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

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in October in our iNaturalist sample; 4 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 October

House Sparrow1,429 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler1,241 obs.

Canada Goose919 obs.

Great Blue Heron861 obs.

Mallard841 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco784 obs.

White-throated Sparrow769 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk721 obs.

White-crowned Sparrow720 obs.

Golden-crowned Kinglet684 obs.

American Robin654 obs.

American Goldfinch632 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,429	Apr (past peak)
2	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	1,241	Oct (peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	919	Apr (past peak)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	861	Aug (past peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	841	Apr (past peak)
6	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	784	Jan (past peak)
7	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	769	Apr (past peak)
8	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	721	Feb (past peak)
9	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	720	May (past peak)
10	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	684	Oct (peak)
11	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	654	Apr (past peak)
12	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	632	Aug (past peak)
13	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	560	Apr (past peak)
14	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	537	Apr (past peak)
15	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	537	Sep (past peak)
16	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	506	Apr (past peak)
17	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	464	Apr (past peak)
18	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	456	Mar (past peak)
19	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	454	Apr (past peak)
20	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	450	Apr (past peak)
21	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	447	May (past peak)
22	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	444	Apr (past peak)
23	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	429	Mar (past peak)
24	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	390	Apr (past peak)
25	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	377	Apr (past peak)
26	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	368	May (past peak)
27	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	356	Apr (past peak)
28	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	352	Aug (past peak)
29	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	342	Feb (past peak)
30	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	331	Apr (past peak)
31	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	328	Apr (past peak)
32	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	327	Apr (past peak)
33	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	309	Apr (past peak)
34	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	303	Apr (past peak)
35	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	303	Apr (past peak)
36	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	298	Apr (past peak)
37	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	256	Apr (past peak)
38	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	237	May (past peak)
39	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	223	Apr (past peak)
40	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	220	Sep (past peak)
41	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	207	Mar (past peak)
42	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	204	Apr (past peak)
43	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	204	May (past peak)
44	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	204	Apr (past peak)
45	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	186	Apr (past peak)
46	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	183	May (past peak)
47	Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii	New World Sparrows	183	May (past peak)
48	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	174	Apr (past peak)
49	Winter Wren	Troglodytes hiemalis	Wrens	168	Oct (peak)
50	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	165	Oct (peak)

Birds Seen in Illinois in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Illinois in October