Who's at my feeder?

Backyard birds by state

Backyard birds of North Dakota

The birds that visit feeders in North Dakota, when they come and what they eat – counted from 2.1 million bird sightings reported across North Dakota from 2019 to 2024.

  • 8year-round residents
  • 19winter visitors
  • 16summer visitors
Black-capped Chickadee – the most common of the backyard birds in North Dakota
Photo Blake Ross / iNaturalist, CC BY

All year

Year-round backyard birds in North Dakota

These birds are reported in every season. Most of them will use a seed or suet feeder in any month.

  1. House Sparrow, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    House Sparrow

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: millet, cracked corn

    Photo: Esteban Poveda / iNaturalist, CC BY

  2. American Robin, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    American Robin

    Everyday visitor · most common in April

    Eats: fruit, mealworms

    Photo: Judy Gallagher / iNaturalist, CC BY

  3. American Goldfinch, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    American Goldfinch

    Everyday visitor · most common in August

    Eats: nyjer, sunflower hearts

    Photo: lwolfartist / iNaturalist, CC BY

  4. European Starling, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    European Starling

    Regular visitor · most common in March

    Eats: suet, mealworms

    Photo: Timothy Lindsey / iNaturalist, CC BY

  5. Eurasian Collared-Dove, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Eurasian Collared-Dove

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: millet, cracked corn

    Photo: Radu Teodoreanu / iNaturalist, CC BY

  6. Northern Flicker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Northern Flicker

    Everyday visitor · most common in September

    Eats: suet, peanuts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  7. Cedar Waxwing, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Cedar Waxwing

    Regular visitor · most common in August

    Eats: berries, dried fruit

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

Oct – Mar

Winter birds of North Dakota

They arrive from the north in autumn and leave again in spring. Millet and sunflower hearts on a tray or on the ground bring most of them in.

  1. Black-capped Chickadee, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Black-capped Chickadee

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: sunflower hearts, suet

    Photo: Blake Ross / iNaturalist, CC BY

  2. White-breasted Nuthatch, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    White-breasted Nuthatch

    Everyday visitor · most common in January

    Eats: sunflower, suet, peanuts

    Photo: Judy Gallagher / iNaturalist, CC BY

  3. Downy Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Downy Woodpecker

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: suet, peanuts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  4. Dark-eyed Junco, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Dark-eyed Junco

    Everyday visitor · most common in December

    Eats: millet, sunflower hearts

    Photo: Becky Matsubara / iNaturalist, CC BY

  5. Blue Jay, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Blue Jay

    Everyday visitor · most common in December

    Eats: peanuts, sunflower, corn

    Photo: Judy Gallagher / iNaturalist, CC BY

  6. House Finch, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    House Finch

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: black oil sunflower, nyjer

    Photo: MostlyDross / iNaturalist, CC BY

  7. Hairy Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Hairy Woodpecker

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: suet, peanuts, sunflower

    Photo: Blake Ross / iNaturalist, CC BY

  8. Red-breasted Nuthatch, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Red-breasted Nuthatch

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: sunflower hearts, suet

    Photo: Matt Felperin / iNaturalist, CC BY

Apr – Oct

Summer visitors

These birds spend spring and summer in North Dakota and winter further south.

  1. Mourning Dove, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Mourning Dove

    Everyday visitor · most common in August

    Eats: millet, cracked corn, sunflower

    Photo: Timothy Lindsey / iNaturalist, CC BY

  2. Red-winged Blackbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Red-winged Blackbird

    Everyday visitor · most common in June

    Eats: sunflower, cracked corn

    Photo: Matt Felperin / iNaturalist, CC BY

  3. Common Grackle, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Common Grackle

    Everyday visitor · most common in April

    Eats: cracked corn, sunflower

    Photo: Shaun Coleman / iNaturalist, CC BY

  4. Song Sparrow, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Song Sparrow

    Regular visitor · most common in July

    Eats: millet, sunflower hearts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  5. Chipping Sparrow, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Chipping Sparrow

    Regular visitor · most common in May

    Eats: millet, sunflower hearts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  6. Brown-headed Cowbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Brown-headed Cowbird

    Regular visitor · most common in June

    Eats: millet, cracked corn

    Photo: cello caruso-turiello / iNaturalist, CC BY

  7. Yellow-rumped Warbler, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Yellow-rumped Warbler

    Regular visitor · most common in September

    Eats: suet, mealworms

    Photo: Willem Span / iNaturalist, CC BY

  8. Gray Catbird, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Gray Catbird

    Regular visitor · most common in September

    Eats: fruit, jelly, mealworms

    Photo: kirk gardner / iNaturalist, CC BY

Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers in North Dakota

7 woodpecker species are reported regularly in North Dakota. Downy Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker are the ones most often seen. All of them come for suet – a suet cage with a tail-prop panel also works for the larger species.

Which suet to use and when →

  1. Downy Woodpecker2.4%
  2. Hairy Woodpecker1.9%
  3. Northern Flicker1.1%
  4. Red-bellied Woodpecker0.5%
  5. Pileated Woodpecker0.2%
  6. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker0.1%
  7. Red-headed Woodpecker0.1%
  1. Downy Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Downy Woodpecker

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: suet, peanuts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  2. Hairy Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Hairy Woodpecker

    Everyday visitor · most common in February

    Eats: suet, peanuts, sunflower

    Photo: Blake Ross / iNaturalist, CC BY

  3. Northern Flicker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Northern Flicker

    Everyday visitor · most common in September

    Eats: suet, peanuts

    Photo: iNaturalist, CC0

  4. Red-bellied Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Red-bellied Woodpecker

    Occasional visitor · most common in January

    Eats: suet, peanuts, sunflower

    Photo: Michael / iNaturalist, CC BY

  5. Pileated Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Pileated Woodpecker

    Occasional visitor · most common in February

    Eats: suet

    Photo: tsaiproject / iNaturalist, CC BY

  6. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

    Occasional visitor · most common in May

    Eats: suet, tree sap

    Photo: Martin Tremblay / iNaturalist, CC BY

  7. Red-headed Woodpecker, one of the backyard birds that visit feeders

    Red-headed Woodpecker

    Occasional visitor · most common in August

    Eats: suet, sunflower, peanuts

    Photo: Matthew Gerke / iNaturalist, CC BY

Identification

Red birds in North Dakota

Northern Cardinal – the male is red all over with a black face; the female is tan with red on wings, tail and crest.
House Finch – males have a red head, breast and rump over brown streaks; common at seed feeders all year.
Purple Finch – males look dipped in raspberry juice, with less streaking on the flanks than a house finch.
Red-bellied Woodpecker – despite the name, the red is on the back of the head; the belly shows only a faint blush.
Red-headed Woodpecker – the whole head is deep red, the body black and white.

Bird calendar

The year at the feeder in North Dakota

One row per bird, darkest in its strongest month.

BirdJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Black-capped Chickadee
House Sparrow
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
Downy Woodpecker
Dark-eyed Junco
Blue Jay
House Finch
Hairy Woodpecker
Mourning Dove
Red-winged Blackbird
Rock Pigeon
American Goldfinch
European Starling
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Common Grackle
Pine Siskin

Want the list for your own garden? Enter your ZIP code – the birds within 30 km, month by month.

Questions

Backyard birds in North Dakota: questions

What is the most common backyard bird in North Dakota?

The black-capped chickadee. It makes up about 3.9% of all bird sightings reported in North Dakota.

What birds are in North Dakota in winter?

Besides year-round residents such as the house sparrow, American robin, rock pigeon, winter brings black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker.

What woodpeckers live in North Dakota?

7 species are reported regularly: downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, northern flicker, red-bellied woodpecker, pileated woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, red-headed woodpecker.

More states

Backyard birds in other states