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

60 birds were recorded seen in Michigan in March in our iNaturalist sample; 2 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 March

Canada Goose959 obs.

American Robin820 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird767 obs.

Mallard727 obs.

Northern Cardinal632 obs.

Sandhill Crane524 obs.

Downy Woodpecker462 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee422 obs.

Mourning Dove366 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker349 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco343 obs.

Common Grackle338 obs.

All birds seen in Michigan in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	959	Apr (rising)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	820	Apr (rising)
3	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	767	Apr (rising)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	727	Apr (rising)
5	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	632	Apr (rising)
6	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	524	May (rising)
7	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	462	Apr (rising)
8	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	422	Apr (rising)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	366	Apr (rising)
10	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	349	May (rising)
11	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	343	Jan (past peak)
12	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	338	Apr (rising)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	326	May (rising)
14	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	324	May (rising)
15	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	323	Apr (rising)
16	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	311	Apr (rising)
17	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	296	Apr (rising)
18	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	288	Apr (rising)
19	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	285	May (rising)
20	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	277	Apr (rising)
21	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	276	May (rising)
22	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	272	Apr (rising)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	258	May (rising)
24	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	247	May (rising)
25	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	235	Apr (rising)
26	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	234	Aug (rising)
27	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	230	Jun (rising)
28	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	225	Apr (rising)
29	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	203	May (rising)
30	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	197	Mar (peak)
31	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	194	Apr (rising)
32	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	186	Apr (rising)
33	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	180	Apr (rising)
34	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	178	Jan (past peak)
35	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	176	Feb (past peak)
36	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	175	Jul (rising)
37	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	169	Jan (past peak)
38	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	163	May (rising)
39	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	148	Apr (rising)
40	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	132	Aug (rising)
41	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	126	Apr (rising)
42	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	124	Feb (past peak)
43	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	124	May (rising)
44	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	104	Jul (rising)
45	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	99	Mar (peak)
46	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	94	Apr (rising)
47	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	93	Apr (rising)
48	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	93	Apr (rising)
49	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	89	Apr (rising)
50	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	89	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in Michigan in March

Top birds in March

All birds seen in Michigan in March