Birds in Indiana in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Indiana in December in our iNaturalist sample; 2 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 December

Northern Cardinal269 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco225 obs.

Downy Woodpecker199 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk160 obs.

Sandhill Crane150 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker141 obs.

Cooper's Hawk130 obs.

Bald Eagle127 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch125 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk124 obs.

House Finch123 obs.

Tufted Titmouse121 obs.

All birds seen in Indiana in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	269	Apr (past peak)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	225	Jan (past peak)
3	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	199	Apr (past peak)
4	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	160	May (past peak)
5	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	150	Feb (past peak)
6	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	141	Apr (past peak)
7	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	130	Apr (past peak)
8	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	127	Apr (past peak)
9	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	125	Apr (past peak)
10	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	124	Sep (past peak)
11	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	123	Apr (past peak)
12	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	121	Apr (past peak)
13	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	106	May (past peak)
14	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	105	Apr (past peak)
15	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	102	May (past peak)
16	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	99	Apr (past peak)
17	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	92	Apr (past peak)
18	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	91	Apr (past peak)
19	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	85	Aug (past peak)
20	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	82	Apr (past peak)
21	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	79	Apr (past peak)
22	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	76	Apr (past peak)
23	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	76	May (past peak)
24	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	74	May (past peak)
25	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	71	Aug (past peak)
26	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	68	Apr (past peak)
27	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	66	Apr (past peak)
28	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	64	Jan (past peak)
29	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	63	Apr (past peak)
30	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	58	Mar (past peak)
31	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	55	Apr (past peak)
32	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	49	Apr (past peak)
33	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	42	May (past peak)
34	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	41	May (past peak)
35	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	41	Dec (peak)
36	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	36	Jan (past peak)
37	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	36	May (past peak)
38	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	35	Jan (past peak)
39	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	32	May (past peak)
40	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	32	Aug (past peak)
41	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	32	Mar (past peak)
42	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	31	Feb (past peak)
43	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	30	Apr (past peak)
44	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	30	May (past peak)
45	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	30	Mar (past peak)
46	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	29	Dec (peak)
47	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Jan (past peak)
48	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Mar (past peak)
49	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	25	Mar (past peak)
50	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	24	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Indiana in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Indiana in December