Birds in Tennessee in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Tennessee in December in our iNaturalist sample; 4 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 December

Northern Cardinal699 obs.

White-throated Sparrow470 obs.

Northern Mockingbird459 obs.

American Robin452 obs.

Eastern Bluebird446 obs.

Downy Woodpecker422 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk407 obs.

Song Sparrow382 obs.

Tufted Titmouse376 obs.

Great Blue Heron375 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker371 obs.

Carolina Chickadee364 obs.

All birds seen in Tennessee in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	699	Apr (past peak)
2	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	470	Jan (past peak)
3	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	459	Apr (past peak)
4	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	452	Apr (past peak)
5	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	446	Apr (past peak)
6	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	422	Feb (past peak)
7	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	407	Nov (past peak)
8	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	382	Jan (past peak)
9	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	376	Mar (past peak)
10	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	375	Apr (past peak)
11	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	371	Jan (past peak)
12	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	364	Feb (past peak)
13	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	344	Apr (past peak)
14	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	290	Jan (past peak)
15	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	275	Apr (past peak)
16	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	272	Dec (peak)
17	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	268	Apr (past peak)
18	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	261	Feb (past peak)
19	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	243	Jan (past peak)
20	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	232	Apr (past peak)
21	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	232	Apr (past peak)
22	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	228	Apr (past peak)
23	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	220	Apr (past peak)
24	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	200	Jan (past peak)
25	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	199	Apr (past peak)
26	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	190	Jan (past peak)
27	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	175	Dec (peak)
28	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	174	Jan (past peak)
29	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	167	Apr (past peak)
30	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	159	Apr (past peak)
31	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	155	Jan (past peak)
32	Field Sparrow	Spizella pusilla	New World Sparrows	153	Apr (past peak)
33	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	140	Mar (past peak)
34	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	139	Apr (past peak)
35	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	139	Oct (past peak)
36	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	136	Mar (past peak)
37	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	135	Apr (past peak)
38	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	134	Dec (peak)
39	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	133	Jan (past peak)
40	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	131	Jan (past peak)
41	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	123	Jan (past peak)
42	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	117	Apr (past peak)
43	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	117	Jan (past peak)
44	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	103	Jan (past peak)
45	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	100	Jan (past peak)
46	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	98	Apr (past peak)
47	Rusty Blackbird	Euphagus carolinus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	97	Dec (peak)
48	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	94	Jan (past peak)
49	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	94	Apr (past peak)
50	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	91	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Tennessee in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Tennessee in December