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

60 birds were recorded seen in Missouri in October in our iNaturalist sample; 5 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 October

White-throated Sparrow372 obs.

Swamp Sparrow215 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk189 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler184 obs.

Turkey Vulture182 obs.

Great Blue Heron160 obs.

Lincoln's Sparrow147 obs.

Northern Cardinal141 obs.

House Sparrow140 obs.

Northern Flicker139 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk137 obs.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker137 obs.

All birds seen in Missouri in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	372	Apr (past peak)
2	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	215	Oct (peak)
3	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	189	Nov (rising)
4	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	184	Apr (past peak)
5	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	182	Apr (past peak)
6	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	160	May (past peak)
7	Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii	New World Sparrows	147	Oct (peak)
8	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	141	Apr (past peak)
9	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	140	May (past peak)
10	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	139	Mar (past peak)
11	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	137	Mar (past peak)
12	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	137	Oct (peak)
13	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	135	Mar (past peak)
14	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	132	Apr (past peak)
15	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	124	Apr (past peak)
16	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	120	Apr (past peak)
17	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	119	Mar (past peak)
18	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	119	May (past peak)
19	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	118	May (past peak)
20	Nashville Warbler	Leiothlypis ruficapilla	New World Warblers	114	May (past peak)
21	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	112	Apr (past peak)
22	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	111	Jan (past peak)
23	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	110	Apr (past peak)
24	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	107	Jan (past peak)
25	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	107	Apr (past peak)
26	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	106	Apr (past peak)
27	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	102	Apr (past peak)
28	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	101	Apr (past peak)
29	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	94	Apr (past peak)
30	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	93	Oct (peak)
31	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	82	Apr (past peak)
32	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	81	Apr (past peak)
33	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	80	Apr (past peak)
34	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	78	Apr (past peak)
35	Black-throated Green Warbler	Setophaga virens	New World Warblers	75	Sep (past peak)
36	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	73	Apr (past peak)
37	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	New World Warblers	72	May (past peak)
38	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	71	Apr (past peak)
39	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	69	Apr (past peak)
40	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	68	Apr (past peak)
41	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	65	Apr (past peak)
42	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	64	Apr (past peak)
43	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	63	May (past peak)
44	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	62	Mar (past peak)
45	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	60	May (past peak)
46	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	58	Sep (past peak)
47	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	55	May (past peak)
48	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	53	Mar (past peak)
49	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	49	Oct (peak)
50	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	49	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Missouri in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Missouri in October