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

60 birds were recorded seen in Minnesota in February in our iNaturalist sample; 11 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 February

Bald Eagle549 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee543 obs.

Redpoll479 obs.

Pine Grosbeak412 obs.

Downy Woodpecker380 obs.

Northern Cardinal333 obs.

Mallard325 obs.

Wild Turkey293 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch290 obs.

Hairy Woodpecker283 obs.

Trumpeter Swan281 obs.

Canada Jay275 obs.

All birds seen in Minnesota in February

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	549	Apr (rising)
2	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	543	Apr (rising)
3	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	479	Feb (peak)
4	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	412	Feb (peak)
5	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	380	Apr (rising)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	333	Apr (rising)
7	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	325	Apr (rising)
8	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	293	Apr (rising)
9	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	290	Apr (rising)
10	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	283	Apr (rising)
11	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	281	Apr (rising)
12	Canada Jay	Perisoreus canadensis	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	275	Feb (peak)
13	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	253	May (rising)
14	Evening Grosbeak	Hesperiphona vespertina	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	253	Feb (peak)
15	Ruffed Grouse	Bonasa umbellus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	234	Feb (peak)
16	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	215	Apr (rising)
17	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	208	Apr (rising)
18	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	187	Apr (rising)
19	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	179	May (rising)
20	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	175	Apr (rising)
21	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	166	May (rising)
22	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	165	Apr (rising)
23	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	160	Apr (rising)
24	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	160	Feb (peak)
25	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	157	Apr (rising)
26	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	156	Feb (peak)
27	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	152	Mar (rising)
28	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	152	Apr (rising)
29	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	151	May (rising)
30	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	131	Jan (past peak)
31	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	117	Feb (peak)
32	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	112	Apr (rising)
33	Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Waxwings	107	Feb (peak)
34	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	76	Dec (rising)
35	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	75	Apr (rising)
36	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	73	Feb (peak)
37	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	70	Apr (rising)
38	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	68	Apr (rising)
39	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	66	Apr (rising)
40	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	59	Mar (rising)
41	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	58	Jan (past peak)
42	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	49	Apr (rising)
43	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	48	Apr (rising)
44	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	48	Apr (rising)
45	Long-eared Owl	Asio otus	Typical Owls	44	Jan (past peak)
46	Northern Saw-whet Owl	Aegolius acadicus	Typical Owls	42	Oct (rising)
47	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	39	Apr (rising)
48	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Apr (rising)
49	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	35	Feb (peak)
50	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	34	May (rising)

Birds Seen in Minnesota in February

Top birds in February

All birds seen in Minnesota in February