Birds in North Dakota in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in North Dakota in April in our iNaturalist sample; 23 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 April

American Robin126 obs.

Canada Goose121 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco83 obs.

Ring-necked Pheasant81 obs.

Northern Shoveler68 obs.

Mallard63 obs.

Wild Turkey57 obs.

Blue-winged Teal55 obs.

Western Meadowlark52 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird45 obs.

Northern Pintail44 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk42 obs.

All birds seen in North Dakota in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	126	Apr (peak)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	121	Apr (peak)
3	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	83	Apr (peak)
4	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	81	Apr (peak)
5	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	68	May (rising)
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	63	May (rising)
7	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	57	Apr (peak)
8	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	55	May (rising)
9	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	52	Jun (rising)
10	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	45	Jun (rising)
11	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	44	Apr (peak)
12	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	42	Sep (rising)
13	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	40	Apr (peak)
14	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	39	Jun (rising)
15	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	39	Jul (rising)
16	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	38	Jun (rising)
17	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	36	Apr (peak)
18	Marbled Godwit	Limosa fedoa	Sandpipers and Allies	34	Jun (rising)
19	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	34	Apr (peak)
20	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	34	Jun (rising)
21	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	34	May (rising)
22	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	33	Jun (rising)
23	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	33	Apr (peak)
24	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	33	Apr (peak)
25	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	33	Apr (peak)
26	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	32	May (rising)
27	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	32	Apr (peak)
28	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	29	Jun (rising)
29	Wilson's Snipe	Gallinago delicata	Sandpipers and Allies	29	Apr (peak)
30	Swainson's Hawk	Buteo swainsoni	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	28	May (rising)
31	Canvasback	Aythya valisineria	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	28	Apr (peak)
32	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	28	May (rising)
33	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	28	Apr (peak)
34	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	25	May (rising)
35	Franklin's Gull	Leucophaeus pipixcan	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	24	Jul (rising)
36	Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	New World Sparrows	23	Apr (peak)
37	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	22	Apr (peak)
38	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	22	Apr (peak)
39	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	21	Aug (rising)
40	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	21	Jun (rising)
41	American Avocet	Recurvirostra americana	Stilts and Avocets	21	May (rising)
42	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	21	May (rising)
43	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	21	May (rising)
44	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	21	Apr (peak)
45	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	20	Apr (peak)
46	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	20	May (rising)
47	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	19	Aug (rising)
48	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	19	Apr (peak)
49	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	18	Mar (past peak)
50	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	18	Apr (peak)

Birds Seen in North Dakota in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in North Dakota in April