Birds in Montana in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Montana in April in our iNaturalist sample; 9 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 April

Canada Goose226 obs.

American Robin216 obs.

Mallard168 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird142 obs.

Sandhill Crane133 obs.

Osprey132 obs.

Western Meadowlark125 obs.

Northern Flicker120 obs.

Wild Turkey110 obs.

Mountain Bluebird110 obs.

Bald Eagle104 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee104 obs.

All birds seen in Montana in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	226	May (rising)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	216	Jun (rising)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	168	May (rising)
4	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	142	May (rising)
5	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	133	May (rising)
6	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	132	Aug (rising)
7	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	125	Jun (rising)
8	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	120	Jul (rising)
9	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	110	May (rising)
10	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	110	Jun (rising)
11	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	104	Jul (rising)
12	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	104	Apr (peak)
13	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	97	Jun (rising)
14	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	91	Sep (rising)
15	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	87	Jun (rising)
16	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	79	Jul (rising)
17	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	77	Apr (peak)
18	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	74	Jul (rising)
19	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	72	Jun (rising)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	72	Jul (rising)
21	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	68	Apr (peak)
22	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	68	Apr (peak)
23	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	67	Apr (peak)
24	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	65	Jun (rising)
25	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	64	Jul (rising)
26	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	60	Jun (rising)
27	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	60	May (rising)
28	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	57	Jul (rising)
29	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	56	Jul (rising)
30	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	56	Mar (past peak)
31	American Avocet	Recurvirostra americana	Stilts and Avocets	55	May (rising)
32	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	54	May (rising)
33	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	52	Aug (rising)
34	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	51	Jul (rising)
35	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	50	May (rising)
36	Cinnamon Teal	Spatula cyanoptera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	49	May (rising)
37	Long-billed Curlew	Numenius americanus	Sandpipers and Allies	48	Jun (rising)
38	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	48	Jun (rising)
39	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	46	Jun (rising)
40	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	46	Aug (rising)
41	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	46	Jun (rising)
42	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	45	Jun (rising)
43	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	45	May (rising)
44	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	45	Aug (rising)
45	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	44	Apr (peak)
46	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	Apr (peak)
47	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	Mar (past peak)
48	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	40	Apr (peak)
49	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	40	May (rising)
50	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	39	Apr (peak)

Birds Seen in Montana in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Montana in April