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

60 birds were recorded seen in Montana in March 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 March

Canada Goose145 obs.

American Robin144 obs.

Mallard101 obs.

Bald Eagle84 obs.

Northern Flicker81 obs.

Black-billed Magpie80 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird70 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee65 obs.

Common Merganser62 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco62 obs.

European Starling62 obs.

Snow Goose61 obs.

All birds seen in Montana in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	145	May (rising)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	144	Jun (rising)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	101	May (rising)
4	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	84	Jul (rising)
5	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	81	Jul (rising)
6	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	80	Jun (rising)
7	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	70	May (rising)
8	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	65	Apr (rising)
9	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	62	Jul (rising)
10	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	62	Jul (rising)
11	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	62	Jun (rising)
12	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	61	Mar (peak)
13	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	57	Mar (peak)
14	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	54	Sep (rising)
15	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	53	May (rising)
16	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	50	Jun (rising)
17	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	49	Feb (past peak)
18	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	46	May (rising)
19	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	44	Aug (rising)
20	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	41	May (rising)
21	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	40	Apr (rising)
22	Red Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	40	Jun (rising)
23	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	39	Apr (rising)
24	American Dipper	Cinclus mexicanus	Dippers	39	Jul (rising)
25	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Mar (peak)
26	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Mar (peak)
27	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	38	Jun (rising)
28	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	38	Jun (rising)
29	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Mar (peak)
30	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	37	Aug (rising)
31	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	37	Aug (rising)
32	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	36	Jul (rising)
33	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	36	Jun (rising)
34	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	34	Apr (rising)
35	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	34	Jun (rising)
36	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	33	May (rising)
37	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	30	Jun (rising)
38	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	30	Jul (rising)
39	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	28	Jun (rising)
40	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	28	Aug (rising)
41	Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Jul (rising)
42	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	26	Jun (rising)
43	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	25	Jun (rising)
44	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	25	May (rising)
45	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	24	Jun (rising)
46	Mountain Chickadee	Poecile gambeli	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	24	Jun (rising)
47	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	23	Oct (rising)
48	Clark's Nutcracker	Nucifraga columbiana	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	22	Aug (rising)
49	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	21	Apr (rising)
50	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	19	Jan (past peak)

Birds Seen in Montana in March

Top birds in March

All birds seen in Montana in March