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

60 birds were recorded seen in Utah 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

Mallard500 obs.

Ring-billed Gull385 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco272 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk252 obs.

American Robin222 obs.

House Finch215 obs.

Northern Flicker202 obs.

Canada Goose201 obs.

American Coot198 obs.

American Kestrel189 obs.

Bald Eagle188 obs.

Lesser Goldfinch175 obs.

All birds seen in Utah in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	500	Apr (past peak)
2	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	385	Dec (peak)
3	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	272	Mar (past peak)
4	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	252	Jan (past peak)
5	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	222	Apr (past peak)
6	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	215	May (past peak)
7	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	202	Oct (past peak)
8	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	201	Apr (past peak)
9	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	198	Apr (past peak)
10	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	189	Jan (past peak)
11	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	188	Feb (past peak)
12	Lesser Goldfinch	Spinus psaltria	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	175	Apr (past peak)
13	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	162	Apr (past peak)
14	Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay	Aphelocoma woodhouseii	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	159	May (past peak)
15	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	153	Feb (past peak)
16	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	153	May (past peak)
17	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	152	Apr (past peak)
18	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	150	Apr (past peak)
19	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	135	Apr (past peak)
20	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	133	Mar (past peak)
21	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	131	May (past peak)
22	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	127	Feb (past peak)
23	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	126	Apr (past peak)
24	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	121	Apr (past peak)
25	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	117	Aug (past peak)
26	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	116	May (past peak)
27	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	107	Jan (past peak)
28	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	102	Apr (past peak)
29	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	101	Apr (past peak)
30	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Pigeons and Doves	87	Apr (past peak)
31	California Gull	Larus californicus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	83	Nov (past peak)
32	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	73	May (past peak)
33	Great-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus mexicanus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	64	Apr (past peak)
34	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	64	May (past peak)
35	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	61	Dec (peak)
36	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	60	Mar (past peak)
37	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	58	Apr (past peak)
38	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	56	Apr (past peak)
39	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	55	Feb (past peak)
40	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	54	Apr (past peak)
41	California Quail	Callipepla californica	New World Quails	52	May (past peak)
42	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	52	Apr (past peak)
43	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	51	May (past peak)
44	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	49	Aug (past peak)
45	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	44	Sep (past peak)
46	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	43	Apr (past peak)
47	Mountain Chickadee	Poecile gambeli	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	43	Sep (past peak)
48	Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Waxwings	39	Dec (peak)
49	Merlin	Falco columbarius	Falcons and Caracaras	38	Dec (peak)
50	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in Utah in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Utah in December