Birds to See in Russia in December
108 species listed for December · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
108 bird species on our list for Russia are recorded regularly in December. Of these, the most often recorded are Great Tit, Hooded Crow, Rock Dove, Blue Tit and Bullfinch. New this month: Glaucous Gull, Water Rail, Sandwich Tern and Western Capercaillie.
New in December4
Residents
(43)Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Fieldfare
Turdus pilarisLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Goldeneye
Bucephala clangulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minorLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Recorded all year
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustrisLC
Recorded all year
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
Recorded all year
White-tailed Sea-eagle
Haliaeetus albicillaLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Shelduck
Tadorna ferrugineaLC
Recorded all year
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
Recorded all year
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Recorded all year
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Regularly Apr–Feb
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Long-eared Owl
Asio otusLC
Recorded all year
Pochard
Aythya ferinaVU
Recorded all year
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
Recorded all year
Black-necked Grebe
Podiceps nigricollisLC
Recorded all year
Horned Lark
Eremophila alpestrisLC
Recorded all year
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Recorded all year
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Recorded all year
Red-crested Pochard
Netta rufinaLC
Recorded all year
Summer visitors
(34)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Great Crested Grebe
Podiceps cristatusLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wigeon
Mareca penelopeLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
Recorded all year
Arctic Loon
Gavia arcticaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Recorded all year
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
Recorded all year
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Recorded all year
Red-necked Grebe
Podiceps grisegenaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Great White Egret
Ardea albaLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Horned Grebe
Podiceps auritusVU
Regularly Apr–Dec
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
Recorded all year
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
Recorded all year
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochrurosLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Regularly Feb–Dec
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Western Capercaillie
Tetrao urogallusLC
Regularly Mar–Dec
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Griffon Vulture
Gyps fulvusLC
Regularly Apr–Jan
Water Rail
Rallus aquaticusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetosLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
Recorded all year
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Winter visitors
(30)Present outside the breeding season
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Regularly Jul–May
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Recorded all year
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Recorded all year
Willow Tit
Poecile montanusLC
Recorded all year
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Bohemian Waxwing
Bombycilla garrulusLC
Regularly Oct–Apr
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Goshawk
Astur gentilisLC
Recorded all year
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Recorded all year
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Recorded all year
Crested Tit
Lophophanes cristatusLC
Recorded all year
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostraLC
Recorded all year
Smew
Mergellus albellusLC
Regularly Aug–Apr
Rough-legged Hawk
Buteo lagopusLC
Recorded all year
Great Grey Shrike
Lanius excubitorLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Black Grouse
Lyrurus tetrixLC
Recorded all year
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
Regularly Jul–Apr
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fuscaVU
Regularly Jun–Mar
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalisLC
Regularly Jun–Apr
Glaucous Gull
Larus hyperboreusLC
Regularly Jun–Mar
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
Recorded all year
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulataLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Barnacle Goose
Branta leucopsisLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellisLC
Recorded all year
Passage migrants
(1)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
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