Birds of Iowa: The Official State Checklist

All 403 birds on the list

• Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens
• Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum
• American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
• American Barn Owl Tyto furcata
• American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
• American Black Duck Anas rubripes
• American Coot Fulica americana
• American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• American Goshawk Accipiter atricapillus
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Mareca americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
• Anhinga Anhinga anhinga
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
• Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
• Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii
• Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
• Bewick’s Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis
• Black Scoter Melanitta americana
• Black Tern Chlidonias niger
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
• Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna autumnalis
• Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-billed Magpie Pica pica
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
• Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla
• Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
• Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens
• Black-throated Gray Warbler Setophaga nigrescens
• Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens
• Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
• Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca
• Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata
• Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea
• Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata
• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
• Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius
• Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors
• Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera
• Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
• Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus
• Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia
• Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonicus
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
• Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
• Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
• Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
• Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii
• Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
• Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
• California Gull Larus californicus
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Jay Perisoreus canadensis
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
• Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
• Cerulean Warbler Setophaga cerulea
• Chestnut-collared Longspur Calcarius ornatus
• Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
• Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
• Chuck-will's-widow Antrostomus carolinensis
• Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
• Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii
• Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Common Eider Somateria mollissima
• Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Common Ground-Dove Columbina passerina
• Common Gull Larus canus
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii
• Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
• Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
• Dunlin Calidris alpina
• Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
• Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
• Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus
• Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
• Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
• Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio
• Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
• Eastern Whip-poor-will Antrostomus vociferus
• Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
• Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis
• Eurasian Collared-dove Streptopelia decaoctoNonnative
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanusNonnative
• Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
• European Starling Sturnus vulgarisNonnative
• Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla
• Fish Crow Corvus ossifragus
• Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Gadwall Mareca strepera
• Garganey Spatula querquedula
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
• Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
• Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Gray Partridge Perdix perdixNonnative
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Leucosticte tephrocotis
• Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus
• Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
• Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus
• Great Egret Ardea alba
• Great Gray Owl Strix nebulosa
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
• Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
• Groove-billed Ani Crotophaga sulcirostris
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Henslow's Sparrow Centronyx henslowii
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Herring Gull Larus argentatus
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
• Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus
• Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
• House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
• House Sparrow Passer domesticusNonnative
• Hudsonian Godwit Limosa haemastica
• Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea
• Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• King Eider Somateria spectabilis
• King Rail Rallus elegans
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
• Le Conte's Sparrow Ammodramus leconteii
• Least Bittern Botaurus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sterna antillarum
• Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
• Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
• Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
• Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes
• Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
• Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
• Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus
• Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
• Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
• Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
• Long-billed Murrelet Brachyramphus perdix
• Long-eared Owl Asio otus
• Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
• Long-tailed Jaeger Stercorarius longicaudus
• Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla
• MacGillivray's Warbler Geothlypis tolmiei
• Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh wren Cistothorus palustris
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olorNonnative
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson's Sparrow Ammodramus nelsoni
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
• Northern Hawk Owl Surnia ulula
• Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
• Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
• Northern Parula Setophaga americana
• Northern Pintail Anas acuta
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
• Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
• Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
• Northern Shrike Lanius borealis
• Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis
• Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
• Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata
• Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
• Osprey Pandion haliaetus
• Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla
• Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
• Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
• Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius
• Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
• Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
• Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus
• Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
• Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
• Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator
• Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
• Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus
• Pinyon Jay Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Gallinule Porphyrio martinicus
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea
• Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra
• Red Knot Calidris canutus
• Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
• Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
• Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
• Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
• Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus
• Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus
• Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
• Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
• Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
• Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
• Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
• Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
• Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens
• Redhead Aythya americana
• Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicusNonnative
• Rock Pigeon Columba liviaNonnative
• Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja
• Ross's Goose Anser rossii
• Ross's Gull Rhodostethia rosea
• Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet Corthylio calendula
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris
• Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
• Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
• Ruff Calidris pugnax
• Ruffed Grouse Bonasa umbellus
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
• Sabine's Gull Xema sabini
• Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
• Sanderling Calidris alba
• Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Say’s Phoebe Sayornis saya
• Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Tyrannus forficatus
• Sedge Wren Cistothorus stellaris
• Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
• Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus
• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata
• Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Slaty-backed Gull Larus schistisagus
• Smith's Longspur Calcarius pictus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiaca
• Snowy Plover Anarhynchus nivosus
• Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
• Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
• Sora Porzana carolina
• Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
• Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
• Sprague's Pipit Anthus spragueii
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
• Swallow-tailed Kite Elanoides forficatus
• Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Taiga Bean-Goose Anser fabalis
• Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina
• Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia
• Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend's Warbler Setophaga townsendi
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
• Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Cattle-Egret Ardea ibis
• Western Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• White Ibis Eudocimus albus
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
• White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
• White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
• White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
• White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
• White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi
• Whooping Crane Grus americana
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• Wood Stork Mycteria americana
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
• Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum
• Yellow Rail Coturnicops noveboracensis
• Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia
• Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
• Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii
• Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea
• Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
• Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica

Birds people confuse

Turkey vulture or Black vulture?

Turkey vulture Not stated

No confirmed photo of Black vulture

Black vulture Not stated

Black vulture: grayish-black head, shorter tail, a white patch near the wing tips (seen from below), and wings held nearly horizontal when soaring, with frequent flapping (Missouri). Tennessee and NPS Everglades say the same: black head, white patch at the wing tips, wings held flat. Turkey vulture: red head (adults), two-toned wings held in a V, rarely flaps. Note: juvenile turkey vultures also have dark heads.

Turkey vulture or Eagle?

Turkey vulture Not stated

Eagle Not stated

An eagle holds its wings flat and they are uniformly black; a turkey vulture's are held in a slight V and are two-toned.

Bald eagle or Golden eagle?

Bald eagle Not stated

No confirmed photo of Golden eagle

Golden eagle Not stated

Young bald eagles lack the white head and tail and are often mistaken for golden eagles. Bald eagles have unfeathered lower legs and hold their wings flat when soaring; TWRA says golden eagles have feathered legs, limited white under the wing, and lift the outer wing in a slight V.

Red-tailed hawk or Red-shouldered hawk?

Red-tailed hawk Not stated

No confirmed photo of Red-shouldered hawk

Red-shouldered hawk Not stated

A red-tail's rust-colored, broad, short tail distinguishes it from the smaller red-shouldered hawk (North Carolina). Tennessee: the red-shouldered hawk has a black and white banded tail and appears more uniformly colored.

Northern cardinal or Summer tanager?

Northern cardinal Not stated

Summer tanager Not stated

MDC: the adult male summer tanager is entirely rosy red, slightly darker on wings and tail, and is a summer resident; the adult male northern cardinal has a crest and a black area around its large red bill and is present year-round. TWRA says the summer tanager is the only other all-red songbird in Tennessee.

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When birds are active in Iowa

Records of birds in Iowa peak in March to June and September. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).

If you see one

Official advice from Iowa DNR:

• Bears: remove food attractants (pet food, grills, trash, bird feeders) when a bear is in the area. Iowa DNR

How to report

Aquatic invasive species: report suspected sightings to the nearest Iowa DNR fisheries station or by email (address on the DNR AIS page, [email protected] as decoded from the page link). Elk sightings: local conservation officer or wildlife field staff. Nuisance wildlife in a home: a DNR-licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator. Iowa DNR

About this list

The species list comes from Lists of Iowa Breeding Birds and Non-breeding Birds Evaluated by the IWAP (Iowa Wildlife Action Plan 2025, Appendices 5 and 6) (Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR), 2025 IWAP).

Venom does not apply to birds.

"Nonnative" and "Invasive" follow the wording of the source list. See invasive species in Iowa.