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

60 birds were recorded seen in Maine in December in our iNaturalist sample; 6 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

Black-capped Chickadee154 obs.

Common Eider144 obs.

American Herring Gull143 obs.

Long-tailed Duck118 obs.

Red-breasted Merganser104 obs.

Bufflehead94 obs.

Wild Turkey91 obs.

Common Goldeneye91 obs.

Black Scoter86 obs.

Bald Eagle81 obs.

Downy Woodpecker80 obs.

Mallard79 obs.

All birds seen in Maine in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	154	Oct (past peak)
2	Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	144	Jun (past peak)
3	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	143	Aug (past peak)
4	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	118	Dec (peak)
5	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	104	Jan (past peak)
6	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	94	Jan (past peak)
7	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	91	Aug (past peak)
8	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	91	Feb (past peak)
9	Black Scoter	Melanitta americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	86	Dec (peak)
10	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	81	Aug (past peak)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	80	Jul (past peak)
12	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	79	Jul (past peak)
13	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	75	Jul (past peak)
14	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	74	May (past peak)
15	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	71	Jul (past peak)
16	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	70	Aug (past peak)
17	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	70	Apr (past peak)
18	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	67	Aug (past peak)
19	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	66	Mar (past peak)
20	White-winged Scoter	Melanitta deglandi	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	63	Dec (peak)
21	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	62	Mar (past peak)
22	Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	61	Dec (peak)
23	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	61	Mar (past peak)
24	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	57	May (past peak)
25	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	56	Jul (past peak)
26	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	55	May (past peak)
27	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	54	Aug (past peak)
28	Surf Scoter	Melanitta perspicillata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	Dec (peak)
29	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	44	Aug (past peak)
30	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	44	May (past peak)
31	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	44	Jan (past peak)
32	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	43	Jan (past peak)
33	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	40	Aug (past peak)
34	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	40	Jun (past peak)
35	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	40	Jul (past peak)
36	Purple Sandpiper	Calidris maritima	Sandpipers and Allies	39	May (past peak)
37	Black Guillemot	Cepphus grylle	Auks, Murres, and Puffins	39	Jul (past peak)
38	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	39	May (past peak)
39	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	37	Jan (past peak)
40	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	32	May (past peak)
41	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	32	Mar (past peak)
42	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	31	May (past peak)
43	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	28	Mar (past peak)
44	Evening Grosbeak	Hesperiphona vespertina	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	28	Nov (past peak)
45	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	27	Jan (past peak)
46	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	25	Dec (peak)
47	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	24	Jun (past peak)
48	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	23	Aug (past peak)
49	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	22	Aug (past peak)
50	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	22	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in Maine in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Maine in December