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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in North Dakota

Our list for North Dakota has 191 bird species recorded regularly there: 18 residents, 82 summer visitors, 39 winter visitors, 50 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors

The list comes from 2.1 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
191
In October
125
Common
97
Busiest month
May

What's special about North Dakota

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 North Dakota is worth visiting for.

  1. Grey PartridgeGrey Partridge60×Winter visitor · 0.33% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  2. Upland SandpiperUpland Sandpiper26×Summer visitor · 0.49% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  3. Clay-colored SparrowClay-colored Sparrow25×Summer visitor · 1.2% of records here, 0.05% across United States
  4. Black TernBlack Tern19×Summer visitor · 0.74% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  5. Common PheasantCommon Pheasant18×Resident · 1.8% of records here, 0.10% across United States
  6. Franklin's GullFranklin's Gull18×Summer visitor · 0.89% of records here, 0.05% across United States
  7. Wilson's PhalaropeWilson's Phalarope13×Summer visitor · 0.59% of records here, 0.05% across United States
  8. BobolinkBobolink9.6×Summer visitor · 0.81% of records here, 0.08% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. American RobinAmerican Robin3.65%
  2. Canada GooseCanada Goose2.97%
  3. Red-tailed HawkRed-tailed Hawk2.57%
  4. MallardMallard2.40%
  5. Ring-billed GullRing-billed Gull2.30%
  6. Blue JayBlue Jay2.23%

Arriving now

  1. American Tree SparrowAmerican Tree SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 1.13%
  2. Snow GooseSnow GoosePassage migrantSep 0.06% → Oct 0.91%
  3. Tundra SwanTundra SwanPassage migrantSep 0.02% → Oct 0.80%
  4. Lapland LongspurLapland LongspurWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.70%
  5. Greater White-fronted GooseGreater White-fronted GoosePassage migrantSep 0.02% → Oct 0.49%
  6. Cackling GooseCackling GooseWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.48%

Share of all bird records in North Dakota 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 North Dakota

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 North Dakota

Records by month
Bird records in North Dakota by month, 2019–2024
January36,037
February30,413
March66,714
April236,479
May582,213
June450,316
July199,991
August149,681
September130,172
October92,885
November51,536
December38,301

May has the most records (582,000). 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 27
All 27 families in North Dakota

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 191 birds, A to Z

Show all 191 birds

Questions

4

What birds is North Dakota known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, North Dakota stands out for Grey Partridge, Upland Sandpiper, Clay-colored Sparrow and Black Tern. Each is recorded at least 19.1 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 North Dakota?

191 species, each recorded regularly in North Dakota (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 18 residents, 82 summer visitors, 39 winter visitors, 50 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in North Dakota, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in North Dakota in October?

125 species on our list for North Dakota are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are American Robin, Canada Goose, Red-tailed Hawk, Mallard and Ring-billed Gull.

What are the most common birds in North Dakota?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in North Dakota are House Sparrow, Canada Goose, White-breasted Nuthatch, Downy Woodpecker and American Crow.

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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