Reference
How many bird species are in Montana?
Montana has 451 bird species on its official list (Montana Bird Records Committee, September 25, 2026), the 31st highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. The committee updated it on September 25, 2026; an older 2025 version gave 448. Introduced game birds that live wild are counted.
Updated
Montana bird list at a glance
| Official count | 451 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | September 25, 2026 |
| Kept by | Montana Bird Records Committee (Montana Bird Advocacy) |
| Among US states | 31st highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Official Montana State List |
What does Montana’s count include?
- The committee's main list, including introduced game birds that live wild.
- Not counted: species on a separate supplemental list.
Why do other sources give a different number?
A state’s count is every species ever accepted on its official list, so a figure from another year, or one that counts something else, won’t match:
- 448. An older 2025 version of the official list. The committee updated it to 451 on September 25, 2026.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own Montana list?
Your state list is every species you’ve seen in the state. If you log your sightings in eBird, it lets you filter your life list by place, a state included (eBird’s My eBird help page, updated March 28, 2025), and the data download you can ask for gives the state of every sighting: our guide shows how to download your own eBird data. On paper, count the species you’ve seen in Montana; what is a life list? explains how birders keep their lists.
If you’d like your whole life list in print, Birdfolio turns it into a hardcover book, each species beside a classic painting.
Montana’s state bird
Western Meadowlark
Montana’s state bird is the Western Meadowlark, the state bird since 1931. Montana Code 1-1-504, after a referendum vote of Montana school children.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 1-1-504, State bird (Montana Legislature), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Montana
Our birding festivals calendar lists one festival in Montana, with dates from its own website:
- Wings Across the Big Sky, Moves each year (2026: Kalispell): dates not announced yet (2026 festival: June 12–14, 2026)
In winter you can also join a Christmas Bird Count near you; our guide explains how.
More about bird counts
- How many bird species are in each state: all 50 states, DC and Canada, each from its official list.
- Bird lists of nearby states: Idaho and South Dakota.
- State birds of all 50 states, each with its classic painting.
- How many bird species are in the US and Canada, and how birders count them.
- Bird splits and lumps: when one species becomes two, state lists change too.