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

60 birds were recorded seen in Montana in August in our iNaturalist sample; 13 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 August

Cedar Waxwing256 obs.

Black-billed Magpie239 obs.

Bald Eagle215 obs.

Osprey198 obs.

Dusky Grouse190 obs.

American Robin187 obs.

Eastern Kingbird172 obs.

Mallard135 obs.

Common Merganser134 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk120 obs.

Chipping Sparrow114 obs.

Northern Flicker111 obs.

All birds seen in Montana in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	256	Aug (peak)
2	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	239	Jun (past peak)
3	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	215	Jul (past peak)
4	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	198	Aug (peak)
5	Dusky Grouse	Dendragapus obscurus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	190	Aug (peak)
6	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	187	Jun (past peak)
7	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	172	Jun (past peak)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	135	May (past peak)
9	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	134	Jul (past peak)
10	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	120	Sep (rising)
11	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	114	May (past peak)
12	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	111	Jul (past peak)
13	Western Wood-Pewee	Contopus sordidulus	Tyrant Flycatchers	108	Jun (past peak)
14	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	102	Jul (past peak)
15	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	100	May (past peak)
16	Western Tanager	Piranga ludoviciana	Cardinals and Allies	100	Jun (past peak)
17	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	96	Jun (past peak)
18	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	95	Aug (peak)
19	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	94	Jul (past peak)
20	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	94	Jun (past peak)
21	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	92	Apr (past peak)
22	Swainson's Hawk	Buteo swainsoni	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	90	Jun (past peak)
23	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	88	Jun (past peak)
24	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	87	Jun (past peak)
25	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	87	May (past peak)
26	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	84	May (past peak)
27	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	82	Jun (past peak)
28	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	82	May (past peak)
29	American Dipper	Cinclus mexicanus	Dippers	79	Jul (past peak)
30	Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	Nightjars and Allies	79	Jun (past peak)
31	Clark's Nutcracker	Nucifraga columbiana	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	77	Aug (peak)
32	Baird's Sandpiper	Calidris bairdii	Sandpipers and Allies	74	Aug (peak)
33	Brewer's Blackbird	Euphagus cyanocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	70	Jun (past peak)
34	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	70	Aug (peak)
35	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	69	Jun (past peak)
36	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	68	Aug (peak)
37	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	66	Jul (past peak)
38	Canada Jay	Perisoreus canadensis	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	65	Sep (rising)
39	Solitary Sandpiper	Tringa solitaria	Sandpipers and Allies	64	Aug (peak)
40	Spruce Grouse	Canachites canadensis	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	64	Aug (peak)
41	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	62	Jul (past peak)
42	Vesper Sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus	New World Sparrows	62	Jun (past peak)
43	American Pipit	Anthus rubescens	Wagtails and Pipits	62	Aug (peak)
44	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	61	May (past peak)
45	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	61	May (past peak)
46	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	60	Jul (past peak)
47	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	59	May (past peak)
48	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	59	Aug (peak)
49	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	57	Sep (rising)
50	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	57	Aug (peak)

Birds Seen in Montana in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in Montana in August