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

60 birds were recorded seen in New York in August in our iNaturalist sample; 10 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 August

Mallard1,551 obs.

Great Blue Heron1,539 obs.

House Sparrow1,191 obs.

Canada Goose1,175 obs.

American Robin1,106 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant1,085 obs.

Osprey1,042 obs.

Ring-billed Gull1,029 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,023 obs.

Mourning Dove992 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk988 obs.

American Goldfinch916 obs.

All birds seen in New York in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,551	Apr (past peak)
2	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	1,539	Sep (rising)
3	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,191	Apr (past peak)
4	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,175	Apr (past peak)
5	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	1,106	Apr (past peak)
6	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	1,085	Apr (past peak)
7	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	1,042	Apr (past peak)
8	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	1,029	Aug (peak)
9	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,023	Apr (past peak)
10	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	992	Apr (past peak)
11	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	988	Mar (past peak)
12	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	916	Aug (peak)
13	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	866	Jun (past peak)
14	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	836	May (past peak)
15	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	777	Aug (peak)
16	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	762	Apr (past peak)
17	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	747	Aug (peak)
18	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	747	Apr (past peak)
19	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	706	Apr (past peak)
20	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	657	Jul (past peak)
21	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	623	Aug (peak)
22	Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	Plovers and Lapwings	554	Aug (peak)
23	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	503	Jun (past peak)
24	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	503	Apr (past peak)
25	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	466	Mar (past peak)
26	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	465	May (past peak)
27	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	462	Apr (past peak)
28	Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla	Sandpipers and Allies	452	Aug (peak)
29	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	447	Apr (past peak)
30	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	438	Apr (past peak)
31	Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla	Sandpipers and Allies	431	Aug (peak)
32	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	424	Aug (peak)
33	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	424	Apr (past peak)
34	American Oystercatcher	Haematopus palliatus	Oystercatchers	407	Jun (past peak)
35	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	395	Jul (past peak)
36	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	387	May (past peak)
37	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	372	Jan (past peak)
38	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	367	Aug (peak)
39	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	362	Apr (past peak)
40	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	345	Apr (past peak)
41	Eastern Kingbird	Tyrannus tyrannus	Tyrant Flycatchers	343	May (past peak)
42	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	323	Apr (past peak)
43	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	316	Jun (past peak)
44	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	316	Apr (past peak)
45	Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	315	Jul (past peak)
46	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Swallows and Martins	313	May (past peak)
47	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	311	Apr (past peak)
48	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	303	May (past peak)
49	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	294	Oct (rising)
50	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	288	May (past peak)

Birds Seen in New York in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in New York in August