Idaho chose the Mountain Bluebird as its state bird — an open-country bird of sagebrush and mountain meadows that eats insects, not seed. It does not make Idaho's top 25 feeder birds.
If you have moved to Idaho from the East, the feeder list will look unfamiliar: no Northern Cardinal and no Blue Jay anywhere in the top 25. Here is what you get instead.
The twelve birds Idaho feeders report most
From Project FeederWatch, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's winter count, in which volunteers record what turns up at their own feeders. The 2023–24 season had 95 participants in Idaho. The percentage is the share of Idaho feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of ID feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dark-eyed Junco | 88% |
| 2 | House Finch | 80% |
| 3 | Black-capped Chickadee | 72% |
| 4 | House Sparrow | 70% |
| 5 | American Goldfinch | 68% |
| 6 | Red-breasted Nuthatch | 67% |
| 7 | Northern Flicker | 67% |
| 8 | American Robin | 54% |
| 9 | Eurasian Collared-Dove | 50% |
| 10 | Black-billed Magpie | 49% |
| 11 | Downy Woodpecker | 49% |
| 12 | Mourning Dove | 44% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
A western cast
Black-billed Magpie, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Steller's Jay, Mountain Chickadee, Cassin's Finch and Lesser Goldfinch all appear in Idaho's top 25 — birds most eastern birdwatchers never see at a feeder. The magpie alone is at about half of Idaho sites: long-tailed, black and white, and very sure of itself.
The numbers are lower than back East — and that is geography
Idaho's top bird is at 88% of feeders; in many eastern states the top eight are all above that. Idaho feeders range from river-valley towns to mountain cabins, and the birds differ a lot between them, so no single species reaches every yard.
California Quail come by the covey
At #21 the California Quail visits about a quarter of Idaho sites, but when it does it averages around seventeen birds at once — the largest groups in Idaho's top 25. They walk in under the feeder in a line, each with a little comma-shaped plume bobbing on its head.
Two hawks make the list
Sharp-shinned Hawk (#16) and Cooper's Hawk (#22) are both reported at a quarter or more of Idaho sites. They are there for the small birds, not the seed. A feeder near dense shrubs gives the small birds somewhere to dive.
What is on our Idaho mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of Idaho mug shows the House Finch (#2, 80%), the Black-capped Chickadee (#3, 72%), the American Goldfinch (#5, 68%) and the American Robin (#8, 54%). All four are in the Idaho top eight — and none of them is an eastern bird that does not belong here.
The ones we would add next are the Dark-eyed Junco (#1) and the Black-billed Magpie (#10). They are on the list of designs we still owe this state.
If you want more of them
Black-oil sunflower seed covers the House Finch, chickadees and nuthatch. Suet brings the Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker and nuthatch. Nyjer in a mesh sock holds the goldfinches and siskins. Seed scattered on the ground or a low tray brings in the juncos, doves and quail.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for Idaho, 2023–24 season. These are volunteer reports from their own feeders, not a formal survey, and they describe the winter feeding season rather than the whole year. Percentages are the share of participating sites that reported the species; group sizes are the average when the bird was seen.
See the mugs for the other states → · Identify a bird in three questions →