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

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in September in our iNaturalist sample; 5 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 September

Great Blue Heron1,377 obs.

House Sparrow1,262 obs.

American Goldfinch1,032 obs.

Mallard1,024 obs.

Canada Goose984 obs.

Swainson's Thrush871 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird859 obs.

Northern Cardinal840 obs.

Great Egret825 obs.

Ring-billed Gull741 obs.

Bay-breasted Warbler725 obs.

American Redstart709 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in September

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,377	Aug (past peak)
2	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,262	Apr (past peak)
3	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	1,032	Aug (past peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,024	Apr (past peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	984	Apr (past peak)
6	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	871	May (past peak)
7	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	859	Aug (past peak)
8	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	840	Apr (past peak)
9	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	825	Aug (past peak)
10	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	741	Mar (past peak)
11	Bay-breasted Warbler	Setophaga castanea	New World Warblers	725	Sep (peak)
12	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	709	May (past peak)
13	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	689	May (past peak)
14	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	687	Apr (past peak)
15	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	662	Apr (past peak)
16	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	638	Feb (past peak)
17	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	627	Sep (peak)
18	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	609	Sep (peak)
19	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	582	May (past peak)
20	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	562	Apr (past peak)
21	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	519	Apr (past peak)
22	Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	New World Warblers	516	Sep (peak)
23	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	490	Apr (past peak)
24	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	482	May (past peak)
25	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	465	Apr (past peak)
26	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	441	May (past peak)
27	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	418	Apr (past peak)
28	Nashville Warbler	Leiothlypis ruficapilla	New World Warblers	410	May (past peak)
29	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	405	Oct (rising)
30	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	400	May (past peak)
31	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	356	May (past peak)
32	Black-throated Green Warbler	Setophaga virens	New World Warblers	356	May (past peak)
33	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	353	Mar (past peak)
34	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	332	Apr (past peak)
35	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	324	Apr (past peak)
36	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	317	May (past peak)
37	Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	New World Warblers	312	Sep (peak)
38	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	303	May (past peak)
39	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	292	Apr (past peak)
40	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	285	Apr (past peak)
41	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	272	May (past peak)
42	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	271	May (past peak)
43	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	270	May (past peak)
44	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	264	May (past peak)
45	Chestnut-sided Warbler	Setophaga pensylvanica	New World Warblers	254	May (past peak)
46	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	253	Feb (past peak)
47	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	250	Mar (past peak)
48	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	245	May (past peak)
49	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	238	Apr (past peak)
50	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	232	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Illinois in September

Top birds in September

All birds seen in Illinois in September