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

60 birds were recorded seen in Rhode Island in October in our iNaturalist sample; 9 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 October

Double-crested Cormorant113 obs.

American Herring Gull94 obs.

Downy Woodpecker74 obs.

Song Sparrow69 obs.

Blue Jay65 obs.

Mallard60 obs.

Ring-billed Gull59 obs.

Wild Turkey56 obs.

Mute Swan56 obs.

House Sparrow50 obs.

White-breasted Nuthatch49 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee45 obs.

All birds seen in Rhode Island in October

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	113	Aug (past peak)
2	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	94	Aug (past peak)
3	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	74	Oct (peak)
4	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	69	May (past peak)
5	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	65	Apr (past peak)
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	60	Apr (past peak)
7	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	59	Aug (past peak)
8	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	56	Apr (past peak)
9	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	56	Apr (past peak)
10	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	50	May (past peak)
11	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	49	May (past peak)
12	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	45	Apr (past peak)
13	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Setophaga coronata	New World Warblers	45	Oct (peak)
14	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	43	Apr (past peak)
15	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	43	May (past peak)
16	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	42	Apr (past peak)
17	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	40	Jun (past peak)
18	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	39	Apr (past peak)
19	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	39	Apr (past peak)
20	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	38	Apr (past peak)
21	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	38	Jun (past peak)
22	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	37	Apr (past peak)
23	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	34	Oct (peak)
24	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	34	Dec (rising)
25	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	33	Apr (past peak)
26	Great Black-backed Gull	Larus marinus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	33	Jul (past peak)
27	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	32	Aug (past peak)
28	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	31	May (past peak)
29	Common Eider	Somateria mollissima	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	27	Jan (past peak)
30	Swamp Sparrow	Melospiza georgiana	New World Sparrows	27	Oct (peak)
31	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	27	Oct (peak)
32	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	25	Apr (past peak)
33	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	25	Oct (peak)
34	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	24	May (past peak)
35	Blackpoll Warbler	Setophaga striata	New World Warblers	24	Oct (peak)
36	Semipalmated Plover	Charadrius semipalmatus	Plovers and Lapwings	23	Aug (past peak)
37	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	21	Sep (past peak)
38	Black-bellied Plover	Pluvialis squatarola	Plovers and Lapwings	20	Sep (past peak)
39	Blue-headed Vireo	Vireo solitarius	Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis	20	Oct (peak)
40	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	19	May (past peak)
41	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	18	Mar (past peak)
42	Hermit Thrush	Catharus guttatus	Thrushes	18	Oct (peak)
43	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	18	Apr (past peak)
44	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	Woodpeckers	17	Nov (rising)
45	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	16	Apr (past peak)
46	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	15	Jan (past peak)
47	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	15	Jul (past peak)
48	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	15	May (past peak)
49	Palm Warbler	Setophaga palmarum	New World Warblers	14	Apr (past peak)
50	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	13	Sep (past peak)

Birds Seen in Rhode Island in October

Top birds in October

All birds seen in Rhode Island in October