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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in July in our iNaturalist sample; 14 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 July

Western Meadowlark175 obs.

American Robin167 obs.

Barn Swallow156 obs.

Cliff Swallow145 obs.

Burrowing Owl131 obs.

Mountain Bluebird125 obs.

Eastern Kingbird121 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird113 obs.

Turkey Vulture100 obs.

Western Kingbird100 obs.

Wild Turkey99 obs.

Black-billed Magpie87 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in July

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	175	Jul (peak)
2	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	167	Jun (past peak)
3	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	156	Jul (peak)
4	Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	Swallows and Martins	145	Jul (peak)
5	Burrowing Owl	Athene cunicularia	Typical Owls	131	Jul (peak)
6	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	125	Jul (peak)
7	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	121	May (past peak)
8	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	113	May (past peak)
9	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	100	Jul (peak)
10	Western Kingbird	Tyrannus verticalis	Tyrant Flycatchers	100	Jul (peak)
11	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	99	May (past peak)
12	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	87	Jun (past peak)
13	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	86	May (past peak)
14	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	84	May (past peak)
15	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	83	Apr (past peak)
16	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	78	Apr (past peak)
17	Red-headed Woodpecker	Melanerpes erythrocephalus	Woodpeckers	78	Aug (rising)
18	Upland Sandpiper	Bartramia longicauda	Sandpipers and Allies	77	Jun (past peak)
19	Rock Wren	Salpinctes obsoletus	Wrens	75	Aug (rising)
20	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	73	May (past peak)
21	Common Nighthawk	Chordeiles minor	Nightjars and Allies	71	Jul (peak)
22	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	70	May (past peak)
23	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	69	Jun (past peak)
24	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	69	Jun (past peak)
25	Lark Sparrow	Chondestes grammacus	New World Sparrows	66	May (past peak)
26	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	65	May (past peak)
27	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	60	Sep (rising)
28	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	60	Jul (peak)
29	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	58	Jul (peak)
30	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	58	Jun (past peak)
31	Orchard Oriole	Icterus spurius	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	56	May (past peak)
32	Dickcissel	Spiza americana	Cardinals and Allies	52	Jun (past peak)
33	Red-naped Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus nuchalis	Woodpeckers	51	Jun (past peak)
34	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	51	Jul (peak)
35	Northern House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	Wrens	49	May (past peak)
36	Say's Phoebe	Sayornis saya	Tyrant Flycatchers	48	Jul (peak)
37	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	47	Aug (rising)
38	Northern Yellow Warbler	Setophaga aestiva	New World Warblers	47	May (past peak)
39	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	46	Apr (past peak)
40	Blue Grosbeak	Passerina caerulea	Cardinals and Allies	45	Jul (peak)
41	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	43	May (past peak)
42	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	42	Jun (past peak)
43	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	42	May (past peak)
44	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	41	May (past peak)
45	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	39	Apr (past peak)
46	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	38	Apr (past peak)
47	Red Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	38	Jul (peak)
48	Western Wood-Pewee	Contopus sordidulus	Tyrant Flycatchers	38	Jun (past peak)
49	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	37	May (past peak)
50	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	36	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in July

Top birds in July

All birds seen in South Dakota in July