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

60 birds were recorded seen in Iowa in March in our iNaturalist sample; 15 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 March

Canada Goose292 obs.

American Robin284 obs.

Bald Eagle237 obs.

Northern Cardinal219 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird169 obs.

House Sparrow166 obs.

Mallard144 obs.

Downy Woodpecker125 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco121 obs.

American White Pelican113 obs.

Ring-billed Gull107 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk105 obs.

All birds seen in Iowa in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	292	Apr (rising)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	284	May (rising)
3	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	237	Mar (peak)
4	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	219	Apr (rising)
5	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	169	May (rising)
6	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	166	Jul (rising)
7	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	144	Apr (rising)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	125	Dec (rising)
9	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	121	Jan (past peak)
10	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	113	Apr (rising)
11	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	107	Mar (peak)
12	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	105	Mar (peak)
13	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	102	Mar (peak)
14	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	102	Aug (rising)
15	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	93	Dec (rising)
16	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	85	Dec (rising)
17	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	81	May (rising)
18	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	77	May (rising)
19	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	74	May (rising)
20	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	74	Apr (rising)
21	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	70	Mar (peak)
22	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	68	Mar (peak)
23	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	68	Mar (peak)
24	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	67	May (rising)
25	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	63	Jun (rising)
26	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	59	Apr (rising)
27	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	59	Apr (rising)
28	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	58	Apr (rising)
29	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	57	Mar (peak)
30	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	55	May (rising)
31	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	55	Mar (peak)
32	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	54	Mar (peak)
33	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	53	May (rising)
34	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	52	May (rising)
35	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	49	May (rising)
36	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	46	Mar (peak)
37	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	45	Apr (rising)
38	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	44	May (rising)
39	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	43	Apr (rising)
40	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	43	Dec (rising)
41	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	42	Aug (rising)
42	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	41	May (rising)
43	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	Apr (rising)
44	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	36	Aug (rising)
45	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	36	Mar (peak)
46	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	35	Apr (rising)
47	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	34	Mar (peak)
48	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	34	Mar (peak)
49	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	32	Jun (rising)
50	American Woodcock	Scolopax minor	Sandpipers and Allies	29	Mar (peak)

Birds Seen in Iowa in March

Top birds in March

All birds seen in Iowa in March