Birds to See in Puerto Rico in December
65 bird species on our list for Puerto Rico are recorded regularly in December
Of these, the most often recorded are White-winged Dove, Northern Mockingbird, Great White Egret, Red-tailed Hawk and Rock Dove. New this month: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Rose-ringed Parakeet and Northern Pintail.
On the move in December
GBIF · DecArriving
At their peak
Leaving soon
From Puerto Rico’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 65 birds in December
65 birds
White-winged DoveZenaida asiaticaResidentCommon27–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.05% in Dec
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosResidentCommon21–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.73% in Dec
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentCommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 2.12% in Dec
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisResidentCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.72% in Dec
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.62% in Dec
Turkey VultureCathartes auraResidentCommon62–81 cmRecorded all year · 1.20% in Dec
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 1.17% in Dec
Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachusResidentCommon29–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.13% in Dec
OspreyPandion haliaetusWinter visitorCommon54–58 cmRecorded all year · 1.05% in Dec
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 1.01% in Dec
Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensisWinter visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.72% in Dec
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.70% in Dec
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesWinter visitorCommon23–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.66% in Dec
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentCommon23–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.65% in Dec
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasWinter visitorCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Dec
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorCommon27–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.52% in Dec
Red JunglefowlGallus gallusResidentUncommon42–75 cmRecorded all year · 0.50% in Dec
American RedstartSetophaga ruticillaWinter visitorCommon11–14 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.49% in Dec
Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaWinter visitorCommon29–40 cmRecorded all year · 0.47% in Dec
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusResidentCommon48–66 cmRecorded all year · 0.44% in Dec
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.43% in Dec
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorUncommon24–33 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.42% in Dec
Scaly-breasted MuniaLonchura punctulataResidentCommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in Dec
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisResidentCommon36–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in Dec
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.32% in Dec
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsResidentUncommon31–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.29% in Dec
Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatusWinter visitorCommon17–19 cmRecorded all year · 0.28% in Dec
Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichasWinter visitorUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.26% in Dec
Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusWinter visitorCommon18–23 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.25% in Dec
Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescensWinter visitorUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.24% in Dec
Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaWinter visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.24% in Dec
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorUncommon34–58 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.22% in Dec
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaWinter visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.21% in Dec
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaWinter visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.21% in Dec
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisResidentUncommon35–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in Dec
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.18% in Dec
OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapillaWinter visitorUncommon12–15 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.17% in Dec
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentUncommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Dec
Solitary SandpiperTringa solitariaWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.14% in Dec
Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrinaWinter visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.13% in Dec
WilletTringa semipalmataResidentUncommon33–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Dec
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.09% in Dec
Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarumWinter visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.09% in Dec
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentUncommon53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Dec
Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnoliaWinter visitorUncommon11–13 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.07% in Dec
Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusWinter visitorCommon23–32 cmRegularly Jun–Apr · 0.07% in Dec
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusWinter visitorUncommon40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Dec
Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterusResidentUncommon34–44 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Dec
Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citreaWinter visitorUncommon13–14 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.05% in Dec
Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronataWinter visitorRare12–15 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.05% in Dec
Common TernSterna hirundoWinter visitorUncommon31–35 cmRegularly Jul–Mar · 0.04% in Dec
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorRare43–54 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.04% in Dec
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorRare52–64 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.04% in Dec
Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbulaWinter visitorRare17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.02% in Dec
Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanicaWinter visitorRare10–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.02% in Dec
Western SandpiperCalidris mauriPassage migrantUncommon14–17 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.02% in Dec
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentRare50–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Dec
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Aug–Mar · 0.02% in Dec
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaWinter visitorRare12–14 cmRegularly Sep–Feb · 0.02% in Dec
Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virensWinter visitorUncommon11–12 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.01% in Dec
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorRare34–38 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.01% in Dec
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusResidentRare34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Dec
Northern PintailAnas acutaPassage migrantRare59–76 cmRegularly Dec · 0.01% in Dec
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusResidentRare86–230 cmRegularly Oct–Aug · 0.00% in Dec
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriPassage migrantRare38–42 cmRegularly Oct–Dec · 0.00% in Dec
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