrisburg?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Harrisburg, sunrise is around 6:30 AM in mid-April and 5:37 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Pennsylvania
- 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.