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

60 birds were recorded seen in Rhode Island in August in our iNaturalist sample; 13 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

American Herring Gull235 obs.

Double-crested Cormorant191 obs.

Laughing Gull170 obs.

Common Tern132 obs.

American Goldfinch131 obs.

Semipalmated Plover127 obs.

Osprey115 obs.

Gray Catbird111 obs.

Great Egret105 obs.

Great Black-backed Gull103 obs.

Northern Cardinal100 obs.

Wild Turkey99 obs.

All birds seen in Rhode Island in August

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	235	Aug (peak)
2	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	191	Aug (peak)
3	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	170	Aug (peak)
4	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	132	Aug (peak)
5	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	131	Aug (peak)
6	Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	Plovers and Lapwings	127	Aug (peak)
7	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	115	Jun (past peak)
8	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	111	May (past peak)
9	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	105	Jun (past peak)
10	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	103	Jul (past peak)
11	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	100	Apr (past peak)
12	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	99	Apr (past peak)
13	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	92	Jun (past peak)
14	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	91	Aug (peak)
15	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	87	Apr (past peak)
16	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	84	Aug (peak)
17	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	75	Apr (past peak)
18	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	69	Apr (past peak)
19	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Sandpipers and Allies	67	Aug (peak)
20	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	62	Aug (peak)
21	Semipalmated Sandpiper	Calidris pusilla	Sandpipers and Allies	58	Aug (peak)
22	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	58	May (past peak)
23	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	58	Oct (rising)
24	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	57	Apr (past peak)
25	Least Sandpiper	Calidris minutilla	Sandpipers and Allies	56	Aug (peak)
26	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	55	May (past peak)
27	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	54	Apr (past peak)
28	Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	53	Jan (past peak)
29	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	53	Apr (past peak)
30	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	51	Apr (past peak)
31	Spotted Sandpiper	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers and Allies	49	Aug (peak)
32	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	47	May (past peak)
33	Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	40	Jun (past peak)
34	Chipping Sparrow	Spizella passerina	New World Sparrows	39	May (past peak)
35	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	39	Apr (past peak)
36	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	38	Apr (past peak)
37	Snowy Egret	Egretta thula	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	37	Jun (past peak)
38	Brown-headed Cowbird	Molothrus ater	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	36	May (past peak)
39	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	35	Apr (past peak)
40	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	33	Sep (rising)
41	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	33	May (past peak)
42	Tree Swallow	Tachycineta bicolor	Swallows and Martins	30	May (past peak)
43	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	29	Apr (past peak)
44	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	29	Jul (past peak)
45	American Oystercatcher	Haematopus palliatus	Oystercatchers	28	Jul (past peak)
46	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	28	Jul (past peak)
47	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	28	Dec (rising)
48	Common Grackle	Quiscalus quiscula	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	27	May (past peak)
49	Eastern Towhee	Pipilo erythrophthalmus	New World Sparrows	26	May (past peak)
50	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	25	Jun (past peak)

Birds Seen in Rhode Island in August

Top birds in August

All birds seen in Rhode Island in August