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

60 birds were recorded seen in Missouri in December in our iNaturalist sample; 8 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

Northern Cardinal318 obs.

Bald Eagle264 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco232 obs.

Downy Woodpecker230 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker207 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk198 obs.

White-throated Sparrow187 obs.

Blue Jay173 obs.

House Finch153 obs.

Eastern Bluebird152 obs.

Tufted Titmouse152 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk150 obs.

All birds seen in Missouri in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	318	Apr (past peak)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	264	Jan (past peak)
3	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	232	Jan (past peak)
4	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	230	Mar (past peak)
5	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	207	Apr (past peak)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	198	Nov (past peak)
7	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	187	Apr (past peak)
8	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	173	Apr (past peak)
9	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	153	Apr (past peak)
10	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	152	Apr (past peak)
11	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	152	Apr (past peak)
12	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	150	Mar (past peak)
13	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	149	Apr (past peak)
14	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	143	Apr (past peak)
15	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	143	Apr (past peak)
16	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	119	Mar (past peak)
17	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	118	Dec (peak)
18	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	117	Apr (past peak)
19	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	117	Mar (past peak)
20	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	107	May (past peak)
21	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	105	Apr (past peak)
22	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	103	Apr (past peak)
23	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	94	May (past peak)
24	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	88	Apr (past peak)
25	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	85	Mar (past peak)
26	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	83	Apr (past peak)
27	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	80	Jan (past peak)
28	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	79	Mar (past peak)
29	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	78	May (past peak)
30	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	78	Dec (peak)
31	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	77	Apr (past peak)
32	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	76	Sep (past peak)
33	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	74	May (past peak)
34	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	72	Oct (past peak)
35	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	71	Dec (peak)
36	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	70	May (past peak)
37	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	61	May (past peak)
38	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	61	Dec (peak)
39	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	60	Dec (peak)
40	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	59	Dec (peak)
41	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	53	Apr (past peak)
42	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	50	Jan (past peak)
43	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	48	Dec (peak)
44	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	48	May (past peak)
45	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	47	Apr (past peak)
46	Rusty Blackbird	Euphagus carolinus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	46	Mar (past peak)
47	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	46	Nov (past peak)
48	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	45	Jan (past peak)
49	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	44	Mar (past peak)
50	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	44	Dec (peak)

Birds Seen in Missouri in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Missouri in December