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

60 birds were recorded seen in Texas in December in our iNaturalist sample; 0 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 Cardinal5,535 obs.

Great Blue Heron4,567 obs.

Yellow-rumped Warbler3,956 obs.

Northern Mockingbird3,866 obs.

Great Egret3,794 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk3,432 obs.

Eastern Phoebe2,999 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk2,798 obs.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet2,718 obs.

Northern Shoveler2,551 obs.

Great-tailed Grackle2,530 obs.

American Kestrel2,522 obs.

All birds seen in Texas in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	5,535	Apr (past peak)
2	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	4,567	Apr (past peak)
3	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	3,956	Jan (past peak)
4	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	3,866	Apr (past peak)
5	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	3,794	Apr (past peak)
6	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	3,432	Jan (past peak)
7	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	2,999	Oct (past peak)
8	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	2,798	Feb (past peak)
9	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	2,718	Jan (past peak)
10	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,551	Jan (past peak)
11	Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,530	Apr (past peak)
12	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	2,522	Jan (past peak)
13	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	2,270	Apr (past peak)
14	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	2,254	Mar (past peak)
15	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	2,241	Jan (past peak)
16	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	2,183	Apr (past peak)
17	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	2,119	Jan (past peak)
18	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	2,096	Apr (past peak)
19	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,094	Apr (past peak)
20	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	1,963	Apr (past peak)
21	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,958	Jan (past peak)
22	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	1,948	Jan (past peak)
23	White-winged Dove	Zenaida asiatica	Pigeons and Doves	1,942	Apr (past peak)
24	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	1,940	Jan (past peak)
25	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	1,883	Jan (past peak)
26	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	1,882	Jan (past peak)
27	Orange-crowned Warbler	Leiothlypis celata	New World Warblers	1,808	Jan (past peak)
28	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	1,786	Apr (past peak)
29	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,747	Jan (past peak)
30	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	1,698	Feb (past peak)
31	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,653	Apr (past peak)
32	American White Pelican	Pelecanus erythrorhynchos	Pelicans	1,651	Jan (past peak)
33	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	1,634	Jan (past peak)
34	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,607	Apr (past peak)
35	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	1,584	Apr (past peak)
36	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,571	Apr (past peak)
37	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	1,566	Apr (past peak)
38	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	1,564	Mar (past peak)
39	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,548	Jan (past peak)
40	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,547	Jan (past peak)
41	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,529	Jan (past peak)
42	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	1,513	Apr (past peak)
43	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,472	Jan (past peak)
44	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	1,470	Apr (past peak)
45	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	1,425	Jan (past peak)
46	Loggerhead Shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	Shrikes	1,416	Jan (past peak)
47	Crested Caracara	Caracara plancus	Falcons and Caracaras	1,402	Apr (past peak)
48	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,352	Jan (past peak)
49	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	1,337	Apr (past peak)
50	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	1,283	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Texas in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Texas in December