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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in April in our iNaturalist sample; 26 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

Canada Goose194 obs.

American Robin166 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird159 obs.

Blue-winged Teal146 obs.

Northern Shoveler142 obs.

American White Pelican112 obs.

Western Meadowlark110 obs.

Mallard101 obs.

Great Blue Heron89 obs.

Gadwall83 obs.

Common Grackle82 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant82 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	194	Apr (peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	166	Jun (rising)
3	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	159	May (rising)
4	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	146	Apr (peak)
5	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	142	Apr (peak)
6	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	112	Apr (peak)
7	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	110	Jul (rising)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	101	May (rising)
9	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	89	Apr (peak)
10	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	83	Apr (peak)
11	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	82	May (rising)
12	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	82	May (rising)
13	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	74	Apr (peak)
14	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	74	Jul (rising)
15	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	73	May (rising)
16	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	72	Apr (peak)
17	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	71	Apr (peak)
18	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	71	May (rising)
19	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	66	May (rising)
20	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	65	Apr (peak)
21	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	64	Jan (past peak)
22	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	62	Apr (peak)
23	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	62	May (rising)
24	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	59	Apr (peak)
25	American Avocet	Recurvirostra americana	Stilts and Avocets	59	May (rising)
26	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	58	Sep (rising)
27	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	56	Apr (peak)
28	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	55	Apr (peak)
29	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	54	May (rising)
30	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	52	Apr (peak)
31	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	52	Apr (peak)
32	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	50	Apr (peak)
33	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	50	Apr (peak)
34	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	48	Apr (peak)
35	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	48	May (rising)
36	Lesser Yellowlegs	Tringa flavipes	Sandpipers and Allies	47	Apr (peak)
37	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	47	Apr (peak)
38	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	47	Oct (rising)
39	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	46	Aug (rising)
40	Marbled Godwit	Limosa fedoa	Sandpipers and Allies	45	Apr (peak)
41	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	45	Apr (peak)
42	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	44	Jul (rising)
43	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	41	Apr (peak)
44	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	41	May (rising)
45	Vesper Sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus	New World Sparrows	39	Apr (peak)
46	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	39	Apr (peak)
47	Western Grebe	Aechmophorus occidentalis	Grebes	38	May (rising)
48	Franklin's Gull	Leucophaeus pipixcan	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	38	Aug (rising)
49	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	37	May (rising)
50	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	37	Jul (rising)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in South Dakota in April