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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Illinois

Our list for Illinois has 206 bird species recorded regularly there: 38 residents, 53 summer visitors, 53 winter visitors, 56 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors

The list comes from 19 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
206
In October
147
Common
76
Busiest month
May

What's special about Illinois

vs United States

The birds recorded far more often here than across United States, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Illinois is worth visiting for.

  1. Eurasian Tree SparrowEurasian Tree Sparrow7.8×Resident · 0.14% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  2. Gray-cheeked ThrushGray-cheeked Thrush3.6×Passage migrant · 0.11% of records here, 0.03% across United States
  3. American Tree SparrowAmerican Tree Sparrow3.3×Winter visitor · 0.67% of records here, 0.20% across United States
  4. DickcisselDickcissel3.2×Summer visitor · 0.27% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  5. Yellow-bellied FlycatcherYellow-bellied Flycatcher3.1×Passage migrant · 0.05% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  6. Tennessee WarblerTennessee Warbler2.9×Passage migrant · 0.42% of records here, 0.14% across United States
  7. Philadelphia VireoPhiladelphia Vireo2.9×Passage migrant · 0.08% of records here, 0.03% across United States
  8. Red-headed WoodpeckerRed-headed Woodpecker2.8×Resident · 0.66% of records here, 0.24% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. American RobinAmerican Robin3.52%
  2. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal3.23%
  3. Blue JayBlue Jay3.21%
  4. Canada GooseCanada Goose3.11%
  5. Downy WoodpeckerDowny Woodpecker2.69%
  6. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker2.64%

Arriving now

  1. Fox SparrowFox SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.43%
  2. Ruddy DuckRuddy DuckWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.22%
  3. American Tree SparrowAmerican Tree SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.20%
  4. Horned GrebeHorned GrebeWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.09%
  5. American Black DuckAmerican Black DuckWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.08%
  6. Hooded MerganserHooded MerganserWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.07%

Share of all bird records in Illinois in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Illinois

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Illinois

Records by month
Bird records in Illinois by month, 2019–2024
January830,964
February834,412
March1,450,064
April2,652,051
May4,502,257
June1,629,896
July1,290,519
August1,342,799
September1,663,509
October1,394,325
November898,064
December799,222

May has the most records (4.5 million). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 27
All 27 families in Illinois

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 206 birds, A to Z

Show all 206 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Illinois known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Illinois stands out for Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Gray-cheeked Thrush, American Tree Sparrow and Dickcissel. Each is recorded at least 3.1 times as often here as across United States, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Illinois?

206 species, each recorded regularly in Illinois (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 38 residents, 53 summer visitors, 53 winter visitors, 56 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Illinois, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Illinois in October?

147 species on our list for Illinois are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Canada Goose and Downy Woodpecker.

What are the most common birds in Illinois?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Illinois are Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Canada Goose, Red-winged Blackbird and Downy Woodpecker.

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

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