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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Iowa

Our list for Iowa has 198 bird species recorded regularly there: 36 residents, 51 summer visitors, 45 winter visitors, 57 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors

The list comes from 3.7 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
198
In October
128
Common
83
Busiest month
May

What's special about Iowa

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 Iowa is worth visiting for.

  1. Eurasian Tree SparrowEurasian Tree Sparrow27×Resident · 0.48% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  2. Common PheasantCommon Pheasant9.7×Resident · 0.96% of records here, 0.10% across United States
  3. DickcisselDickcissel8.2×Summer visitor · 0.70% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  4. Red-headed WoodpeckerRed-headed Woodpecker5.3×Resident · 1.3% of records here, 0.24% across United States
  5. Trumpeter SwanTrumpeter Swan4.2×Winter visitor · 0.51% of records here, 0.12% across United States
  6. Franklin's GullFranklin's Gull4.1×Summer visitor · 0.21% of records here, 0.05% across United States
  7. Greater White-fronted GooseGreater White-fronted Goose4.0×Winter visitor · 0.29% of records here, 0.07% across United States
  8. Pectoral SandpiperPectoral Sandpiper3.5×Passage migrant · 0.26% of records here, 0.08% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay3.86%
  2. American RobinAmerican Robin3.28%
  3. American CrowAmerican Crow3.01%
  4. Red-bellied WoodpeckerRed-bellied Woodpecker2.80%
  5. Downy WoodpeckerDowny Woodpecker2.78%
  6. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal2.75%

Arriving now

  1. White-crowned SparrowWhite-crowned SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.04% → Oct 0.88%
  2. Fox SparrowFox SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.59%
  3. GadwallGadwallWinter visitorSep 0.04% → Oct 0.43%
  4. Ruddy DuckRuddy DuckWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.37%
  5. Hermit ThrushHermit ThrushWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.33%
  6. Bonaparte's GullBonaparte's GullPassage migrantSep 0.02% → Oct 0.24%

Share of all bird records in Iowa 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 Iowa

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 Iowa

Records by month
Bird records in Iowa by month, 2019–2024
January133,217
February144,032
March301,604
April526,137
May901,594
June315,290
July269,393
August275,417
September311,293
October258,019
November157,030
December153,336

May has the most records (902,000). 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 26
All 26 families in Iowa

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 198 birds, A to Z

Show all 198 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Iowa known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Iowa stands out for Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Common Pheasant, Dickcissel and Red-headed Woodpecker. Each is recorded at least 5.3 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 Iowa?

198 species, each recorded regularly in Iowa (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 36 residents, 51 summer visitors, 45 winter visitors, 57 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Iowa, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Iowa in October?

128 species on our list for Iowa are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Blue Jay, American Robin, American Crow, Red-bellied Woodpecker and Downy Woodpecker.

What are the most common birds in Iowa?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Iowa are Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, Canada Goose, American Crow and House Sparrow.

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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