Birds in Arizona in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Arizona in December in our iNaturalist sample; 2 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in December

Red-tailed Hawk841 obs.

Gila Woodpecker815 obs.

White-crowned Sparrow795 obs.

House Finch776 obs.

Vermilion Flycatcher770 obs.

Gambel's Quail712 obs.

Anna's Hummingbird710 obs.

Mourning Dove692 obs.

Curve-billed Thrasher687 obs.

Cactus Wren682 obs.

Great-tailed Grackle674 obs.

Phainopepla620 obs.

All birds seen in Arizona in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	841	Jan (past peak)
2	Gila Woodpecker	Melanerpes uropygialis	Woodpeckers	815	Apr (past peak)
3	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	795	Jan (past peak)
4	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	776	Apr (past peak)
5	Vermilion Flycatcher	Pyrocephalus rubinus	Tyrant Flycatchers	770	Apr (past peak)
6	Gambel's Quail	Callipepla gambelii	New World Quails	712	Apr (past peak)
7	Anna's Hummingbird	Calypte anna	Hummingbirds	710	Mar (past peak)
8	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	692	Apr (past peak)
9	Curve-billed Thrasher	Toxostoma curvirostre	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	687	Apr (past peak)
10	Cactus Wren	Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus	Wrens	682	Apr (past peak)
11	Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	674	Apr (past peak)
12	Phainopepla	Phainopepla nitens	Silky-flycatchers	620	Mar (past peak)
13	Verdin	Auriparus flaviceps	Penduline-Tits	617	Apr (past peak)
14	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	605	Mar (past peak)
15	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	589	Apr (past peak)
16	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	589	Dec (peak)
17	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	557	Mar (past peak)
18	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	523	Jan (past peak)
19	Greater Roadrunner	Geococcyx californianus	Cuckoos	514	Aug (past peak)
20	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	501	Apr (past peak)
21	Black-throated Sparrow	Amphispiza bilineata	New World Sparrows	468	Mar (past peak)
22	Lesser Goldfinch	Spinus psaltria	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	455	Apr (past peak)
23	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	454	Mar (past peak)
24	Abert's Towhee	Melozone aberti	New World Sparrows	452	Apr (past peak)
25	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	434	Jan (past peak)
26	Say's Phoebe	Sayornis saya	Tyrant Flycatchers	419	Jan (past peak)
27	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	402	Jan (past peak)
28	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	383	Mar (past peak)
29	Black Phoebe	Sayornis nigricans	Tyrant Flycatchers	382	Jan (past peak)
30	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	374	Apr (past peak)
31	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	354	Apr (past peak)
32	Ladder-backed Woodpecker	Dryobates scalaris	Woodpeckers	343	Apr (past peak)
33	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	341	Dec (peak)
34	Costa's Hummingbird	Calypte costae	Hummingbirds	339	Mar (past peak)
35	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	335	Jan (past peak)
36	Harris's Hawk	Parabuteo unicinctus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	329	Jan (past peak)
37	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	320	Jan (past peak)
38	Western Bluebird	Sialia mexicana	Thrushes	318	Jan (past peak)
39	Rock Wren	Salpinctes obsoletus	Wrens	308	Jan (past peak)
40	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	306	Apr (past peak)
41	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	299	Mar (past peak)
42	Loggerhead Shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	Shrikes	286	Jan (past peak)
43	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	268	Apr (past peak)
44	Canyon Towhee	Melozone fusca	New World Sparrows	254	May (past peak)
45	Acorn Woodpecker	Melanerpes formicivorus	Woodpeckers	249	May (past peak)
46	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	243	Jan (past peak)
47	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	233	Jan (past peak)
48	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	230	Jan (past peak)
49	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	229	Oct (past peak)
50	Neotropic Cormorant	Nannopterum brasilianum	Cormorants and Shags	224	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in Arizona in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Arizona in December