Birds in New York in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in New York in April in our iNaturalist sample; 30 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in April

American Robin6,715 obs.

Canada Goose3,360 obs.

House Sparrow3,003 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird2,857 obs.

Mallard2,784 obs.

Northern Cardinal2,620 obs.

European Starling2,493 obs.

Mourning Dove2,266 obs.

White-throated Sparrow1,931 obs.

Common Grackle1,928 obs.

Blue Jay1,503 obs.

Song Sparrow1,321 obs.

All birds seen in New York in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	6,715	Apr (peak)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	3,360	Apr (peak)
3	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	3,003	Apr (peak)
4	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	2,857	Apr (peak)
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	2,784	Apr (peak)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	2,620	Apr (peak)
7	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	2,493	Apr (peak)
8	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	2,266	Apr (peak)
9	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	1,931	Apr (peak)
10	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	1,928	Apr (peak)
11	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	1,503	Apr (peak)
12	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	1,321	Apr (peak)
13	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,249	Mar (past peak)
14	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	1,194	Apr (peak)
15	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	1,159	Apr (peak)
16	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	1,137	Apr (peak)
17	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	1,124	Apr (peak)
18	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	1,093	Apr (peak)
19	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	1,070	Apr (peak)
20	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	955	Apr (peak)
21	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	937	Jun (rising)
22	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	874	Apr (peak)
23	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	869	Aug (rising)
24	Brant	Branta bernicla	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	856	Apr (peak)
25	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	843	Oct (rising)
26	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	798	Apr (peak)
27	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	796	May (rising)
28	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	784	Oct (rising)
29	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	765	Nov (rising)
30	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	760	Apr (peak)
31	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	754	Sep (rising)
32	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	752	Oct (rising)
33	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	752	Oct (rising)
34	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	737	Jan (past peak)
35	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	728	Apr (peak)
36	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	725	Apr (peak)
37	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	717	Apr (peak)
38	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	661	Apr (peak)
39	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	650	Aug (rising)
40	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	649	Mar (past peak)
41	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	643	Apr (peak)
42	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	637	Apr (peak)
43	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	550	Jan (past peak)
44	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	542	Apr (peak)
45	Killdeer	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers and Lapwings	523	May (rising)
46	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	475	Mar (past peak)
47	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	471	Aug (rising)
48	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	467	Jul (rising)
49	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	453	May (rising)
50	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	434	May (rising)

Birds Seen in New York in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in New York in April