Birds to See in South Dakota in February
64 bird species on our list for South Dakota are recorded regularly in February
Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Canada Goose, White-breasted Nuthatch and House Finch. New this month: Greater White-fronted Goose.
On the move in February
GBIF · FebAt their peak
Downy WoodpeckerBusiest month of the year · All year
White-breasted NuthatchBusiest month of the year · All year
House FinchBusiest month of the year · All year
Hairy WoodpeckerBusiest month of the year · All year
Pine SiskinBusiest month of the year · All year
American Tree SparrowBusiest month of the year · Oct–Apr
From South 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 64 birds in February
64 birds
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 5.05% in Feb- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 4.86% in Feb
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 4.20% in Feb- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 3.61% in Feb
- House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusWinter visitorCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 3.35% in Feb
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 3.26% in Feb
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataResidentCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.14% in Feb
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.06% in Feb
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.88% in Feb
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.59% in Feb- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusWinter visitorCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.53% in Feb
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 2.46% in Feb
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.22% in Feb
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 2.01% in Feb
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisResidentCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.00% in Feb- Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorCommon11–14 cmRecorded all year · 1.75% in Feb
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 1.69% in Feb
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 1.66% in Feb
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisWinter visitorCommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 1.65% in Feb
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 1.64% in Feb
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.51% in Feb- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.46% in Feb
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year · 1.46% in Feb
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.34% in Feb
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 1.30% in Feb
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentCommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in Feb
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.81% in Feb
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumResidentCommon15–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.71% in Feb
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.69% in Feb
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensWinter visitorCommon69–84 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.69% in Feb
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorCommon53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.65% in Feb
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorCommon66–102 cmRecorded all year · 0.65% in Feb
Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifronsPassage migrantCommon64–81 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.48% in Feb
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusSummer visitorCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.45% in Feb
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.41% in Feb
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.36% in Feb
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.36% in Feb
Northern PintailAnas acutaSummer visitorCommon59–76 cmRecorded all year · 0.35% in Feb
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasSummer visitorCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.31% in Feb
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorCommon53–65 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.25% in Feb
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.25% in Feb
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in Feb
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentCommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.22% in Feb
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorUncommon24–33 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.19% in Feb
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.18% in Feb
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorUncommon52–71 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.18% in Feb
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.17% in Feb
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorUncommon139–157 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Feb
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.15% in Feb
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorUncommon16–25 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in Feb
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Feb
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusWinter visitorUncommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Aug · 0.12% in Feb
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.12% in Feb
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.11% in Feb
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.11% in Feb
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 0.10% in Feb
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorUncommon57–64 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.10% in Feb
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialisSummer visitorUncommon16–21 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in Feb
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.07% in Feb
Wood DuckAix sponsaSummer visitorCommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Feb
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixResidentRare28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Feb
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.03% in Feb
Lewis's WoodpeckerMelanerpes lewisSummer visitorUncommon26–28 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 0.03% in Feb
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.02% in Feb
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