Birds to See in Alberta in March
73 bird species on our list for Alberta are recorded regularly in March
Of these, the most often recorded are Common Raven, Canada Goose, House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker. New this month: Ring-billed Gull, Northern Shoveler, Song Sparrow and Red-tailed Hawk and 15 more.
On the move in March
GBIF · MarArriving
At their peak
Leaving soon
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 73 birds in March
73 birds
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 5.87% in Mar
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 5.83% in Mar
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 4.97% in Mar
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 4.02% in Mar
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 3.90% in Mar
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 3.58% in Mar
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 3.37% in Mar
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.16% in Mar
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosSummer visitorCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 2.65% in Mar
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisSummer visitorCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.47% in Mar
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaResidentCommon40–51 cmRecorded all year · 2.44% in Mar
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 2.44% in Mar
Rock DoveColumba liviaWinter visitorCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.09% in Mar
American RobinTurdus migratoriusSummer visitorCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 1.88% in Mar
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 1.88% in Mar
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusWinter visitorCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.60% in Mar
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.59% in Mar
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year · 1.47% in Mar
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorCommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.41% in Mar
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisSummer visitorCommon43–54 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 1.15% in Mar
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.85% in Mar
Northern PintailAnas acutaSummer visitorCommon59–76 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.78% in Mar
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusResidentCommon11–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Mar
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Mar
MerlinFalco columbariusResidentCommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Mar
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisResidentUncommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.49% in Mar
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorCommon139–157 cmRecorded all year · 0.47% in Mar
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.45% in Mar
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.43% in Mar
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusSummer visitorCommon53–65 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 0.39% in Mar
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentUncommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.37% in Mar
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorCommon28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.37% in Mar
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.33% in Mar
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorCommon120–150 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.29% in Mar
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataSummer visitorCommon44–51 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 0.29% in Mar
Eurasian TealAnas creccaSummer visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.26% in Mar
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.23% in Mar
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.20% in Mar
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorUncommon66–102 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in Mar
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisSummer visitorCommon45–65 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 0.19% in Mar
Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoidesSummer visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.18% in Mar
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorCommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.17% in Mar
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.16% in Mar
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentUncommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Mar
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusResidentUncommon41–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Mar
American Three-toed WoodpeckerPicoides dorsalisResidentUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Mar
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaResidentUncommon16–22 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Mar
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensPassage migrantCommon69–84 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.14% in Mar
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentUncommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Mar
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusSummer visitorUncommon20–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Mar
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.13% in Mar
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopePassage migrantUncommon42–51 cmRegularly Mar–May · 0.13% in Mar
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.13% in Mar
Song SparrowMelospiza melodiaSummer visitorCommon12–17 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.12% in Mar
GadwallMareca streperaSummer visitorCommon46–56 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.11% in Mar
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Mar
Western MeadowlarkSturnella neglectaSummer visitorCommon16–26 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.09% in Mar
Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Mar
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisSummer visitorCommon35–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Mar
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentRare43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Mar
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Mar
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusPassage migrantRare52–64 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.03% in Mar
Northern Pygmy-owlGlaucidium gnomaWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.03% in Mar
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusPassage migrantUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.03% in Mar
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.02% in Mar
Boreal OwlAegolius funereusPassage migrantRare21–28 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.02% in Mar
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.01% in Mar
Long-eared OwlAsio otusSummer visitorRare35–40 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.01% in Mar
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioPassage migrantRare16–25 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.01% in Mar
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusSummer visitorUncommon34–58 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.00% in Mar
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoWinter visitorRare100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.00% in Mar
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiPassage migrantUncommon57–64 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.00% in Mar
ChukarAlectoris chukarSummer visitorRare32–38 cmRegularly Jan–Oct · 0.00% in Mar
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