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Stacker compiled a list of the most common birds seen near feeders in Illinois using data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch. Birds are ranked by the percent of sites visited from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6. Ties are broken by the average group size when seen, any further ties were not broken. Data was collected at 209 count sites in Illinois. States with less than 10 count sites were not included in rankings for each bird.
Project FeederWatch, a citizen science project where participants collect data on birds at their feeders, was founded in Ontario by Erica Dunn and the Long Point Bird Observatory in 1976. The project partnered with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology after 10 years to scale the project across the U.S. and Canada and now has over 20,000 participants.
The data Project FeederWatch collects is used by scientists to understand trends in bird populations. If you would like to participate as a FeederWatcher you can learn more about the project here.
Read on to see which birds are most commonly seen in your state.
#45. Northern Mockingbird
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 1% - Average group size: 1.0 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Mississippi: 64% --- #2. South Carolina: 57% --- #3. Alabama: 53% --- #4. Georgia: 49% --- #5. Tennessee: 46%
#44. Eastern Towhee
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 1% - Average group size: 1.08 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Tennessee: 37% --- #2. North Carolina: 34% --- #3. Georgia: 32% --- #4. Alabama: 25% --- #5. Mississippi: 18%
#43. Eastern Bluebird
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 1% - Average group size: 2.95 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Georgia: 67% --- #2. North Carolina: 63% --- #3. South Carolina: 60% --- #4. Mississippi: 55% --- #5. Virginia: 50%
#42. Field Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 1% - Average group size: 3.58 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Oklahoma: 9% --- #2. Tennessee: 7% --- #3. South Carolina: 5% --- #4. Texas: 4% --- #5. Nebraska: 3%
#41. Mallard
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 1% - Average group size: 6.73 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Utah: 7% --- #2. South Dakota: 6% --- #3. Maine: 4% --- #4. Delaware: 3% --- #4. Montana: 3%
#40. Canada Goose
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 1% - Average group size: 8.76 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Oklahoma: 6% --- #2. Rhode Island: 3% --- #3. Georgia: 2% --- #3. Connecticut: 2% --- #3. Indiana: 2%
#39. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 2% - Average group size: 1.0 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. North Carolina: 18% --- #1. Oklahoma: 18% --- #3. Georgia: 15% --- #4. Virginia: 14% --- #5. Tennessee: 13%
#38. Red-headed Woodpecker
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 2% - Average group size: 1.25 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Iowa: 9% --- #1. Mississippi: 9% --- #3. Kentucky: 6% --- #4. Tennessee: 5% --- #4. Kansas: 5%
#37. Chipping Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 2% - Average group size: 1.51 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Georgia: 58% --- #2. Mississippi: 55% --- #2. South Carolina: 55% --- #4. North Carolina: 34% --- #5. Alabama: 33%
#36. Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 2% - Average group size: 2.01 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Wyoming: 65% --- #1. South Dakota: 65% --- #3. Utah: 63% --- #4. Idaho: 55% --- #5. Colorado: 48%
#35. Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 3% - Average group size: 1.0 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Idaho: 16% --- #2. Missouri: 7% --- #2. Kansas: 7% --- #2. Utah: 7% --- #5. Connecticut: 6%
#34. Carolina Chickadee
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 3% - Average group size: 1.94 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Arkansas: 96% --- #2. Alabama: 93% --- #3. South Carolina: 92% --- #4. Oklahoma: 85% --- #4. Georgia: 85%
#33. Brown Creeper
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 4% - Average group size: 1.09 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Arkansas: 17% --- #2. Oklahoma: 12% --- #3. Maine: 11% --- #4. Indiana: 10% --- #5. Maryland: 8%
#32. Fox Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 4% - Average group size: 1.32 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Washington: 24% --- #1. Oregon: 24% --- #3. Oklahoma: 18% --- #4. California: 15% --- #5. Kentucky: 10%
#31. Red-winged Blackbird
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 4% - Average group size: 3.4 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Oklahoma: 35% --- #2. Mississippi: 27% --- #3. Colorado: 23% --- #4. Texas: 20% --- #5. Utah: 19%
#30. Eurasian Tree Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 4% - Average group size: 4.5 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Missouri: 22% --- #2. Iowa: 10% --- #3. Illinois: 4%
#29. Red-tailed Hawk
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 5% - Average group size: 1.04 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Nevada: 20% --- #2. Mississippi: 9% --- #3. Tennessee: 6% --- #3. Connecticut: 6% --- #3. Massachusetts: 6%
#28. Song Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 5% - Average group size: 1.14 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Washington: 57% --- #2. Kentucky: 54% --- #3. Oregon: 49% --- #4. West Virginia: 38% --- #4. Pennsylvania: 38%
#27. White-crowned Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 5% - Average group size: 1.86 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Nevada: 73% --- #2. California: 69% --- #3. Arizona: 59% --- #4. New Mexico: 31% --- #5. Washington: 20%
#26. Purple Finch
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 5% - Average group size: 2.16 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Mississippi: 27% --- #2. Arkansas: 25% --- #2. Georgia: 25% --- #4. Missouri: 23% --- #5. North Carolina: 22%
#25. Common Grackle
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 5% - Average group size: 2.74 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Florida: 29% --- #2. New Jersey: 27% --- #3. Delaware: 22% --- #4. Arkansas: 21% --- #5. Tennessee: 16%
#24. Brown-headed Cowbird
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 6% - Average group size: 3.06 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Alabama: 23% --- #2. Ohio: 15% --- #3. Tennessee: 14% --- #3. Florida: 14% --- #3. Delaware: 14%
#23. American Robin
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 7% - Average group size: 2.08 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Nevada: 47% --- #2. Tennessee: 41% --- #2. North Carolina: 41% --- #4. Washington: 39% --- #4. New Mexico: 39%
#22. Carolina Wren
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 9% - Average group size: 1.17 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. North Carolina: 84% --- #1. South Carolina: 84% --- #3. Georgia: 81% --- #4. Alabama: 80% --- #5. Virginia: 79%
#21. Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 9% - Average group size: 2.09 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. West Virginia: 49% --- #2. Missouri: 35% --- #3. Pennsylvania: 29% --- #4. Virginia: 25% --- #5. Ohio: 23%
#20. Northern Flicker
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 11% - Average group size: 1.13 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Montana: 72% --- #2. Colorado: 67% --- #3. Washington: 65% --- #4. Oregon: 62% --- #5. Nevada: 53%
#19. White-throated Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 11% - Average group size: 1.9 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Arkansas: 79% --- #2. Maryland: 74% --- #3. New Jersey: 70% --- #4. Virginia: 68% --- #5. Delaware: 67%
#18. American Crow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 13% - Average group size: 2.35 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Oklahoma: 44% --- #2. Maine: 42% --- #2. Arkansas: 42% --- #4. Minnesota: 38% --- #5. Virginia: 32%
#17. Cooper's Hawk
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 17% - Average group size: 1.02 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Nevada: 33% --- #2. Arizona: 24% --- #3. Kentucky: 21% --- #4. New Jersey: 20% --- #5. Illinois: 17%
#16. American Tree Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 19% - Average group size: 1.95 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Wisconsin: 32% --- #2. South Dakota: 24% --- #2. Michigan: 24% --- #4. Vermont: 23% --- #5. New York: 20%
#15. Tufted Titmouse
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 22% - Average group size: 1.99 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. West Virginia: 100% --- #2. Connecticut: 92% --- #3. North Carolina: 90% --- #3. Georgia: 90% --- #5. Massachusetts: 89%
#14. Hairy Woodpecker
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 34% - Average group size: 1.19 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Vermont: 72% --- #2. Maine: 69% --- #3. New Hampshire: 63% --- #4. Minnesota: 62% --- #5. Connecticut: 61%
#13. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 39% - Average group size: 1.25 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Maine: 71% --- #2. Alaska: 61% --- #3. Washington: 50% --- #4. Wisconsin: 48% --- #4. Michigan: 48%
#12. European Starling
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 46% - Average group size: 4.29 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Indiana: 74% --- #2. Kentucky: 69% --- #3. Ohio: 67% --- #4. Delaware: 64% --- #5. Missouri: 56%
#11. American Goldfinch
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 57% - Average group size: 4.13 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Oklahoma: 79% --- #2. Missouri: 76% --- #3. Wisconsin: 75% --- #3. Arkansas: 75% --- #5. Maine: 74%
#10. Blue Jay
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 58% - Average group size: 1.99 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Nebraska: 87% --- #2. Indiana: 83% --- #3. Ohio: 82% --- #4. Iowa: 81% --- #5. New Jersey: 80%
#9. White-breasted Nuthatch
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 60% - Average group size: 1.33 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Maine: 87% --- #2. West Virginia: 85% --- #3. Connecticut: 84% --- #3. Vermont: 84% --- #5. Massachusetts: 83%
#8. Black-capped Chickadee
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 64% - Average group size: 1.98 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Vermont: 98% --- #2. Maine: 96% --- #2. Massachusetts: 96% --- #4. Minnesota: 95% --- #4. Connecticut: 95%
#7. Mourning Dove
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 66% - Average group size: 3.57 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. West Virginia: 87% --- #1. Kentucky: 87% --- #3. New Jersey: 86% --- #4. Mississippi: 82% --- #4. Indiana: 82%
#6. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 68% - Average group size: 1.13 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. West Virginia: 87% --- #2. Ohio: 81% --- #3. Connecticut: 80% --- #4. Kentucky: 79% --- #5. Indiana: 78%
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#5. House Finch
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 74% - Average group size: 3.82 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Arizona: 91% --- #2. Kentucky: 87% --- #3. Colorado: 86% --- #3. New Mexico: 86% --- #3. Indiana: 86%
#4. Downy Woodpecker
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 80% - Average group size: 1.57 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Arkansas: 92% --- #2. Connecticut: 91% --- #2. Minnesota: 91% --- #4. Massachusetts: 90% --- #5. Iowa: 88%
#3. Northern Cardinal
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 86% - Average group size: 2.61 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Kentucky: 100% --- #2. Arkansas: 96% --- #2. Missouri: 96% --- #4. Maryland: 94% --- #5. Tennessee: 93%
#2. House Sparrow
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 87% - Average group size: 10.37 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Iowa: 91% --- #2. Illinois: 87% --- #2. Nebraska: 87% --- #4. Indiana: 80% --- #5. Ohio: 79%
#1. Dark-eyed Junco
- Sites visited Dec. 24 to Jan. 6: 88% - Average group size: 4.12 - States with the highest percent of sites visited --- #1. Nebraska: 97% --- #2. Washington: 95% --- #2. Oregon: 95% --- #4. Missouri: 92% --- #4. Delaware: 92%