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Birds of Missouri: Top 15 with Pictures

LB Lena Bergström Columnist August 13, 2026 2 min read № 023
Birds of Missouri: Top 15 with Pictures

If you live in the Show-Me State, you’re in for some exciting birdwatching. Between its brilliant location and its diversity of greenery, Missouri is quite the heaven for birdwatchers. It’s home to more than 435 bird species, a lot of which are backyard birds. If you’re putting up a bird feeder and waiting for the feathery fellows to visit, you might as well know what to expect. You can get all kinds of birds there, starting from European Starlings and all the way to tiny chickadees. Here are the most common Missouri backyard birds. Missouri hostsbackyard birdsof all kinds. You may run into a Northern Cardinal, a Tufted Titmouse, or even a White-throated Sparrow if you’re lucky enough. Here are the mostcommon birdsyou may find and how to identify them. 1. Dark-eyed Junco In the winter, you may see a lot of dark-eyed juncos in your backyard. They stay in the state for the whole year, but their numbers get higher in the winter. Plus, they only come out of their mountain forests and natural habitats when the weather gets cold. These birds are small with round, stocky bodies. Their necks are nearly invisible, and their heads are as round as their bellies. As for their tails, they’re taller than average for their size. You can identify Dark-eyed Juncos because of their dusty gray color. Not a lot of backyard birds share the same coloration. On top of that, some of these fellas have black hoods surrounding their heads, making them even easier to identify. Top Tip:If you want to attract juncos to your feeder, you may provide some seeds on a tray feeder or scatter them around. 2. Mourning Dove Mourning Doves are among the most common backyard birds in all of the states. They’re larger than Blue Jays

If you live in the Show-Me State, you’re in for some exciting birdwatching.