Credit: Betsy McCully. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis). Open woodlands. Year-round.
Thank you for visiting my gallery of the wild birds of the New York region. This is a personal gallery of photos I and my birding friends have taken in the field. It is not meant to be a complete gallery of New York birds, but is a dynamic photo record of birds I have personally observed in the New York area. All photos are taken by me, Betsy McCully, unless otherwise stated.
I’ve arranged the birds according to the habitats in which they’re typically found. In breeding season, their habitat is where they nest; in non-breeding season or in migration, it’s where they find food. For example, downy woodpeckers nest in tree cavities and therefore require a woodland habitat; in winter, however, they may come to your backyard feeder. In addition to arranging birds according to their typical habitats, I’ve grouped them into categories, such as shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, etc., and within each category listed them alphabetically by common name, usually the second part of the name, such as plover, sandpiper, turnstone, willet, etc. Beneath the photo’s caption you’ll find a few details about where and when the bird was observed, its habitat, and its conservation status if declining or threatened. I use the data from Cornell’s allaboutbirds.org.
All photos are of birds that can be seen in the New York region, whether year-round, in migration, as occasional visitors, winter residents, or breeders. I’ve been birding the New York area for 20-plus years, but I am human and make mistakes. I welcome your feedback by contacting me at the email address below.
I hope my gallery may help you identify some of the birds you find in the New York region. See the New York Birds page for a list of suggested print guides and websites. The gallery will be updated regularly, so check back for more. Also take a look at my Flickr photo site, https://www.flickr.com/people/betsymccully/.
If you wish to use any of the photos, please see the Terms of Use page before contacting me at the email address below.
–Betsy McCully
Birds of Coastal Waters, Wetlands, Shores
Shorebirds
Dunlin and Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage
Dunlin, breeding plumage
Dunlin, non-breeding adult.
Dunlin on left and Willet on right. Breeding plumage.
Hudsonian Godwit. Migrant. Credit: Sam Janazzo.
American Oystercatcher on summer breeding ground
American Oystercatcher takes flight
Black-bellied Plover. Male, breeding plumage
Black-bellied Plover, non-breeding plumage
Piping Plover in protected nesting area.
Piping Plover in protected nesting area
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Plover, non-breeding adult.
Red Knot in breeding plumage
A Red Knot feeding with a flock of Ruddy Turnstones. Both in breeding plumage.
Red-necked Phalarope. Credit: Sam Janazzo.
Ruddy Turnstone, breeding plumage
Ruddy Turnstones, breeding plumage.
Ruddy Turnstones, non-breeding plumage.
Ruddy Turnstone, non-breeding plumage.
Sanderlings. Juveniles.
Sanderlings. Juveniles.
Flock of juvenile sanderlings feeding along shore
Sanderlings. Juveniles.
Sanderling, breeding plumage
Pectoral Sandpiper
Purple Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpipers resting. 2 juveniles on right, adult on left.
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper. Juvenile.
Spotted Sandpiper, juvenile.
Willet in breeding territory
Willet in breeding territory
Willet in breeding territory
Willet taking flight
Wading Birds: Egrets, Herons, and Ibis
Great Egret. Breeding adult
Snowy Egret. Breeding adult
Snowy Egret. Adult.
Snowy Egret. Breeding plumage
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron. Adult on right, juvenile on left.
Green Heron
Little Blue Heron. Juvenile viewed through digiscope.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Adult.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Juvenile.
Glossy Ibis
Loon, and Ducks, Geese, Swans
Common Loon. Breeding plumage.
Canvasback
Common Eiders, male and female, sunning on rock off of Montauk Point.
Common Eiders, male and female.
Common Eider, juvenile male.
King Eider, male. Credit: Sam Janazzo.
Gadwall. Credit: Sam Janazzo
Common Goldeneye, female and juvenile.
Long-tailed Ducks
Long-tailed Duck and Red-necked Grebe
Mallard, male and female.
Hooded Merganser. Male
Hooded Merganser. Female
Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail at rest
Redhead duck. Credit: Sam Janazzo.
Male Ring-necked Duck and American Coot
Ring-necked Ducks, two males and a female.
Greater Scaup. Credit: Sam Janazzo
Black Scoter, juvenile.
Northern Shoveler. Male
Northern Shoveler, male and female
Northern Shovelers at rest
American Widgeon
Brant
Brant flock
Cackling Goose and Canada Goose
Snow Goose, juvenile white morph. Feeding with Canada Geese on Montauk ranch.
Greater White-fronted Goose adult
Tundra Swans in migration
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmer
Great Black-backed Gull
Bonaparte’s Gulls
Bonaparte’s Gulls feeding with Herring Gulls in tide pool.
Glaucous Gull
Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)
Herring Gull. Adult.
Herring Gull adult feeding on blue crab.
Herring Gull in winter
Iceland Gull close to shore
Iceland Gull near shore
Iceland Gull near shore
Black Skimmer. Credit: Sam Janazzo.
Common Tern
Common Tern. Juveniles.
Least Tern. Adult.
Least Terns mate feeding
Least Tern calling
Roseate Tern
Kingfisher
We have only one kingfisher species.
Belted Kingfisher. Male.
Raptors and an Owl
Osprey on nest
Osprey pair on nesting platform
Adult Osprey in flight
Snowy Owl, immature. Credit: Sam Janazzo.
Snowy Owl. Adult.
Blackbirds
Common Grackle. Male
Common Grackle. Male
Red-winged Blackbird. Male.
Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher on breeding territory
Willow Flycatcher on breeding territory
Sparrows
Saltmarsh Sparrow in breeding territory
Seaside Sparrow in breeding territory
Swamp Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow on breeding ground
Swallows
Purple Martins and Bank Swallows resting on bridge during migration.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallows
Tree Swallow. Male.
Tree Swallows “staging” as they get ready to migrate south.
Tree Swallows feeding on bayberries during migration.
