Birds to See in South Dakota in January
70 bird species on our list for South Dakota are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Canada Goose, Bald Eagle and Blue Jay. New this month: Franklin's Gull, Lewis's Woodpecker and American Three-toed Woodpecker.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanArriving
At their peak
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 70 birds in January
70 birds
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 4.24% in Jan
Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescensWinter visitorCommon14–18 cmRecorded all year · 3.96% in Jan
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 3.60% in Jan
Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalusWinter visitorCommon70–102 cmRecorded all year · 3.33% in Jan
Blue JayCyanocitta cristataResidentCommon25–30 cmRecorded all year · 3.20% in Jan
Rough-legged HawkButeo lagopusWinter visitorCommon46–59 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 3.15% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.09% in Jan
White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisWinter visitorCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 2.90% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.87% in Jan
Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensisResidentCommon45–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.68% in Jan
House FinchHaemorhous mexicanusWinter visitorCommon13–15 cmRecorded all year · 2.62% in Jan
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRecorded all year · 2.51% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon29–37 cmRecorded all year · 2.24% in Jan
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 2.23% in Jan
American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchosResidentCommon41–53 cmRecorded all year · 2.16% in Jan
Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosusWinter visitorCommon18–26 cmRecorded all year · 2.14% in Jan
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisWinter visitorCommon16–20 cmRecorded all year · 1.86% in Jan
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 1.78% in Jan
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year · 1.74% in Jan
Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 1.64% in Jan
American RobinTurdus migratoriusResidentCommon20–28 cmRecorded all year · 1.47% in Jan
Northern FlickerColaptes auratusResidentCommon28–31 cmRecorded all year · 1.42% in Jan
Pine SiskinSpinus pinusWinter visitorCommon11–14 cmRecorded all year · 1.33% in Jan
Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinusWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 1.31% in Jan
American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arboreaWinter visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 1.27% in Jan
Golden EagleAquila chrysaetosWinter visitorCommon66–102 cmRecorded all year · 1.27% in Jan
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentCommon100–125 cmRecorded all year · 0.87% in Jan
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year · 0.83% in Jan
Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorumResidentCommon15–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.80% in Jan
Great Horned OwlBubo virginianusWinter visitorCommon46–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.78% in Jan
American Herring GullLarus smithsonianusWinter visitorCommon53–65 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.64% in Jan
Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatusWinter visitorCommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.60% in Jan
Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensisWinter visitorCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.49% in Jan
Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsiiWinter visitorCommon53–76 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.46% in Jan
Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusSummer visitorCommon17–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.45% in Jan
Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalisWinter visitorUncommon15–18 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.43% in Jan
Western MeadowlarkSturnella neglectaSummer visitorCommon16–26 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.40% in Jan
Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicusWinter visitorUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.37% in Jan
Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatusWinter visitorUncommon24–34 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.36% in Jan
MerlinFalco columbariusWinter visitorUncommon24–33 cmRegularly Aug–Apr · 0.34% in Jan
Great Blue HeronArdea herodiasSummer visitorCommon91–137 cmRecorded all year · 0.28% in Jan
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesWinter visitorUncommon52–60 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.26% in Jan
Northern PintailAnas acutaSummer visitorCommon59–76 cmRecorded all year · 0.24% in Jan
Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusWinter visitorUncommon52–71 cmRegularly Dec–Mar · 0.24% in Jan
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusWinter visitorUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.23% in Jan
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensWinter visitorCommon69–84 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.23% in Jan
Red CrossbillLoxia curvirostraResidentCommon15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.21% in Jan
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaWinter visitorUncommon12–14 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.21% in Jan
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.19% in Jan
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorUncommon52–58 cmRegularly Nov–May · 0.17% in Jan
Wood DuckAix sponsaSummer visitorCommon47–54 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Jan
Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatusWinter visitorUncommon40–49 cmRegularly Oct–Aug · 0.16% in Jan
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Jan
Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicusWinter visitorUncommon17–21 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.14% in Jan
Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinatorWinter visitorUncommon139–157 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in Jan
Eastern Screech-owlMegascops asioWinter visitorUncommon16–25 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in Jan
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusWinter visitorUncommon62–68 cmRegularly Dec–Apr · 0.13% in Jan
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusWinter visitorUncommon52–64 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.11% in Jan
White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrysPassage migrantCommon15–16 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.10% in Jan
Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcanSummer visitorCommon32–36 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.07% in Jan
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorUncommon37–60 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.06% in Jan
Lewis's WoodpeckerMelanerpes lewisSummer visitorUncommon26–28 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 0.06% in Jan
Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulusWinter visitorUncommon19–23 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.05% in Jan
Ross's GooseAnser rossiiWinter visitorUncommon57–64 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.04% in Jan
Barred OwlStrix variaSummer visitorRare43–50 cmRegularly Dec–Sep · 0.04% in Jan
Grey PartridgePerdix perdixResidentRare28–32 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Jan
Fox SparrowPasserella iliacaPassage migrantUncommon15–19 cmRegularly Oct–Apr · 0.03% in Jan
Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaResidentUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Dec–Jan · 0.03% in Jan
Eastern BluebirdSialia sialisSummer visitorUncommon16–21 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Jan
American Three-toed WoodpeckerPicoides dorsalisSummer visitorRare21–24 cmRegularly Jan–Oct · 0.01% 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