The birds are back in town: Migratory birds in Ohio that could visit your feeder in April
Spring has sprung, and migratory birds are returning to the area. That means one thing -- it's time to stock up on bird seed.
Backyard bird feeders attract a variety of feathered friends (as well as squirrels, but we won't mention them). If you've ever wondered which birds frequent your feeder the most, the USA TODAY Network, of which this publication is a part, has an answer.
USA TODAY has analyzed and organized millions of backyard bird observations collected from Nov. 1 to April 30 since 2011 as part of Project FeederWatch, a citizen science program that is a joint effort of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.
The information helps researchers track changes in bird populations, as well as identify potential threats such as disease outbreaks or habitat loss. The bird sightings were compiled to produce the count of the most-observed species by month and state.
What are the most sighted birds in Ohio for April?
Here are the most sighted birds for April in Ohio:
House sparrow
American goldfinch
Northern cardinal
Mourning dove
House finch
Common grackle
Brown-headed cowbird
Dark-eyed junco
Red-winged blackbird
European starling
What are the most sighted bird in Akron, Canton, Cincinnati and Columbus?
Project FeederWatch also breaks down the bird sighting data by county. Here are the results for counties containing the state's largest cities.
Akron/Summit County
House sparrow
American goldfinch
Northern cardinal
Canton/Stark County
Brown-headed cowbird
House sparrow
Northern cardinal
Cincinnati/Hamilton County
Northern Cardinal
Mourning dove
House sparrow
Columbus/Franklin County
House sparrow
House finch
Northern cardinal
Dayton/Montgomery County
American goldfinch
House sparrow
Mourning dove
Toledo/Lucas County
House sparrow
Red-winged blackbird
Common grackle
Youngstown/Mahoning County
House sparrow
American goldfinch
House finch
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: What are the 10 most common backyard birds in Ohio in April? Find out here