Birds in Rhode Island in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Rhode Island in April in our iNaturalist sample; 21 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 Robin319 obs.

Canada Goose173 obs.

Mourning Dove160 obs.

Mallard158 obs.

Osprey139 obs.

Northern Cardinal137 obs.

Song Sparrow135 obs.

Red-winged Blackbird133 obs.

Blue Jay125 obs.

Wild Turkey118 obs.

Tufted Titmouse99 obs.

House Sparrow99 obs.

All birds seen in Rhode Island in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	319	Apr (peak)
2	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	173	Apr (peak)
3	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	160	Apr (peak)
4	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	158	Apr (peak)
5	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	139	Jun (rising)
6	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	137	Apr (peak)
7	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	135	May (rising)
8	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	133	May (rising)
9	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	125	Apr (peak)
10	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	118	Apr (peak)
11	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	99	Apr (peak)
12	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	99	May (rising)
13	Brant	Branta bernicla	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	98	Apr (peak)
14	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	97	Aug (rising)
15	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	96	Apr (peak)
16	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	92	Apr (peak)
17	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	92	Aug (rising)
18	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	91	Jun (rising)
19	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	89	Aug (rising)
20	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	85	May (rising)
21	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	85	Apr (peak)
22	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	77	May (rising)
23	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	73	May (rising)
24	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	73	May (rising)
25	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	73	Oct (rising)
26	Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	72	Apr (peak)
27	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	69	Apr (peak)
28	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	68	Jun (rising)
29	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	68	Apr (peak)
30	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	63	May (rising)
31	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	57	May (rising)
32	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	57	Apr (peak)
33	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	57	Apr (peak)
34	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	55	May (rising)
35	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	Mar (past peak)
36	Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	48	Jan (past peak)
37	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	45	Dec (rising)
38	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	44	May (rising)
39	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	44	Jul (rising)
40	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	43	Apr (peak)
41	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	41	Aug (rising)
42	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	39	May (rising)
43	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	38	Apr (peak)
44	Black Scoter	Melanitta americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	37	Jan (past peak)
45	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	36	Jul (rising)
46	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	32	Feb (past peak)
47	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	30	Apr (peak)
48	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	29	May (rising)
49	Piping Plover	Charadrius melodus	Plovers and Lapwings	28	Jul (rising)
50	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	27	Apr (peak)

Birds Seen in Rhode Island in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Rhode Island in April