Top 10 Montana Birds

Byron Butler asked on Montana Online Birders about what were the members’ top 10 birds in Montana. As I thought about this great question, I came up with a quick Montana Top 10 birds list (not in ranking order):

1. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2. Black Rosy-finch
3. White-tailed Ptarmigan
4. Yellow Rail
5. Philadelphia Vireo
6. Gray Flycatcher
7. Black-throated Gray Warbler
8. Black-billed Cuckoo
9. Blue Grosbeak
10. Boreal Chickadee

My selection of these species is based on their relative rarity in Montana, the fact that many are difficult to sight, or the fact that these birds can only be seen in the far-flung corners of Montana.