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

60 birds were recorded seen in Nebraska in December in our iNaturalist sample; 8 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

Dark-eyed Junco112 obs.

Downy Woodpecker82 obs.

House Sparrow77 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch73 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk72 obs.

Bald Eagle72 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker64 obs.

Blue Jay52 obs.

Canada Goose49 obs.

Northern Cardinal48 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee47 obs.

American Tree Sparrow42 obs.

All birds seen in Nebraska in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	112	Dec (peak)
2	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	82	May (past peak)
3	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	77	May (past peak)
4	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	73	May (past peak)
5	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	72	May (past peak)
6	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	72	Feb (past peak)
7	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	64	May (past peak)
8	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	52	May (past peak)
9	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	49	May (past peak)
10	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	48	May (past peak)
11	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	47	May (past peak)
12	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	42	Nov (past peak)
13	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	38	May (past peak)
14	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	38	May (past peak)
15	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	36	May (past peak)
16	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	35	May (past peak)
17	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	35	May (past peak)
18	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	33	May (past peak)
19	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	33	Nov (past peak)
20	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	27	May (past peak)
21	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	27	Mar (past peak)
22	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	27	Apr (past peak)
23	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	26	May (past peak)
24	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	26	Dec (peak)
25	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	22	May (past peak)
26	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	22	May (past peak)
27	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	21	Mar (past peak)
28	Cackling Goose	Branta hutchinsii	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	21	Dec (peak)
29	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	19	May (past peak)
30	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	19	Dec (peak)
31	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	17	Dec (peak)
32	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	17	May (past peak)
33	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	15	Feb (past peak)
34	Harris's Sparrow	Zonotrichia querula	New World Sparrows	15	May (past peak)
35	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	14	May (past peak)
36	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	14	Dec (peak)
37	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	14	Jan (past peak)
38	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	14	Feb (past peak)
39	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	13	Apr (past peak)
40	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	13	May (past peak)
41	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	12	Apr (past peak)
42	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	11	Dec (peak)
43	Eastern Screech-Owl	Megascops asio	Typical Owls	11	Jun (past peak)
44	Winter Wren	Troglodytes hiemalis	Wrens	11	Dec (peak)
45	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	10	May (past peak)
46	Red Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	10	Jul (past peak)
47	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	10	Apr (past peak)
48	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	10	May (past peak)
49	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	10	Mar (past peak)
50	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	10	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in Nebraska in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Nebraska in December