Did you know Minnesota has many birds that winter throughout the cold season? We’ve got a list of the top 12 to share with you!
Read on to learn all about winter birds in Minnesota and where to find them.
1. Black Capped Chickadee
The Black Capped Chickadee is the most common bird that winters in Minnesota. Its classic “chick-a-dee-dee” song earned the bird its name.
Characteristics
This small bird measures 4-5” in length with a 6-7” wingspan.
It has a gray upperside and tail, with a black cap and throat, and white cheeks, chest, and belly. They also show light brown flanks just below the wings.
Diet
The Black Capped Chickadee feeds on insects, seeds, and berries. Attract them to a feeder using sunflower seeds or peanuts.
Where to Find Them
These beauties are often found in the open woods and along the forest edge. Birches and alder trees are a favorite of the Black Capped Chickadee. They’re also spotted in mixed and deciduous woods, willow thickets, groves, and shade trees.
Did You Know?
The Black Capped Chickadee will hide seeds and other food to return to later. It’s capable of remembering thousands of different hiding spots.
2. American Crow
The American Crow is the second most commonly spotted bird in Minnesota during the winter months. These intelligent birds have a distinctive caw familiar to most.
Characteristics
American Crows mature to 16-20” long, half of which is their tail. They show a 33 ½” – 39 ½” wingspan with wings that spread like fingers while in flight.
These birds display long legs, with a thick neck and a straight bill. Their tail is uniquely squared off at the end. Their plumage is entirely black with iridescent feathers.
Diet
The American Crow is an omnivore. They will eat anything from insects, frogs, snakes, shellfish, and eggs to seeds, grain, berries, and fruit.
Where to Find Them
This classic bird can be seen in fields, open woods, and forests. They particularly thrive around people, making it common to see them on lawns, parking lots, athletic fields, and garbage dumps.
Did You Know?
American Crows gather together in large groupings in the wintertime. Some of these groupings have been forming in the same area for over 100 years.
3. Downy Woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker is the third most common you’ll see flying around in the wintertime in Minnesota. This bird is smaller than the classic woodpecker but just as beautiful!
Characteristics
This black and white beauty can reach 5-6” in length with a full wingspan of 10-12”.
It is known for its straight, sculpted bill, box-like head, and wide shoulders. It also characteristically leans back from the tree and onto its tail feathers for stability.
The Downy Woodpecker is a black and white bird with a striped head, checkered wings, a broad white stripe down its back, and white breast.
Diet
Downy Woodpeckers prefer to eat insects like ants or beetles, as well as gall wasps, caterpillars, seeds, and berries.
Where to Find Them
You can find the Downy Woodpecker in open woods, orchards, and throughout the suburbs. They are characteristically unafraid of humans.
Did You Know?
The Downy Woodpecker can reach a speed of 20 miles per hour when chased by a predator!
4. White-Breasted Nuthatch
The White-breasted Nuthatch is the largest of the nuthatch species. They are known for their loud and insistent chattering, which sets them apart from other birds.
Characteristics
This beautiful bird averages 5-5 ½” in length with a wingspan of 8-10”.
White-breasted Nuthatch have a large head with the appearance of no neck. They also have short tails and long, thin bills.
Their coloring is dark gray and blue wings and back, with a white face and breast and a black or gray head and neck. The lower belly is usually a light brown.
Diet
These active birds love to consume insects and spiders, as well as meaty seeds.
Where to Find Them
Look for the White-breasted Nuthatch near forests, woodlots, groves, and shade trees. They’re usually found in the deciduous forest, especially those near rivers, roads, and clearings.
Did You Know?
Once the White-breasted Nuthatch finds a stash of food, they will make many trips back and forth to hide the seeds for later, cramming them into furrows within the bark of trees.
5. Blue Jay
This songbird is known for its perky crest on the top of its head. It’s often considered the loudest and most colorful bird that spends time in neighborhood backyards.
Characteristics
The Blue Jay measures 9-12” long with a 13-17” wingspan.
It can have anywhere from a lavender blue hue to a mid-blue color plumage in the crest, back, wings, and tail. Its face and underside are white, and it has a black collared neck. The wings and tail are a mixture of black, sky blue, and white.
Diet
The backyard bird is an omnivore. The Blue Jay is well-known for its love of acorns, but it will also eat seeds, grains, berries, fruits, insects, spiders, small rodents, and frogs.
Where to Find Them
Find these birds in deciduous and mixed woods, specifically oak and pine woods, suburban backyards, groves, and towns.
Did You Know?
The Blue Jay can mimic the call of a hawk, which can help warn other Blue Jays when a hawk is around or trick other predators into thinking a hawk is nearby.
6. Hairy Woodpecker
The Hairy Woodpecker is similar to the Downy Woodpecker. The main defining characteristic between the two is size and beak length.
Characteristics
This woodpecker variety reaches 7-10” long and shows a 13-16” wingspan.
The Hairy Woodpecker has a distinctly square head and a long, straight beak nearly the same size as the head! It also has stiff tail feathers to lean against tree trunks, just like the Downy Woodpecker.
It has black wings that are checkered white and two white stripes that run along the head. The males are set apart with a bright red plume on the back of the head. The Hairy Woodpecker also displays a white breast and belly, a white stripe that runs down the back, and a black and white striped face.
Diet
These birds mainly feed on insects, larvae of beetles, ants, caterpillars, berries, seeds, and nuts.
Where to Find Them
They are commonly found in forests, woodlands, river groves, shade trees, and swamps in deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests. They also love to spend time in the suburbs, city parks, and cemeteries.
Did You Know?
The Hairy Woodpecker has been known to follow the Pileated Woodpecker, collecting insects and other material the Pileated Woodpecker leaves behind once they’ve moved on from a tree.
7. Northern Cardinal
This classic bird often sits in a posture that looks hunched over with the tail pointing straight down. Don’t be fooled, not all Northern Cardinals are red!
Characteristics
The Northern Cardinal grows to 8-9” in length, with a 9-12” wingspan.
It’s a large, long-tailed songbird with a familiar crest on top of its head. It also displays a short, thick beak.
Females are a rich red-olive color with gray around the beak, while males are a vibrant red color with a black mask and a larger crest on their head. The bright red-orange colored beak is only present in fully grown adults.
Diet
Their diet consists of insects, seeds, weeds, sunflower seeds, berries, spiders, centipedes, snails, grain, and wild fruits.
Where to Find Them
Find these beauties in parks, woodlots, thickets, forest edges, suburban gardens, and most commonly, in your backyard!
Did You Know?
The Northern Cardinal has been adopted as the state bird for seven states!
8. Dark-Eyed Junco
This feisty bird has variations of color, depending on region. They often hop along the ground at the base of trees or into yards in search of loose seeds.
Characteristics
The Dark-eyed Junco is 5 ½ – 6 ½” long with a wingspan of 7-10”.
It’s considered a medium-sized sparrow with a rounded head, a short, heavy bill, and a long, distinct tail.
Although the coloring can vary between regions, they are often dark gray or brown with a pink bill and white outer tail feathers.
Diet
The diet of the Dark-eyed Junco most often consists of seeds, insects, and berries.
Where to Find Them
Find these birds in a coniferous or mixed coniferous forest, woodlands, parks, roadsides, and backyards.
Did You Know?
Dark-eyed Junco are truly snowbirds. They disappear in the spring and reappear at the start of each winter!
9. Red-Bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is about the same size as the Hairy Woodpecker. But their bright red caps make them unforgettable when it comes to wintering birds!
Characteristics
This bird measures 9 ½” long and has a wingspan of 13-16 ½”.
Its sleek, rounded head sets it apart from the blocky form of the Hairy Woodpecker.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is pale in color with a boldly black and white striped back, red cap and nape, and white patches near the wingtips.
Diet
This redhead is an omnivore, so it loves everything from insects, acorns, nuts, fruits, and seeds, to frogs, sap, and even small fish!
Where to Find Them
You’re sure to find them in woodlands and deciduous forests, groves, and towns, especially near rivers and swamps. They’re also seen in open areas and clearings, farm country, and shade trees in the suburbs.
Did You Know?
The Red-bellied Woodpecker has a barb-tipped tongue that can reach almost 2 inches past the end of its beak!
10. American Goldfinch
This bird is known for its distinctive flight call that sounds like “po-ta-to-chip.”
Characteristics
The American Goldfinch is little, only growing to 4-5” long with a 7 ½” – 8 ½” wingspan.
It’s the smallest of the finches, with a short round bill, small head, long wings, and short serrated tail.
In the spring and summer, the males are bright yellow with a black forehead, black wings with white markings, and white patches above and below the tail. Also, in the spring and summer, females are a duller yellow beneath and olive color on top of their body.
In the wintertime, they are plain brown with black wings and two pale wing bars.
Diet
The American Goldfinch loves to eat seeds, buds, bark, and sap.
Where to Find Them
You’ll find the American Goldfinch almost everywhere other than deep forests. They tend to stick around areas with thistle plants, feeders, weedy fields, floodplains, cultivated areas, roadsides, and orchards.
Did You Know?
These birds are strict vegetarians! They only consume a vegetarian diet, only eating an insect by accident.
11. House Sparrow
It may carry the name sparrow, but House Sparrows are actually not related to other North American Sparrows.
Characteristics
The House Sparrow grows to 6-7” long and has a 7 ½” – 10” wingspan.
These birds are known for having a fuller chest, a large round head, a short tail, and a heavy bill.
Male and female House Sparrows have different colorings. The males are brightly colored with gray heads, white cheeks, black bibs, and brownish-red necks. The females are a simple light brown with gray-brown on the underside of its body and black and brown stripes along its back and wings.
Diet
House Sparrows eat discarded food, insects, grains, or seeds.
Where to Find Them
These birds enjoy human companionship. Find them in cities, parks, zoos, or in your backyard. They can also be found in the countryside and farmlands.
Did You Know?
The House Sparrow enjoys taking a dust bath, often throwing dust and earth into the air to cover its body.
12. Rock Pigeon
These common birds were first introduced to Europe in the 1600s. This bird prefers crowds of people over the forest.
Characteristics
The Rock Pigeon usually grows to 12-14” in length, with a 20-26 ½” wingspan.
These tubby birds have a round, stout body, small heads, and short legs.
The colors of these birds can vary, but most show a bluish-gray with two black bands along the wings and a black-tipped tail. They’re well-known for their iridescent feathers on their throats.
Diet
Rock Pigeons mainly eat seeds but will also eat grains, berries, acorns, and even some earthworms and insects. But they love discarded food left by humans!
Where to Find Them
These birds tend to stick around cities and towns. You can also find them in fields or around farmland, under bridges, as well as rocky cliffs.
Did You Know?
Pigeons use sound, smell, the location of the sun, and the earth’s magnetic fields to sense exactly where they are. Even if released blindfolded from a distant location, they are able to find their way home.
Time to Explore Winter Birds in Minnesota
That’s everything you need to know about the most common winter birds in Minnesota. Which one is your favorite?
Interested in learning more? Visit our post on Winter in Minnesota!
- About the Author
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Born in Madelia, MN, to a now 5-generation Minnesota family, Ryan’s MN roots go deep.
A painter by day, Ryan founded Life in Minnesota in 2013 with his wife Kelly to chronicle their musings on everything Minnesota. Ryan and Kelly are raising their 7 kiddos in Maple Grove, MN.
When he’s not shuttling his kids around to hockey practice, you might find him in the shop working on his leatherwork. Undoubtedly, there will be a family trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area every summer, and of course weekends at Grandpa’s cabin up north in the summer.