Common Birds in Iowa
Our list for Iowa has 83 common birds recorded regularly there: 24 residents, 22 summer visitors, 21 winter visitors and 16 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Iowa in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 83, most common first
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensResidentCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataResidentCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusResidentCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusSummer visitorCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraResidentCommon23–34 cmRecorded all year
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisWinter visitorCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year
Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensisSummer visitorCommon20–24 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRegularly Jul–May
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Turkey VultureCathartes auraSummer visitorCommon62–81 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichasSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly May–Oct
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronataPassage migrantCommon12–15 cmRegularly Apr–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