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

60 birds were recorded seen in Minnesota in January 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 January

Black-capped Chickadee553 obs.

Downy Woodpecker448 obs.

Pine Grosbeak385 obs.

Bald Eagle355 obs.

Northern Cardinal353 obs.

Redpoll334 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco286 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch285 obs.

Canada Jay271 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker271 obs.

Mallard261 obs.

Hairy Woodpecker243 obs.

All birds seen in Minnesota in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	553	Apr (rising)
2	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	448	Apr (rising)
3	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	385	Feb (rising)
4	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	355	Apr (rising)
5	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	353	Apr (rising)
6	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	334	Feb (rising)
7	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	286	Apr (rising)
8	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	285	Apr (rising)
9	Canada Jay	Perisoreus canadensis	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	271	Feb (rising)
10	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	271	Apr (rising)
11	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	261	Apr (rising)
12	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	243	Apr (rising)
13	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	234	May (rising)
14	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	230	Apr (rising)
15	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	230	Apr (rising)
16	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	221	May (rising)
17	Evening Grosbeak	Hesperiphona vespertina	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	216	Feb (rising)
18	Ruffed Grouse	Bonasa umbellus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	213	Feb (rising)
19	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	213	May (rising)
20	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	211	Apr (rising)
21	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	184	Apr (rising)
22	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	168	Apr (rising)
23	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	168	Apr (rising)
24	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	157	Jan (peak)
25	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	154	Mar (rising)
26	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	137	Apr (rising)
27	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	126	May (rising)
28	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	115	Feb (rising)
29	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	106	Feb (rising)
30	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	94	Apr (rising)
31	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	89	Apr (rising)
32	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	86	Apr (rising)
33	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	82	Apr (rising)
34	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	81	Apr (rising)
35	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	76	Apr (rising)
36	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	74	Sep (rising)
37	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	70	Dec (rising)
38	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	63	Feb (rising)
39	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	62	Jan (peak)
40	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	57	Apr (rising)
41	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	53	Apr (rising)
42	Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Waxwings	51	Feb (rising)
43	Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Longspurs and Snow Buntings	49	Oct (rising)
44	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	48	Apr (rising)
45	Long-eared Owl	Asio otus	Typical Owls	48	Jan (peak)
46	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	47	Feb (rising)
47	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	47	Apr (rising)
48	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	43	May (rising)
49	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	41	Apr (rising)
50	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	41	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in Minnesota in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Minnesota in January