Birds in North Carolina in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in North Carolina in December in our iNaturalist sample; 3 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

Red-shouldered Hawk773 obs.

Northern Cardinal710 obs.

Great Blue Heron695 obs.

Eastern Bluebird595 obs.

Tufted Titmouse547 obs.

Downy Woodpecker522 obs.

Carolina Chickadee520 obs.

White-throated Sparrow498 obs.

Carolina Wren490 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco477 obs.

Northern Mockingbird414 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker413 obs.

All birds seen in North Carolina in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	773	Jan (past peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	710	Apr (past peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	695	Apr (past peak)
4	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	595	Apr (past peak)
5	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	547	Jan (past peak)
6	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	522	Jan (past peak)
7	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	520	Apr (past peak)
8	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	498	Jan (past peak)
9	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	490	Apr (past peak)
10	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	477	Jan (past peak)
11	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	414	Apr (past peak)
12	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	413	Jan (past peak)
13	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	383	Jan (past peak)
14	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	369	Apr (past peak)
15	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	361	Mar (past peak)
16	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	355	Jan (past peak)
17	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	355	Jan (past peak)
18	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	351	Jan (past peak)
19	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	336	Jan (past peak)
20	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	333	Apr (past peak)
21	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	307	Jan (past peak)
22	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	307	Apr (past peak)
23	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	277	Jan (past peak)
24	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	272	Apr (past peak)
25	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	271	Jan (past peak)
26	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	269	Apr (past peak)
27	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	250	Apr (past peak)
28	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	248	Dec (peak)
29	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	246	Jan (past peak)
30	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	243	Jan (past peak)
31	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	228	Aug (past peak)
32	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	228	Apr (past peak)
33	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	227	Apr (past peak)
34	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	219	Jan (past peak)
35	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	212	Apr (past peak)
36	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	190	Jan (past peak)
37	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	186	Jul (past peak)
38	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	185	Apr (past peak)
39	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	185	Dec (peak)
40	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	180	Aug (past peak)
41	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	177	Oct (past peak)
42	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	176	Apr (past peak)
43	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	169	Dec (peak)
44	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	168	Apr (past peak)
45	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	167	Jan (past peak)
46	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	165	Apr (past peak)
47	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	163	Aug (past peak)
48	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	156	Aug (past peak)
49	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	154	Oct (past peak)
50	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	153	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in North Carolina in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in North Carolina in December