Skip to content
birdfact
Identify
Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Michigan

Our list for Michigan has 209 bird species recorded regularly there: 40 residents, 73 summer visitors, 47 winter visitors, 47 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors

The list comes from 22 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
209
In October
154
Common
75
Busiest month
May

What's special about Michigan

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 Michigan is worth visiting for.

  1. Mute SwanMute Swan4.6×Resident · 0.99% of records here, 0.22% across United States
  2. Snowy OwlSnowy Owl4.5×Winter visitor · 0.06% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  3. Sandhill CraneSandhill Crane3.8×Resident · 1.2% of records here, 0.33% across United States
  4. American Tree SparrowAmerican Tree Sparrow3.4×Winter visitor · 0.70% of records here, 0.20% across United States
  5. Ruffed GrouseRuffed Grouse3.2×Resident · 0.12% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  6. Trumpeter SwanTrumpeter Swan3.0×Resident · 0.37% of records here, 0.12% across United States
  7. Rose-breasted GrosbeakRose-breasted Grosbeak2.8×Summer visitor · 0.88% of records here, 0.31% across United States
  8. Snow BuntingSnow Bunting2.7×Winter visitor · 0.09% of records here, 0.03% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay4.82%
  2. American CrowAmerican Crow3.20%
  3. American RobinAmerican Robin3.00%
  4. Downy WoodpeckerDowny Woodpecker2.99%
  5. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal2.93%
  6. White-breasted NuthatchWhite-breasted Nuthatch2.88%

Arriving now

  1. American Tree SparrowAmerican Tree SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.41%
  2. Fox SparrowFox SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.19%
  3. Snow BuntingSnow BuntingWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.15%
  4. Long-tailed DuckLong-tailed DuckWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.14%
  5. GoldeneyeGoldeneyeWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.11%
  6. Rough-legged HawkRough-legged HawkWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.07%

Share of all bird records in Michigan 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 Michigan

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 Michigan

Records by month
Bird records in Michigan by month, 2019–2024
January982,031
February1,002,945
March1,619,935
April2,826,117
May5,539,724
June2,171,685
July1,657,475
August1,588,052
September1,672,512
October1,360,319
November873,646
December854,133

May has the most records (5.5 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 28
All 28 families in Michigan

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 209 birds, A to Z

Show all 209 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Michigan known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Michigan stands out for Mute Swan, Snowy Owl, Sandhill Crane and American Tree Sparrow. Each is recorded at least 3.4 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 Michigan?

209 species, each recorded regularly in Michigan (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 40 residents, 73 summer visitors, 47 winter visitors, 47 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Michigan, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Michigan in October?

154 species on our list for Michigan are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Blue Jay, American Crow, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker and Northern Cardinal.

What are the most common birds in Michigan?

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

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

Download citations (7)