Birds to See in Alberta in February
54 bird species on our list for Alberta are recorded regularly in February
Of these, the most often recorded are Common Raven, House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay and Northern Flicker. New this month: Boreal Owl and Long-eared Owl.
On the move in February
GBIF · FebAt their peak
Downy WoodpeckerBusiest month of the year · All year
Common RedpollBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
Hairy WoodpeckerBusiest month of the year · All year
Pileated WoodpeckerBusiest month of the year · All year
Great Horned OwlBusiest month of the year · All year
Northern Saw-whet OwlBusiest month of the year · Sep–Jun
From Alberta’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 54 birds in February
54 birds
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 7.23% in Feb
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 6.25% in Feb- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 5.81% in Feb
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 4.25% in Feb
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 4.17% in Feb
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 3.67% in Feb
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 3.55% in Feb
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 2.83% in Feb- Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 2.62% in Feb
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.52% in Feb- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusWinter visitorCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.43% in Feb
Rock DoveColumba liviaWinter visitorCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.17% in Feb
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorCommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.93% in Feb
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 1.88% in Feb
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaResidentCommon40–51 cmRecorded all year · 1.86% in Feb- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 1.11% in Feb
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year · 1.08% in Feb
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosSummer visitorCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 0.82% in Feb- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.68% in Feb
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusResidentCommon11–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.57% in Feb
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisSummer visitorCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Feb
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.48% in Feb
MerlinFalco columbariusResidentCommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.44% in Feb
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.40% in Feb
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorCommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.40% in Feb
American RobinTurdus migratoriusSummer visitorCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 0.40% in Feb
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorCommon28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.39% in Feb
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentUncommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in Feb
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.34% in Feb
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisResidentUncommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.33% in Feb
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorCommon139–157 cmRecorded all year · 0.27% in Feb
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaResidentUncommon16–22 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in Feb
American Three-toed WoodpeckerPicoides dorsalisResidentUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in Feb
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusResidentUncommon41–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in Feb
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Feb- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.13% in Feb
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.12% in Feb
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorUncommon66–102 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Feb
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Feb
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Feb
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorCommon120–150 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.11% in Feb
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentUncommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Feb
Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Feb
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.08% in Feb
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisSummer visitorCommon35–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in Feb
Northern Pygmy-owlGlaucidium gnomaWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.07% in Feb
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.05% in Feb
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentRare43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Feb
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.03% in Feb
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusPassage migrantRare21–28 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.02% in Feb
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Feb
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoWinter visitorRare100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Feb
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusSummer visitorUncommon20–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Feb
Long-eared OwlAsio otusSummer visitorRare35–40 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.00% in Feb
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made