Birds to See in North Dakota in January
56 bird species on our list for North Dakota are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are White-breasted Nuthatch, House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, American Crow and Hairy Woodpecker. New this month: Gadwall.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanAt their peak
White-breasted NuthatchBusiest month of the year · All year
Rock DoveBusiest month of the year · All year
Grey PartridgeBusiest month of the year · All year
Snow BuntingBusiest month of the year · Oct–Mar
Red-bellied WoodpeckerBusiest month of the year · All year
Golden EagleBusiest month of the year · Jun–Apr
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 56 birds in January
56 birds
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 6.53% in Jan
House SparrowPasser domesticusWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 6.14% in Jan
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 5.51% in Jan
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosWinter visitorCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 4.53% in Jan
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusWinter visitorCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 4.17% in Jan
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusWinter visitorCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 4.10% in Jan
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataWinter visitorCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.74% in Jan- Rock DoveColumba liviaWinter visitorCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 3.12% in Jan
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoWinter visitorCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.71% in Jan
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 2.62% in Jan
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 2.37% in Jan
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorCommon11–14 cmRegularly Aug–May · 2.31% in Jan
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 2.23% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.16% in Jan
Canada GooseBranta canadensisWinter visitorCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 1.66% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.57% in Jan
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 1.44% in Jan
Common RavenCorvus coraxWinter visitorCommon54–67 cmRecorded all year · 1.20% in Jan- Grey PartridgePerdix perdixWinter visitorCommon28–32 cmRecorded all year · 1.17% in Jan
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.13% in Jan
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.11% in Jan
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisWinter visitorCommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 1.10% in Jan- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorCommon15–18 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 1.10% in Jan
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.97% in Jan- Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.92% in Jan
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumResidentCommon15–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.81% in Jan
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.78% in Jan
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentCommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.76% in Jan- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorCommon66–102 cmRegularly Jun–Apr · 0.66% in Jan
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorCommon52–71 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.65% in Jan
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisWinter visitorCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.64% in Jan
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorCommon24–33 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Jan
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.55% in Jan
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRecorded all year · 0.51% in Jan
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.47% in Jan
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.39% in Jan
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisSummer visitorCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.36% in Jan
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraWinter visitorUncommon15–17 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.32% in Jan
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.30% in Jan
Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaSummer visitorCommon28–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.29% in Jan
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorCommon15–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.27% in Jan
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.19% in Jan
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusPassage migrantCommon53–65 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.17% in Jan
Barred OwlStrix variaWinter visitorUncommon43–50 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.13% in Jan
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusResidentUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.10% in Jan
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorCommon53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.10% in Jan
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.10% in Jan
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorUncommon16–25 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.10% in Jan
Eurasian TealAnas creccaSummer visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.10% in Jan
Wood DuckAix sponsaSummer visitorCommon47–54 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.09% in Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaSummer visitorCommon59–76 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.09% in Jan
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusSummer visitorCommon40–49 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.08% in Jan
Varied ThrushIxoreus naeviusWinter visitorUncommon20–26 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.08% in Jan
GadwallMareca streperaSummer visitorCommon46–56 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.07% in Jan
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Jan · 0.07% in Jan
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.06% 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