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

60 birds were recorded seen in Michigan in January 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 January

Northern Cardinal543 obs.

Downy Woodpecker487 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco468 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee361 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker337 obs.

Blue Jay327 obs.

Mallard314 obs.

American Goldfinch294 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk268 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch248 obs.

American Tree Sparrow233 obs.

Cooper's Hawk224 obs.

All birds seen in Michigan in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	543	Apr (rising)
2	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	487	Apr (rising)
3	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	468	Jan (peak)
4	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	361	Apr (rising)
5	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	337	May (rising)
6	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	327	May (rising)
7	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	314	Apr (rising)
8	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	294	Aug (rising)
9	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	268	Apr (rising)
10	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	248	Apr (rising)
11	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	233	Jan (peak)
12	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	224	Jan (peak)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	221	May (rising)
14	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	213	May (rising)
15	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	211	Apr (rising)
16	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	199	Apr (rising)
17	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	191	Feb (rising)
18	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	181	Jan (peak)
19	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	178	Apr (rising)
20	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	173	Jun (rising)
21	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	171	May (rising)
22	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	161	Apr (rising)
23	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	136	May (rising)
24	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	128	Apr (rising)
25	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	115	Apr (rising)
26	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	109	May (rising)
27	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	105	Jul (rising)
28	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	104	Mar (rising)
29	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	101	Apr (rising)
30	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	98	May (rising)
31	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	98	Apr (rising)
32	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	97	Apr (rising)
33	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	85	Dec (rising)
34	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	84	Apr (rising)
35	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	80	Jan (peak)
36	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	79	Feb (rising)
37	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	76	Jan (peak)
38	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	76	Sep (rising)
39	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	75	Apr (rising)
40	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	74	Apr (rising)
41	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	74	Feb (rising)
42	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	72	May (rising)
43	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	65	Jan (peak)
44	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	60	Jan (peak)
45	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	60	Dec (rising)
46	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	57	Apr (rising)
47	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	57	Apr (rising)
48	Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Longspurs and Snow Buntings	57	Nov (rising)
49	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	52	Apr (rising)
50	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	52	Aug (rising)

Birds Seen in Michigan in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Michigan in January