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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in August in our iNaturalist sample; 7 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 August

Eastern Kingbird111 obs.

Red-headed Woodpecker98 obs.

Wild Turkey92 obs.

Western Meadowlark92 obs.

Barn Swallow92 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk88 obs.

Rock Wren82 obs.

Great Blue Heron80 obs.

Mountain Bluebird80 obs.

Turkey Vulture74 obs.

American Robin74 obs.

Mallard69 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	111	May (past peak)
2	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	98	Aug (peak)
3	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	92	May (past peak)
4	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	92	Jul (past peak)
5	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	92	Jul (past peak)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	88	Aug (peak)
7	Rock Wren	Salpinctes obsoletus	Wrens	82	Aug (peak)
8	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	80	Apr (past peak)
9	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	80	Jul (past peak)
10	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	74	Jul (past peak)
11	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	74	Jun (past peak)
12	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	69	May (past peak)
13	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	68	May (past peak)
14	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	64	May (past peak)
15	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	60	May (past peak)
16	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	59	Jun (past peak)
17	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	57	May (past peak)
18	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	51	Jan (past peak)
19	Burrowing Owl	Athene cunicularia	Typical Owls	50	Jul (past peak)
20	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	49	May (past peak)
21	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	47	May (past peak)
22	Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	Swallows and Martins	44	Jul (past peak)
23	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	44	Sep (rising)
24	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	43	Apr (past peak)
25	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	May (past peak)
26	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	41	Jul (past peak)
27	Franklin's Gull	Leucophaeus pipixcan	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	41	Aug (peak)
28	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	40	Apr (past peak)
29	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	38	Jul (past peak)
30	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	37	May (past peak)
31	Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	Nightjars and Allies	36	Jul (past peak)
32	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	33	Apr (past peak)
33	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	31	May (past peak)
34	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	30	Apr (past peak)
35	Blue-winged Teal	Spatula discors	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	30	Apr (past peak)
36	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	29	Aug (peak)
37	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	28	Aug (peak)
38	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	28	Apr (past peak)
39	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	28	Jun (past peak)
40	Swainson's Hawk	Buteo swainsoni	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	27	May (past peak)
41	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	27	Jul (past peak)
42	Western Kingbird	Tyrannus verticalis	Tyrant Flycatchers	27	Jul (past peak)
43	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	27	May (past peak)
44	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	26	May (past peak)
45	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	25	Apr (past peak)
46	Grasshopper Sparrow	Ammodramus savannarum	New World Sparrows	25	Jun (past peak)
47	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	25	Aug (peak)
48	Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	Cardinals and Allies	24	Jul (past peak)
49	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	24	May (past peak)
50	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	24	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in South Dakota in August