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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in November in our iNaturalist sample; 3 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 November

Northern Saw-whet Owl43 obs.

Bald Eagle38 obs.

Mallard38 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk31 obs.

Canada Goose31 obs.

Ring-billed Gull29 obs.

Wild Turkey27 obs.

Rough-legged Hawk26 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco25 obs.

Common Merganser22 obs.

Blue Jay22 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee19 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in November

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Saw-whet Owl	Aegolius acadicus	Typical Owls	43	Oct (past peak)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	38	Jan (past peak)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	May (past peak)
4	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	31	Aug (past peak)
5	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	31	Apr (past peak)
6	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	29	Apr (past peak)
7	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	27	May (past peak)
8	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	26	Jan (past peak)
9	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	25	Oct (past peak)
10	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	22	Dec (rising)
11	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	22	May (past peak)
12	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	19	Jul (past peak)
13	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	19	Mar (past peak)
14	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	18	Mar (past peak)
15	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	18	May (past peak)
16	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	18	May (past peak)
17	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	16	Jul (past peak)
18	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	15	Apr (past peak)
19	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	15	Jun (past peak)
20	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	15	Mar (past peak)
21	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	14	Apr (past peak)
22	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	13	Jun (past peak)
23	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	13	Apr (past peak)
24	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	12	Jun (past peak)
25	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	12	May (past peak)
26	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	12	May (past peak)
27	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	11	Jun (past peak)
28	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	11	May (past peak)
29	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	10	Jul (past peak)
30	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	10	Apr (past peak)
31	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	10	Jan (past peak)
32	Rusty Blackbird	Euphagus carolinus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	10	Mar (past peak)
33	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	10	Apr (past peak)
34	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	10	Apr (past peak)
35	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	10	Jun (past peak)
36	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	9	Sep (past peak)
37	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	9	Mar (past peak)
38	Bonaparte's Gull	Chroicocephalus philadelphia	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	9	Apr (past peak)
39	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	9	Apr (past peak)
40	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	9	Nov (peak)
41	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	8	May (past peak)
42	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	8	Jul (past peak)
43	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	8	Sep (past peak)
44	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	8	Jun (past peak)
45	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	8	May (past peak)
46	Ferruginous Hawk	Buteo regalis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	7	Sep (past peak)
47	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	7	Nov (peak)
48	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	7	Apr (past peak)
49	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	7	May (past peak)
50	Lapland Longspur	Calcarius lapponicus	Longspurs and Snow Buntings	7	Nov (peak)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in November

Top birds in November

All birds seen in South Dakota in November