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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in South Dakota

Our list for South Dakota has 197 bird species recorded regularly there: 28 residents, 80 summer visitors, 39 winter visitors, 46 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors

The list comes from 1.3 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
197
In October
119
Common
83
Busiest month
May

What's special about South 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 South Dakota is worth visiting for.

  1. Upland SandpiperUpland Sandpiper30×Summer visitor · 0.56% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  2. Common PheasantCommon Pheasant15×Resident · 1.5% of records here, 0.10% across United States
  3. Franklin's GullFranklin's Gull12×Summer visitor · 0.59% of records here, 0.05% across United States
  4. Western MeadowlarkWestern Meadowlark11×Summer visitor · 3.1% of records here, 0.29% across United States
  5. Black TernBlack Tern9.9×Summer visitor · 0.38% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  6. Mountain BluebirdMountain Bluebird8.8×Summer visitor · 0.55% of records here, 0.06% across United States
  7. Hudsonian GodwitHudsonian Godwit8.7×Passage migrant · 0.07% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  8. Clay-colored SparrowClay-colored Sparrow8.5×Summer visitor · 0.43% of records here, 0.05% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. American RobinAmerican Robin3.84%
  2. Blue JayBlue Jay3.16%
  3. Canada GooseCanada Goose2.69%
  4. MallardMallard2.45%
  5. House SparrowHouse Sparrow2.29%
  6. Common StarlingCommon Starling2.18%

Arriving now

  1. American Tree SparrowAmerican Tree SparrowWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.61%
  2. Fox SparrowFox SparrowPassage migrantSep 0.01% → Oct 0.38%
  3. Greater White-fronted GooseGreater White-fronted GoosePassage migrantSep 0.01% → Oct 0.22%
  4. American Herring GullAmerican Herring GullWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.21%
  5. Snow GooseSnow GooseWinter visitorSep 0.03% → Oct 0.20%
  6. Hooded MerganserHooded MerganserWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.18%

Share of all bird records in South 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 South 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 South Dakota

Records by month
Bird records in South Dakota by month, 2019–2024
January31,448
February26,847
March59,210
April145,072
May313,339
June227,040
July154,479
August99,550
September82,833
October51,807
November32,409
December30,251

May has the most records (313,000). 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 26
All 26 families in South Dakota

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 197 birds, A to Z

Show all 197 birds

Questions

4

What birds is South Dakota known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, South Dakota stands out for Upland Sandpiper, Common Pheasant, Franklin's Gull and Western Meadowlark. Each is recorded at least 10.7 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 South Dakota?

197 species, each recorded regularly in South Dakota (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 28 residents, 80 summer visitors, 39 winter visitors, 46 passage migrants and 4 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in South Dakota, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in South Dakota in October?

119 species on our list for South Dakota are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are American Robin, Blue Jay, Canada Goose, Mallard and House Sparrow.

What are the most common birds in South Dakota?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in South Dakota are Canada Goose, House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, American Robin and Mourning Dove.

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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