Birds of Montana: The Official State Checklist

All 460 birds on the list

• 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 Dipper Cinclus mexicanus
• American Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica
• American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
• American Goshawk Astur atricapillus
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Pipit Anthus rubescens
• American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
• American Robin Turdus migratorius
• American Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides dorsalis
• American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
• American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
• American Wigeon Mareca americana
• American Woodcock Scolopax minor
• Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
• Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
• Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
• Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
• Baikal Teal Sibirionetta formosa
• Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
• Baird's Sparrow Centronyx bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
• Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
• Bank Swallow Riparia riparia
• Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
• Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
• Barred Owl Strix varia
• Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
• Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea
• Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
• Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
• Black Rosy-Finch Leucosticte atrata
• Black Scoter Melanitta americana
• Black Swift Cypseloides niger
• Black Tern Chlidonias niger
• Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala
• Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
• Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
• Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
• Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola
• Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
• Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
• Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
• 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-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
• Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus
• Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
• Brant Branta bernicla
• Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
• Brewer's Sparrow Spizella breweri
• Brewer's Sparrow (Timberline) Spizella breweri taverneri
• Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus
• Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• 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
• California Quail Callipepla californicaNonnative
• California Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma californica
• Calliope Hummingbird Selasphorus calliope
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canada Jay Perisoreus canadensis
• Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis
• Canvasback Aythya valisineria
• Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus
• Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina
• Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus
• Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
• Cassin's Finch Haemorhous cassinii
• Cassin's Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
• Cassin's Vireo Vireo cassinii
• Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
• Chestnut-collared Longspur Calcarius ornatus
• Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica
• Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
• Chukar Alectoris chukarNonnative
• Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
• Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii
• Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana
• Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
• Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
• Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
• Common Loon Gavia immer
• Common Merganser Mergus merganser
• Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor
• Common Poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
• Common Raven Corvus corax
• Common Tern Sterna hirundo
• Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
• Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis
• Cooper's Hawk Astur cooperii
• Costa's Hummingbird Calypte costae
• Crested Caracara Caracara plancus
• Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
• Curve-billed Thrasher Toxostoma curvirostre
• Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
• Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed) Junco hyemalis caniceps
• Dark-eyed Junco (Montana) Junco hyemalis montanus
• Dark-eyed Junco (Pink-sided) Junco hyemalis mearnsi
• Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) Junco hyemalis hyemalis / cismontanus
• Dark-eyed Junco (White-winged) Junco hyemalis aikeni
• Dickcissel Spiza americana
• Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum
• Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
• Dunlin Calidris alpina
• Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri
• Dusky Grouse Dendragapus obscurus
• Dusky-capped Flycatcher Myiarchus tuberculifer
• 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 Wood-Pewee Contopus virens
• 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
• Fieldfare Turdus pilaris
• Flammulated Owl Psiloscops flammeolus
• Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
• Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
• Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
• Gadwall Mareca strepera
• Garganey Spatula querquedula
• Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
• Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens
• 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 Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii
• Gray Partridge Perdix perdixNonnative
• Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus
• Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Leucosticte tephrocotis
• Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Cassin's) Leucosticte tephrocotis tephrocotis
• Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Hepburn's) Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis
• 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 Sage-Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus
• Greater Scaup Aythya marila
• Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
• Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
• Green Heron Butorides virescens
• Green Violetear Colibri thalassinus
• Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
• Green-winged Teal Anas crecca
• Green-winged Teal (Eurasian) Anas crecca creccaNonnative
• Gyrfalcon Falco rusticolus
• Hairy Woodpecker Dryobates villosus
• Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii
• Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
• Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula
• Heermann's Gull Larus heermanni
• Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
• Herring Gull Larus argentatus
• Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
• Hooded Oriole Icterus 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
• Inca Dove Columbina inca
• Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea
• Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea
• Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
• Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
• Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
• Least Bittern Botaurus exilis
• Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus
• Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
• Least Tern Sternula antillarum
• LeConte's Sparrow Ammospiza leconteii
• 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
• MacGillivray's Warbler Geothlypis tolmiei
• Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
• Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus
• Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Merlin Falco columbarius
• Mexican Duck Anas diazi
• Mexican Whip-poor-will Antrostomus arizonae
• Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli
• Mountain Plover Anarhynchus montanus
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia
• Mute Swan Cygnus olorNonnative
• Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
• Nelson's Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianusNonnative
• Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis
• Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
• Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) Colaptes auratus cafer
• Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) Colaptes auratus 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 Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium gnoma
• 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 Golden-Plover Pluvialis fulva
• Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
• Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus
• Painted Bunting Passerina ciris
• Painted Redstart Myioborus pictus
• 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
• Plumbeous Vireo Vireo plumbeus
• Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
• Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
• Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor
• Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
• Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus
• Purple Martin Progne subis
• Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima
• Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea
• Pyrrhuloxia Cardinalis sinuatus
• 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-naped Sapsucker Sphyrapicus nuchalis
• 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
• Redhead Aythya americana
• Redpoll Acanthis flammea
• Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
• Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
• Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicusNonnative
• Rivoli's Hummingbird Eugenes fulgens
• Rock Pigeon Columba liviaNonnative
• Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus
• 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
• Sagebrush Sparrow Artemisiospiza nevadensis
• 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
• Scott's Oriole Icterus parisorum
• 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-billed Gull Larus brachyrhynchus
• Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
• Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella
• Smith's Longspur Calcarius pictus
• Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis
• Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
• Snowy Egret Egretta thula
• Snowy Owl Bubo scandiacus
• 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
• Spruce Grouse Canachites canadensis
• Stejneger's Scoter Melanitta stejnegeri
• Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri
• Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
• Summer Tanager Piranga rubra
• Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
• Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
• Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
• Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana
• Tennessee Warbler Leiothlypis peregrina
• Thick-billed Longspur Rhynchophanes mccownii
• Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi
• Townsend's Warbler Setophaga townsendi
• Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
• Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
• Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator
• Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
• Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
• Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
• Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda
• Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
• Vaux's Swift Chaetura vauxi
• Veery Catharus fuscescens
• Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
• Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
• Virginia's Warbler Leiothlypis virginiae
• Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
• Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana
• Western Cattle-Egret Ardea ibis
• Western Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Gull Larus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
• Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
• Western Screech-Owl Megascops kennicottii
• Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
• Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus
• Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
• White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis
• White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
• White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
• White-headed Woodpecker Dryobates albolarvatus
• White-rumped Sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis
• White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus
• White-tailed Ptarmigan Lagopus leucura
• White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis
• White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis
• White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera
• White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
• White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi
• Whooping Crane Grus americana
• Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavoNonnative
• Willet Tringa semipalmata
• Williamson's Sapsucker Sphyrapicus thyroideus
• Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
• Willow Ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus
• Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis
• Wood Duck Aix sponsa
• Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
• Wood Stork Mycteria americana
• Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina
• 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-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) Setophaga coronata auduboni
• Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) Setophaga coronata coronata
• Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons
• Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica

Birds people confuse

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.

Bald eagle or Turkey vulture?

Bald eagle Not stated

Turkey vulture Not stated

Turkey vultures hold their wings in a shallow V; bald eagles soar on flat wings.

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.

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.

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.

Northern cardinal or Pyrrhuloxia?

Northern cardinal Not stated

Pyrrhuloxia Not stated

The pyrrhuloxia is a grayish bird with red highlights that lives in the desert Southwest.

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

When birds are active in Montana

Records of birds in Montana peak in April to August. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).

About this list

The species list comes from Montana Field Guide: Birds (class Aves, family species lists) (Montana Natural Heritage Program (Montana State Library) with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks: Montana Field Guide, Internet Archive captures 2025-03-02 to 2026-08-11, one per family page (each listed below)).

Venom does not apply to birds.

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