An Iowa winter is mostly sky, corn stubble, and wind that seems to have a personal grudge (I've stopped taking it personally, mostly). But the winter birds in Iowa don't care how flat or frozen it gets. Plenty of them stay all season, and a few fly down from the Arctic on purpose, which tells you everything about where they spent the summer.
The state bird stays too. The Iowa Ornithologists' Union picked the American Goldfinch (often called the Eastern Goldfinch in Iowa) in 1932, and the legislature made it official in 1933, partly because it's found in Iowa year-round. In winter it just swaps the lemon-yellow suit for something in olive and beige, so plenty of people think it left.
Types of Winter Birds in Iowa
There are 3 types of winter birds in Iowa you'll see on this list:
- Resident Iowa Birds – found year-round and many of them visit feeders
- Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that come south to Iowa for the winter from Canada and the Arctic. Some of the best places to look are the open water below the Mississippi River locks and dams and big reservoirs like Saylorville Lake near Des Moines
- Irruptive Species – birds that show up in big, unpredictable numbers some winters (usually when cone and seed crops fail up north) and barely at all in others
Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Iowa, and its feeder favorites if it comes to feeders. If you're wondering why your summer regulars vanished, here's where birds go in the winter.
1. American Goldfinch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus tristis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird (Iowa State Bird)
The American Goldfinch is Iowa's state bird and one of the most reliable winter birds in Iowa, even if it's dressed down for the season. It's a strict seed eater, working over coneflower heads, sunflowers, and weedy field edges, and it flocks to tube feeders when the snow covers everything else.
In winter, males keep a yellowish wash on the face and throat plus jet-black wings with crisp white bars. Females are grayer and duller, with brownish wings and buffy bars. Both have a small, pale, cone-shaped bill.
The American Goldfinch call is a cheerful po-ta-to-chip given in flight, as the birds bounce along in a roller-coaster path. Learn that call and you'll hear goldfinches overhead all winter.
Look for them statewide, in towns, prairie plantings, roadside ditches, and backyards, usually in chatty flocks.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower
2. Northern Cardinal
- Family – Cardinalidae
- Species – Cardinalis cardinalis
- Primary Activity Time – Dawn and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Northern Cardinal is the bird that makes a snowy Iowa backyard look like a holiday card. It eats seeds, fruit, and insects, and in winter it leans on sunflower, safflower, and berries, usually feeding low and close to thick cover.
Males are bright red with a black mask around the bill. Females are warm tan-brown with red tinges in the wings, crest, and tail, and the same thick orange-red bill. Both wear a pointed crest.
Cardinals give a sharp, metallic chip all winter, and males start whistling their cheer-cheer-cheer and birdie-birdie-birdie songs on mild days in late winter.
They're found across Iowa in towns, farmsteads, shelterbelts, and wooded river valleys, and they're early-morning and late-afternoon feeder regulars.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, safflower, cracked corn
3. Black-capped Chickadee
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Poecile atricapillus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Black-capped Chickadee weighs about as much as a few paper clips and somehow handles an Iowa January better than I do. It eats seeds, suet, and dormant insects, and it hides food in bark crevices to find later.
It has a black cap and bib, white cheeks, a soft gray back, and buffy sides. Males and females look the same.
The Black-capped Chickadee call is the namesake chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the more dee notes it adds, the more alarmed it is. On sunny late-winter days you'll also hear the clear, two-note fee-bee song.
It's common statewide in woodlands, parks, and neighborhoods, and it often leads the mixed flocks that nuthatches, titmice, and woodpeckers follow around.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts
4. Dark-eyed Junco
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Junco hyemalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Dark-eyed Junco is the classic "snowbird," and in Iowa it shows up in large flocks around mid-October and stays until spring. It's a ground feeder that hops under feeders picking up what the messier birds drop.
Most Iowa juncos are the "slate-colored" type: gray above, white belly, and a pale pink bill. Males are a darker, crisper slate, while females are softer gray with a brownish wash. A few birds show buffy or rusty sides. Both sexes flash white outer tail feathers when they flush.
The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tik or smack, and flocks keep up a twittering chatter as they feed.
You'll find them statewide in yards, woodland edges, and brushy fields, almost always on or near the ground.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower chips scattered on the ground
5. Downy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates pubescens
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Downy Woodpecker is North America's smallest woodpecker and probably the one you'll meet first. It picks insects and larvae from twigs, bark, and even goldenrod and weed stems, and it's a regular at suet feeders all winter.
It's black and white with a white stripe down the back and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, while females don't.
Listen for a soft, flat pik and a whinnying rattle that runs downhill in pitch.
Downies live statewide in woodlots, river corridors, parks, and backyards, often tagging along with chickadees.
Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts
6. Hairy Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Dryobates villosus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Hairy Woodpecker is the Downy's larger look-alike, and telling them apart is a rite of passage. It digs deeper into bark for beetle larvae and visits feeders for suet and seeds, though it's less common than the Downy in most Iowa yards.
The giveaway is the bill: a Hairy's bill is nearly as long as its head, while a Downy's is short and stubby. Males have a red patch on the back of the head, and females don't.
The Hairy Woodpecker call is a loud, sharp peek, noticeably stronger than the Downy's, plus a rattle that stays on one pitch.
Look for it statewide in mature woods and wooded river valleys, especially where there are big, old trees.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
7. Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Melanerpes carolinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is named for the part of the bird you'll almost never see (the faint pink wash on its belly), which is the bird-naming equivalent of calling a guy with a mustache "Elbows." It eats nuts, acorns, fruit, and insects, and it stores food in bark cracks for later.
It has a zebra-striped black-and-white back and a pale face. Males are red from the bill all the way back over the crown to the nape, while females have red only on the nape.
The call is a rolling kwirr or churr that carries a long way through bare winter woods.
It's common across most of Iowa in woodlands, river bottoms, and leafy neighborhoods.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
8. Northern Flicker
- Family – Picidae
- Species – Colaptes auratus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident / Partial Migrant
The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker that spends a lot of its time on the ground eating ants, which is a career pivot I respect. Many of Iowa's flickers head south for the winter, but some stay, switching to berries, seeds, and suet.
Iowa's flickers are the "yellow-shafted" type: brown with black bars on the back, a black-spotted belly, a black crescent on the chest, a gray crown, and a red patch on the nape. They flash bright yellow under the wings and tail in flight. Males have a black "mustache" stripe, while females don't.
The call is a loud, piercing kyeer, plus a long, rolling wick-wick-wick in spring.
In winter, look for them in southern Iowa's wooded river valleys and in towns with fruiting trees, where they sometimes visit suet feeders.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts
9. White-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta carolinensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The White-breasted Nuthatch spends most of the winter climbing headfirst down tree trunks, which is roughly how I feel by February. It wedges seeds and nuts into bark and hacks them open, which is where the name "nuthatch" comes from.
It's blue-gray above with a clean white face and breast and a chestnut wash under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap, while females usually have a grayer cap.
The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank or quank, often given in a quick series.
It's a year-round resident throughout Iowa in deciduous woods, parks, and yards with mature trees.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
10. Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Family – Sittidae
- Species – Sitta canadensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Irruptive Species
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a winter arrival in Iowa, and how many you see depends on how the conifer cone crop did up north. Some winters it's at every other feeder, and some winters you'll have to work for one.
It's smaller than the White-breasted, with a black eye line, white eyebrow, and burnt-orange belly. Males have a black cap and richer underparts, while females have a grayer cap and paler belly.
The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal, tinny yank-yank, often compared to a toy horn.
Check pine and spruce plantings, cemeteries with evergreens, and state parks with conifers, as well as feeders near evergreen cover.
Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower
11. Tufted Titmouse
- Family – Paridae
- Species – Baeolophus bicolor
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird (uncommon in the north and west)
The Tufted Titmouse is a small gray bird with a crest and big dark eyes that make it look permanently surprised. It eats seeds, nuts, and insects, and it's a bold feeder visitor that grabs one seed and flies off to eat it in private.
It's soft gray above, pale below, with peachy flanks and a black patch just above the bill. Males and females look alike.
The song is a loud, whistled peter-peter-peter, and the calls are scolding, chickadee-like notes.
In Iowa, titmice are most common in the wooded river valleys of the eastern and southern parts of the state and get scarce as you head northwest.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet
12. Blue Jay
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Cyanocitta cristata
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Blue Jay is loud, clever, and fully aware it's the best-dressed bird at the feeder. It eats acorns, seeds, fruit, and insects, and it caches acorns by the hundreds in fall, some of which it never comes back for (accidental tree planting is still tree planting).
It's bright blue above with a crest, a black necklace, and white underparts. Males and females look alike, though males average slightly larger.
The Blue Jay call is a harsh jeer, but jays also give whistles, clicks, and a convincing Red-shouldered Hawk imitation.
Jays are found statewide in oak woods, towns, and farmsteads. Some Iowa jays migrate south in fall while others stay, so numbers shift from winter to winter.
Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet
13. House Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The House Finch is a social finch that eats almost entirely plant foods, from weed seeds to buds and fruit, and it's a fixture at tube feeders in Iowa towns.
Males have a rosy-red head, breast, and rump, though the shade can run orange or yellow depending on diet. Females are plain gray-brown with blurry streaks and no strong face pattern.
The song is a long, jumbled warble, and the call is a cheery cheep.
It's common across Iowa wherever there are people, from city backyards to farm towns.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, nyjer, sunflower chips
14. Purple Finch
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Haemorhous purpureus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, varies by year)
The Purple Finch looks like a House Finch that was dipped in raspberry juice, and in Iowa it's mostly a winter visitor from the north. It's on the Iowa DNR's list of feeder birds to watch for, though numbers vary a lot from one winter to the next.
Males look like they were dipped in raspberry juice, with color across the head, back, and breast, and they're less streaky below than male House Finches. Females are brown and white with a bold white eyebrow and a dark cheek stripe, which House Finch females don't have.
Listen for a sharp, dry pik in flight and a rich, rambling warble.
Look for them at feeders near woodlands and in wooded river valleys, often mixed in with goldfinches.
Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips
15. Pine Siskin
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Spinus pinus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species
The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that shows up in Iowa some winters by the hundreds and other winters not at all. When it's around, it eats conifer, alder, and birch seeds and swarms nyjer feeders like they're handing out free samples.
It's brown and heavily streaked with a thin, sharp bill and flashes of yellow in the wings and tail. Males average more yellow than females, but it's hard to tell them apart in the field.
The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeee, like a tiny zipper, plus a lot of wheezy chatter.
In irruption years they can turn up statewide, especially near spruce and pine plantings and well-stocked finch feeders.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
16. Redpoll
- Family – Fringillidae
- Species – Acanthis flammea
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (uncommon, mostly northern Iowa)
You may know it as the Common Redpoll or Hoary Redpoll, but in 2024 the American Ornithological Society lumped those into one species: the Redpoll. It's a hardy Arctic finch that comes south into Iowa in some winters, mostly in the northern half of the state.
It's a small, streaky finch with a red cap and a black chin. Males have a rosy-pink wash on the chest, while females are streakier and lack the pink. Some birds are much frostier and paler than others, which is where the old Hoary name came from.
The Redpoll call is a dry, rattling chit-chit-chit and a rising zweee.
In flight years, look for flocks in weedy fields, birch and alder stands, and at feeders, often traveling with goldfinches and siskins.
Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips
17. House Sparrow
- Family – Passeridae
- Species – Passer domesticus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird (Non-Native Species)
The House Sparrow was brought over from Europe in the 1800s and has since made itself at home on every farmstead and grain elevator in Iowa. It eats grain and seeds and gathers in noisy flocks at feeders.
Males have a gray crown, chestnut nape, and a black bib that gets bigger and bolder through winter as the pale feather tips wear off. Females are plain buffy brown with a pale stripe behind the eye.
The call is a loud, repeated cheep or chirrup.
It's found statewide, always close to people, livestock, and buildings.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower seed
18. European Starling
- Family – Sturnidae
- Species – Sturnus vulgaris
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird (Non-Native Species)
The European Starling is another non-native resident, and it handles Iowa winters by traveling in big flocks between feedlots, fields, and town roosts. It eats insects, grain, fruit, and anything at the suet feeder it can muscle its way onto.
In winter it's glossy black covered in white and buff spots, with a dark bill that turns yellow by spring. Males and females look similar. A good tell: males have a bluish base to the bill in spring, while females have a pinkish one.
Starlings make a racket of whistles, rattles, clicks, and spot-on imitations of other birds and car alarms.
You'll find them statewide, in the biggest numbers around livestock operations and in cities.
Feeder favorites: suet, cracked corn
19. Mourning Dove
- Family – Columbidae
- Species – Zenaida macroura
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident / Partial Migrant
The Mourning Dove fills its crop with seed as fast as it can and then flies off to digest somewhere quiet, which is also my approach to Thanksgiving. Some Iowa doves head south in fall, but plenty stay and gather in winter flocks.
It's slim and soft gray-brown with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail. Males have a faint rosy wash on the breast and a bluish crown, while females are a bit browner.
Its soft coo-OO-oo-oo-oo gets mistaken for an owl all the time, and its wings whistle when it takes off.
Look for them statewide, especially around farm country, grain spills, and backyard feeders.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground
20. American Tree Sparrow
- Family – Passerellidae
- Species – Spizelloides arborea
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The American Tree Sparrow breeds near the tree line in the far north and spends its winters in Iowa, mostly on the ground despite the name. It eats weed and grass seeds in ditches, fields, and under feeders.
Look for a rusty cap, a rusty line behind the eye, a gray face, and a plain gray breast with a small dark spot in the middle. The bill is two-toned, dark on top and yellow below. Males and females look alike.
The call is a soft tseet, and flocks give a musical teedle-eet twitter as they feed.
It's common statewide in winter in weedy fields, marsh edges, prairie plantings, and yards near open country.
Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn scattered on the ground
21. Horned Lark
- Family – Alaudidae
- Species – Eremophila alpestris
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Horned Lark is the bird you'll flush off a gravel road shoulder in January while driving through farm country. It lives in Iowa year-round and eats weed seeds and waste grain on bare, open ground.
It's sandy brown above and pale below, with a black mask, a black chest band, and a yellowish face. Tiny black feather "horns" stick up from the head when it's relaxed. Males have bolder black markings and more obvious horns than females.
The call is a thin, high tsee-titi, often given as a flock takes off low over the field.
Look for flocks on plowed fields, manure-spread fields, and road shoulders after a snowfall, often mixed with Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs.
22. Lapland Longspur
- Family – Calcariidae
- Species – Calcarius lapponicus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Lapland Longspur is an Arctic breeder named for the extra-long claw on its hind toe, which is basically a snow tire. It winters in Iowa's open farm country, eating seeds in fields and along roadsides when snow covers everything else.
In winter, it's a streaky brown sparrow-like bird with a rusty patch on the wing. Males show a ghost of their breeding look, with a rusty nape and some black on the chest, while females are plainer.
The flight call is a dry rattle followed by a whistled teu, which is often the only way you'll pick one out of a moving flock.
Check snowy road shoulders and stubble fields, especially with Horned Larks.
23. Snow Bunting
- Family – Calcariidae
- Species – Plectrophenax nivalis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon, varies by year)
The Snow Bunting is a white-and-tan Arctic songbird that looks like a snow flurry when a flock lifts off a field. It eats weed and grass seeds on windswept ground.
In winter, both sexes are mostly white below with warm tan on the head and back. Males show much more white in the wings than females, which is the easiest way to tell them apart in a flock.
The calls are a soft whistled tew and a buzzy rattle.
Look in open, snow-blown farm fields and along rural road shoulders, usually alongside Horned Larks.
24. Cedar Waxwing
- Family – Bombycillidae
- Species – Bombycilla cedrorum
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident / Nomadic
The Cedar Waxwing is a silky, crested bird that roams Iowa in winter flocks, stripping crabapples, red cedar berries, and hackberries, then vanishing until the next fruit tree.
It's soft brown fading to gray, with a black mask, a pale yellow belly, a yellow-tipped tail, and waxy red tips on the wing feathers. Males and females look nearly identical, though males tend to have a darker black chin.
The call is a very high, thin sreee that's easy to overlook until you realize a whole flock is right above you.
Look for flocks anywhere there's fruit: towns with ornamental crabapples, cedar-covered hillsides, and river woods.
Feeder favorites: fresh or softened fruit (they rarely use seed feeders)
25. American Robin
- Family – Turdidae
- Species – Turdus migratorius
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident / Partial Migrant
The American Robin is not the first-sign-of-spring bird you were promised, at least not in Iowa. Many leave, but plenty winter here, switching from worms to fruit and gathering in roaming flocks.
Robins have a gray-brown back and a warm orange breast. Males have a darker head and richer orange breast, while females are paler overall.
In winter you'll mostly hear sharp tut-tut and cheep calls rather than the full cheerily-cheer-up song.
Look for flocks in fruiting trees, river woods, and sheltered valleys, especially in southern Iowa.
Feeder favorites: chopped apples, softened raisins, mealworms
26. American Crow
- Family – Corvidae
- Species – Corvus brachyrhynchos
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident / Partial Migrant
The American Crow is a smart, social omnivore that eats waste grain, carrion, insects, and whatever you dropped in the parking lot. Crows can recognize individual human faces, which is more than I can do at a high school reunion.
They're all black, from bill to feet, with a squared-off tail. Males and females look the same.
The American Crow call is the classic caw, plus rattles, clicks, and soft coos.
They're found statewide, and in winter they gather in big communal roosts in towns before scattering to farm fields by day.
Feeder favorites: peanuts, cracked corn
27. Bald Eagle
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird & Winter Migrant
The Bald Eagle is the headliner of Iowa winter birding. According to the Iowa DNR, 4,000 to 7,000 Bald Eagles winter along the Mississippi River, with northern birds arriving in fall and peaking through January. They gather below the locks and dams, where the churning water stays open and fish are easy to catch.
Adults have a white head and tail, dark brown body, and huge yellow bill. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and take about five years to reach full adult plumage. Females are noticeably larger than males.
The call is a surprisingly weak, high-pitched chattering whistle, nothing like the scream you hear in movies (that's usually a Red-tailed Hawk).
The best spots are along the Mississippi at Lock and Dam 14 in Pleasant Valley, the Davenport riverfront, Lock and Dam 11 in Dubuque, and Keokuk, plus Saylorville Lake and Des Moines on the Des Moines River. Towns along the river host eagle-watch events most Januaries. Please follow the DNR's advice and keep at least 400 yards from a perched eagle, watching from your car if you can. The eagle's comfort comes before your photo, every time. While you're scanning the bluffs in northeastern Iowa, keep an eye out for the rarer Golden Eagle, which the DNR notes winters mostly in that bluff country.
28. Red-tailed Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo jamaicensis
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Red-tailed Hawk is the big hawk on the fence post, power pole, or lone tree at the edge of a field, and you'll see dozens on any Iowa interstate drive in winter. It hunts voles, mice, and rabbits in snowy fields and roadside ditches.
Adults have a brick-red tail, a pale chest, and a dark "belly band" of streaks across the belly. Females are larger than males, but the plumage is the same.
The call is a hoarse, screaming kee-eeeer, the sound Hollywood keeps dubbing over Bald Eagles.
Look for them statewide along highways, farm fields, and wooded edges.
29. Rough-legged Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Buteo lagopus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Rough-legged Hawk breeds in the Arctic and spends winter in Iowa, hunting rodents over open fields. The Iowa DNR describes it hovering over fields as it hunts, and it often perches on branches that look far too thin to hold it.
It has feathers all the way down to its toes, a long tail that's pale at the base with a dark tip, and dark patches at the bend of each wing. Some birds are dark morphs that look almost chocolate brown. In light birds, females usually show a solid dark belly band, while males tend to be darker on the chest and more barred below.
Rough-legs are mostly quiet in winter, but they sometimes give a high, drawn-out whistle.
Look for them over open farm country and grasslands, including Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City.
30. Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Family – Accipitridae
- Species – Accipiter striatus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the small hawk that occasionally turns your feeder into a drive-through. It hunts songbirds, using shrubs and buildings as cover for a surprise attack, and the Iowa DNR lists it among the state's winter visitors.
Adults are blue-gray above with fine orange barring below and a long, square-tipped tail. It looks very much like the larger Cooper's Hawk, which has a more rounded tail and a bigger head. Females are much larger than males.
It's usually silent away from the nest, though it can give a high kik-kik-kik.
It turns up statewide, most often in towns and backyards where feeders concentrate small birds. If one moves in, take your feeders down for a few days and the birds (and the hawk) will scatter.
31. Great Horned Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo virginianus
- Primary Activity Time – Night
- Nocturnal
- Resident Iowa Bird
The Great Horned Owl is Iowa's big year-round owl, and winter is its busy season: pairs start hooting and nesting while the rest of us are still shoveling. It hunts rabbits, rodents, skunks, and birds.
It's large and mottled gray-brown, with feathered "ear" tufts, yellow eyes, and a white throat patch. Males and females look alike, but females are larger. You can sometimes tell them apart in a duet because the male's voice is deeper.
The call is a deep hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo, often heard at dusk on winter nights.
Look for them statewide in woodlots, river timber, shelterbelts, and city parks.
32. Northern Saw-whet Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Aegolius acadicus
- Primary Activity Time – Night
- Nocturnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor (uncommon)
The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a tiny owl that winters in Iowa, sitting tight in conifers during the day and hunting mice at night. The Iowa DNR notes it prefers deer mice and white-footed mice.
It's small and brown with white spots, a big round head, yellow eyes, and a white "V" between the eyes. It has no ear tufts. Males and females look alike, though females are larger.
It's mostly silent in winter, but its song is a steady, repeated too-too-too whistle.
Check dense red cedar, pine, and spruce stands in state parks and preserves, and give any owl you find plenty of space.
33. Snowy Owl
- Family – Strigidae
- Species – Bubo scandiacus
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime and Dusk
- Diurnal
- Irruptive Species (uncommon)
The Snowy Owl is an Arctic owl that comes south to Iowa in some winters, especially after a good lemming summer up north produces lots of young owls. Unlike most owls, it hunts in daylight, waiting on one perch for a long time before striking.
It's a big white owl with yellow eyes. Adult males can be nearly pure white, while females and young birds have heavy dark barring.
Snowy Owls are usually silent in winter.
In Iowa, they show up in wide-open places that look like tundra: farm fields, airports, and wetlands, often perched on fence posts, utility poles, or right on the ground.
34. Common Merganser
- Family – Anatidae
- Species – Mergus merganser
- Primary Activity Time – Daytime
- Diurnal
- Winter Migrant / Visitor
The Common Merganser is a big, sleek diving duck with a serrated bill made for gripping fish. It follows open water in Iowa through winter, and its legs stay warm in icy water thanks to a heat-exchange system in the blood vessels.
Males are mostly white with a dark green head and a red bill. Females have a shaggy cinnamon head, a gray body, and a crisp white chin. Both have a slender red bill.
They're mostly quiet in winter, though females give a harsh croak.
Look for rafts on open water below the Mississippi River locks and dams and on big reservoirs like Saylorville Lake and Red Rock until they freeze. The Lakeview area at Saylorville Reservoir is a good place to scan for mergansers, goldeneyes, loons, and gulls in late fall and early winter, though the lake usually freezes by mid to late December.
Iowa Winter Birds FAQ
What birds stay in Iowa in the winter?
Year-round residents like the American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers all stay put. They're joined by winter visitors like Dark-eyed Juncos, American Tree Sparrows, Rough-legged Hawks, and Lapland Longspurs, plus irruptive finches some years. If you're heading north, our guide to winter birds in Minnesota covers what changes a few hours up the road.
Does Iowa's state bird stay in winter?
Yes. The American Goldfinch lives in Iowa year-round, which is one reason it was picked. It just molts into dull olive-brown for winter, so people often don't recognize it at the feeder.
Where can I see Bald Eagles in Iowa in winter?
The Mississippi River is the best bet, especially below Lock and Dam 14 at Pleasant Valley, Lock and Dam 11 in Dubuque, the Davenport riverfront, and Keokuk. Inland, try Saylorville Lake and the Des Moines River in Des Moines. Eagles feed most actively in the early morning, and January is usually the peak.
What owls are in Iowa in the winter?
Great Horned and Barred Owls live in Iowa all year, Northern Saw-whet Owls hide in conifers, and Snowy Owls show up from the Arctic in some winters. Short-eared Owls also winter in some Iowa grasslands.
What is the best bird seed for Iowa winter birds?
The Iowa DNR says that if you only offer one food, make it black oil sunflower seed. Add suet for woodpeckers and nuthatches, nyjer for finches, and white millet on the ground for juncos and sparrows. Water matters as much as food once everything freezes, so a heated bird bath is one of the best winter upgrades you can make.
Do robins stay in Iowa in winter?
Some do. Wintering robins stop hunting worms and switch to fruit, moving around in flocks, so they seem to disappear from lawns even when they're still around. For what turns up just across the Mississippi, see our guide to winter birds in Illinois.
Bird Watching in Iowa This Winter
Winter is the best time of year to get to know Iowa birds, because the leaves are gone and the feeders do half the work. If you want company on an eagle walk or just want to show off your first Redpoll, the Sparkbird App helps you connect with other birders nearby and share what's showing up in your yard.
And if you spend an hour at the lock and dam and the only eagle you see is on the gift shop mug, don't worry. They're probably just across the river, judging your binoculars.
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