Common Birds in Illinois
Our list for Illinois has 76 common birds recorded regularly there: 23 residents, 20 summer visitors, 19 winter visitors and 14 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Illinois in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 76, most common first
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusSummer visitorCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensResidentCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusResidentCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataResidentCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentCommon23–34 cmRecorded all year
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year
Song SparrowMelospiza melodiaResidentCommon12–17 cmRecorded all year
Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronataWinter visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Sep–May
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisResidentCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year
Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaSummer visitorCommon28–34 cmRecorded all year
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisResidentCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichasSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year
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