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

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in March in our iNaturalist sample; 13 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 March

American Robin2,254 obs.

Canada Goose2,187 obs.

Mallard1,844 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,644 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird1,561 obs.

House Sparrow1,281 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco1,198 obs.

Song Sparrow1,089 obs.

Red-breasted Merganser962 obs.

Downy Woodpecker907 obs.

Mourning Dove847 obs.

Ring-billed Gull825 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	2,254	Apr (rising)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,187	Apr (rising)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,844	Apr (rising)
4	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,644	Apr (rising)
5	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,561	Apr (rising)
6	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,281	Apr (rising)
7	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,198	Jan (past peak)
8	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,089	Apr (rising)
9	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	962	Mar (peak)
10	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	907	Apr (rising)
11	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	847	Apr (rising)
12	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	825	Mar (peak)
13	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	819	Apr (rising)
14	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	766	Feb (past peak)
15	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	726	Apr (rising)
16	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	718	Apr (rising)
17	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	688	Jan (past peak)
18	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	635	Apr (rising)
19	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	584	Apr (rising)
20	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	584	Feb (past peak)
21	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	579	Mar (peak)
22	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	564	Mar (peak)
23	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	520	Mar (peak)
24	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	520	Mar (peak)
25	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	518	Apr (rising)
26	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	513	May (rising)
27	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	503	Sep (rising)
28	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	489	Apr (rising)
29	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	473	Apr (rising)
30	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	454	Mar (peak)
31	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	434	Apr (rising)
32	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	429	Mar (peak)
33	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	413	May (rising)
34	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	411	Feb (past peak)
35	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	404	Apr (rising)
36	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	390	Aug (rising)
37	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	383	Mar (peak)
38	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	362	Mar (peak)
39	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	359	Oct (rising)
40	Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	New World Sparrows	353	Mar (peak)
41	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	353	Apr (rising)
42	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	307	Feb (past peak)
43	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	297	Jan (past peak)
44	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	292	Mar (peak)
45	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	284	Apr (rising)
46	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	260	Apr (rising)
47	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	257	Apr (rising)
48	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	250	Mar (peak)
49	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	233	Apr (rising)
50	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	233	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in Illinois in March

Top birds in March

All birds seen in Illinois in March