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

60 birds were recorded seen in Wisconsin in February 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 February

Black-capped Chickadee365 obs.

Canada Goose360 obs.

Mallard335 obs.

Northern Cardinal300 obs.

Bald Eagle297 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco263 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk256 obs.

House Sparrow240 obs.

Downy Woodpecker220 obs.

Common Goldeneye212 obs.

Mourning Dove199 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch186 obs.

All birds seen in Wisconsin in February

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	365	Apr (rising)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	360	May (rising)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	335	Apr (rising)
4	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	300	Apr (rising)
5	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	297	May (rising)
6	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	263	Oct (rising)
7	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	256	Sep (rising)
8	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	240	May (rising)
9	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	220	Apr (rising)
10	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	212	Jan (past peak)
11	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	199	Apr (rising)
12	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	186	Apr (rising)
13	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	179	May (rising)
14	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	167	May (rising)
15	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	159	May (rising)
16	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	153	Apr (rising)
17	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	149	May (rising)
18	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	131	May (rising)
19	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	120	Apr (rising)
20	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	116	Mar (rising)
21	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	116	Mar (rising)
22	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	112	Jul (rising)
23	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	111	May (rising)
24	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	111	May (rising)
25	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	109	Apr (rising)
26	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	105	Feb (peak)
27	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	93	Feb (peak)
28	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	93	May (rising)
29	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	92	May (rising)
30	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	87	Jun (rising)
31	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	78	Jan (past peak)
32	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	66	May (rising)
33	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	61	Apr (rising)
34	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	58	Sep (rising)
35	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	58	Feb (peak)
36	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	53	Jan (past peak)
37	Redhead	Aythya americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	48	Mar (rising)
38	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	47	Apr (rising)
39	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	44	Aug (rising)
40	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	44	May (rising)
41	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	41	Apr (rising)
42	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	41	May (rising)
43	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	39	Aug (rising)
44	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Jan (past peak)
45	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	38	Apr (rising)
46	Eastern Screech-Owl	Megascops asio	Typical Owls	37	Feb (peak)
47	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	34	Dec (rising)
48	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	31	Mar (rising)
49	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	28	Apr (rising)
50	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	27	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in Wisconsin in February

Top birds in February

All birds seen in Wisconsin in February