This small songbird has olive uppers and yellow sides, as well as two white wing bars. As the name implies, its large eyes are white—and surrounded by yellow “spectacles.” Males and females have similar coloration. Lower New York State is at the edge of its northern breeding territory, although it seems to be making a comeback farther north. Their range extends west to the Mississippi and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Found year-round in Florida and other Gulf Coast states while most winter in the Yucatan and the Caribbean. In this photo, a White-eyed Vireo is hanging upside-down from a branch while it plucks an insect from the underside of a leaf.
Although the Palm Warbler winters in the southeastern United States, it is rarely seen in palm trees. It is a bird that prefers thickets and open fields, where it feeds on insects, berries, and other vegetable matter. The bright rufous cap of the male and its constantly bobbing tail make it easy to identify. It is one of the earlier migrants to pass through the New York area on its way to its breeding grounds in Canada where it begins nesting in early May. It’s likely that most Palm Warblers raise two broods per year before returning to their wintering grounds in the late fall. Fall plumage is much duller, and the male may lose the rufous cap entirely. This male was photographed in a crabapple tree in the Ramble in Central Park in late April.
Orchard Orioles feed on insects and fruit and nectar. This first-year male is feeding on the nectar of Carolina silverbell flowers in Central Park. This first-year male has yet to develop the distinctive coloration of the adult male, but he does have the black around the bill and throat that differentiates him from the female, that is the same color but has no black on her face. Orchard Orioles are infrequent visitors to local green spaces, although they breed throughout the eastern and southern United States. They winter in the Yucatan Peninsula as well as central and northern South America.
This tiny bird usually keeps its ruby crown hidden and only displays it during mating or when it’s agitated. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet breeds in the boreal forests of northern Canada and Alaska and winters in the southern United States and Mexico. It can be found in the New York area during early in spring and late in the fall as it passes through on its way south. Its movement frenetic, the Ruby-crowned Kinglet flicks its wings as it moves from branch to branch searching for insects. This photo was taken early one morning at Belvedere Castle in Central Park in late April.
The Summer Tanager is an infrequent visitor to the New York City area, preferring a warmer habitat in the South and Southwest. The female is a mustard yellow, and both male and female have large blunt beaks with chunky bodies. Summer Tanagers are insectivores that feed on bees and wasps while somehow avoiding being stung. They will also feed on small fruit and berries. The birds migrate to southern Mexico and South America each winter and return to their breeding grounds in the southwest and southern United States in spring. Although originally classified in the tanager family, DNA studies have placed the birds within the Cardinal family. This male was seen over several weeks during the spring in the north end of Central Park near the Blockhouse, an old stone fort dating back to the War of 1812. Although this one did not sing, his bright color made him easy to spot. Expect to see more Summer Tanagers in the New York City area as the climate warms.
Hooded Warblers breed in the eastern and southern United States and winter in the Caribbean, Yucatan, and Central America. The male is bright yellow on his head and belly, with a black “hood” that extends from below the bill and around the neck, covering almost half of the head. Wings and back are olive-green. Females have an olive-green cap that only covers about half their head. Hooded Warblers are insectivores, feeding close to the ground in the leafy undergrowth. They also nest close to the ground and are subject to parasitism by cowbirds. This photo was taken in the Loch in the north end of Central Park in late April.
A small warbler, buff-colored on the breast and head with a black eye stripe and two stripes on the top of the head. Although it is a ground feeder and forages in the leaf litter, it is not known to eat earthworms. There is no difference in coloration between males and females. They nest throughout the eastern and central United States and were once an abundant breeder in Westchester County. Because they are ground nesters, increased deer populations in the New York metropolitan area have been detrimental to the local population of breeding Worm-eating Warblers and they no longer nest in the area.
The Yellow Warbler is a very common warbler in our area and throughout the United States and Canada. The Yellow Warbler is known to breed at Jamaica Bay, Orchard Beach, and many other sites around the tristate area. This smallish bright yellow warbler has reddish stripes on its chest and large black eyes. Yellow Warblers forage in low shrubs and trees and move around constantly as they search for insects. They winter in Central and South America, mostly in mangrove swamps, and their breeding territory extends to northern Canada and Alaska.
Ring-necked Pheasants are not native to North America but were introduced into the country from Asia in the late 1800s. They quickly became a popular game bird and spread across most of the United States and western Canada. The male’s long slender tail, iridescent head, and bright red face make it easy to spot and identify. The female is drab compared to the male but still heavily patterned with a distinctive slender tail. The white ring around the male’s neck gives the species its descriptive name. They are large birds with long necks and legs and can quickly burst into flight from a standstill when spooked. They are only occasionally found in New York City parks, usually after having flown across the Hudson from New Jersey, where they are most commonly found in open fields and farmland. This beautiful male was found wandering through Central Park’s North Woods. Ring-necked Pheasants have also been spotted in Riverside and Van Cortland Parks, and I once observed a female and family running through the low brush in an empty lot in Arverne, Far Rockaway.
The New York metropolitan area is located on what is known as the “Atlantic Flyway,” an imaginary road in the sky followed by millions of migrating birds during fall and spring as they move to and from their wintering grounds in the Caribbean and Central and South America. The Atlantic Flyway deposits a startling array of migrating warblers in New York City’s parks and green areas, and one of the first to arrive on its way north in the spring is the Prairie Warbler. The male Prairie Warbler’s breeding plumage is bright yellow with black stripes down the side and back. The female is a dull olive with dark streaks on her sides. Prairie Warbler numbers are declining as habitat is lost. It is known to nest in the Northeast—not in open prairies, but in second-growth scrub and areas of new growth after fires. This male was feeding in the Ramble in Central Park in early April.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are among the most numerous warblers to flood the New York City area in spring. With their striking black-and-gray feathers and bright yellow patches on the rump, wings, and throat, the males are a common sight throughout the area. During breeding season, they can be found north of New York City and as far away as Hudson Bay and Alaska. Yellow-rumped Warblers winter in the southern United States and Mexico, but they are one of the few warblers that can also overwinter in the Northeast, where they can be found in coastal areas subsisting on bayberries and other fruits and nuts. This shot was taken in early spring in the Ravine in Central Park, but I have also photographed Yellow-rumped Warblers at Jamaica Bay in the fall and winter.
These are two offspring of that famous pair of Red-tailed Hawks, Pale Male and Lola, in a nest on a building at 927 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. This photo was taken from the next building over and shows the two young birds nearly ready to fledge. Red-tailed Hawks are among the most common hawks in North America and are typically year-round residents. They are increasingly found in urban areas. In addition to this nest, there is another active nest at St. John the Divine on 110th Street on the Upper West Side. Red-tailed Hawks in the city feed mostly on rats, mice, and squirrels, finding an abundant supply on the city’s streets and in its parks and green areas. Pale Male’s offspring usually fledge during the second or third week in June, depending on when the eggs were laid. It is estimated that Pale Male is at least 26 years old and has outlived several mates. He gets his name from his pale coloration.
These young Eastern Screech-Owl fledglings were discovered in a tree cavity in the North Woods of Central Park. They had yet to fledge and looked out from their nest with unbridled curiosity. Screech-owls are short, stocky birds found year-round throughout the eastern and central United States and can be either gray or reddish in coloration. They are nocturnal but can sometimes be seen during the day in the entrance to their home, usually in a tree cavity. The Eastern Screech-Owl has an interesting history in Central Park. Up until the mid-1950s, screech-owls were observed nesting in Central Park, but after that time, not a single Eastern Screech-Owl was observed. This just happens to coincide with when the park was opened up to vehicular traffic. A couple of years ago, I watched an Eastern Screech-Owl leave its nest cavity and fly right into the path of an oncoming car on Central Park’s West Drive. The owl was struck by the car and momentarily stunned, but after a few seconds of recovery, it flew off into the night. As of the date of publication of this book, the original thirty-eight screech-owls that were introduced into the park now number no more than five pairs and possibly less. There have been no sightings of these owls in Central Park in the past several years but as they are nocturnal and secretive, they may still be around.
The Northern Parula is a small warbler that exists in two distinct breeding populations, one in the southern United States, where they nest in Spanish moss, and the other farther north where they build their nests from lichen. The male is distinguished by a blue-gray head and back and a yellow chin and chest broken by a dark reddish band across it. Southern breeders return by early March and are already nesting as their northern counterparts move through their area from the Yucatan Penisula, Carribbean, and Central America. Northern Parula are found year-round in southern Florida. This shot shows the male in a typical pose hanging from the branch of a bald cypress in Central Park.
This loud, colorful bird is found in most states east of the Rockies and in southern Canada. Most remain within this range year-round, although some northern birds will migrate south in the fall. They are common visitors to feeders in city parks and suburban backyards. Males and females have the same coloration, which runs from lavender on the head through cyan on the tail feathers. It has a crest on the top of its head that is raised when the bird is agitated. They are great mimics. This Jay in the Ramble in Central Park was mimicking a Red-tailed Hawk when I spotted and photographed it.
A rare visitor to the New York metropolitan area, this male Cerulean was found in the trees of West 89th Street just off Central Park. It was observed flitting from tree to tree and feeding on insects during the first week in May. While some Ceruleans nest farther upstate in the Bear Mountain area, they don’t usually follow the Atlantic Flyway northward from their wintering grounds in the mountains of South America. Instead, they tend to follow the Mississippi and then branch eastward. Cerulean populations seem to be declining because of habitat destruction in their wintering grounds as well as increasing cowbird parasitism. The drab female contrasts with the brightly colored male, but both male and female have thin pointed bills and wing bars.
These long-billed shorebirds are among the most common sandpipers in North America. Although solitary and hard to spot, they inhabit most marshlands and travel up and down the East Coast on their way to and from breeding grounds in Canada and northern New England. They winter in the southern United States but have been found in the Caribbean and South America. They have very long beaks (about twice the length of their heads) and short legs. They probe for insects in soft soil with these sensitive beaks as their heads bob up and down, not unlike a pumping oil well. Their intricate patchwork of earthy colors makes them difficult to see. The key to finding them (and their cousin, the American Woodcock) is to stand in one spot and watch for their characteristic up-and-down movement.
An uncommon visitor to the area, the Lincoln’s Sparrow is much more prevalent in the West, where it prefers higher elevations. It breeds across Canada and up through Alaska. It passes through this area in spring, but it is a skulky bird that stays close to the ground and is hard to spot among the leaf litter. The best places to find it are near watering holes when it comes down to drink on warm spring days. It is a handsome bird, if a bit drab, and can be identified by the fine streaks on its buffy breast. There is no difference between the males and females of the species. John Jay Audubon discovered this bird on an expedition to Labrador and named it for Tom Lincoln, a member of the exhibition. This bird was photographed in the Loch in the north end of Central Park.
Although the Sora is one of the most abundant rails in North America, it is secretive and not often seen. The Sora has a slate-gray body with a black mask and yellow beak. This Sora was found in a stand of cattails at the south end of Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn. It took three days of stalking the bird before I got a decent shot. Soras prefer freshwater marshland but will move into saltwater marshes in the winter. Their breeding range includes most of the United States and Canada, and they winter in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. They are also found in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico in winter.
This male Black-throated Green Warbler is warning another male to keep its distance on a perch above Tanner’s Spring in Central Park. The male has a distinctive yellow head with a black throat and an olive back. The male has bold black streaks on its sides and two distinct white wing bars. The female is similar to the male, but the chin and throat are a paler yellow. It is a very commonly seen warbler during migration and nests in New York State as well as up through eastern and central Canada. It winters in Mexico, the Caribbean, and northern South America and is rarely found west of the Rockies.
The male American Redstart is mostly jet black with orange sides and orange patches on its wings and tail. Undersides are white. Females also have white undersides, but their back and head are gray with patches of yellow on the tail, wings, and sides. Constantly in motion, the Redstart flicks its tail and wings while feeding to flush insects from branches so they can be pursued and eaten. American Redstarts winter in Central and South America and breed in the southeastern and central United States as well as up through New England throughout most of Canada. The male’s jet-black top, along with his white undersides, makes him incredibly difficult to photograph.
Indigo Bunting are about the size of a small sparrow. The adult male in his breeding plumage has a cerulean blue body, with only the head being a true indigo. In this photo, shot in Central Park, the bird appears to be only just coming into its breeding plumage, as there are still patches of brown on its neck and side. The female is a plain brown, better to camouflage her while she sits on the nest. The male may have more than one mate on his breeding ground, and the female may produce two broods a year. The Indigo Bunting ranges from northern Florida through southern Canada during the breeding season and breeds locally in the tristate area. There are several breeding populations near the United States Military Academy at West Point in Orange County.
The unique flame-orange-and-black coloration of the Blackburnian Warbler is like no other North American bird. The Blackburnian Warbler breeds in the northern forests of the United States and Canada and winters in South America, particularly in the northern Andes. The female has similar (albeit slightly less intense) coloration as the male and tends toward yellow and gray, lacking the bright orange of the male seen here. This bird is an insectivore and usually feeds in the tops of trees as it moves through the area, although it does come down to drink and bathe, usually in the early evening on warm spring days. This male Blackburnian was perched low on a branch above a small spring in Central Park.
The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a large songbird that is a member of the Cardinal family. The adult male in breeding plumage has a black head, back, and tail and features a bright rose-colored patch on his chest. The undersides and rump are white, and the combined effect is striking. The female is yellowish-brown and heavily striped, with no hint of red. Both have a strong beak useful for cracking seeds, but they also feed on insects and small fruits and berries. The word “grosbeak” is from Old French, where “gros” means large. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak winters in the Yucatan, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central and South America; it breeds in the deciduous forests of the eastern and central United States and Canada. This beautiful male was photographed in the North Woods of Central Park.
Baltimore Orioles nest all over the five boroughs, including in many New York City parks. There are at least two that nest every year in Central Park. They are easy to spot because the male has a striking orange body with a black head that mimics the heraldic colors of the seventeeth-century Lord Baltimore. The female is bright orange with a darkish head. Baltimore Orioles are members of the blackbird family and share the same long, thick bill with the rest of that group. They are smaller than a robin, with long legs and a thick neck. They breed in the eastern and central United States as well as in southern Canada and winter in Florida and Central and South America.
While the clearing of forests in the Northeast and Canada has been detrimental to some species, the Chestnut-sided Warbler prefers the kind of bushy habitat that the cutting of forests creates. The bird breeds throughout New York State and farther north and east; its typical breeding areas are similar to the scrub created by the high-tension towers that cut through Sterling Forest in Sullivan County. Chestnut-sided Warblers pass through the New York metropolitan area in spring on their way north from wintering grounds in Central America and the Caribbean. The male has a distinct acid-yellow cap with black “sideburns” and chestnut patches on its sides. The female is a more subdued version of the male, with a yellow cap and less extensive chestnut streaks on its sides. This photo was taken at Tanner’s Springs in Central Park.
The Eastern Whip-poor-will is named after its haunting song that sounds like it’s singing, “Whip poor will.” Often heard but not seen, the Whip-poor-will is nocturnal, feeding on flying insects from dusk until dawn. Adults are very mottled with black, gray, and brown plumage on their upper bodies and wings. Males have a white patch below their throats. Whip-poor-wills winter in Florida and farther west, around the rim of the Gulf of Mexico into eastern Mexico and Central America. At a Yankees’ night game early in the baseball season, I have observed Eastern Whip-poor-wills chasing flying insects through the lights of Yankee Stadium.
The Cape May Warbler feeds on the spruce budworm in the boreal forests of Canada and the United States. On its wintering ground in the Caribbean, its uniquely shaped tongue allows it to feed on nectar. Although the Cape May Warbler was first observed in the Cape May area by colonial ornithologist George Ord, it was not seen there for another 100 years. Nor is it a frequent visitor to that area during migration. The male Cape May Warbler is distinguished by a bright yellow neck and chin and a yellow breast with black stripes. He has a darkish cap and white wing bars. The female has a grayish-yellow head and back and has yellow on the sides of her neck, throat, and breast, with less pronounced gray stripes on her breast. This singing male was seen in the Ramble in Central Park.
This female Wild Turkey was named Zelda and lived in Battery Park from around the middle of 2003 until her death in 2012. She would build nests and lay unfertilized eggs and roam the neighborhood, presumably looking for a mate. One spring morning, I found her wandering up Broadway in heavy traffic. In this shot a man is trying to catch her, but she always remained elusive. She survived Superstorm Sandy but was struck and killed by a truck in 2014. There are flocks of Wild Turkeys in Van Cortland Park and across the river in New Jersey, but few ever make it to Manhattan, let alone last more than nine years. The average lifespan of a Wild Turkey is six years.
Kentucky Warblers are very rarely seen as far north as the New York metropolitan area, preferring the deciduous forests of the southeastern and central United States. The bird is a ground feeder, preferring deep wooded ravines and areas near streams and swamplands. The male has an olive back and yellow underparts, with black sideburns down the face and throat. The Kentucky Warbler winters in the Caribbean and the Yucatan, Central America, and northern South America. This bird was seen for almost a week in and around Strawberry Fields in Central Park, feeding in the grassy areas and seemingly impervious to all the passing people.
The pundit who opined that “the early bird catches the worm” must have had the American Robin in mind. Robins are not long-distance migrants, so when people in the northern United States and southern Canada see the first robin in spring, it likely hasn’t migrated very far from its wintering grounds in the mid-Atlantic states. Robins breed throughout the United States (including Alaska) and Canada. While often seen in urban areas, these orange-breasted birds are equally at home in the wild and nest in Canadian boreal forests, mountains, and the Alaskan wilderness. These robins built their nest in a traffic light on East Drive in Central Park near 102nd Street. They successfully raised four young but never nested in the light again.
The male Prothonotary Warbler is large for a warbler, with an intense yellow-orange head and yellow breast. The male has an olive back with black eyes and gray wings. He also has a relatively long, pointed beak and a white belly and undertail. The female looks similar to the male, but her crown is a dull greenish-yellow color. In the summer, they prefer breeding in swamps and low-lying areas from the Gulf through Maryland and southern New Jersey. They seem to be extending their range northward, as there have been increased reports of Prothonotary Warblers in the New York City area. They spend winters on the east coast of Mexico, the Yucatan, and Central America.
In the spring, the male Bay-breasted Warbler is striking with his chestnut cap, flanks, and throat, set off nicely by his black face and gray back. He also has dark eyes and black legs and two wide white wing bars. When he passes through this same area in fall to return to his wintering grounds in the Caribbean and South America, the male Bay-breasted Warbler has undergone a striking transformation, becoming olive green with a yellowish breast. The female is a toned-down version of the male. These birds nest in the coniferous forests of Canada and their population growth is directly dependent on the spruce budworm population. In years when there are more budworms, there are more offspring.
The Red-eyed Vireo is one of the most abundant songbirds found in the forests of the eastern and central United States and Canada. They prefer deciduous forests where they can forage in the canopies of large-leafed trees, such as maples. Red-eyed vireos in western Canada move east before turning south and heading for their wintering ground in the Amazon basin. Red-eyed Vireos have olive backs, wings, and tails, with white underparts. A red iris accounts for the bird’s name. There is a black line running through the eye with a white stripe just above that, and a dark stripe outlining the gray cap on the head. The Red-eyed Vireo’s beak has a small hook at the end. This vireo was photographed during a termite hatch-out in the North Woods of Central Park.
Double-crested Cormorants got their name because of the two tufts of black-and-white feathers that appear on their heads during breeding season. The Double-crested Cormorant is a stocky seabird with a long kinked neck, large webbed feet, and a long curved beak. It dives for fish and can swim great lengths underwater. Like other cormorants, its feathers are not waterproof so it must dry them off before it can fly. Cormorants are found from Florida to Maine, along the Gulf Coast and the Pacific coast from California up to the Aleutian Islands. They can feed in fresh or saltwater and live in colonies of stick nests on islands or shallow water. Populations had been in decline, but after 1972, when DDT was banned, they rebounded to such an extent that large colonies now have to be managed by wildlife agencies to prevent the decline of other colonial waterbirds. This cormorant is attempting to swallow a small-mouthed bass whole. You can see the neck expanding to accommodate the bulk of the fish.
The Great Egret is a large, all-white heron with a yellow beak and black legs. They are a common sight in Florida and other Gulf Coast states, but can be seen all the way up the eastern seaboard into New England during the breeding season. They are also common along the Mississippi and in California up to the San Francisco Bay area. They are wading birds, feeding in swamps, coastal lowlands, mudflats, and estuaries. They were nearly hunted to extinction in the late nineteenth century; the voracious demand for their feathers, used to decorate ladies’ hats, caused the death of hundreds of thousands of these elegant birds. Conservation efforts put an end to the wholesale slaughter, and the Great Egret has made a comeback since then. Great Egrets will often wait on docks for fisherman to return with their catch.
