New York City is home to a large birding community and diverse range of bird species. Though it is the most populous and most densely populated city in the United States, NYC is home to a range of ecological habitats and is situated along the Atlantic Flyway, a major route for migrating birds. More than 400 species have been recorded in the city, and their concentration in the city's urban parklands, forests, marshes, and beaches has made birding a popular activity in the city, especially after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New York City has 30,000 acres of parkland and 578 miles of coastline.
Background
New York City is the most populous and most densely populated city in the United States, with 8,804,190 people as of the 2020 census. There is little data available about birding demographics in New York City in particular, although New York state was the second most active state for birding according to the 2021 National Survey of Birdwatchers.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in birding surged, alongside other outdoor activities. New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States in March and April 2020, and with most businesses and schools closed, people looked for activities they could do while outdoors and socially distanced. Birding provided a pastime which could be done alone or with a group, and which could act as a distraction or otherwise relieve the stress of the ongoing pandemic.
Species
While New York City is commonly associated with pigeons and other common urban birds like house sparrows and European starlings, hundreds of bird species reside in or travel through the city each year. It is situated along the Atlantic Flyway, a major route for migrating birds in the spring and fall. Migration takes place in the spring and fall, with additional shorebirds and raptors, which took different routes north in the spring, coming through in the fall. The city's particular geographic location along the route, combined with a range of different habitats across the five boroughs, leads to a large number of species residing in, traveling through, or spending a season in the city each year. Journalists, scientists, and other writers frequently comment about the apparent contradiction between the size and density of New York City with its unusual variety of bird species and status as a birding destination.
Ludlow Griscom's 1923 handbook, Birds of the New York City Region, counts 377 species and subspecies divided into categories of "residents" (37 year-round and 89 in the summer), "visitants" (6 in the summer, 30 in the winter, 20 irregularly in the winter, 18 "casual", and 66 "accidental"), "transients" (78 regular and 21 irregular), and 12 "extinct or extirpated species". The NYC Bird Alliance reports more than 400 documented species in the city, with between 200 and 300 on any given year. The quantity of pigeons, rats, and mallards attract raptors like hawks and a smaller number of owls. Between 1998 and 2002, a Parks Department initiative reintroduced eastern screech owls to Central Park after none had been seen since 1955.
New York state produces a Breeding Bird Atlas, tracking behaviors of birds in the state. The process takes place every twenty years, and spans five years of data. The first atlas was undertaken in 1980–85, with another from 2000 to 2005, and a third which began in 2020 and is in progress as of 2022. Unlike typical birding, which largely involves spotting, identifying, and counting bird species, "atlasing" requires watching for and documenting a wide range of behaviors, habitats, and even nests without birds.
Urban bird species interactions As they navigate the urban landscape, competition also arises among bird species, whether for the limited supply of food, limited and thus sought-after habitat spaces, or other available resources, reflecting the challenges and adaptability of city life. Anthropogenic noise pollution in New York City acts as another layer between bird interactions regarding intra-species interactions, and possible hybrid interspecies interactions. New York City is a key factor of birds adjusting their songs in response to loud background noises which results in low frequency in their songs. Additionally, some birds engage in mutualism, contributing to plant pollination, an interaction between the birds of the New York City recently enforced green spaces as habitats, breeding grounds, and hat welcome other native pollinators as well. Furthermore, niche partitioning becomes evident as different bird species migrate through the urban environment, each finding their distinct role and ecological niche in this bustling environment.
Locations New York City's five boroughs (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island) are home to a range of habitats, but most greenspace or natural space is in the city's parks. Given New York City's location on the Atlantic Flyway, spring and fall migration are the most popular times for birding. The major city parks are known as "migrant traps" or "migrant magnets", providing the right combination of food, geography, trees and plants, and weather to attract large numbers of migrants in a relatively small area. During migration, when a large number of birds pass over the city, they have limited options for places to land, rest, forage, or breed. Parks like Central Park, otherwise surrounded by buildings and roads, thus attract a large and diverse quantity of birds. Birding is most popular in the early morning, when the birds are active and there are fewer people in the park.
Most of the major birding hotspots in the city are accessible by public transportation. Many of the best known coastal birding locations in Brooklyn and Queens, and on the east coast of Staten Island, are part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, a US National Recreation Area created by Congress in 1972, owned by the federal government and managed by the National Park Service. The New York City Parks Department increased conservation and public education programs starting in the 1970s with the founding of Urban Park Rangers, and then the National Resources Group (NRG) in 1984. The NRG develops and implements plans to acquire, protect, and restore natural areas within the city while the park rangers guide members of the public to those areas.
Two locations in New York City, Central Park in Manhattan, and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, are listed in Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die: Birding Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation established the New York State Birding Trail in 2021–22, with many locations listed in New York City. The New York City Parks Department also maintains more than fifty "Forever Wild" parks, in part to preserve natural areas for birds and other wildlife.
Bronx
Bronx Park, now predominantly occupied by the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo, was a prominent birding location at the turn of the 20th century, when the area was still largely rural. According to George E. Hix, a Lawrence warbler sighting drew attention to the site in 1903. Other popular birding locations include Crotona Park, Roberto Clemente State Park, Van Cortlandt Lake, and Pelham Bay South, which are on the New York State Birding Trail.
Brooklyn
Prospect Park is considered the flagship New York City Park in Brooklyn, and the most active birding location. The NYC Bird Alliance operates an educational center in the park's boathouse. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, just northeast of Prospect Park, has long organized bird-related events.
The coasts to the south and southwest of Brooklyn have several beaches and salt marshes where a variety of shorebirds and marsh birds are common. Seaside sparrows and Nelson's sparrows are commonly seen around Coney Island and Plumb Beach, for example. Several of these areas, such as Floyd Bennett Field, Plumb Beach, and Shirley Chisholm State Park, are part of the Jamaica Bay unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area. The New York Birding Trail includes nine locations in Brooklyn: Calvert Vaux Park, Plumb Beach, Floyd Bennett Field, Marine Park Salt Marsh, Shirley Chisholm State Park, Prospect Park, Fort Greene Park, Highland Park Ridgewood Reservoir, and Marsha P. Johnson State Park. Parts of the former industrial waterfront areas of Brooklyn have been converted into public space, included some which attract a range of waterfowl and other aquatic birds. Bush Terminal Pier Park, which opened in 2014, is a common birding spot for the ducks, gulls, raptors, and other species it attracts.
Floyd Bennett Field is a former airport which was added to the Gateway National Recreation Area in 1972. At the time it was not accessible to the general public, and became known for grassland birds like eastern meadowlarks, grasshopper sparrows, and upland sandpipers in the summer, and raptors like northern harriers and short-eared owls in the winter. It has since become a mixed use recreation area for the public and lost much of its grassland area. These changes, plus a broader trends in bird populations led these grassland birds and owls to become uncommon. At the same time, a few species were seen breeding there in the 2000-2004 Breeding Bird Atlas which had not been seen in the 1980-1984 edition: willets, Carolina wrens, brown-headed cowbirds, and savannah sparrows. It is a common nesting site for American kestrels, and regarded as among the best places in the area to see them. It is also the site of a variety of public projects, such as relief operations during Hurricane Sandy and construction of a pipeline, which have led to some additional development of former wildlife habitats. At the end of 2014, a Cassin's kingbird attracted birders from outside New York to the site.
Monk parakeets, which are not native to the United States, have set up multiple colonies in Brooklyn, but their origin is disputed. A common story involves the parakeets, considered a nuisance in Argentina, shipped up to New York for the pet trade in the 1950s. After arriving, they reportedly escaped. Alternatively, the colonies may have started by various escaped pets. There are populations in Gravesend, Marine Park, and in Midwood by the Brooklyn College athletic field, but the largest and best known colony is in the landmarked Gothic arch at the entrance to Green-Wood Cemetery, where they have been permitted to reside indefinitely. The cemetery, with diverse plantings in its landscaped space, is also a popular birding destination, especially around its four small bodies of water.
Manhattan Central Park is the most popular birding location in New York. During spring and fall migration, it is particularly known for a variety of warbler species. The New York Times called it a "birding mecca", along with the Everglades and Yosemite National Park. The American Bird Conservancy and National Audubon Society consider it an "Important Bird Area". The part of the park known as the Ramble, in particular, attracts a large number of migrants. 272 bird species have been seen in the park, though a much smaller number actually breed there. Breeding species include American robins and about sixteen others. A few species nest among the tall buildings. In addition to common building nesters like house sparrows, feral pigeons, and European starlings, raptors like American kestrels and red-tailed hawks have built nests on top of large buildings or in cavities. Herring gulls nest on buildings by the coast, like the Farley Building and Javits Center.