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

60 birds were recorded seen in Wisconsin in January in our iNaturalist sample; 7 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 January

Dark-eyed Junco381 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee314 obs.

Northern Cardinal305 obs.

Bald Eagle271 obs.

Mallard268 obs.

Common Goldeneye265 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk251 obs.

Downy Woodpecker242 obs.

Canada Goose227 obs.

Mourning Dove201 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker184 obs.

House Sparrow182 obs.

All birds seen in Wisconsin in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	381	Oct (rising)
2	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	314	Apr (rising)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	305	Apr (rising)
4	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	271	May (rising)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	268	Apr (rising)
6	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	265	Jan (peak)
7	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	251	Sep (rising)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	242	Apr (rising)
9	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	227	May (rising)
10	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	201	Apr (rising)
11	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	184	May (rising)
12	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	182	May (rising)
13	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	180	May (rising)
14	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	176	May (rising)
15	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	175	Mar (rising)
16	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	162	Jul (rising)
17	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	161	Apr (rising)
18	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	146	May (rising)
19	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	146	Mar (rising)
20	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	136	May (rising)
21	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	123	May (rising)
22	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	119	Apr (rising)
23	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	98	May (rising)
24	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	97	Jan (peak)
25	Rough-legged Hawk	Buteo lagopus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	86	Jan (peak)
26	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	82	May (rising)
27	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	80	Sep (rising)
28	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	73	Apr (rising)
29	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	71	Apr (rising)
30	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	68	Feb (rising)
31	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	67	Apr (rising)
32	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	61	Apr (rising)
33	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	58	Jan (peak)
34	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	57	Feb (rising)
35	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	56	May (rising)
36	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	49	Jun (rising)
37	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	40	Aug (rising)
38	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	39	Apr (rising)
39	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	38	Aug (rising)
40	Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Jan (peak)
41	Tundra Swan	Cygnus columbianus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	37	Dec (rising)
42	Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris	Larks	35	Feb (rising)
43	Sharp-shinned Hawk	Accipiter striatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	34	Jan (peak)
44	Long-eared Owl	Asio otus	Typical Owls	34	Jan (peak)
45	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	32	Apr (rising)
46	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	31	May (rising)
47	Northern Shrike	Lanius borealis	Shrikes	31	Mar (rising)
48	Ring-necked Pheasant	Phasianus colchicus	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	29	Apr (rising)
49	Short-eared Owl	Asio flammeus	Typical Owls	29	Nov (rising)
50	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	29	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in Wisconsin in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Wisconsin in January