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We see them all the time all over Rochester and southeast Minnesota, but did you know the robin ISN'T the most common bird here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes?

I'll admit I've become somewhat of an amateur bird-watcher in the last few years. My fascination with our fine feathered friends started when we put up a bird feeder in our yard outside one of the main windows in our living room in northwest Rochester. So now and all the birds who stop by are now an endless source of entertainment for our cats and dogs-- and me.

Thanks to some help from several Minnesota Department of Natural Resource bird watching guides, I've been able to identify chickadees, sparrows, creepers, mourning doves, juncos, cardinals, blue jays, grackles, thrushes, nuthatches, red-winged blackbird and robins when they've all stopped by our feeder.

But when it comes to the bird I thought was most common, I was certain it had to be the robin. I mean, we see them all over, right? (Maybe that's the Wisconsin native in me coming out, as the robin is the official state bird over in my home state.) The common loon is Minnesota's state bird, though it's really not all that common.

But, as it turns out, I was wrong.

The most commonly-sighted bird here in Minnesota isn't the robin. It's actually... the red-winged blackbird. (Which is also the most commonly sighted bird over in Wisconsin, too, as well as in 9 other states as well.) It's actually the most commonly sighted bird in the U.S., coming in first on this GardensAlive survey of the Most Commonly Sighted Bird in Each State. 

They took data from the most recent North American Breeding Bird Survey to compile their new survey. And while the red-wing blackbird was #1, the robin (which I was sure was the most common) came in second. You can check out the full survey HERE.

And speaking of animals, while birds are welcome, there are some animals that are illegal to keep as pets here in southeast Minnesota? Keep scrolling to check out Rochester's prohibited pets!

Listen to Curt St. John in the Mornings
Weekdays from 6 to 10 on Quick 
Country 96.5

Animals You Aren't Allowed to Have as a Pet in Rochester, Minnesota

Below are the animals that we are not allowed to own as pets here in Rochester, Minnesota according to the City of Rochester Code of Ordinances under Sec. 3-1-4. - Prohibited wild animal.

LOOK: 30 fascinating facts about sleep in the animal kingdom

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