Seasonal Presence and Relative Frequency of Selected Species
This list summarizes the seasonal presence of selected bird species in Illinois, 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 Illinois.
Greater Prairie-Chicken
Northern Bobwhite
King Rail
Henslow’s Sparrow
Chuck-will’s-widow
Upland Sandpiper
Cerulean Warbler
Black-billed Cuckoo
Piping Plover
Kentucky Warbler
American Woodcock
Sedge Wren
Worm-eating Warbler
Bell’s Vireo
Mississippi Kite
Blue-winged Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Least Tern
Bobolink
Dickcissel
Hooded Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Warbler
Veery
Orchard Oriole
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Little Blue Heron
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole
Indigo Bunting
Smith’s Longspur
LeConte’s Sparrow
Whooping Crane
White-winged Crossbill
Snowy Owl
Northern Shrike
Snow Bunting
Rough-legged Hawk
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Redpoll
White-winged Scoter
Greater White-fronted Goose
Long-tailed Duck
Snow Goose
American Tree Sparrow
American Black Duck
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