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

60 birds were recorded seen in South 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

Northern Cardinal822 obs.

Eastern Bluebird712 obs.

Great Blue Heron506 obs.

Ring-billed Gull489 obs.

House Finch478 obs.

Northern Mockingbird472 obs.

Chipping Sparrow441 obs.

White-throated Sparrow406 obs.

Carolina Chickadee377 obs.

Great Egret366 obs.

Mourning Dove364 obs.

Pine Warbler359 obs.

All birds seen in South Carolina in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	822	Apr (past peak)
2	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	712	Apr (past peak)
3	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	506	Jun (past peak)
4	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	489	Dec (peak)
5	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	478	May (past peak)
6	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	472	Apr (past peak)
7	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	441	Mar (past peak)
8	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	406	Jan (past peak)
9	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	377	Oct (past peak)
10	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	366	Jun (past peak)
11	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	364	Apr (past peak)
12	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	359	Jan (past peak)
13	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	357	Apr (past peak)
14	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	336	Feb (past peak)
15	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	334	Mar (past peak)
16	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	330	Jan (past peak)
17	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	326	Jan (past peak)
18	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	324	Mar (past peak)
19	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	305	Apr (past peak)
20	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	295	Jul (past peak)
21	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	293	Oct (past peak)
22	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	288	Jan (past peak)
23	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	276	Jan (past peak)
24	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	274	Jun (past peak)
25	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	249	Mar (past peak)
26	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	247	Dec (peak)
27	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	246	Mar (past peak)
28	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	245	Jan (past peak)
29	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	232	Apr (past peak)
30	Anhinga	Anhinga anhinga	Darters	218	Jun (past peak)
31	Tricolored Heron	Egretta tricolor	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	206	Jun (past peak)
32	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	202	Oct (past peak)
33	Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	197	Jun (past peak)
34	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	186	Jan (past peak)
35	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	182	Mar (past peak)
36	Brown-headed Nuthatch	Sitta pusilla	Nuthatches	178	Jan (past peak)
37	Common Gallinule	Gallinula galeata	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	175	Mar (past peak)
38	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	172	Jun (past peak)
39	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	165	Mar (past peak)
40	Boat-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus major	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	162	Mar (past peak)
41	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	158	Apr (past peak)
42	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	158	May (past peak)
43	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	156	Jan (past peak)
44	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	156	Jan (past peak)
45	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	154	Jan (past peak)
46	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	149	Mar (past peak)
47	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	146	Jul (past peak)
48	Forster's Tern	Sterna forsteri	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	145	Mar (past peak)
49	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	142	Apr (past peak)
50	Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Sandpipers and Allies	139	Dec (peak)

Birds Seen in South Carolina in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in South Carolina in December