Birds to See in Hawaii in December
54 bird species on our list for Hawaii are recorded regularly in December
Of these, the most often recorded are Pacific Golden-Plover, Cattle Egret, House Sparrow, Northern Cardinal and House Finch. New this month: Brent Goose, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Grey Phalarope and 3 more.
On the move in December
GBIF · DecArriving
At their peak
From Hawaii’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 December
54 birds
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 4.92% in Dec
Cattle EgretArdea ibisResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 3.95% in Dec
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 3.46% in Dec
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.81% in Dec
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 2.81% in Dec
Red JunglefowlGallus gallusResidentCommon42–75 cmRecorded all year · 2.46% in Dec
Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticoraxResidentCommon58–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.69% in Dec
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 1.34% in Dec
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresResidentCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 1.30% in Dec
Scaly-breasted MuniaLonchura punctulataResidentCommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 1.27% in Dec
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisResidentCommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.76% in Dec
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriResidentCommon38–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.72% in Dec
Chestnut MuniaLonchura atricapillaResidentCommon10–11 cmRecorded all year · 0.72% in Dec
Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottosResidentCommon21–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.66% in Dec
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.65% in Dec
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentUncommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.46% in Dec
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorCommon44–51 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.46% in Dec
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorCommon59–76 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.43% in Dec
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.34% in Dec
Western MeadowlarkSturnella neglectaResidentUncommon16–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.34% in Dec
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.30% in Dec
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.27% in Dec
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusResidentCommon34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in Dec
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusResidentUncommon86–230 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Dec
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentUncommon23–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in Dec
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensResidentUncommon69–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in Dec
Long-billed DowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.12% in Dec
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorUncommon34–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.12% in Dec
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorUncommon42–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.10% in Dec
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiResidentUncommon53–76 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Dec
ChukarAlectoris chukarResidentUncommon32–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in Dec
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorUncommon43–54 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.09% in Dec
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.06% in Dec
Lavender WaxbillGlaucestrilda coerulescensResidentUncommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Dec
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsWinter visitorUncommon31–38 cmRegularly Jun–Apr · 0.05% in Dec
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorUncommon64–81 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.05% in Dec
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusWinter visitorRare34–58 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.04% in Dec
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesPassage migrantUncommon23–27 cmRegularly Aug–Jan · 0.04% in Dec
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorRare16–22 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.03% in Dec
Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatusPassage migrantUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Aug–Mar · 0.03% in Dec
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosPassage migrantUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Sep–Jan · 0.03% in Dec
Brent GooseBranta berniclaWinter visitorRare55–66 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.03% in Dec
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataPassage migrantUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Sep–Dec · 0.02% in Dec
Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaWinter visitorRare13–15 cmRegularly Sep–Feb · 0.02% in Dec
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentRare110–142 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Dec
Canada GooseBranta canadensisWinter visitorRare76–110 cmRegularly Aug–Jun · 0.02% in Dec
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusPassage migrantRare40–49 cmRegularly Dec–Jan · 0.02% in Dec
GadwallMareca streperaWinter visitorRare46–56 cmRegularly Dec–Feb · 0.01% in Dec
OspreyPandion haliaetusWinter visitorRare54–58 cmRegularly Oct–Feb · 0.01% in Dec
Grey PhalaropePhalaropus fulicariusResidentRare20–22 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 0.01% in Dec
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentRare53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Dec
Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaWinter visitorUncommon27–30 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.01% in Dec
Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaPassage migrantRare15–18 cmRegularly Sep–Dec · 0.00% in Dec
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusResidentRare40–46 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 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