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

60 birds were recorded seen in Washington in December in our iNaturalist sample; 1 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

Mallard2,303 obs.

Bald Eagle1,065 obs.

Bufflehead882 obs.

Great Blue Heron872 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco863 obs.

Song Sparrow728 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant676 obs.

American Wigeon670 obs.

Common Goldeneye630 obs.

Anna's Hummingbird622 obs.

American Robin598 obs.

American Crow578 obs.

All birds seen in Washington in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,303	Apr (past peak)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,065	Apr (past peak)
3	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	882	Jan (past peak)
4	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	872	May (past peak)
5	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	863	May (past peak)
6	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	728	Apr (past peak)
7	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	676	Jan (past peak)
8	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	670	Mar (past peak)
9	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	630	Jan (past peak)
10	Anna's Hummingbird	Calypte anna	Hummingbirds	622	Apr (past peak)
11	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	598	Apr (past peak)
12	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	578	Apr (past peak)
13	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	514	Mar (past peak)
14	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	508	Mar (past peak)
15	Varied Thrush	Ixoreus naevius	Thrushes	493	Jan (past peak)
16	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	472	Apr (past peak)
17	Surf Scoter	Melanitta perspicillata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	451	Jan (past peak)
18	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	427	Jun (past peak)
19	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	425	Apr (past peak)
20	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	419	Apr (past peak)
21	Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	387	Feb (past peak)
22	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	380	Apr (past peak)
23	Golden-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia atricapilla	New World Sparrows	378	Apr (past peak)
24	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	356	Mar (past peak)
25	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	345	Jan (past peak)
26	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	343	May (past peak)
27	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	335	Jan (past peak)
28	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	334	Jan (past peak)
29	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	330	May (past peak)
30	Short-billed Gull	Larus brachyrhynchus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	327	Oct (past peak)
31	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	317	Jan (past peak)
32	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	301	Mar (past peak)
33	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	299	Aug (past peak)
34	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	291	Sep (past peak)
35	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	290	Jan (past peak)
36	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	288	Mar (past peak)
37	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	266	Apr (past peak)
38	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	266	Mar (past peak)
39	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	253	Apr (past peak)
40	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	245	May (past peak)
41	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	240	Aug (past peak)
42	Chestnut-backed Chickadee	Poecile rufescens	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	234	Apr (past peak)
43	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	225	Mar (past peak)
44	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	210	May (past peak)
45	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	201	Jan (past peak)
46	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	194	Jan (past peak)
47	Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	188	Mar (past peak)
48	Bewick's Wren	Thryomanes bewickii	Wrens	187	Apr (past peak)
49	Pelagic Cormorant	Urile pelagicus	Cormorants and Shags	187	Jul (past peak)
50	Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	New World Sparrows	184	Dec (peak)

Birds Seen in Washington in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Washington in December