Birds in Iowa in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Iowa in April in our iNaturalist sample; 17 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 April

Canada Goose559 obs.

American Robin536 obs.

Northern Cardinal332 obs.

House Sparrow329 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird307 obs.

Mallard245 obs.

Blue-winged Teal215 obs.

American White Pelican187 obs.

House Finch169 obs.

Turkey Vulture152 obs.

Common Grackle143 obs.

American Coot142 obs.

All birds seen in Iowa in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	559	Apr (peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	536	May (rising)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	332	Apr (peak)
4	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	329	Jul (rising)
5	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	307	May (rising)
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	245	Apr (peak)
7	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	215	Apr (peak)
8	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	187	Apr (peak)
9	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	169	Aug (rising)
10	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	152	May (rising)
11	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	143	May (rising)
12	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	142	Apr (peak)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	136	Mar (past peak)
14	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	124	Apr (peak)
15	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	117	May (rising)
16	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	109	May (rising)
17	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	102	Dec (rising)
18	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	99	Apr (peak)
19	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	97	Oct (rising)
20	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	96	May (rising)
21	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	96	May (rising)
22	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	95	May (rising)
23	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	92	May (rising)
24	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	87	Apr (peak)
25	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	87	Mar (past peak)
26	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	84	May (rising)
27	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	83	Apr (peak)
28	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	82	May (rising)
29	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	82	Dec (rising)
30	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	80	Apr (peak)
31	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	79	Apr (peak)
32	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	78	Jun (rising)
33	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	76	Aug (rising)
34	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	75	Apr (peak)
35	Lesser Yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes	Sandpipers and Allies	73	Apr (peak)
36	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	71	Dec (rising)
37	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	67	Mar (past peak)
38	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	66	May (rising)
39	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	65	May (rising)
40	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	65	May (rising)
41	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	64	Apr (peak)
42	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	63	Apr (peak)
43	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	62	Apr (peak)
44	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	59	May (rising)
45	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	49	Sep (rising)
46	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	44	Mar (past peak)
47	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	42	May (rising)
48	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	42	Aug (rising)
49	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	40	Mar (past peak)
50	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	39	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in Iowa in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Iowa in April