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

60 birds were recorded seen in Delaware in December in our iNaturalist sample; 3 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

Snow Goose213 obs.

Bald Eagle160 obs.

Great Blue Heron143 obs.

Bufflehead129 obs.

Northern Pintail101 obs.

Northern Harrier101 obs.

Northern Cardinal91 obs.

White-throated Sparrow88 obs.

Tundra Swan85 obs.

Sanderling83 obs.

Song Sparrow82 obs.

Hooded Merganser76 obs.

All birds seen in Delaware in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	213	Dec (peak)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	160	Apr (past peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	143	May (past peak)
4	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	129	Jan (past peak)
5	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	101	Feb (past peak)
6	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	101	Dec (peak)
7	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	91	Apr (past peak)
8	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	88	Jan (past peak)
9	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	85	Jan (past peak)
10	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	83	Aug (past peak)
11	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	82	Jan (past peak)
12	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	76	Feb (past peak)
13	Surf Scoter	Melanitta perspicillata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	71	Jan (past peak)
14	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	68	Mar (past peak)
15	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	63	Jan (past peak)
16	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	61	May (past peak)
17	Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Sandpipers and Allies	59	May (past peak)
18	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	58	Jan (past peak)
19	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	58	Feb (past peak)
20	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	57	Aug (past peak)
21	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	55	Apr (past peak)
22	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	54	May (past peak)
23	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	53	May (past peak)
24	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	52	Jan (past peak)
25	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	Mar (past peak)
26	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	48	Apr (past peak)
27	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	47	Jan (past peak)
28	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	47	Oct (past peak)
29	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	44	May (past peak)
30	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	44	Oct (past peak)
31	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	43	Oct (past peak)
32	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	42	Apr (past peak)
33	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	42	Jan (past peak)
34	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	42	Mar (past peak)
35	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	42	Mar (past peak)
36	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	41	Jan (past peak)
37	Boat-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus major	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	41	Feb (past peak)
38	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	39	Mar (past peak)
39	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	38	Apr (past peak)
40	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	38	Aug (past peak)
41	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	36	May (past peak)
42	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	35	Apr (past peak)
43	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	35	Apr (past peak)
44	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Sandpipers and Allies	33	May (past peak)
45	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	33	Apr (past peak)
46	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	32	Mar (past peak)
47	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	32	Dec (peak)
48	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	31	Oct (past peak)
49	Red-throated Loon	Gavia stellata	Loons	31	Jan (past peak)
50	Bonaparte's Gull	Chroicocephalus philadelphia	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	31	Jan (past peak)

Birds Seen in Delaware in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Delaware in December