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

60 birds were recorded seen in Minnesota in December 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 December

Black-capped Chickadee465 obs.

Downy Woodpecker465 obs.

Northern Cardinal405 obs.

Bald Eagle373 obs.

Mallard312 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch307 obs.

House Sparrow301 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco298 obs.

Blue Jay288 obs.

Wild Turkey273 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker272 obs.

Pileated Woodpecker224 obs.

All birds seen in Minnesota in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	465	Apr (past peak)
2	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	465	Apr (past peak)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	405	Apr (past peak)
4	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	373	Apr (past peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	312	Apr (past peak)
6	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	307	Apr (past peak)
7	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	301	May (past peak)
8	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	298	Apr (past peak)
9	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	288	May (past peak)
10	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	273	Apr (past peak)
11	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	272	Apr (past peak)
12	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	224	Apr (past peak)
13	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	220	Apr (past peak)
14	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	215	Apr (past peak)
15	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	194	Apr (past peak)
16	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	186	May (past peak)
17	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	176	Apr (past peak)
18	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	161	Feb (past peak)
19	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	137	Apr (past peak)
20	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	136	Apr (past peak)
21	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	135	Apr (past peak)
22	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	129	Mar (past peak)
23	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	120	Apr (past peak)
24	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	117	Feb (past peak)
25	Canada Jay	Perisoreus canadensis	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	113	Feb (past peak)
26	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	111	Apr (past peak)
27	Ruffed Grouse	Bonasa umbellus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	107	Feb (past peak)
28	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	101	Jan (past peak)
29	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	96	May (past peak)
30	Evening Grosbeak	Hesperiphona vespertina	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	94	Feb (past peak)
31	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	93	Feb (past peak)
32	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	91	Apr (past peak)
33	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	88	Dec (peak)
34	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	81	Feb (past peak)
35	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	81	Apr (past peak)
36	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	68	Apr (past peak)
37	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	65	Apr (past peak)
38	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	63	Apr (past peak)
39	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	59	Jan (past peak)
40	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	58	Apr (past peak)
41	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	56	Apr (past peak)
42	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	56	May (past peak)
43	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	49	Sep (past peak)
44	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	49	Apr (past peak)
45	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	47	Sep (past peak)
46	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	47	Apr (past peak)
47	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	47	Apr (past peak)
48	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	36	Dec (peak)
49	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	33	Aug (past peak)
50	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	33	Feb (past peak)

Birds Seen in Minnesota in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Minnesota in December