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

60 birds were recorded seen in Iowa in September in our iNaturalist sample; 8 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 September

House Sparrow217 obs.

Turkey Vulture151 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird133 obs.

Great Blue Heron124 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk105 obs.

Canada Goose105 obs.

Mallard104 obs.

American Goldfinch96 obs.

Wild Turkey83 obs.

American White Pelican74 obs.

Northern Cardinal72 obs.

Mourning Dove71 obs.

All birds seen in Iowa in September

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	217	Jul (past peak)
2	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	151	May (past peak)
3	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	133	Sep (peak)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	124	Aug (past peak)
5	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	105	Mar (past peak)
6	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	105	Apr (past peak)
7	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	104	Apr (past peak)
8	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	96	May (past peak)
9	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	83	May (past peak)
10	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	74	Apr (past peak)
11	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	72	Apr (past peak)
12	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	71	May (past peak)
13	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	70	Apr (past peak)
14	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	70	Dec (rising)
15	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	68	Aug (past peak)
16	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	67	May (past peak)
17	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	54	Sep (peak)
18	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	51	Mar (past peak)
19	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	51	Mar (past peak)
20	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	48	Jun (past peak)
21	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	48	Dec (rising)
22	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	48	May (past peak)
23	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	47	Dec (rising)
24	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	45	Aug (past peak)
25	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	44	May (past peak)
26	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	44	May (past peak)
27	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	44	May (past peak)
28	Nashville Warbler	Leiothlypis ruficapilla	New World Warblers	43	Sep (peak)
29	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	41	May (past peak)
30	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	39	Aug (past peak)
31	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	39	May (past peak)
32	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	38	Sep (peak)
33	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	36	Apr (past peak)
34	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	36	Jun (past peak)
35	Magnolia Warbler	Setophaga magnolia	New World Warblers	36	May (past peak)
36	Red-eyed Vireo	Vireo olivaceus	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	33	Sep (peak)
37	Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	Nightjars and Allies	32	Sep (peak)
38	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	31	May (past peak)
39	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	31	Aug (past peak)
40	Broad-winged Hawk	Buteo platypterus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	30	Sep (peak)
41	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	30	May (past peak)
42	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	29	May (past peak)
43	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	26	Mar (past peak)
44	Swainson's Thrush	Catharus ustulatus	Thrushes	26	May (past peak)
45	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	26	May (past peak)
46	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	25	Apr (past peak)
47	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	24	Jul (past peak)
48	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	22	May (past peak)
49	Bay-breasted Warbler	Setophaga castanea	New World Warblers	22	Sep (peak)
50	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	21	Aug (past peak)

Birds Seen in Iowa in September

Top birds in September

All birds seen in Iowa in September