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

60 birds were recorded seen in Michigan in December in our iNaturalist sample; 4 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

Downy Woodpecker404 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco384 obs.

Northern Cardinal372 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee315 obs.

Mallard286 obs.

Blue Jay279 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker277 obs.

American Goldfinch276 obs.

Canada Goose265 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch258 obs.

Bald Eagle235 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk228 obs.

All birds seen in Michigan in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	404	Apr (past peak)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	384	Jan (past peak)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	372	Apr (past peak)
4	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	315	Apr (past peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	286	Apr (past peak)
6	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	279	May (past peak)
7	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	277	May (past peak)
8	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	276	Aug (past peak)
9	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	265	Apr (past peak)
10	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	258	Apr (past peak)
11	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	235	May (past peak)
12	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	228	Apr (past peak)
13	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	218	Jan (past peak)
14	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	216	Apr (past peak)
15	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	180	Apr (past peak)
16	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	180	May (past peak)
17	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	153	Apr (past peak)
18	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	151	Apr (past peak)
19	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	146	Jan (past peak)
20	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	134	May (past peak)
21	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	132	Jan (past peak)
22	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	132	May (past peak)
23	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	123	Jun (past peak)
24	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	122	Jul (past peak)
25	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	121	May (past peak)
26	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	116	Jul (past peak)
27	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	115	Feb (past peak)
28	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	105	Sep (past peak)
29	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	104	Dec (peak)
30	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	99	Apr (past peak)
31	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	94	Apr (past peak)
32	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	89	Apr (past peak)
33	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	88	May (past peak)
34	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	85	Mar (past peak)
35	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	84	Apr (past peak)
36	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	73	Apr (past peak)
37	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	69	Apr (past peak)
38	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	65	May (past peak)
39	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	64	Dec (peak)
40	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	63	Aug (past peak)
41	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	61	Apr (past peak)
42	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	61	Jan (past peak)
43	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	60	Jan (past peak)
44	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	59	May (past peak)
45	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	Mar (past peak)
46	Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	50	Dec (peak)
47	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	47	Jan (past peak)
48	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	45	Apr (past peak)
49	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	45	Apr (past peak)
50	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	44	Dec (peak)

Birds Seen in Michigan in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Michigan in December