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

60 birds were recorded seen in Minnesota in March 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 March

Canada Goose983 obs.

Bald Eagle949 obs.

Mallard895 obs.

American Robin735 obs.

Trumpeter Swan597 obs.

Northern Cardinal540 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird536 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco516 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee480 obs.

Downy Woodpecker464 obs.

Wild Turkey460 obs.

Hooded Merganser399 obs.

All birds seen in Minnesota in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	983	Apr (rising)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	949	Apr (rising)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	895	Apr (rising)
4	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	735	Apr (rising)
5	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	597	Apr (rising)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	540	Apr (rising)
7	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	536	May (rising)
8	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	516	Apr (rising)
9	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	480	Apr (rising)
10	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	464	Apr (rising)
11	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	460	Apr (rising)
12	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	399	Apr (rising)
13	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	321	Apr (rising)
14	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	317	Apr (rising)
15	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	311	May (rising)
16	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	259	Apr (rising)
17	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	251	May (rising)
18	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	246	Apr (rising)
19	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	242	Apr (rising)
20	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	240	Apr (rising)
21	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	234	Apr (rising)
22	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	233	Apr (rising)
23	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	231	Apr (rising)
24	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	230	Apr (rising)
25	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	218	Sep (rising)
26	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	213	Apr (rising)
27	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	212	Mar (peak)
28	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	191	May (rising)
29	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	184	Apr (rising)
30	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	171	Apr (rising)
31	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	164	Apr (rising)
32	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	153	May (rising)
33	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	145	Apr (rising)
34	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	144	Apr (rising)
35	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	130	Apr (rising)
36	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	126	May (rising)
37	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	124	Feb (past peak)
38	Ruffed Grouse	Bonasa umbellus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	122	Feb (past peak)
39	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	120	Mar (peak)
40	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	116	Apr (rising)
41	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	116	May (rising)
42	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	110	Apr (rising)
43	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	109	Apr (rising)
44	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	107	Feb (past peak)
45	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	104	Apr (rising)
46	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	103	Apr (rising)
47	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	98	Apr (rising)
48	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	96	Apr (rising)
49	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	90	May (rising)
50	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	88	Jan (past peak)

Birds Seen in Minnesota in March

Top birds in March

All birds seen in Minnesota in March