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

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in December in our iNaturalist sample; 0 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

Northern Cardinal869 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco847 obs.

Canada Goose708 obs.

Downy Woodpecker659 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk608 obs.

House Sparrow594 obs.

American Tree Sparrow517 obs.

Mallard483 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker466 obs.

Red-breasted Merganser449 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee443 obs.

Cooper's Hawk401 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	869	Apr (past peak)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	847	Jan (past peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	708	Apr (past peak)
4	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	659	Apr (past peak)
5	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	608	Feb (past peak)
6	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	594	Apr (past peak)
7	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	517	Jan (past peak)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	483	Apr (past peak)
9	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	466	Apr (past peak)
10	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	449	Mar (past peak)
11	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	443	Apr (past peak)
12	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	401	Sep (past peak)
13	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	399	Feb (past peak)
14	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	397	Feb (past peak)
15	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	396	Apr (past peak)
16	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	394	Jan (past peak)
17	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	387	Aug (past peak)
18	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	363	Mar (past peak)
19	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	322	Apr (past peak)
20	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	303	Mar (past peak)
21	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	295	Apr (past peak)
22	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	273	May (past peak)
23	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	232	Apr (past peak)
24	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	204	Apr (past peak)
25	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	198	Aug (past peak)
26	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	196	Mar (past peak)
27	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	171	Mar (past peak)
28	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	166	Mar (past peak)
29	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	146	Feb (past peak)
30	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	141	Feb (past peak)
31	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	139	Apr (past peak)
32	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	128	Apr (past peak)
33	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	122	May (past peak)
34	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	122	Sep (past peak)
35	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	114	Sep (past peak)
36	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	113	Jan (past peak)
37	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	112	Apr (past peak)
38	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	110	Apr (past peak)
39	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	107	Feb (past peak)
40	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	107	Mar (past peak)
41	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	106	Apr (past peak)
42	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	103	Feb (past peak)
43	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	101	Apr (past peak)
44	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	99	May (past peak)
45	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	98	Apr (past peak)
46	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	92	Mar (past peak)
47	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	91	Apr (past peak)
48	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	83	May (past peak)
49	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	83	Mar (past peak)
50	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	82	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Illinois in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Illinois in December