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

60 birds were recorded seen in Minnesota in August in our iNaturalist sample; 3 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 August

Green Heron751 obs.

American Goldfinch723 obs.

Great Blue Heron674 obs.

Mallard663 obs.

Wild Turkey605 obs.

Wood Duck564 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird518 obs.

Bald Eagle478 obs.

Great Egret397 obs.

Sandhill Crane358 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant343 obs.

Downy Woodpecker335 obs.

All birds seen in Minnesota in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	751	Aug (peak)
2	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	723	May (past peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	674	Apr (past peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	663	Apr (past peak)
5	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	605	Apr (past peak)
6	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	564	Apr (past peak)
7	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	518	Sep (rising)
8	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	478	Apr (past peak)
9	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	397	May (past peak)
10	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	358	Apr (past peak)
11	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	343	Apr (past peak)
12	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	335	Apr (past peak)
13	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	329	Jul (past peak)
14	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	322	Sep (rising)
15	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	321	Aug (peak)
16	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	320	May (past peak)
17	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	314	Apr (past peak)
18	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	308	Apr (past peak)
19	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	300	Apr (past peak)
20	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	296	Apr (past peak)
21	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	274	Apr (past peak)
22	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	273	May (past peak)
23	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	264	May (past peak)
24	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	238	Apr (past peak)
25	Broad-winged Hawk	Buteo platypterus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	236	May (past peak)
26	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	232	Apr (past peak)
27	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	225	Apr (past peak)
28	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	212	Aug (peak)
29	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	209	May (past peak)
30	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	208	May (past peak)
31	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	204	Apr (past peak)
32	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	199	May (past peak)
33	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	198	Apr (past peak)
34	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	196	Apr (past peak)
35	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	188	Apr (past peak)
36	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	173	May (past peak)
37	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	172	Apr (past peak)
38	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	172	Apr (past peak)
39	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	163	May (past peak)
40	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	158	Apr (past peak)
41	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	157	Apr (past peak)
42	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	157	May (past peak)
43	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	154	May (past peak)
44	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	149	Apr (past peak)
45	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	146	Apr (past peak)
46	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	144	May (past peak)
47	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	140	May (past peak)
48	Indigo Bunting	Passerina cyanea	Cardinals and Allies	134	May (past peak)
49	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	133	May (past peak)
50	Nashville Warbler	Leiothlypis ruficapilla	New World Warblers	131	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in Minnesota in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in Minnesota in August