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

60 birds were recorded seen in Iowa in October 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 October

House Sparrow127 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler111 obs.

Downy Woodpecker105 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk102 obs.

Canada Goose95 obs.

American Robin95 obs.

White-throated Sparrow91 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco87 obs.

Bald Eagle86 obs.

Wild Turkey82 obs.

Mallard82 obs.

Northern Cardinal71 obs.

All birds seen in Iowa in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	127	Jul (past peak)
2	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	111	Oct (peak)
3	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	105	Dec (rising)
4	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	102	Mar (past peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	95	Apr (past peak)
6	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	95	May (past peak)
7	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	91	Apr (past peak)
8	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	87	Jan (past peak)
9	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	86	Mar (past peak)
10	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	82	May (past peak)
11	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	82	Apr (past peak)
12	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	71	Apr (past peak)
13	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	70	Dec (rising)
14	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	69	May (past peak)
15	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	65	May (past peak)
16	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	65	Dec (rising)
17	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	64	May (past peak)
18	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	61	Mar (past peak)
19	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	60	Oct (peak)
20	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	58	Apr (past peak)
21	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	54	Mar (past peak)
22	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	50	May (past peak)
23	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	48	Aug (past peak)
24	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	47	May (past peak)
25	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	46	Jun (past peak)
26	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	46	May (past peak)
27	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	45	Aug (past peak)
28	Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii	New World Sparrows	44	Oct (peak)
29	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	42	Apr (past peak)
30	Harris's Sparrow	Zonotrichia querula	New World Sparrows	41	May (past peak)
31	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	40	Apr (past peak)
32	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	40	Oct (peak)
33	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	31	Apr (past peak)
34	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	30	Aug (past peak)
35	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	27	May (past peak)
36	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	26	May (past peak)
37	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	26	Apr (past peak)
38	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	25	May (past peak)
39	Franklin's Gull	Leucophaeus pipixcan	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	25	Oct (peak)
40	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	25	Oct (peak)
41	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	24	Jun (past peak)
42	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	24	May (past peak)
43	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	24	May (past peak)
44	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	24	May (past peak)
45	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	23	Apr (past peak)
46	Orange-crowned Warbler	Leiothlypis celata	New World Warblers	23	Oct (peak)
47	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	21	Apr (past peak)
48	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	21	Apr (past peak)
49	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	21	May (past peak)
50	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	21	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Iowa in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Iowa in October