Seasonal Presence and Relative Frequency of Selected Species
This list summarizes the seasonal presence of selected bird species in Montana, indicating whether each species occurs year-round, during the breeding season, or during the non-breeding season (winter and migration). Within each seasonal category, species are numbered and ordered from least to most frequently observed in the United States based on eBird frequency data. This ordering reflects how commonly a species has been observed by U.S. birders over time and is used here as a relative priority indicator, not as a measure of local abundance or the likelihood of encountering a species at a specific site or season within Montana.
Boreal Owl
White-tailed Ptarmigan
Greater Sage-Grouse
Black Rosy-Finch
Great Gray Owl
Spruce Grouse
Dusky Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Black-backed Woodpecker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
American Goshawk
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Boreal Chickadee
Pinyon Jay
Pine Grosbeak
Lewis’s Woodpecker
American Dipper
Canada Jay
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Clark’s Nutcracker
Canyon Wren
Red-necked Grebe
Cassin’s Finch
Evening Grosbeak
Pacific Wren
Trumpeter Swan
Pygmy Nuthatch
Eared Grebe
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Black-billed Magpie
Steller’s Jay
Baird’s Sparrow
Flammulated Owl
Black Swift
Mountain Plover
Thick-billed Longspur
Chestnut-collared Longspur
LeConte’s Sparrow
Sagebrush Sparrow
Nelson’s Sparrow
Williamson’s Sapsucker
White-winged Crossbill
Lark Bunting
Upland Sandpiper
Gray Flycatcher
Sage Thrasher
Calliope Hummingbird
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Plumbeous Vireo
Cassin’s Vireo
Harlequin Duck
Vaux’s Swift
Clark’s Grebe
MacGillivray’s Warbler
Brewer’s Sparrow
Franklin’s Gull
Clay-colored Sparrow
Green-tailed Towhee
White-throated Swift
Mountain Bluebird
Varied Thrush
Long-billed Curlew
Swainson’s Hawk
Marbled Godwit
Lazuli Bunting
Least Tern
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Bobolink
Dickcissel
Cassin’s Kingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Townsend’s Warbler
Bullock’s Oriole
Willow Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Western Grebe
Cinnamon Teal
Tennessee Warbler
Veery
Western Tanager
Orchard Oriole
Black-headed Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole
Gyrfalcon
Northern Hawk Owl
Bohemian Waxwing
Snowy Owl
Northern Shrike
Snow Bunting
Rough-legged Hawk
Redpoll
American Tree Sparrow
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