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

60 birds were recorded seen in New York in February in our iNaturalist sample; 2 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 February

Canada Goose1,287 obs.

Northern Cardinal1,204 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk1,113 obs.

Mallard975 obs.

Ring-billed Gull872 obs.

House Sparrow800 obs.

American Robin736 obs.

Downy Woodpecker726 obs.

Mourning Dove725 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee716 obs.

White-throated Sparrow694 obs.

American Herring Gull608 obs.

All birds seen in New York in February

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	1,287	Apr (rising)
2	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	1,204	Apr (rising)
3	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	1,113	Mar (rising)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	975	Apr (rising)
5	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	872	Aug (rising)
6	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	800	Apr (rising)
7	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	736	Apr (rising)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	726	Apr (rising)
9	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	725	Apr (rising)
10	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	716	Jan (past peak)
11	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	694	Apr (rising)
12	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	608	Aug (rising)
13	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	598	Mar (rising)
14	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	563	Nov (rising)
15	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	556	Apr (rising)
16	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	554	Apr (rising)
17	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	546	Apr (rising)
18	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	546	Jan (past peak)
19	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	500	Mar (rising)
20	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	500	Jan (past peak)
21	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	476	Mar (rising)
22	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	471	Apr (rising)
23	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	452	Apr (rising)
24	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	443	Mar (rising)
25	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	395	Mar (rising)
26	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	372	Jan (past peak)
27	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	355	Mar (rising)
28	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	343	Apr (rising)
29	Brant	Branta bernicla	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	337	Apr (rising)
30	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	336	Jan (past peak)
31	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	316	Apr (rising)
32	American Black Duck	Anas rubripes	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	314	Jan (past peak)
33	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	314	Feb (peak)
34	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	311	Feb (peak)
35	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	274	Apr (rising)
36	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	267	Mar (rising)
37	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	266	Sep (rising)
38	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	265	Aug (rising)
39	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	247	Apr (rising)
40	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	246	Aug (rising)
41	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	231	Nov (rising)
42	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	218	Apr (rising)
43	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	217	Jan (past peak)
44	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	211	Jan (past peak)
45	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	210	Apr (rising)
46	Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	210	Mar (rising)
47	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	207	May (rising)
48	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	201	Jan (past peak)
49	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	186	Apr (rising)
50	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	184	Apr (rising)

Birds Seen in New York in February

Top birds in February

All birds seen in New York in February