Birds in Kentucky in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Kentucky in December in our iNaturalist sample; 5 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 December

Northern Cardinal132 obs.

Snow Goose97 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk93 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk91 obs.

Downy Woodpecker81 obs.

Bald Eagle76 obs.

American Robin75 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker75 obs.

Song Sparrow70 obs.

Mallard69 obs.

Carolina Wren69 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco65 obs.

All birds seen in Kentucky in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	132	Apr (past peak)
2	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	97	Dec (peak)
3	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	93	Nov (past peak)
4	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	91	Feb (past peak)
5	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	81	Apr (past peak)
6	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	76	Nov (past peak)
7	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	75	Apr (past peak)
8	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	75	Apr (past peak)
9	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	70	Mar (past peak)
10	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	69	Apr (past peak)
11	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	69	Apr (past peak)
12	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	65	Jan (past peak)
13	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	62	Apr (past peak)
14	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	58	Apr (past peak)
15	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	56	Apr (past peak)
16	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	54	Jan (past peak)
17	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	53	Apr (past peak)
18	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	51	May (past peak)
19	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	46	Apr (past peak)
20	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	45	May (past peak)
21	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	45	Apr (past peak)
22	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	45	Apr (past peak)
23	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	45	Dec (peak)
24	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	43	Apr (past peak)
25	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	42	Apr (past peak)
26	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	41	Apr (past peak)
27	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	40	Apr (past peak)
28	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	40	Apr (past peak)
29	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	38	Dec (peak)
30	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Apr (past peak)
31	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	37	Apr (past peak)
32	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	33	Apr (past peak)
33	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	33	May (past peak)
34	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	33	Apr (past peak)
35	Eastern Screech-Owl	Megascops asio	Typical Owls	32	Jun (past peak)
36	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	27	Feb (past peak)
37	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	27	Apr (past peak)
38	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	25	May (past peak)
39	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	25	Dec (peak)
40	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	25	Mar (past peak)
41	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	25	Feb (past peak)
42	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	23	May (past peak)
43	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	22	Apr (past peak)
44	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	20	Nov (past peak)
45	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	17	Sep (past peak)
46	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	17	Jan (past peak)
47	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	16	Dec (peak)
48	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	16	Apr (past peak)
49	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	15	Oct (past peak)
50	Field Sparrow	Spizella pusilla	New World Sparrows	15	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Kentucky in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Kentucky in December