Best States for Birdwatching

Trumpeter swan. Photo by Melanie Votaw.

To celebrate National Go Birding Day (Apr. 26), Lawn Love ranked 2025’s Best States for Birdwatching.

They compared all 50 U.S. states across 5 feather-focused categories. They examined the number of Audubon centers and sanctuaries, bird species, endemic bird species, and birdwatching groups, among 21 total metrics.

A bald eagle. Photo by Melanie Votaw.

Top 5 States 

  1. California
  2. Florida
  3. Texas
  4. New York
  5. Washington

Bottom 5 States

  1. Iowa
  2. South Dakota
  3. Nevada
  4. Nebraska
  5. Kansas

Don’t see your state above? Check out the full ranking.

Barn swallow. Photo by Melanie Votaw.

Key Insights:

Room to roam: California (No. 1), New York (No. 4), and Washington (No. 5) boast the most state parks, while northern states North Dakota (No. 39) and Minnesota (No. 33) take flight with some of the most wildlife refuges. Connecticut (No. 10) and New York lead in Audubon centers, providing prime perches for birdwatchers.

Fowl play: Iowa (No. 50) and Kansas (No. 46) land in the top half for conservation efforts despite landing at the bottom of the ranking. Joining them at the bottom but with some redeeming qualities, Oklahoma (No. 44) and Kansas offer decent bird variety, and West Virginia (No. 43) offers one of the best climates and good access to state parks and trails.

Flock together: Birdwatchers unite in Colorado (No. 9) and Virginia (No. 18), with some of the most birdwatching groups, while smaller states, Delaware (No. 31) and Vermont (No. 14), stand out for the highest numbers of birdwatchers per capita.

Read the full story here: https://www.lawnlove.com/blog/studies/best-states-birdwatching/.

Other helpful links:

Methodology

Media Resources (editor’s quotes, 2023 ranking results, and hi-res image files)

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Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.

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