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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in March in our iNaturalist sample; 6 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 March

American Robin81 obs.

Canada Goose77 obs.

Bald Eagle75 obs.

Mallard68 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird62 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk52 obs.

American Tree Sparrow44 obs.

Common Goldeneye42 obs.

Western Meadowlark41 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco40 obs.

Snow Goose40 obs.

Common Merganser39 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in March

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	81	Jun (rising)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	77	Apr (rising)
3	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	75	Jan (past peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	68	May (rising)
5	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	62	May (rising)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	52	Aug (rising)
7	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	44	Mar (peak)
8	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	42	Jan (past peak)
9	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	41	Jul (rising)
10	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	40	Oct (rising)
11	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	40	Mar (peak)
12	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	39	Dec (rising)
13	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Mar (peak)
14	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	36	Jun (rising)
15	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	36	Apr (rising)
16	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	36	Apr (rising)
17	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	35	Apr (rising)
18	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	33	Apr (rising)
19	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	32	May (rising)
20	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	31	Mar (peak)
21	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	30	May (rising)
22	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	30	Apr (rising)
23	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	30	Mar (peak)
24	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	29	Apr (rising)
25	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	26	Apr (rising)
26	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	25	Apr (rising)
27	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	24	Apr (rising)
28	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	23	May (rising)
29	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	23	Apr (rising)
30	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	22	May (rising)
31	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	21	Jul (rising)
32	Canvasback	Aythya valisineria	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	20	Mar (peak)
33	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	19	Apr (rising)
34	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	19	Apr (rising)
35	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	19	Apr (rising)
36	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	19	Apr (rising)
37	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	18	May (rising)
38	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	17	Jan (past peak)
39	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	16	May (rising)
40	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	15	Apr (rising)
41	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	15	May (rising)
42	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	14	Apr (rising)
43	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	14	Jul (rising)
44	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	14	May (rising)
45	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	14	Sep (rising)
46	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	14	Jul (rising)
47	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	14	Apr (rising)
48	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	13	May (rising)
49	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	13	Apr (rising)
50	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	12	Jun (rising)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in March

Top birds in March

All birds seen in South Dakota in March