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

60 birds were recorded seen in Iowa in August in our iNaturalist sample; 7 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 August

House Sparrow510 obs.

House Finch270 obs.

American Goldfinch209 obs.

Great Blue Heron129 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird120 obs.

Wild Turkey100 obs.

Turkey Vulture94 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk91 obs.

Eastern Kingbird88 obs.

Mourning Dove87 obs.

American Robin83 obs.

Northern Cardinal82 obs.

All birds seen in Iowa in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	510	Jul (past peak)
2	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	270	Aug (peak)
3	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	209	May (past peak)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	129	Aug (peak)
5	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	120	Sep (rising)
6	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	100	May (past peak)
7	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	94	May (past peak)
8	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	91	Mar (past peak)
9	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	88	May (past peak)
10	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	87	May (past peak)
11	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	83	May (past peak)
12	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	82	Apr (past peak)
13	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	79	Apr (past peak)
14	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	77	Apr (past peak)
15	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	74	Dec (rising)
16	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	69	Aug (peak)
17	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	65	Apr (past peak)
18	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	65	May (past peak)
19	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	64	May (past peak)
20	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	60	May (past peak)
21	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	57	Jun (past peak)
22	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	54	Aug (peak)
23	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	54	Mar (past peak)
24	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	54	May (past peak)
25	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	54	Dec (rising)
26	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	52	Aug (peak)
27	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	51	May (past peak)
28	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	51	Sep (rising)
29	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	47	May (past peak)
30	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	45	May (past peak)
31	Dickcissel	Spiza americana	Cardinals and Allies	44	Jun (past peak)
32	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	40	Apr (past peak)
33	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	37	May (past peak)
34	Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	Swallows and Martins	33	Jun (past peak)
35	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	32	Apr (past peak)
36	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	32	Apr (past peak)
37	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	30	Aug (peak)
38	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	29	Mar (past peak)
39	Sedge Wren	Cistothorus stellaris	Wrens	27	Aug (peak)
40	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	26	May (past peak)
41	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	25	Mar (past peak)
42	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	25	May (past peak)
43	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	25	Jul (past peak)
44	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	24	May (past peak)
45	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	23	Dec (rising)
46	Pectoral Sandpiper	Calidris melanotos	Sandpipers and Allies	22	Apr (past peak)
47	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	22	Jun (past peak)
48	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	22	May (past peak)
49	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	22	May (past peak)
50	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	21	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Iowa in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in Iowa in August