Birds to See in Montana in February
74 bird species on our list for Montana are recorded regularly in February
Of these, the most often recorded are Common Raven, Northern Flicker, Canada Goose, Bald Eagle and House Finch. New this month: Varied Thrush, Swamp Sparrow, Dunlin and Eastern Screech-owl.
On the move in February
GBIF · FebArriving
From Montana’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 74 birds in February
74 birds
Common RavenCorvus coraxResidentCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 5.30% in Feb
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 4.48% in Feb
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 3.79% in Feb
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 3.65% in Feb
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 3.49% in Feb
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 3.34% in Feb
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 3.33% in Feb
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.99% in Feb
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 2.45% in Feb
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisResidentCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.39% in Feb
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.38% in Feb
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.14% in Feb
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 2.02% in Feb
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 1.86% in Feb
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Jul–May · 1.86% in Feb
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusResidentCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.33% in Feb
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusSummer visitorCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 1.32% in Feb
Song SparrowMelospiza melodiaResidentCommon12–17 cmRecorded all year · 1.29% in Feb
American RobinTurdus migratoriusSummer visitorCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 1.11% in Feb
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusResidentCommon11–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.93% in Feb
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.93% in Feb
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.93% in Feb
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year · 0.90% in Feb
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.85% in Feb
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.75% in Feb
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoWinter visitorCommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.65% in Feb
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentCommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.64% in Feb
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorCommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.59% in Feb
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorCommon139–157 cmRecorded all year · 0.59% in Feb
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosResidentCommon66–102 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Feb
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusResidentCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.54% in Feb
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisResidentCommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.52% in Feb
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.50% in Feb
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.49% in Feb
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasResidentCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.44% in Feb
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.39% in Feb
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.39% in Feb
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorCommon24–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.38% in Feb
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorCommon59–76 cmRecorded all year · 0.37% in Feb
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorUncommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in Feb
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraSummer visitorCommon23–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.34% in Feb
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorUncommon28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.33% in Feb
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumSummer visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly May–Mar · 0.32% in Feb
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year · 0.29% in Feb
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.25% in Feb
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisSummer visitorCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.19% in Feb
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusResidentUncommon41–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.17% in Feb
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.14% in Feb
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.13% in Feb
Northern Pygmy-owlGlaucidium gnomaWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.11% in Feb
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.11% in Feb
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentUncommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.11% in Feb
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorUncommon53–65 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.10% in Feb
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorCommon120–150 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.08% in Feb
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Feb
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusResidentUncommon34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Feb
Lewis's WoodpeckerMelanerpes lewisResidentUncommon26–28 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Feb
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorUncommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.05% in Feb
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.05% in Feb
ChukarAlectoris chukarWinter visitorRare32–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Feb
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.03% in Feb
American Three-toed WoodpeckerPicoides dorsalisResidentUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Feb
Marsh WrenCistothorus palustrisSummer visitorUncommon10–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Feb
Pacific WrenTroglodytes pacificusSummer visitorUncommon8–12 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Feb
DunlinCalidris alpinaPassage migrantRare16–22 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.02% in Feb
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioSummer visitorRare16–25 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.02% in Feb
Virginia RailRallus limicolaResidentUncommon20–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Feb
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusSummer visitorUncommon20–26 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.01% in Feb
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.01% in Feb
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.01% in Feb
Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusResidentRare21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Feb
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentRare43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Feb
Western Screech-owlMegascops kennicottiiSummer visitorRare19–25 cmRegularly Nov–Sep · 0.01% in Feb
Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgianaPassage migrantRare12–15 cmRegularly Sep–Feb · 0.01% in Feb
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