Birds in New Mexico in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in New Mexico in December in our iNaturalist sample; 11 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

Sandhill Crane562 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco521 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk447 obs.

White-crowned Sparrow393 obs.

House Finch339 obs.

Mallard299 obs.

Western Bluebird278 obs.

Northern Flicker241 obs.

Snow Goose234 obs.

Canada Goose232 obs.

American Robin225 obs.

Greater Roadrunner222 obs.

All birds seen in New Mexico in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	562	Nov (past peak)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	521	Dec (peak)
3	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	447	Jan (past peak)
4	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	393	Dec (peak)
5	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	339	Apr (past peak)
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	299	Apr (past peak)
7	Western Bluebird	Sialia mexicana	Thrushes	278	Apr (past peak)
8	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	241	Oct (past peak)
9	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	234	Nov (past peak)
10	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	232	Apr (past peak)
11	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	225	Apr (past peak)
12	Greater Roadrunner	Geococcyx californianus	Cuckoos	222	Apr (past peak)
13	White-winged Dove	Zenaida asiatica	Pigeons and Doves	201	Apr (past peak)
14	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	201	Dec (peak)
15	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	199	Apr (past peak)
16	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	186	Nov (past peak)
17	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	184	Dec (peak)
18	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	181	Apr (past peak)
19	Say's Phoebe	Sayornis saya	Tyrant Flycatchers	178	Apr (past peak)
20	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	164	Dec (peak)
21	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	162	Dec (peak)
22	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	159	Apr (past peak)
23	Curve-billed Thrasher	Toxostoma curvirostre	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	157	Apr (past peak)
24	Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay	Aphelocoma woodhouseii	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	155	Sep (past peak)
25	Canyon Towhee	Melozone fusca	New World Sparrows	153	Apr (past peak)
26	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	152	Jan (past peak)
27	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	149	Dec (peak)
28	Mountain Chickadee	Poecile gambeli	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	149	Aug (past peak)
29	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	147	Dec (peak)
30	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	144	Apr (past peak)
31	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	142	Apr (past peak)
32	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	138	Apr (past peak)
33	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	138	Apr (past peak)
34	Gambel's Quail	Callipepla gambelii	New World Quails	133	Apr (past peak)
35	Loggerhead Shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	Shrikes	131	Dec (peak)
36	Ladder-backed Woodpecker	Dryobates scalaris	Woodpeckers	129	Apr (past peak)
37	Lesser Goldfinch	Spinus psaltria	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	127	Apr (past peak)
38	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	121	Oct (past peak)
39	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	120	Jan (past peak)
40	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	118	Apr (past peak)
41	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	111	Dec (peak)
42	Pygmy Nuthatch	Sitta pygmaea	Nuthatches	110	Aug (past peak)
43	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	108	Apr (past peak)
44	Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	105	Apr (past peak)
45	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	98	Oct (past peak)
46	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	98	Jun (past peak)
47	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	96	Apr (past peak)
48	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	95	Dec (peak)
49	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	94	Apr (past peak)
50	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	90	Jul (past peak)

Birds Seen in New Mexico in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in New Mexico in December