Birds in Illinois in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in April in our iNaturalist sample; 35 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 April

American Robin3,694 obs.

Canada Goose3,424 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird3,419 obs.

Mallard2,893 obs.

Northern Cardinal2,399 obs.

House Sparrow2,035 obs.

Brown-headed Cowbird1,324 obs.

Common Grackle1,231 obs.

Mourning Dove1,208 obs.

White-throated Sparrow1,183 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler1,138 obs.

Song Sparrow1,135 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	3,694	Apr (peak)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	3,424	Apr (peak)
3	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	3,419	Apr (peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,893	Apr (peak)
5	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	2,399	Apr (peak)
6	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	2,035	Apr (peak)
7	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,324	Apr (peak)
8	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,231	Apr (peak)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	1,208	Apr (peak)
10	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,183	Apr (peak)
11	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	1,138	Oct (rising)
12	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,135	Apr (peak)
13	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	1,121	Apr (peak)
14	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,076	Aug (rising)
15	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	1,049	Apr (peak)
16	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	993	Apr (peak)
17	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	983	Apr (peak)
18	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	978	Apr (peak)
19	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	955	Apr (peak)
20	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	932	Apr (peak)
21	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	902	Aug (rising)
22	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	865	Apr (peak)
23	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	828	Apr (peak)
24	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	778	Apr (peak)
25	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	777	Apr (peak)
26	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	750	Apr (peak)
27	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	742	Apr (peak)
28	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	739	Apr (peak)
29	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	735	Jan (past peak)
30	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	729	Apr (peak)
31	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	709	Apr (peak)
32	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	708	Feb (past peak)
33	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	684	Apr (peak)
34	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	682	May (rising)
35	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	679	Apr (peak)
36	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	677	Mar (past peak)
37	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	658	Mar (past peak)
38	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	643	May (rising)
39	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	633	Apr (peak)
40	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	624	Apr (peak)
41	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	614	May (rising)
42	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	601	Apr (peak)
43	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	586	May (rising)
44	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	543	Apr (peak)
45	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Stelgidopteryx serripennis	Swallows and Martins	536	May (rising)
46	Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	520	Apr (peak)
47	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	517	Feb (past peak)
48	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	513	Oct (rising)
49	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	509	Aug (rising)
50	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	502	Apr (peak)

Birds Seen in Illinois in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Illinois in April