Backyard birds in Billings, Montana
Which birds visit Billings yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Billings's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 45.783°, -108.501°
- Population
- 117,116
- June 21 daylight
- 15 h 44 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 40 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:29 AM / 5:23 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 3 days earlier than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 3a–6a
Nesting timing in Billings
The state guides give nesting windows for Montana as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 46.5°N). Billings is at 45.8°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 3 days earlier than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Billings goes from 8 h 40 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 15 h 44 min in June, a 7 h 3 min swing.
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window August–September
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window June–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
- House Finch — state window May–August
- Mourning Dove — state window April–September
- American Robin — state window May–July
- Dark-eyed Junco — state window June–July
Birds you can expect in Billings
Year-round residents (57)
Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Finchs, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Steller's Jays, Black-billed Magpies, Canada Jays, Mountain Chickadees, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatchs, Cassin's Finchs, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Common Ravens, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red Crossbills, Black-throated Sparrows, Pinyon Jays, Clark's Nutcrackers, Western Screech-Owls, Band-tailed Pigeons, Canada Gooses, Bald Eagles, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Lewis's Woodpeckers, Black-backed Woodpeckers, American Three-toed Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finchs, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (59)
American Goldfinchs, House Wrens, Chipping Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Rufous Hummingbirds, Spotted Towhees, Western Bluebirds, Mountain Bluebirds, Say's Phoebes, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Varied Thrushs, Violet-green Swallows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli Buntings, Bullock's Orioles, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Pine Grosbeaks, Gray Catbirds, Western Tanagers, Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhees, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Yellow-breasted Chats, Orange-crowned Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, Least Flycatchers, Western Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Burrowing Owls, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds
Winter visitors (9)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Hooded Mergansers, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, White-winged Crossbills, Bohemian Waxwings
Very cold winters on the plains, with chinook winds bringing sudden thaws.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Billings
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Billings, sunrise is around 6:29 AM in mid-April, 5:23 AM at the June solstice and 7:51 AM in late December (local time, America/Denver). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Billings yards
Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.
Tubular flowers for hummingbirds and seed heads for finches.
Prolific seed heads for finches and sparrows.
Annual native sunflower — the original feeder seed.
Native bunchgrass; winter seed and ground cover for sparrows and juncos.
Insect-rich in fall and seed in winter.
Catkin seed feeds redpolls and siskins all winter.
Dark summer fruit and heavy caterpillar load.
Nearby cities in Montana
- Bozeman — 123 mi away, nesting about the same time as Billings
- Great Falls — 178 mi away, nesting roughly 7 days later than Billings
- Helena — 178 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days later than Billings
- Butte — 194 mi away, nesting about the same time as Billings
- Missoula — 272 mi away, nesting roughly 4 days later than Billings
- Kalispell — 320 mi away, nesting roughly 10 days later than Billings
Frequently asked
What birds live in Billings all year?
Year-round residents across Montana include Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Billings.
When do birds start nesting in Billings?
Billings sits at a different latitude from Montana's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 3 days earlier than the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Billings?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Billings, sunrise is around 6:29 AM in mid-April and 5:23 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Montana
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.