Thank you for visiting my gallery of the wild birds of the New York region. It’s not meant to be a complete gallery of New York birds, but is a dynamic photo record of birds I’ve personally observed in the region. All photos are taken by me, Betsy McCully, unless otherwise stated.

I’ve arranged the birds by habitats. 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. I’ve also grouped the birds 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. The captions give the bird’s common name, Latin name, date and place of observation, and status. I use the data from Cornell’s excellent site, All About Birds.

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 New York Birds album on my Flickr site.

If you wish to use my photos, please review my Terms of Use page before contacting me at the email address below.

–Betsy McCully, August 2023

Note: Click on the picture to view the caption and an enlarged image in Lightbox; mobile users click twice.

Birds of Waters, Wetlands, Shores

Shorebirds

Wading Birds: egrets, herons, and ibis

Waterfowl: loons, ducks, geese, swans

Seabirds: gulls, terns, and skimmer

Waters, wetlands, shores: raptors and a kingfisher

Waters, wetlands, shores: blackbirds and crow

Waters, wetlands, shores: a flycatcher

Waters, wetlands, shores: sparrows

Waters, wetlands, shores: swallows

Birds of Grassland and Scrub

Blackbird family

Grassland Birds: bunting, dickcissel, lark, sparrows

Grassland Birds: flycatchers

Grassland Birds: game birds

Grassland Birds: raptors

Grassland Birds: crane, egret, sandpipers

Grassland Birds: swallows

Grassland Birds: Mimidae

Grassland Birds: bluebird (thrush family)

Grassland Birds: warblers

Birds of Woodlands and Forests

Woodland Birds: cardinals and allies

Woodland Birds: Mimidae

Woodland Birds: chickadee, nuthatches, titmouse

Woodland Birds: corvids

We have one jay, the Blue Jay.

Woodland Birds: two cuckoos and a dove

The Black-billed Cuckoo (not shown) and Yellow-billed Cuckoo are both breeders in our forests.

Woodland Birds: finches

Woodland Birds: flycatchers

Woodland Birds: gnatcatcher, kinglets

We have two kinglets, the Golden-crowned and the Ruby-crowned.

Woodland Birds: orioles

Our only orioles are the Baltimore and Orchard orioles.

Woodland Birds: raptors

Woodland Birds: sparrows and allies

Woodland Birds: thrushes

Woodland Game Birds

Woodland Birds: vireos

Woodland Birds: waxwing

Woodland Birds: warblers

Woodland Birds: woodpeckers

Woodland Birds: wrens

We have two wrens, the Carolina (year-round) and the House Wren (breeder)