Birds to See in Montana in January
75 bird species on our list for Montana are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are Common Raven, Northern Flicker, Bald Eagle, Mallard and Canada Goose.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanAt their peak
Rough-legged HawkBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
White-breasted NuthatchBusiest month of the year · All year
Wild TurkeyBusiest month of the year · All year
Bohemian WaxwingBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
Common RedpollBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
Great Horned OwlBusiest month of the year · All year
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 75 birds in January
75 birds
Common RavenCorvus coraxResidentCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 5.41% in Jan
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 4.38% in Jan
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 3.61% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 3.43% in Jan
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 3.25% in Jan
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusResidentCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 3.22% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 2.87% in Jan
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.86% in Jan
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisResidentCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.60% in Jan- Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 2.30% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.29% in Jan
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 2.27% in Jan
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Jul–May · 1.96% in Jan
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 1.88% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 1.71% in Jan
Song SparrowMelospiza melodiaResidentCommon12–17 cmRecorded all year · 1.23% in Jan
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusResidentCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.18% in Jan
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 1.00% in Jan- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.97% in Jan
American RobinTurdus migratoriusSummer visitorCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 0.88% in Jan
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year · 0.87% in Jan
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.80% in Jan- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoWinter visitorCommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.76% in Jan
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 0.75% in Jan
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusResidentCommon11–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.66% in Jan- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorCommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.66% in Jan
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorCommon139–157 cmRecorded all year · 0.63% in Jan
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasResidentCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.58% in Jan
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosResidentCommon66–102 cmRecorded all year · 0.58% in Jan
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentCommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.57% in Jan
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusSummer visitorCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Jan- Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.54% in Jan
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusResidentCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.53% in Jan- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.51% in Jan
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.50% in Jan
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.48% in Jan
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorCommon24–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.45% in Jan
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumSummer visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly May–Mar · 0.45% in Jan
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorUncommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.44% in Jan
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.37% in Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorCommon59–76 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in Jan
Mourning DoveZenaida macrouraSummer visitorCommon23–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.33% in Jan
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisResidentCommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 0.32% in Jan
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year · 0.27% in Jan
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorUncommon28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.26% in Jan
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisSummer visitorCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in Jan
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorUncommon53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.19% in Jan
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusResidentUncommon41–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Jan
Wood DuckAix sponsaResidentUncommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Jan
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.13% in Jan
Northern Pygmy-owlGlaucidium gnomaWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.12% in Jan
Tundra SwanCygnus columbianusWinter visitorCommon120–150 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.10% in Jan
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Sep–Mar · 0.09% in Jan
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorUncommon53–65 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.09% in Jan
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.09% in Jan
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusResidentUncommon34–43 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podicepsSummer visitorCommon31–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.06% in Jan
Virginia RailRallus limicolaResidentUncommon20–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Jan
Marsh WrenCistothorus palustrisSummer visitorUncommon10–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Jan
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorUncommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.05% in Jan
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensisSummer visitorCommon35–43 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.05% in Jan
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensPassage migrantCommon69–84 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.05% in Jan
Lewis's WoodpeckerMelanerpes lewisResidentUncommon26–28 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Jan
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
American Three-toed WoodpeckerPicoides dorsalisResidentUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.04% in Jan
Pacific WrenTroglodytes pacificusSummer visitorUncommon8–12 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Jan
ChukarAlectoris chukarWinter visitorRare32–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Jan
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.01% in Jan
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorRare62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.01% in Jan
Barred OwlStrix variaResidentRare43–50 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
Black-backed WoodpeckerPicoides arcticusResidentRare21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.01% in Jan
Western Screech-owlMegascops kennicottiiSummer visitorRare19–25 cmRegularly Nov–Sep · 0.00% in Jan
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsPassage migrantUncommon64–81 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.00% in Jan
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