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

60 birds were recorded seen in Montana in December in our iNaturalist sample; 1 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

Bald Eagle90 obs.

Rough-legged Hawk81 obs.

Mallard67 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee54 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk53 obs.

Canada Goose50 obs.

Black-billed Magpie49 obs.

Downy Woodpecker43 obs.

Northern Flicker42 obs.

Common Goldeneye41 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco40 obs.

House Sparrow40 obs.

All birds seen in Montana in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	90	Jul (past peak)
2	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	81	Jan (past peak)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	67	May (past peak)
4	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	54	Apr (past peak)
5	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	53	Sep (past peak)
6	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	50	May (past peak)
7	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	49	Jun (past peak)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	43	Aug (past peak)
9	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	42	Jul (past peak)
10	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	Mar (past peak)
11	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	40	Jul (past peak)
12	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	40	May (past peak)
13	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	37	Jan (past peak)
14	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	37	Jun (past peak)
15	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	35	May (past peak)
16	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	32	Jun (past peak)
17	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	31	Jul (past peak)
18	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	29	Apr (past peak)
19	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	27	May (past peak)
20	Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Waxwings	27	Feb (past peak)
21	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	27	Aug (past peak)
22	American Dipper	Cinclus mexicanus	Dippers	26	Jul (past peak)
23	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	26	Apr (past peak)
24	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	25	Apr (past peak)
25	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	25	Oct (past peak)
26	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	24	Dec (peak)
27	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	22	Feb (past peak)
28	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	22	Jul (past peak)
29	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	21	May (past peak)
30	Mountain Chickadee	Poecile gambeli	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	21	Jun (past peak)
31	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	20	Aug (past peak)
32	Prairie Falcon	Falco mexicanus	Falcons and Caracaras	19	Jan (past peak)
33	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	18	Jun (past peak)
34	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	18	Jun (past peak)
35	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	16	Jun (past peak)
36	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	16	Aug (past peak)
37	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	16	Jun (past peak)
38	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	15	Nov (past peak)
39	Red Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	14	Jun (past peak)
40	Northern Pygmy-Owl	Glaucidium gnoma	Typical Owls	14	Jan (past peak)
41	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	13	Aug (past peak)
42	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	13	Apr (past peak)
43	Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	13	Jul (past peak)
44	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	13	Nov (past peak)
45	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	13	Mar (past peak)
46	Ruffed Grouse	Bonasa umbellus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	12	Oct (past peak)
47	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	12	Sep (past peak)
48	Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Longspurs and Snow Buntings	12	Nov (past peak)
49	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	11	Jul (past peak)
50	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	11	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Montana in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Montana in December