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 · Oct
Share of all bird records in Illinois in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 76, most common first
Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianusSummer visitorCommon18–22 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Wood DuckAix sponsaSummer visitorCommon47–54 cmRecorded all year
Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgianaSummer visitorCommon12–15 cmRecorded all year
Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrinaPassage migrantCommon10–13 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarumPassage migrantCommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorCommon44–51 cmRegularly Aug–May
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialisResidentCommon16–21 cmRecorded all year
DickcisselSpiza americanaSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly May–Aug
Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatusWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRegularly Sep–May
Sandhill CraneAntigone canadensisWinter visitorCommon80–122 cmRecorded all year
Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castaneaPassage migrantCommon14–14 cmRegularly May–Oct
Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapillaPassage migrantCommon11–13 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Purple MartinProgne subisSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalusResidentCommon19–23 cmRecorded all year
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaWinter visitorCommon15–19 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaPassage migrantCommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataPassage migrantCommon13–15 cmRegularly May–Oct
Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virensPassage migrantCommon11–12 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
GadwallMareca streperaWinter visitorCommon46–56 cmRegularly Sep–Apr
Lesser YellowlegsTringa flavipesPassage migrantCommon23–27 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsWinter visitorCommon31–38 cmRecorded all year
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsWinter visitorCommon64–81 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
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