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

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in January in our iNaturalist sample; 7 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 January

Dark-eyed Junco1,205 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,193 obs.

Canada Goose846 obs.

American Herring Gull799 obs.

Common Goldeneye790 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk752 obs.

American Tree Sparrow738 obs.

Downy Woodpecker692 obs.

House Sparrow651 obs.

Bald Eagle618 obs.

Mallard581 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee581 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,205	Jan (peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,193	Apr (rising)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	846	Apr (rising)
4	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	799	Feb (rising)
5	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	790	Jan (peak)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	752	Feb (rising)
7	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	738	Jan (peak)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	692	Apr (rising)
9	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	651	Apr (rising)
10	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	618	Feb (rising)
11	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	581	Apr (rising)
12	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	581	Apr (rising)
13	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	497	Apr (rising)
14	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	425	Mar (rising)
15	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	406	Apr (rising)
16	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	405	Mar (rising)
17	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	400	Apr (rising)
18	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	391	Aug (rising)
19	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	387	Apr (rising)
20	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	375	Sep (rising)
21	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	361	Mar (rising)
22	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	310	Apr (rising)
23	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	293	Feb (rising)
24	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	279	Apr (rising)
25	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	251	May (rising)
26	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	228	Feb (rising)
27	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	216	Apr (rising)
28	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	203	Mar (rising)
29	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	182	Feb (rising)
30	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	180	Mar (rising)
31	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	163	Mar (rising)
32	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	157	Aug (rising)
33	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	144	May (rising)
34	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	143	Apr (rising)
35	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	140	Jan (peak)
36	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	138	Apr (rising)
37	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	133	Sep (rising)
38	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	132	Apr (rising)
39	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	125	Jan (peak)
40	Long-eared Owl	Asio otus	Typical Owls	125	Jan (peak)
41	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	124	Apr (rising)
42	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	118	Sep (rising)
43	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	110	Apr (rising)
44	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	109	Oct (rising)
45	Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	New World Sparrows	108	Mar (rising)
46	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	104	Feb (rising)
47	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	104	Feb (rising)
48	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	102	Jan (peak)
49	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	100	Apr (rising)
50	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	99	May (rising)

Birds Seen in Illinois in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Illinois in January