33 Winter Birds in Montana

Montana calls itself Big Sky Country, which is a poetic way of saying there's nothing between you and the wind (I learned this holding binoculars in mittens, which is like texting in oven mitts). The upside is that winter birds in Montana are some of the best in the Lower 48: Arctic hawks over the prairie, rosy-finches down from the peaks, and waxwing flocks that strip a mountain ash in an afternoon.

The state bird, the Western Meadowlark, mostly skips the cold season. It's a summer bird that heads south in fall, though a few stubborn ones stay, and Montana's 125th Christmas Bird Count still turned up 39 of them. Below are 33 winter birds in Montana, each with ID tips, male vs female differences, calls, where to find them in the state, and what they'll eat at your feeder.

Types of Winter Birds in Montana

There are 3 types of winter birds in Montana you'll see on the list:

Resident Montana Birds – found year-round. Plenty of them slide downhill when the snow gets deep, so valley feeders in Missoula, Bozeman, and Helena get busier in January
Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that come down from Canada and the Arctic for the winter, like Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Shrikes, Snow Buntings, and American Tree Sparrows
Irruptive Species – birds that pour in some winters and barely show up in others, usually when cone, seed, berry, or rodent crops crash farther north

Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Montana, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. If you're wondering where your summer regulars went, here's where birds go in the winter.

1. Black-capped Chickadee

Family – Paridae
Species – Poecile atricapillus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The Black-capped Chickadee is the most reliable feeder bird in the state. In Project FeederWatch's Northern Rockies rankings, it came in at number one, showing up at about 78% of feeder sites. It eats seeds, suet, and frozen insect eggs, and it hides food all over the yard to come back to later (I can't find my car keys, but sure).

It has a black cap and bib, bright white cheeks, a 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 worked up it is. On bright late-winter days you'll also hear its clear, two-note fee-bee song.

In Montana winters, it's found statewide in cottonwood river bottoms, aspen stands, towns, and yards, usually leading a mixed flock of nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts

2. Mountain Chickadee

Family – Paridae
Species – Poecile gambeli
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The Mountain Chickadee is the Black-capped's western mountain counterpart, and it ranked 14th in FeederWatch's Northern Rockies list. It spends the summer in conifer forests and drifts down toward foothill neighborhoods and feeders when the snow piles up.

The quick ID is a white stripe over the eye cutting through the black cap, like it's wearing its eyebrows on the outside. Otherwise it's grayer overall than the Black-capped. Males and females look alike.

Its call is a hoarser, lazier chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the song is a sweet, three-note whistle that drops in pitch.

In Montana winters, look for it in the conifer forests and foothills of the western and central mountains, and at feeders in mountain towns and on the edges of the valleys.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, shelled peanuts

3. Downy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates pubescens
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Montana and the second most common bird at Northern Rockies feeders, showing up at about 74% of sites. It picks insects and larvae out of bark and weed stems, and it'll work a suet cake like it's paying rent.

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.

The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft, flat pik and a whinny that runs downhill in pitch.

In Montana winters, it's found statewide in river-bottom cottonwoods, willows, parks, and wooded yards.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

4. Hairy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates villosus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The Hairy Woodpecker looks so much like the Downy that most of us have mislabeled one at some point (I have, more than once, in writing). It's bigger and spends more time in mature forest, where it digs beetle larvae out of dead and burned trees.

The giveaway is the bill: on a Hairy it's nearly as long as the head, while the Downy's is short and dainty. Males have a red patch on the back of the head, and females don't.

The Hairy Woodpecker call is a loud, sharp peek, plus a rattle that stays on one pitch instead of falling like the Downy's.

In Montana winters, it's found statewide in conifer forests, burns, cottonwood bottoms, and wooded neighborhoods.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

5. Northern Flicker

Family – Picidae
Species – Colaptes auratus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The Northern Flicker is a big, brown woodpecker that would rather eat on the ground, mostly ants and beetles in warm months, then berries and suet in winter. It's a top-five feeder bird in the Northern Rockies, showing up at about 70% of sites.

It's barred brown above with a black-spotted belly, a black crescent on the chest, and a white rump that flashes when it flies. Most Montana flickers are the "red-shafted" type, with salmon-red under the wings and tail, though "yellow-shafted" birds and in-between mixes turn up, especially in the east. Males have a mustache stripe (red on red-shafted birds, black on yellow-shafted ones), while females don't.

The Northern Flicker call is a loud kyeer, a rolling wicka-wicka-wicka, and a long, ringing ki-ki-ki-ki that sounds like it's laughing at you.

In Montana winters, it's found statewide in towns, river bottoms, and open woods.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower

6. Dark-eyed Junco

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Junco hyemalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Dark-eyed Junco is a sparrow that hops around under feeders cleaning up what everyone else drops, and it ranked third at Northern Rockies feeders. Montana is a great place to see how many outfits one species can have.

Montana gets several junco forms in winter, and a single flock can mix them. "Oregon" juncos have a dark hood and brown back, "pink-sided" juncos (which breed in Montana's mountains) have a pale gray hood and pinkish sides, and "slate-colored" juncos are gray all over with a white belly. In every form, males have a darker, crisper hood than females, and all of them flash white outer tail feathers when they fly off.

The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tik or smack, and the song is a quick, musical trill.

In Montana winters, it's found statewide in yards, woodland edges, and brushy draws, usually in small flocks on the ground.

Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn scattered on the ground

7. House Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The House Finch is a common winter resident in Montana's towns, and it came in fifth in FeederWatch's Northern Rockies list. It eats almost nothing but plant food, from seeds and buds to leftover fruit, and it travels in chatty little flocks.

Males have a rosy-red head, breast, and rump, though the shade ranges from orange to strawberry depending on what they've eaten. Females are plain, streaky brown with no strong face pattern.

The House Finch song is a long, bubbly warble that often ends on a buzzy, rising note, and its call is a cheerful cheep.

In Montana winters, the House Finch range centers on towns and cities, where feeders and ornamental trees keep it fed.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, sunflower chips, nyjer

8. House Sparrow

Family – Passeridae
Species – Passer domesticus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird (Non-Native Species)

The House Sparrow is the bird that turns up anywhere people, grain, and buildings meet. It's a seed eater that hangs around feedlots, grain elevators, and backyard feeders, and it huddles in eaves and dense shrubs on cold nights.

Males have a gray crown, chestnut sides to the head, and a black bib that gets bigger and bolder by spring. Females are plain buff-brown with a pale stripe behind the eye.

The House Sparrow call is a steady, repeated cheep or chirrup that never seems to stop.

In Montana winters, the House Sparrow range follows people: towns, ranch yards, and farmsteads statewide.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, sunflower seed

9. Black-billed Magpie

Family – Corvidae
Species – Pica hudsonia
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The Black-billed Magpie is the bird that makes visitors from back East pull over. It's a smart, loud omnivore that eats insects, seeds, carrion, roadkill, and whatever's in your compost, and it ranked seventh at Northern Rockies feeders.

It's black and white with a very long, iridescent tail that shines blue-green in the sun, and big white wing patches in flight. Males and females look alike, though males are slightly larger.

The Black-billed Magpie call is a harsh, chattering shek-shek-shek and a whining, questioning mag? that sounds a lot like the bird is asking for its name.

In Montana winters, it's found statewide in ranch country, river bottoms, and towns. If there's a deer carcass on the shoulder of the highway, there's probably a magpie on it.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, cracked corn

10. Pine Siskin

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus pinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Irruptive

The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that showed up at about 58% of Northern Rockies feeder sites, though its numbers swing hard from year to year with the conifer seed crop. It eats seeds from spruce, pine, alder, and birch, and it can be surprisingly bossy at a feeder for something so tiny.

It's brown and heavily streaked, with a thin, pointed bill and yellow edges in the wings and tail that flash when it flies. Males usually show more yellow than females, but the difference is subtle.

The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeeee, like a tiny zipper being yanked up, mixed into a twittering flock chatter.

In Montana winters, it's in conifer forests and mountain towns statewide, and it can pour into valley feeders in big numbers when cone crops fail.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower

11. American Robin

Family – Turdidae
Species – Turdus migratorius
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The American Robin isn't the spring arrival you think it is in Montana. Plenty stay all winter, showing up at about half of Northern Rockies feeder sites, but they switch from worms to fruit and travel in roaming flocks.

It has a warm orange breast, gray-brown back, and a darker head. Males have a blacker head and richer orange breast, while females are paler and grayer.

In winter you'll mostly hear its call, a sharp tut-tut or a thin, high tseep from birds flying over, rather than the cheerily-cheer-up song.

In Montana winters, look for robin flocks in river bottoms, juniper draws, and neighborhoods with crabapples and mountain ash.

Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, mealworms, plus a source of open water

12. Red-breasted Nuthatch

Family – Sittidae
Species – Sitta canadensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Irruptive

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a tiny conifer specialist that pries seeds out of cones and shows up at about half of Northern Rockies feeders. When the cone crop fails, more of them leave the mountains and turn up in the valleys.

It's blue-gray above with a black cap, a bold white eyebrow, a black eye line, and a rusty belly. Males have a darker cap and richer rust below, while females have a grayer cap and paler belly.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal yank-yank, higher and more toy-trumpet-like than the White-breasted's.

In Montana winters, it's found in conifer forests across the western and central mountains and at feeders anywhere with pines or spruce nearby.

Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower

13. White-breasted Nuthatch

Family – Sittidae
Species – Sitta carolinensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The White-breasted Nuthatch is the bigger nuthatch, the one walking headfirst down the tree trunk. It jams seeds into bark and hacks them open with its bill, and it often travels with chickadees in winter.

It's blue-gray above with a clean white face and breast and a rusty wash under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap, while females usually show a grayer one.

The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal, lower yank or quank, often repeated as it works its way down a trunk.

In Montana winters, it's found in mature cottonwoods, ponderosa pine, and older neighborhoods, and it ranked 16th at Northern Rockies feeders.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet

14. European Starling

Family – Sturnidae
Species – Sturnus vulgaris
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird (Non-Native Species)

The European Starling was one of only three species to top 10,000 birds on Montana's 125th Christmas Bird Count. It eats insects, grain, fruit, and anything at a suet feeder, and it gathers by the thousands around feedlots and towns.

In winter it's dark and glossy with bright white spots that wear off by spring, and its bill turns from dark to yellow as the breeding season nears. Males and females look similar.

The European Starling call is a mess of clicks, whistles, rattles, and impressions of other birds (and the occasional car alarm).

In Montana winters, it's found statewide, most heavily around towns, ranches, and feedlots.

Feeder favorites: suet, cracked corn, mealworms (usually more than you'd like)

15. American Goldfinch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus tristis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The American Goldfinch sticks around in Montana in winter, just without the canary-yellow costume. It eats almost entirely seeds, from thistle and sunflower to birch and alder.

In winter, males are buffy olive-brown with a yellow wash on the face and jet-black wings with white bars, while females are grayer with brownish wings. Both have a short, pale, cone-shaped bill.

The American Goldfinch call is a bouncy po-ta-to-chip given in its roller-coaster flight.

In Montana winters, look for it in weedy fields, river bottoms, and at tube feeders in towns statewide.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower

16. Blue Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Cyanocitta cristata
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird (more common east of the mountains, now increasing in the northwest)

The Blue Jay is a bird of the East that has made itself at home in Montana, and it ranked 15th at Northern Rockies feeders. It eats acorns, seeds, insects, and the occasional egg, and it hides nuts to dig up later.

It's bright blue above with a crest, white face and underparts, and a black necklace. Males and females look alike, though males are slightly larger.

The Blue Jay call is a loud jay-jay, plus whistles, squeaky-gate sounds, and a convincing impression of a Red-tailed Hawk.

In Montana winters, it's most familiar in towns and wooded river bottoms in the eastern half of the state, and birders in the Flathead Valley have been seeing more Blue Jays year-round, sometimes at feeders where Steller's Jays used to rule.

Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet

17. Steller's Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Cyanocitta stelleri
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird (western Montana)

The Steller's Jay is the Blue Jay's western cousin, and it's the jay you'll see in the conifer forests of western Montana. It eats pine seeds, nuts, insects, and berries, and it caches food for the winter.

It's charcoal-black on the head and tall crest, fading to deep blue on the body, wings, and tail, with a few pale streaks on the forehead. Males and females look alike.

The Steller's Jay call is a harsh, rapid shook-shook-shook and a scolding shack, and it does a very good Red-tailed Hawk scream.

In Montana winters, look for it in mixed conifer forests, mountain towns, and campgrounds west of the Continental Divide.

Feeder favorites: peanuts in the shell, black oil sunflower, suet

18. Evening Grosbeak

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Coccothraustes vespertinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Irruptive

The Evening Grosbeak is a chunky finch with a bill like a pair of pliers, and it showed up at about 28% of Northern Rockies feeder sites. It cracks big seeds, eats buds, and goes through sunflower seed like it has a coupon.

Males are bright yellow and olive with a dark head, a yellow eyebrow, black wings with a big white patch, and a pale green-ivory bill. Females are gray-brown with a hint of yellow on the neck and sides, and white patches on black wings.

The Evening Grosbeak call is a loud, ringing peeer or cleer, and a flock sounds like a small crowd of whistling sparrows.

In Montana winters, it roams the mountain forests and towns of western and central Montana, and numbers at feeders vary a lot from year to year.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower on a platform feeder

19. Redpoll

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Acanthis flammea
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive

The Redpoll used to be two species, the Common Redpoll and the Hoary Redpoll, until the American Ornithological Society merged them in 2024. It's a small Arctic finch that barely reaches Montana in some winters and pours across the state in others, feeding on birch and alder seeds and weedy fields.

It's streaky brown and white with a red cap (the "poll") and a small black chin. Males have a pink wash on the breast and sides, while females are streakier and lack the pink. Some birds are much paler and frostier than others, which is where the old "Hoary" name came from.

The Redpoll call is a dry, buzzy chit-chit-chit and a rising sweee.

In Montana winters, the Redpoll range depends on the year, with the biggest flocks usually across the north and in the northwest valleys.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

20. Bohemian Waxwing

Family – Bombycillidae
Species – Bombycilla garrulus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive

The Bohemian Waxwing is the reason Montana birders get excited about ornamental fruit trees. It's a berry eater from the boreal forest that wanders south in big roaming flocks, stripping mountain ash, crabapples, and junipers and moving on. Montana's 125th Christmas Bird Count found 2,495 of them, which was actually a record low for the count (some winters are just a little more Bohemian than others).

It's soft gray with a crest, a black mask, rusty-red under the tail, and yellow and white marks on the wings, plus waxy red tips on some wing feathers. Males and females look similar, though males usually have a bigger black throat patch.

The Bohemian Waxwing call is a high, buzzy trill, lower and rougher than the Cedar Waxwing's.

In Montana winters, look for flocks in towns and cities like Missoula, Kalispell, Helena, and Bozeman, anywhere with fruiting trees.

Feeder favorites: they don't eat seed, but they'll come for fruiting shrubs and open water

21. Pine Grosbeak

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Pinicola enucleator
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Irruptive

The Pine Grosbeak is a big, slow, gentle finch that lives in Montana's high conifer forests and comes down to towns in some winters. It eats buds, seeds, and fruit, and it's so calm you can sometimes walk right up to a flock eating crabapples.

Males are rosy red with gray sides and dark wings with two white bars. Females are gray with an olive-yellow or russet head and rump. Both have a stubby, dark, rounded bill.

The Pine Grosbeak call is a soft, whistled tee-tew-tew, and the song is a sweet, warbling whistle.

In Montana winters, look for it in spruce and fir forests in the mountains and in towns near the mountains with fruiting trees.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, plus fruiting trees like crabapple and mountain ash

22. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Leucosticte tephrocotis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Visitor

The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch breeds on cliffs and snowfields at or above treeline in western Montana, then comes down to lower ground in winter. Montana Audubon's rosy-finch fact sheet notes that winter flocks use low-elevation meadows and prairies and sometimes visit backyard feeders.

It's a warm brown finch with a black forehead, a gray band around the back of the head, and pink on the wings, belly, and rump. Females look similar but with duller pink and less contrast.

The Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch call is a husky, buzzy chew given by flocks as they wheel overhead.

In Montana winters, look for flocks on windswept fields and prairies near the mountains, and at feeders in snowy foothill areas. The Black Rosy-Finch, a Montana Species of Concern, also turns up in southwestern Montana, and Montana Audubon wants sightings reported.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower and seed scattered on the ground or a platform

23. Bald Eagle

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Bald Eagle was found on all 31 of Montana's 125th Christmas Bird Counts, for a total of 1,098 birds, with the high of 108 at Kalispell. Resident eagles are joined by northern birds in winter, and they fish open water, steal from other birds, and scavenge carcasses.

Adults are dark brown with a white head and tail and a big yellow bill. Young eagles are mottled brown and white and take about five years to get the full look. Males and females look alike, but females are bigger.

The Bald Eagle call is a weak, high, chittering whistle, which is a letdown for a bird on the national seal.

In Montana winters, look for it along open stretches of the Missouri, Yellowstone, Clark Fork, Bitterroot, and Flathead rivers, around Flathead Lake, and near big reservoirs.

24. Golden Eagle

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Aquila chrysaetos
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Golden Eagle is the eagle of Montana's open country. It hunts jackrabbits, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs, and in winter it also takes carrion and big birds. Montana's rimrock, badlands, and mountain foothills are some of its best habitat in the West.

It's dark brown all over with a golden wash on the back of the head and neck. Young birds have white patches in the wings and a white tail with a dark band. Males and females look alike, but females are larger.

The Golden Eagle is mostly quiet, with occasional high yelps and whistles.

In Montana winters, look for it over open sagebrush, grasslands, and ranch country east of the mountains, often sitting on a power pole or soaring over a ridge.

25. Rough-legged Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Buteo lagopus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Rough-legged Hawk breeds on the Arctic tundra and spends the winter hunting voles over Montana's prairies and farm fields. It often hovers in place in the wind, which on the Montana plains is basically all the time. Its legs are feathered all the way down to the toes, hence the name.

It has a white tail with a dark band near the tip and dark patches at the bend of the wing. Females usually have a dark belly band and a single tail band, while males are often more patterned on the chest and have several tail bands. There are also dark-morph birds that are nearly all chocolate brown.

The Rough-legged Hawk is mostly quiet in winter, but it can give a downslurred, mewing whistle.

In Montana winters, look for it on power poles and fence posts across the plains, especially along the Hi-Line in northern Montana and in the open valleys.

26. Sharp-shinned Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Accipiter striatus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Partial Migrant

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a small, fast hawk that hunts songbirds, and it's the reason your feeder sometimes goes dead quiet. It showed up at about 29% of Northern Rockies feeder sites, which is FeederWatch's polite way of saying it's eating your chickadees.

Adults are blue-gray above with fine orange barring below. Young birds are brown with heavy streaking. It looks a lot like the larger Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii), but the Sharpie has a small head, a squared-off tail tip, and a smaller body. Males and females look alike, but females are noticeably bigger.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk call is a high, rapid kik-kik-kik, though it's usually quiet in winter.

In Montana winters, look for it in towns, river bottoms, and anywhere songbirds gather at feeders.

27. Northern Shrike

Family – Laniidae
Species – Lanius borealis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Northern Shrike is a songbird that hunts like a hawk, and it's a common winter visitor to Montana from the far north. It catches voles, mice, and small birds, and it sometimes stores extra food on branches or barbed wire for later (meal prep, but make it a horror movie).

It's pale gray above with a black mask, black wings and tail, and a hooked bill. Young birds are browner. Males and females look alike.

The Northern Shrike call is a harsh, scolding shek, and it sometimes gives a song of mixed whistles and squeaks on sunny winter days.

In Montana winters, look for it on the tops of shrubs, small trees, and fence lines in open country and river bottoms statewide.

28. Snowy Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Bubo scandiacus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime, Dawn, and Dusk
Diurnal / Crepuscular
Irruptive

The Snowy Owl is an Arctic owl that shows up in northern Montana in winter, and in big irruption years it can spread farther south across the state. It hunts voles and other small mammals from open perches, often in daylight.

It's large and white with yellow eyes. Adult males can look almost pure white, while females and young birds have heavy dark barring.

The Snowy Owl is mostly silent in winter, though it can give a low, hoarse hoot.

In Montana winters, look for it on fence posts, haystacks, and rises in open farm country, especially along the Hi-Line and in the north-central plains. Give it plenty of space. A tired owl that keeps getting flushed is burning energy it needs.

29. Great Horned Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Bubo virginianus
Primary Activity Time – Night
Nocturnal
Resident Montana Bird

The Great Horned Owl is the most widespread owl in Montana, with 75 birds on 20 Christmas Bird Counts in the 125th count. It eats rabbits, rodents, skunks, and other birds, and it nests in winter, so pairs are hooting and sitting on eggs while the rest of us are shoveling.

It's a big, brown, mottled owl with ear tufts, yellow eyes, and a white throat. Males and females look alike, though females are larger.

The Great Horned Owl call is a deep hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo, and pairs often duet, with the female's voice higher than the male's.

In Montana winters, look for it in river-bottom cottonwoods, shelterbelts, and coulees statewide, and listen for it on still nights in January and February.

30. Snow Bunting

Family – Calcariidae
Species – Plectrophenax nivalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Snow Bunting is a ground-feeding finch from the Arctic that winters in Montana's open, windswept fields. It eats weed and grass seeds and often travels with Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs.

In winter, it's white below with warm tan on the head and back and big white patches in the wings that make a flock look like blowing snow. Males have more white in the wings than females, which are browner on the head and back.

The Snow Bunting call is a soft, rolling rattle and a clear, whistled tew.

In Montana winters, look for flocks along rural roads, in stubble fields, and in heavily grazed pastures on the plains, especially in the north.

31. American Tree Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Spizelloides arborea
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The American Tree Sparrow breeds in the far north and spends the winter in Montana's weedy fields and brushy draws. Despite the name, it spends most of its time on the ground, which makes it the birding version of "jumbo shrimp."

It has a rusty cap, a rusty line behind the eye, a gray face, a two-toned bill (dark on top, yellow below), and a dark spot in the middle of a plain gray breast. Males and females look alike.

The American Tree Sparrow call is a soft, high tseet, and flocks give a musical twitter.

In Montana winters, look for it in brushy fields, river edges, and shelterbelts statewide, and at feeders when the snow is deep.

Feeder favorites: millet and cracked corn scattered on the ground

32. Common Raven

Family – Corvidae
Species – Corvus corax
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Montana Bird

The Common Raven is the big, smart, black bird of Montana's mountains and plains. It eats carrion, small animals, eggs, and garbage, and in winter it often follows wolves, eagles, and hunters to get a free meal.

It's all black with a heavy bill, shaggy throat feathers, and a wedge-shaped tail in flight. Males and females look alike.

The Common Raven call is a deep, croaking gronk, plus knocks, gurgles, and bell-like notes.

In Montana winters, it's found statewide, especially in the mountains, Glacier and Yellowstone country, and around landfills and ranches.

33. Common Goldeneye

Family – Anatidae
Species – Bucephala clangula
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Common Goldeneye is a diving duck that keeps working the open water long after the ponds freeze. It dives for aquatic insects, snails, and small fish, and its wings make a whistling sound in flight.

Males have a white body, black back, a dark green-black head, and a round white spot near the bill. Females are gray with a chocolate-brown head and a bill that's often yellow at the tip. Both have bright golden eyes.

The Common Goldeneye is fairly quiet in winter, but males give a buzzy bee-bzzt during courtship as winter turns into spring.

In Montana winters, look for it on ice-free stretches of the big rivers and below dams, often with Common Mergansers and Bald Eagles.

Where to See Birds of Montana in Winter

Your own window counts, but if you want to see a bigger slice of the birds of Montana in winter, a few kinds of places pay off.

Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge outside Stevensville, about 30 miles south of Missoula, is open every day from sunrise to sunset and has about 235 bird species on its list, so it's an easy winter walk in the Bitterroot Valley. Farther north, the Ninepipe area in the Mission Valley had 14 Long-eared Owls and 5 Short-eared Owls on the 125th Christmas Bird Count. For Snowy Owls, Rough-legged Hawks, and Snow Buntings, drive the farm roads of the Hi-Line and north-central plains.

If you're feeding birds, keep the water open too. Before you buy a heated bath, try swapping in fresh water twice a day or one of these ways to keep a bird bath from freezing in winter. The cheapest heated bath is still more expensive than the bucket you already own.

Montana Winter Birds FAQ

What birds stay in Montana in the winter?

Year-round residents like the Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, and both nuthatches stay all winter. They're joined by northern visitors like Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Shrikes, Snow Buntings, and American Tree Sparrows, plus irruptive finches and waxwings in some years. Next door, the list is similar but not identical. See our guides to winter birds in Idaho and winter birds in Wyoming.

What are the most common birds of Montana in winter?

At feeders, the most common birds in Montana are Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Flicker, House Finch, House Sparrow, and Black-billed Magpie, the top seven in FeederWatch's Northern Rockies rankings. Statewide, the 125th Christmas Bird Count's biggest numbers were Canada Geese (73,625) and Mallards (45,649), with European Starlings a distant third.

Is the Montana state bird around in winter?

Mostly no. The Western Meadowlark is Montana's state bird, and most of them head south in fall and come back in spring. A few do stick around, and the 125th Christmas Bird Count found 39 statewide.

What Montana birds only show up in winter?

Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Shrikes, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, American Tree Sparrows, and, in irruption years, Snowy Owls, Redpolls, and Bohemian Waxwings are Montana birds you'll mostly see in winter. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches live in Montana year-round, but winter is when they come down from the peaks where you can see them.

When should I put out bird feeders in Montana?

In bear country, wait until the bears are denned. Flathead Audubon recommends holding off on feeding birds until bears have gone into their dens, which usually happens by the end of November. Plan on taking them back down when bears start waking up in spring.

What Montana Winter Birds Have You Seen?

Whether you're counting eagles on the Clark Fork or trying to sort out which junco is which, share your sightings and find birders near you on the Sparkbird App.

And if you spend all winter scanning the Hi-Line for a Snowy Owl and only find plastic bags on fence posts, you're in good company. Montana has a lot of fence posts.