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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in December 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 December

Bald Eagle71 obs.

Common Merganser41 obs.

Common Goldeneye33 obs.

Downy Woodpecker27 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk26 obs.

Canada Goose26 obs.

Rough-legged Hawk22 obs.

Mallard20 obs.

Hooded Merganser20 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco20 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch20 obs.

Ring-billed Gull19 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	71	Jan (past peak)
2	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	Dec (peak)
3	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	33	Jan (past peak)
4	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	27	May (past peak)
5	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	26	Aug (past peak)
6	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Apr (past peak)
7	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	22	Jan (past peak)
8	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	20	May (past peak)
9	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	20	Mar (past peak)
10	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	20	Oct (past peak)
11	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	20	Jul (past peak)
12	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	19	Apr (past peak)
13	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	18	Dec (peak)
14	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	17	Jun (past peak)
15	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	14	May (past peak)
16	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	14	May (past peak)
17	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	13	Apr (past peak)
18	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	12	May (past peak)
19	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	12	Dec (peak)
20	Prairie Falcon	Falco mexicanus	Falcons and Caracaras	11	Dec (peak)
21	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	11	Jan (past peak)
22	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	11	Apr (past peak)
23	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	11	Jun (past peak)
24	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	11	Jun (past peak)
25	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	11	Jul (past peak)
26	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	10	Apr (past peak)
27	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	10	Sep (past peak)
28	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	10	Jul (past peak)
29	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	10	May (past peak)
30	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	10	Jan (past peak)
31	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	9	Jun (past peak)
32	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	9	Apr (past peak)
33	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	9	May (past peak)
34	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	9	Mar (past peak)
35	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	9	Nov (past peak)
36	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	9	Jun (past peak)
37	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	8	Mar (past peak)
38	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	8	Dec (peak)
39	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	7	May (past peak)
40	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	7	Dec (peak)
41	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	7	Mar (past peak)
42	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	6	Jul (past peak)
43	Ferruginous Hawk	Buteo regalis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	6	Sep (past peak)
44	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	6	Apr (past peak)
45	Rusty Blackbird	Euphagus carolinus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	6	Mar (past peak)
46	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	6	Jun (past peak)
47	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	6	Sep (past peak)
48	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	6	Jan (past peak)
49	Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Longspurs and Snow Buntings	6	Dec (peak)
50	Bonaparte's Gull	Chroicocephalus philadelphia	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	6	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in South Dakota in December