BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Montana Breeding Birds

253 species recorded across 116 survey routes, 1968 to 2024. Browse by family or guild below.

Montana Bird Population Trends

long arc declinecomputed index

Trumpeter Swan has collapsed in Montana: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1975.

long arc declinecomputed index

Evening Grosbeak has collapsed in Montana: down 92% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc declinecomputed index

Pinyon Jay has collapsed in Montana: down 90% on the route-weighted index since 1971.

long arc declinecomputed index

Barrow's Goldeneye has collapsed in Montana: down 86% on the route-weighted index since 1985.

long arc declinecomputed index

Common Tern has collapsed in Montana: down 83% on the route-weighted index since 1976.

long arc declinecomputed index

Cooper's Hawk has collapsed in Montana: down 80% on the route-weighted index since 1974.

How Bird Guilds Are Faring in Montana

-54%

Game birds

7 species
-40%

Arid-land birds

2 species
-17%

Waterfowl

21 species
-13%

Grassland birds

16 species
-5%

Generalists

13 species
+2%

Forest birds

79 species
+8%

Shorebirds

8 species
+13%

Birds of prey

19 species
+16%

Aerial insectivores

21 species
+40%

Wetland birds

22 species

Montana Bird Survey Routes

Browse Montana Birds By Family

Each species links to its trend in Montana.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk -74%Bald Eagle +752%Cooper's Hawk -80%Ferruginous Hawk +238%Golden Eagle +12%Northern Harrier -11%Red-tailed Hawk +306%Sharp-shinned Hawk -74%Swainson's Hawk +644%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -1%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -21%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Wigeon -49%Barrow's Goldeneye -86%Blue-winged Teal +4%Bufflehead +252%Canada Goose 20×Canvasback -35%Cinnamon Teal -26%Common Goldeneye -77%Common Merganser +313%Gadwall -7%Green-winged Teal -24%Hooded Merganser +67%Lesser Scaup -24%Mallard -19%Northern Pintail -42%Northern Shoveler +43%Redhead +120%Ring-necked Duck -21%Ruddy Duck +192%Trumpeter Swan -94%Wood Duck -40%

Swifts Apodidae

Black Swift -62%Chimney Swift -11%Vaux's Swift -41%White-throated Swift +179%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -13%Great Blue Heron -57%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +560%

Longspurs & Snow Buntings Calcariidae

Chestnut-collared Longspur +66%Thick-billed Longspur +232%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk +24%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak +390%Dickcissel +859%Lazuli Bunting +115%Western Tanager +235%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture +105%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +36%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -39%

Dippers Cinclidae

American Dipper -12%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove +913%Mourning Dove -9%Rock Pigeon +272%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow -36%Black-billed Magpie -31%Canada Jay -36%Clark's Nutcracker +23%Common Raven +374%Pinyon Jay -90%Steller's Jay -73%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -71%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -30%Merlin -47%Peregrine Falcon +7%Prairie Falcon -42%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +47%Cassin's Finch +57%Evening Grosbeak -92%House Finch +486%Pine Grosbeak -34%Pine Siskin -18%Red Crossbill +207%White-winged Crossbill -46%

Loons Gaviidae

Common Loon -9%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 16×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -75%Barn Swallow -18%Cliff Swallow +43%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +25%Tree Swallow +112%Violet-green Swallow +69%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole +2%Bobolink +926%Brewer's Blackbird -55%Brown-headed Cowbird +251%Bullock's Oriole +47%Common Grackle +178%Orchard Oriole +727%Red-winged Blackbird +67%Western Meadowlark -13%Yellow-headed Blackbird -1%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -20%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -27%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Tern -71%California Gull -51%Common Tern -83%Franklin's Gull +184%Ring-billed Gull 11×

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher +13%Gray Catbird +33%Northern Mockingbird -26%Sage Thrasher -61%

Wagtails & Pipits Motacillidae

Sprague's Pipit +141%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +193%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +72%Chestnut-backed Chickadee +39%Mountain Chickadee +130%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +22%Common Yellowthroat -5%MacGillivray's Warbler +101%Nashville Warbler +444%Northern Waterthrush +592%Orange-crowned Warbler +65%Ovenbird +295%Tennessee Warbler +12%Townsend's Warbler +183%Wilson's Warbler -18%Yellow Warbler +76%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Baird's Sparrow +64%Brewer's Sparrow -35%Chipping Sparrow +12%Clay-colored Sparrow +116%Field Sparrow +326%Fox Sparrow +232%Grasshopper Sparrow +490%Green-tailed Towhee -37%Lark Bunting -69%Lark Sparrow -56%Lincoln's Sparrow +757%Savannah Sparrow +313%Song Sparrow -21%Spotted Towhee +233%Vesper Sparrow +70%White-crowned Sparrow +70%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow +52%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican 18×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +400%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Dusky Grouse -61%Gray Partridge +70%Greater Sage-Grouse -79%Ring-necked Pheasant -28%Ruffed Grouse +153%Sharp-tailed Grouse +13%Wild Turkey +135%

Woodpeckers Picidae

American Three-toed Woodpecker -37%Black-backed Woodpecker -52%Downy Woodpecker -37%Hairy Woodpecker +467%Lewis's Woodpecker -40%Pileated Woodpecker +96%Red-headed Woodpecker -32%Red-naped Sapsucker +587%Williamson's Sapsucker -43%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Eared Grebe +49%Pied-billed Grebe -27%Red-necked Grebe -80%Western Grebe +89%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot +62%Sora -36%Virginia Rail +47%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet +217%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet 11×Ruby-crowned Kinglet +51%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Long-billed Curlew +407%Marbled Godwit +445%Spotted Sandpiper +9%Upland Sandpiper +937%Willet +537%Wilson's Phalarope +20%Wilson's Snipe +32%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Pygmy Nuthatch -78%Red-breasted Nuthatch +625%White-breasted Nuthatch -74%

Owls Strigidae

Burrowing Owl -31%Great Horned Owl -20%Northern Pygmy-Owl -36%Short-eared Owl -1%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +142%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Black-chinned Hummingbird -56%Broad-tailed Hummingbird -3%Calliope Hummingbird +26%Rufous Hummingbird -11%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Marsh Wren +181%Northern House Wren +106%Pacific Wren +463%Rock Wren +15%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +26%Hermit Thrush +804%Mountain Bluebird +24%Swainson's Thrush +163%Townsend's Solitaire -53%Varied Thrush +12%Veery -66%Western Bluebird -32%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Cassin's Kingbird -66%Dusky Flycatcher +538%Eastern Kingbird +40%Hammond's Flycatcher +351%Least Flycatcher +821%Olive-sided Flycatcher +16%Say's Phoebe +266%Western Kingbird +74%Western Wood-Pewee +329%Willow Flycatcher -17%

Vireos Vireonidae

Cassin's Vireo -6%Plumbeous Vireo -63%Red-eyed Vireo -54%Warbling Vireo +121%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.