Birds to See in North Dakota in December
67 bird species on our list for North Dakota are recorded regularly in December
Of these, the most often recorded are White-breasted Nuthatch, House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay and Hairy Woodpecker. New this month: Ruffed Grouse.
On the move in December
GBIF · DecAt their peak
From North Dakota’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 67 birds in December
67 birds
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 5.91% in Dec
House SparrowPasser domesticusWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 5.06% in Dec
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 4.77% in Dec
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 4.07% in Dec
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusWinter visitorCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 3.96% in Dec
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosWinter visitorCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 3.82% in Dec
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusWinter visitorCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 3.76% in Dec
Canada GooseBranta canadensisWinter visitorCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 2.95% in Dec
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 2.74% in Dec
Rock DoveColumba liviaWinter visitorCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.68% in Dec
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 2.43% in Dec
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoWinter visitorCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.31% in Dec
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.13% in Dec
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.78% in Dec
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorCommon11–14 cmRegularly Aug–May · 1.70% in Dec
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.67% in Dec
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 1.58% in Dec
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 1.37% in Dec
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 1.31% in Dec
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 1.12% in Dec
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.09% in Dec
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisWinter visitorCommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 1.06% in Dec
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumResidentCommon15–18 cmRecorded all year · 1.02% in Dec
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.89% in Dec
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.84% in Dec
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in Dec
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorCommon28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.77% in Dec
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentCommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.69% in Dec
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.68% in Dec
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorCommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.67% in Dec
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisWinter visitorCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.66% in Dec
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorCommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.53% in Dec
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.44% in Dec
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorCommon66–102 cmRegularly Jun–Apr · 0.43% in Dec
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.42% in Dec
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusPassage migrantCommon53–65 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.42% in Dec
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.36% in Dec
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorCommon53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.34% in Dec
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisSummer visitorCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.34% in Dec
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorCommon15–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.33% in Dec
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.30% in Dec
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Jan · 0.27% in Dec
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisSummer visitorCommon43–54 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.27% in Dec
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.25% in Dec
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.22% in Dec
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensPassage migrantCommon69–84 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.21% in Dec
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusResidentUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.21% in Dec
Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaSummer visitorCommon28–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.20% in Dec
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.20% in Dec
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.16% in Dec
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusPassage migrantUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.14% in Dec
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorUncommon16–25 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.13% in Dec
Eurasian TealAnas creccaSummer visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.13% in Dec
Barred OwlStrix variaWinter visitorUncommon43–50 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.12% in Dec
Northern PintailAnas acutaSummer visitorCommon59–76 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.12% in Dec
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisPassage migrantUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Dec · 0.10% in Dec
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusSummer visitorCommon40–49 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.09% in Dec
Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphiaPassage migrantUncommon28–38 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.08% in Dec
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiPassage migrantUncommon57–64 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.07% in Dec
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsPassage migrantCommon64–81 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.07% in Dec
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusWinter visitorUncommon20–26 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.05% in Dec
Wood DuckAix sponsaSummer visitorCommon47–54 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.05% in Dec
Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatusPassage migrantUncommon14–18 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.04% in Dec
White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrysPassage migrantCommon15–16 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.04% in Dec
Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellusSummer visitorRare41–50 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.03% in Dec
Greater ScaupAythya marilaPassage migrantUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.03% in Dec
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaResidentRare16–22 cmRegularly Oct–Dec · 0.01% in 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