Birds in Minnesota in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Minnesota in April in our iNaturalist sample; 37 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 April

Mallard2,461 obs.

Canada Goose2,095 obs.

American Robin1,996 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird1,696 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler1,361 obs.

Wood Duck1,358 obs.

Song Sparrow1,198 obs.

Wild Turkey1,181 obs.

Bald Eagle1,179 obs.

Blue-winged Teal1,109 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,046 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco911 obs.

All birds seen in Minnesota in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,461	Apr (peak)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,095	Apr (peak)
3	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	1,996	Apr (peak)
4	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,696	May (rising)
5	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	1,361	Apr (peak)
6	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,358	Apr (peak)
7	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,198	Apr (peak)
8	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	1,181	Apr (peak)
9	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,179	Apr (peak)
10	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,109	Apr (peak)
11	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,046	Apr (peak)
12	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	911	Apr (peak)
13	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	874	Apr (peak)
14	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	848	Apr (peak)
15	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	822	Apr (peak)
16	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	822	Apr (peak)
17	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	815	Apr (peak)
18	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	784	Apr (peak)
19	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	777	Apr (peak)
20	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	754	Apr (peak)
21	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	745	Apr (peak)
22	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	664	May (rising)
23	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	641	Apr (peak)
24	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	610	Apr (peak)
25	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	576	Apr (peak)
26	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	563	Apr (peak)
27	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	550	Apr (peak)
28	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	543	Apr (peak)
29	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	530	Jul (rising)
30	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	529	May (rising)
31	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	504	Apr (peak)
32	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	500	May (rising)
33	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	493	May (rising)
34	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	486	Apr (peak)
35	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	466	Apr (peak)
36	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	456	Apr (peak)
37	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	455	Apr (peak)
38	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	445	Apr (peak)
39	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	433	May (rising)
40	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	430	May (rising)
41	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	423	May (rising)
42	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	423	Apr (peak)
43	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	420	May (rising)
44	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	400	Sep (rising)
45	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	390	Apr (peak)
46	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	389	Apr (peak)
47	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	376	Apr (peak)
48	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	359	Apr (peak)
49	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	345	May (rising)
50	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	330	May (rising)

Birds Seen in Minnesota in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Minnesota in April