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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in January 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 January

Bald Eagle82 obs.

Common Goldeneye58 obs.

Rough-legged Hawk40 obs.

Common Merganser36 obs.

Mallard35 obs.

American Herring Gull30 obs.

Canada Goose27 obs.

Downy Woodpecker24 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk21 obs.

Short-eared Owl18 obs.

Redhead17 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco17 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	82	Jan (peak)
2	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	58	Jan (peak)
3	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	40	Jan (peak)
4	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	36	Dec (rising)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	35	May (rising)
6	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	30	Jan (peak)
7	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	27	Apr (rising)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	24	May (rising)
9	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	21	Aug (rising)
10	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	18	Jan (peak)
11	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	17	Mar (rising)
12	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	17	Oct (rising)
13	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	16	Mar (rising)
14	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	16	Jul (rising)
15	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	16	May (rising)
16	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	15	Apr (rising)
17	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	15	Jan (peak)
18	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	15	Apr (rising)
19	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	14	May (rising)
20	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	12	May (rising)
21	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	12	Jun (rising)
22	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	12	May (rising)
23	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	12	May (rising)
24	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	11	Apr (rising)
25	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	11	Jul (rising)
26	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	11	Mar (rising)
27	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	11	Apr (rising)
28	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	10	Jun (rising)
29	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	9	Jul (rising)
30	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	9	Jun (rising)
31	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	9	Jun (rising)
32	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	8	Sep (rising)
33	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	8	Apr (rising)
34	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	8	Jun (rising)
35	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	8	Jul (rising)
36	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	8	Nov (rising)
37	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	8	Aug (rising)
38	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	7	Apr (rising)
39	Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	7	Jan (peak)
40	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	7	Mar (rising)
41	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	7	Apr (rising)
42	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	7	May (rising)
43	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	7	Dec (rising)
44	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	7	Mar (rising)
45	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	7	May (rising)
46	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	6	Jun (rising)
47	Lesser Black-backed Gull	Larus fuscus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	5	Apr (rising)
48	Prairie Falcon	Falco mexicanus	Falcons and Caracaras	5	Dec (rising)
49	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	5	Mar (rising)
50	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	5	Dec (rising)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in South Dakota in January