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

60 birds were recorded seen in Wisconsin 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

Dark-eyed Junco396 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee390 obs.

Downy Woodpecker344 obs.

Northern Cardinal334 obs.

House Sparrow230 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker210 obs.

American Goldfinch209 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch200 obs.

All birds seen in Wisconsin in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	396	Oct (past peak)
2	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	390	Apr (past peak)
3	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	344	Apr (past peak)
4	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	334	Apr (past peak)
5	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	293	May (past peak)
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	260	Apr (past peak)
7	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	247	May (past peak)
8	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	239	May (past peak)
9	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	230	May (past peak)
10	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	210	May (past peak)
11	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	209	May (past peak)
12	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	200	Apr (past peak)
13	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	183	May (past peak)
14	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	174	Dec (peak)
15	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	171	Sep (past peak)
16	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	164	May (past peak)
17	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	148	Jan (past peak)
18	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	148	May (past peak)
19	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	145	Apr (past peak)
20	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	144	Mar (past peak)
21	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	133	Apr (past peak)
22	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	118	May (past peak)
23	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	118	May (past peak)
24	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	103	Apr (past peak)
25	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	94	May (past peak)
26	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	94	Jul (past peak)
27	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	91	Apr (past peak)
28	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	86	Mar (past peak)
29	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	83	Apr (past peak)
30	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	75	Sep (past peak)
31	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	66	Aug (past peak)
32	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	63	Jun (past peak)
33	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	62	Aug (past peak)
34	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	50	Apr (past peak)
35	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	48	Jan (past peak)
36	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	47	Apr (past peak)
37	Purple Finch	Haemorhous purpureus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	45	Apr (past peak)
38	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	44	May (past peak)
39	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	43	Apr (past peak)
40	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	42	Apr (past peak)
41	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	41	Feb (past peak)
42	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	38	Apr (past peak)
43	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	35	Dec (peak)
44	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	33	Jan (past peak)
45	Canvasback	Aythya valisineria	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	32	Mar (past peak)
46	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	31	Apr (past peak)
47	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	30	Apr (past peak)
48	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	30	May (past peak)
49	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	29	Dec (peak)
50	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	29	Dec (peak)

Birds Seen in Wisconsin in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Wisconsin in December