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

60 birds were recorded seen in New York in December in our iNaturalist sample; 0 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 December

Red-tailed Hawk1,146 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,027 obs.

Canada Goose880 obs.

Mallard879 obs.

House Sparrow856 obs.

White-throated Sparrow847 obs.

Ring-billed Gull767 obs.

Downy Woodpecker747 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco686 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker664 obs.

Tufted Titmouse661 obs.

Blue Jay658 obs.

All birds seen in New York in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,146	Mar (past peak)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,027	Apr (past peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	880	Apr (past peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	879	Apr (past peak)
5	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	856	Apr (past peak)
6	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	847	Apr (past peak)
7	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	767	Aug (past peak)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	747	Apr (past peak)
9	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	686	Nov (past peak)
10	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	664	Apr (past peak)
11	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	661	Jan (past peak)
12	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	658	Apr (past peak)
13	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	612	Jan (past peak)
14	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	593	Jan (past peak)
15	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	576	Apr (past peak)
16	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	501	Apr (past peak)
17	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	497	Aug (past peak)
18	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	459	Mar (past peak)
19	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	453	Mar (past peak)
20	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	445	Apr (past peak)
21	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	443	Mar (past peak)
22	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	396	Apr (past peak)
23	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	369	Apr (past peak)
24	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	366	Sep (past peak)
25	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	348	Jan (past peak)
26	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	307	Apr (past peak)
27	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	284	Mar (past peak)
28	Brant	Branta bernicla	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	283	Apr (past peak)
29	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	281	Jan (past peak)
30	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	259	Apr (past peak)
31	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	258	Apr (past peak)
32	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	249	Aug (past peak)
33	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	247	Aug (past peak)
34	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	245	Mar (past peak)
35	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	244	Feb (past peak)
36	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	243	Oct (past peak)
37	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	241	Mar (past peak)
38	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	240	Jan (past peak)
39	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	236	Apr (past peak)
40	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	217	Nov (past peak)
41	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	181	May (past peak)
42	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	181	Jan (past peak)
43	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	179	Jan (past peak)
44	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	171	Apr (past peak)
45	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	157	Apr (past peak)
46	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	157	Mar (past peak)
47	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	145	Apr (past peak)
48	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	144	Jan (past peak)
49	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	138	May (past peak)
50	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	132	Mar (past peak)

Birds Seen in New York in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in New York in December