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

60 birds were recorded seen in Iowa in July 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 July

House Sparrow3,318 obs.

House Finch205 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird197 obs.

American Robin184 obs.

American Goldfinch161 obs.

Dickcissel138 obs.

Gray Catbird116 obs.

Canada Goose109 obs.

Eastern Kingbird109 obs.

Great Blue Heron106 obs.

Northern Cardinal105 obs.

Turkey Vulture104 obs.

All birds seen in Iowa in July

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	3,318	Jul (peak)
2	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	205	Aug (rising)
3	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	197	May (past peak)
4	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	184	May (past peak)
5	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	161	May (past peak)
6	Dickcissel	Spiza americana	Cardinals and Allies	138	Jun (past peak)
7	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	116	May (past peak)
8	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	109	Apr (past peak)
9	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	109	May (past peak)
10	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	106	Aug (rising)
11	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	105	Apr (past peak)
12	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	104	May (past peak)
13	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	99	Mar (past peak)
14	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	97	May (past peak)
15	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	95	May (past peak)
16	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	87	May (past peak)
17	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	86	May (past peak)
18	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	82	May (past peak)
19	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	78	Jun (past peak)
20	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	77	Sep (rising)
21	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	74	Apr (past peak)
22	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	73	May (past peak)
23	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	71	Apr (past peak)
24	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	70	May (past peak)
25	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	61	Mar (past peak)
26	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	59	May (past peak)
27	Purple Martin	Progne subis	Swallows and Martins	58	May (past peak)
28	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	56	May (past peak)
29	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	53	May (past peak)
30	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	53	Dec (rising)
31	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	51	May (past peak)
32	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	46	Dec (rising)
33	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	43	Aug (rising)
34	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	42	Jun (past peak)
35	Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	Swallows and Martins	40	Jun (past peak)
36	Baltimore Oriole	Icterus galbula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	39	May (past peak)
37	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	38	May (past peak)
38	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	34	May (past peak)
39	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	34	Aug (rising)
40	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	33	Apr (past peak)
41	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	31	May (past peak)
42	Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Pheucticus ludovicianus	Cardinals and Allies	31	May (past peak)
43	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	30	May (past peak)
44	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	29	Dec (rising)
45	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	27	Apr (past peak)
46	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	26	May (past peak)
47	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	26	Jul (peak)
48	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	25	Apr (past peak)
49	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	24	Aug (rising)
50	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	24	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in Iowa in July

Top birds in July

All birds seen in Iowa in July