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

60 birds were recorded seen in Maryland in December in our iNaturalist sample; 0 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

White-throated Sparrow965 obs.

Northern Cardinal954 obs.

Ring-billed Gull890 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco840 obs.

Canada Goose827 obs.

Bald Eagle805 obs.

Great Blue Heron765 obs.

Mallard722 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk712 obs.

Eastern Bluebird671 obs.

Downy Woodpecker667 obs.

Song Sparrow632 obs.

All birds seen in Maryland in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	965	Jan (past peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	954	Apr (past peak)
3	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	890	Jan (past peak)
4	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	840	Jan (past peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	827	Apr (past peak)
6	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	805	Jan (past peak)
7	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	765	May (past peak)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	722	Apr (past peak)
9	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	712	Jan (past peak)
10	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	671	Apr (past peak)
11	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	667	Jan (past peak)
12	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	632	Jan (past peak)
13	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	528	Apr (past peak)
14	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	525	Feb (past peak)
15	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	510	Jan (past peak)
16	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	502	Apr (past peak)
17	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	480	Apr (past peak)
18	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	431	Apr (past peak)
19	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	421	Apr (past peak)
20	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	379	Apr (past peak)
21	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	374	Apr (past peak)
22	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	372	Feb (past peak)
23	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	370	Mar (past peak)
24	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	363	Apr (past peak)
25	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	351	Apr (past peak)
26	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	350	Apr (past peak)
27	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	341	Apr (past peak)
28	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	336	Jan (past peak)
29	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	326	Mar (past peak)
30	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	323	Apr (past peak)
31	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	323	Apr (past peak)
32	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	319	Oct (past peak)
33	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	311	Apr (past peak)
34	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	305	Oct (past peak)
35	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	304	Apr (past peak)
36	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	251	Nov (past peak)
37	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	243	Apr (past peak)
38	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	237	Jan (past peak)
39	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	235	Jan (past peak)
40	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	232	Feb (past peak)
41	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	232	Feb (past peak)
42	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	206	Apr (past peak)
43	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	187	May (past peak)
44	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	186	Oct (past peak)
45	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	165	Feb (past peak)
46	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	150	Feb (past peak)
47	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	149	Apr (past peak)
48	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	148	Feb (past peak)
49	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	141	Jan (past peak)
50	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	135	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Maryland in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Maryland in December