Birds to See in Alberta in January
58 bird species on our list for Alberta are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are Common Raven, Downy Woodpecker, House Sparrow, Blue Jay and Northern Flicker. New this month: Fox Sparrow, Northern Cardinal and Chukar.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanArriving
At their peak
Common RavenBusiest month of the year · All year
White-breasted NuthatchBusiest month of the year · All year
Bald EagleBusiest month of the year · All year
Bohemian WaxwingBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
Snowy OwlBusiest month of the year · Nov–Mar
Black-backed WoodpeckerBusiest month of the year · All year
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 58 birds in January
58 birds
- Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 7.33% in Jan
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 5.52% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 5.25% in Jan
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.98% in Jan
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 3.79% in Jan- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 3.67% in Jan
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 2.95% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.85% in Jan
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 2.79% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaWinter visitorCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.35% in Jan
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusWinter visitorCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.29% in Jan
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 2.12% in Jan
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaResidentCommon40–51 cmRecorded all year · 2.07% in Jan- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 2.04% in Jan
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorCommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.99% in Jan
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year · 1.30% in Jan
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 1.07% in Jan
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosSummer visitorCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 0.86% in Jan
American RobinTurdus migratoriusSummer visitorCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 0.63% in Jan
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.62% in Jan
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.54% in Jan
MerlinFalco columbariusResidentCommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.53% in Jan- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorCommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.53% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisSummer visitorCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.52% in Jan
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.49% in Jan
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.42% in Jan
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorCommon28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.41% in Jan
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentUncommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.40% in Jan
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorCommon139–157 cmRecorded all year · 0.39% in Jan
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusResidentCommon11–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in Jan
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusResidentUncommon41–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in Jan
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in Jan
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaResidentUncommon16–22 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in Jan
American Three-toed WoodpeckerPicoides dorsalisResidentUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.23% in Jan
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisResidentUncommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.18% in Jan
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Jan
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentUncommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Jan
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisSummer visitorCommon35–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Jan
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Jan
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.13% in Jan
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorUncommon66–102 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Jan
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorCommon120–150 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.11% in Jan- Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Jan
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.08% in Jan
Eurasian TealAnas creccaSummer visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.08% in Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaSummer visitorCommon59–76 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.07% in Jan
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.07% in Jan
Northern Pygmy-owlGlaucidium gnomaWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.06% in Jan
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.05% in Jan
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.03% in Jan
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentRare43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Jan
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusSummer visitorUncommon20–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Jan
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoWinter visitorRare100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Jan
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentRare21–23 cmRegularly Jan · 0.01% in Jan
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaSummer visitorUncommon15–19 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 0.01% in Jan
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioPassage migrantRare16–25 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.01% in Jan
ChukarAlectoris chukarSummer visitorRare32–38 cmRegularly Jan–Oct · 0.00% in Jan
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