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

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in July in our iNaturalist sample; 1 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 July

Red-winged Blackbird1,355 obs.

American Robin1,329 obs.

Great Blue Heron1,284 obs.

Mallard1,216 obs.

House Sparrow1,167 obs.

American Goldfinch935 obs.

Northern Cardinal827 obs.

Canada Goose772 obs.

Eastern Kingbird662 obs.

Mourning Dove627 obs.

Ring-billed Gull613 obs.

Great Egret606 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in July

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,355	Apr (past peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	1,329	Apr (past peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,284	Aug (rising)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,216	Apr (past peak)
5	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,167	Apr (past peak)
6	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	935	Aug (rising)
7	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	827	Apr (past peak)
8	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	772	Apr (past peak)
9	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	662	May (past peak)
10	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	627	Apr (past peak)
11	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	613	Mar (past peak)
12	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	606	Aug (rising)
13	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	595	May (past peak)
14	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	587	Aug (rising)
15	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	586	May (past peak)
16	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	541	May (past peak)
17	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	538	Apr (past peak)
18	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	512	Apr (past peak)
19	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	503	May (past peak)
20	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	450	Feb (past peak)
21	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	441	May (past peak)
22	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	441	Apr (past peak)
23	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	427	May (past peak)
24	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	367	May (past peak)
25	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	353	Apr (past peak)
26	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	347	Apr (past peak)
27	Dickcissel	Spiza americana	Cardinals and Allies	333	Jun (past peak)
28	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	329	Apr (past peak)
29	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	324	May (past peak)
30	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	312	May (past peak)
31	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	301	Apr (past peak)
32	Purple Martin	Progne subis	Swallows and Martins	300	May (past peak)
33	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	293	May (past peak)
34	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	290	May (past peak)
35	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	283	Sep (rising)
36	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	278	May (past peak)
37	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	274	Apr (past peak)
38	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	271	Apr (past peak)
39	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	265	May (past peak)
40	Caspian Tern	Hydroprogne caspia	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	254	Apr (past peak)
41	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	247	Mar (past peak)
42	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	241	May (past peak)
43	Piping Plover	Charadrius melodus	Plovers and Lapwings	237	Jul (peak)
44	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	236	Apr (past peak)
45	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	235	Apr (past peak)
46	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	215	Apr (past peak)
47	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	209	Apr (past peak)
48	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	205	Feb (past peak)
49	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	199	May (past peak)
50	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	198	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Illinois in July

Top birds in July

All birds seen in Illinois in July