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

60 birds were recorded seen in South Dakota in October 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 October

Northern Saw-whet Owl91 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco58 obs.

Wild Turkey57 obs.

American Robin54 obs.

Harris's Sparrow49 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk42 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler42 obs.

Western Meadowlark39 obs.

Black-billed Magpie38 obs.

Ring-billed Gull34 obs.

Northern Flicker31 obs.

Mallard30 obs.

All birds seen in South Dakota in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Saw-whet Owl	Aegolius acadicus	Typical Owls	91	Oct (peak)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	58	Oct (peak)
3	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	57	May (past peak)
4	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	54	Jun (past peak)
5	Harris's Sparrow	Zonotrichia querula	New World Sparrows	49	Oct (peak)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	42	Aug (past peak)
7	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	42	May (past peak)
8	Western Meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	39	Jul (past peak)
9	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	38	Jun (past peak)
10	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	34	Apr (past peak)
11	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	31	Sep (past peak)
12	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	30	May (past peak)
13	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	29	May (past peak)
14	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	28	May (past peak)
15	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	27	Apr (past peak)
16	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	25	Apr (past peak)
17	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	25	May (past peak)
18	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	25	May (past peak)
19	Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii	New World Sparrows	22	May (past peak)
20	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	22	Apr (past peak)
21	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	21	Jul (past peak)
22	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	20	Apr (past peak)
23	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	20	Apr (past peak)
24	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	19	May (past peak)
25	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	19	Jul (past peak)
26	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	18	Apr (past peak)
27	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	18	Jun (past peak)
28	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	17	Jan (past peak)
29	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	17	May (past peak)
30	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	17	Jun (past peak)
31	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	17	Mar (past peak)
32	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	17	May (past peak)
33	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	16	Jul (past peak)
34	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	16	May (past peak)
35	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	16	Jun (past peak)
36	Orange-crowned Warbler	Leiothlypis celata	New World Warblers	16	May (past peak)
37	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	15	Apr (past peak)
38	Vesper Sparrow	Pooecetes gramineus	New World Sparrows	15	Apr (past peak)
39	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	14	Apr (past peak)
40	Ferruginous Hawk	Buteo regalis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	14	Sep (past peak)
41	Mountain Bluebird	Sialia currucoides	Thrushes	14	Jul (past peak)
42	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	13	Jun (past peak)
43	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	13	May (past peak)
44	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	13	May (past peak)
45	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	13	Apr (past peak)
46	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	13	May (past peak)
47	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	12	Apr (past peak)
48	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	12	Jun (past peak)
49	Cliff Swallow	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota	Swallows and Martins	12	Jul (past peak)
50	Franklin's Gull	Leucophaeus pipixcan	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	12	Aug (past peak)

Birds Seen in South Dakota in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in South Dakota in October