Most commonly hunted migratory birds in Virginia

Stacker compiled a list of the most commonly hunted migratory birds in Virginia using data from a report released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in August 2025. Duck and goose species are ranked by the estimated 2024 hunting harvest in Virginia.

In 2024 Virginia had the largest estimated harvest of all states for 1 migratory bird species: Bufflehead.

#10. Scoters
- Virginia: 6,491 (7.4% of national harvest)
- National: 88,025
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Maryland: 20,053 (22.8% of national harvest)
--- #2. North Carolina: 16,380 (18.6%)
--- #3. South Carolina: 8,368 (9.5%)
--- #4. New Jersey: 7,194 (8.2%)
--- #5. New York: 6,770 (7.7%)

#9. Ruddy Duck
- Virginia: 6,867 (11.8% of national harvest)
- National: 58,381
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. California: 12,261 (21.0% of national harvest)
--- #2. North Carolina: 8,305 (14.2%)
--- #3. Virginia: 6,867 (11.8%)
--- #4. Pennsylvania: 4,699 (8.0%)
--- #5. Louisiana: 3,622 (6.2%)

#8. Lesser Scaup
- Virginia: 10,098 (4.7% of national harvest)
- National: 213,317
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. North Carolina: 42,218 (19.8% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 21,733 (10.2%)
--- #3. Texas: 21,102 (9.9%)
--- #4. Wisconsin: 14,622 (6.9%)
--- #5. North Dakota: 14,487 (6.8%)

#7. Wood Duck
- Virginia: 11,916 (0.7% of national harvest)
- National: 1.8 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Georgia: 215,316 (12.1% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 205,256 (11.5%)
--- #3. Arkansas: 175,526 (9.8%)
--- #4. Minnesota: 114,865 (6.4%)
--- #5. Wisconsin: 112,564 (6.3%)

#6. Gadwall
- Virginia: 12,522 (0.9% of national harvest)
- National: 1.4 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Arkansas: 295,749 (20.5% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 180,505 (12.5%)
--- #3. Texas: 147,712 (10.2%)
--- #4. Tennessee: 85,775 (5.9%)
--- #5. Oklahoma: 85,682 (5.9%)

#5. Black Duck
- Virginia: 12,723 (6.8% of national harvest)
- National: 187,389
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Maryland: 27,614 (14.7% of national harvest)
--- #2. New York: 24,822 (13.2%)
--- #3. New Jersey: 18,456 (9.8%)
--- #4. Maine: 14,437 (7.7%)
--- #5. Virginia: 12,723 (6.8%)

#4. Green-winged Teal
- Virginia: 14,137 (0.6% of national harvest)
- National: 2.4 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. California: 332,993 (13.9% of national harvest)
--- #2. Louisiana: 263,211 (11.0%)
--- #3. Texas: 219,022 (9.1%)
--- #4. Arkansas: 209,789 (8.8%)
--- #5. North Carolina: 134,267 (5.6%)

#3. Canada Goose
- Virginia: 25,771 (1.1% of national harvest)
- National: 2.4 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Michigan: 167,809 (7.1% of national harvest)
--- #2. Minnesota: 149,423 (6.3%)
--- #3. Kansas: 147,696 (6.2%)
--- #4. Wisconsin: 141,923 (6.0%)
--- #5. Illinois: 140,829 (5.9%)

#2. Mallard
- Virginia: 36,959 (1.1% of national harvest)
- National: 3.5 million
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Arkansas: 530,183 (15.3% of national harvest)
--- #2. Oklahoma: 201,683 (5.8%)
--- #3. Missouri: 187,251 (5.4%)
--- #4. Tennessee: 180,965 (5.2%)
--- #5. North Dakota: 164,401 (4.7%)

#1. Bufflehead
- Virginia: 43,421 (15.7% of national harvest)
- National: 275,897
- States with the largest harvests:
--- #1. Virginia: 43,421 (15.7% of national harvest)
--- #2. New Jersey: 23,613 (8.6%)
--- #3. California: 20,968 (7.6%)
--- #4. North Carolina: 17,995 (6.5%)
--- #5. Michigan: 16,051 (5.8%)