NYC Bird Checklist
The is an aggregate list of species that have been found in NYC. There is an apparent lack of an official NYC list and the de facto one via NYC Audubon clearly contains omissions. So this list is an amalgam of several lists: initially the Audubon list, sanity checked against Ben Cacace's list and two versions of Central Park checklist, and finally my own internal definition of plausibility. A sprinkling of sightings from recent years were added in. Mistakes, omissions and general mayhem are all my fault. This is mostly a "seen from dry land" checklist so birds seen from pelagics in NY waters are excluded, but I may have omitted some that have been very rarely seen from the barrier beaches (Riis Park, Breezy Point). Please let me know at phil.jeffrey ~~at~~ gmail. I'm not NYSARC, nor am I psychic, but this list was put together in the belief that it is reasonably accurate. Some unverifiable older records are omitted, so this list is modern-biased. The New York State list is at: http://nybirds.org/Publications/ChecklistNYS.htm. One could also do a search of old Kingbird records which is on my to-do list, but will take a while before it gets acted on.
Note that the Queens County Bird Club list is larger than this list, but I've been exclusionary of older vagrant records that I cannot track down.
| Red-throated Loon | Gavia stellata |
| Pacific Loon | Gavia pacifica |
| Common Loon | Gavia immer |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps |
| Horned Grebe | Podiceps auritus |
| Red-necked Grebe | Podiceps grisegena |
| Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis |
| Cory's Shearwater | Calonectris diomedea |
| Great Shearwater | Puffinus gravis |
| Audubon's Shearwater | Puffinus lherminieri |
| Sooty Shearwater | Puffinus griseus |
| Wilson's Storm-Petrel | Oceanites oceanicus |
| Leach's Storm-Petrel | Oceanodroma leucorhoa |
| Band-rumped Storm-Petrel | Oceanodroma castro |
| White-tailed Tropicbird | Phaethon lepturus |
| Northern Gannet | Morus bassanus |
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos |
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis |
| Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus |
| Great Cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo |
| Anhinga | Anhinga anhinga |
| American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus |
| Least Bittern | Ixobrychus exilis |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba |
| Western Reef-Heron | Egretta gularis |
| Snowy Egret | Egretta thula |
| Little Blue Heron | Egretta caerulea |
| Tricolored Heron | Egretta tricolor |
| Reddish Egret | Egretta rufescens |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis |
| Green Heron | Butorides virescens |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | Nyctanassa violacea |
| White Ibis | Eudocimus albus |
| Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus |
| White-faced Ibis | Plegadis chihi |
| Roseate Spoonbill | Platalea ajaja |
| Black Vulture | Coragyps atratus |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura |
| Black-bellied Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna autumnalis |
| Fulvous Whistling-Duck | Dendrocygna bicolor |
| Pink-footed Goose | Anser brachyrhynchus |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | Anser albifrons |
| Snow Goose | Chen caerulescens |
| Ross's Goose | Chen rossii |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis |
| Cackling Goose | Branta hutchinsii |
| Barnacle Goose | Branta leucopsis |
| Brant | Branta bernicla |
| Mute Swan | Cygnus olor |
| Tundra Swan | Cygnus columbianus |
| Wood Duck | Aix sponsa |
| Gadwall | Anas strepera |
| Eurasian Wigeon | Anas penelope |
| American Wigeon | Anas americana |
| American Black Duck | Anas rubripes |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos |
| Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors |
| Northern Shoveler | Anas clypeata |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas crecca |
| Canvasback | Aythya valisineria |
| Redhead | Aythya americana |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris |
| Tufted Duck | Aythya fuligula |
| Greater Scaup | Aythya marila |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis |
| King Eider | Somateria spectabilis |
| Common Eider | Somateria mollissima |
| Harlequin Duck | Histrionicus histrionicus |
| Surf Scoter | Melanitta perspicillata |
| White-winged Scoter | Melanitta fusca |
| Black Scoter | Melanitta americana |
| Long-tailed Duck | Clangula hyemalis |
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula |
| Barrow's Goldeneye | Bucephala islandica |
| Hooded Merganser | Lophodytes cucullatus |
| Common Merganser | Mergus merganser |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus |
| Swallow-tailed Kite | Elanoides forficatus |
| Mississippi Kite | Ictinia mississippiensis |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus |
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Buteo lineatus |
| Broad-winged Hawk | Buteo platypterus |
| Swainson's Hawk | Buteo swainsoni |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis |
| Rough-legged Hawk | Buteo lagopus |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius |
| Gyrfalcon | Falco rusticolus |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus |
| Ring-necked Pheasant | Phasianus colchicus |
| Wild Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo |
| Northern Bobwhite | Colinus virginianus |
| Clapper Rail | Rallus longirostris |
| King Rail | Rallus elegans |
| Virginia Rail | Rallus limicola |
| Sora | Porzana carolina |
| Purple Gallinule | Porphyrio martinica |
| Common Gallinule | Gallinula galeata |
| American Coot | Fulica americana |
| Black-bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola |
| American Golden-Plover | Pluvialis dominica |
| Wilson's Plover | Charadrius wilsonia |
| Common Ringed Plover | Charadrius hiaticula |
| Semipalmated Plover | Charadrius semipalmatus |
| Piping Plover | Charadrius melodus |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus |
| American Oystercatcher | Haematopus palliatus |
| Black-necked Stilt | Himantopus mexicanus |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes |
| Spotted Redshank | Tringa erythropus |
| Solitary Sandpiper | Tringa solitaria |
| Willet | Catoptrophorus semipalmatus |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularia |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus |
| Hudsonian Godwit | Limosa haemastica |
| Marbled Godwit | Limosa fedoa |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres |
| Red Knot | Calidris canutus |
| Sanderling | Calidris alba |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | Calidris pusilla |
| Western Sandpiper | Calidris mauri |
| Red-necked Stint | Calidris ruficollis |
| Little Stint | Calidris minuta |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla |
| White-rumped Sandpiper | Calidris fuscicollis |
| Baird's Sandpiper | Calidris bairdii |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | Calidris melanotos |
| Sharp-tailed Sandpiper | Calidris acuminata |
| Purple Sandpiper | Calidris maritima |
| Dunlin | Calidris alpina |
| Curlew Sandpiper | Calidris ferruginea |
| Stilt Sandpiper | Calidris himantopus |
| Broad-billed Sandpiper | Limicola falcinellus |
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper | Tryngites subruficollis |
| Ruff | Philomachus pugnax |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus griseus |
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus |
| Wilson's Snipe | Gallinago delicata |
| American Woodcock | Scolopax minor |
| Wilson's Phalarope | Phalaropus tricolor |
| Red-necked Phalarope | Phalaropus lobatus |
| Parasitic Jaeger | Stercorarius parasiticus |
| Pomarine Jaeger | Stercorarius pomarinus |
| Bonaparte's Gull | Chroicocephalus philadelphia |
| Gray-hooded Gull | Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus |
| Black-headed Gull | Chroicocephalus ridibundus |
| Little Gull | Hydrocoloeus minutus |
| Laughing Gull | Leucophaeus atricilla |
| Mew Gull | Larus canus |
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis |
| Herring Gull | Larus argentatus |
| Iceland Gull | Larus glaucoides |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | Larus fuscus |
| Glaucous Gull | Larus hyperboreus |
| Great Black-backed Gull | Larus marinus |
| Sabine's Gull | Xema sabini |
| Black-legged Kittiwake | Rissa tridactyla |
| Gull-billed Tern | Sterna nilotica |
| Caspian Tern | Sterna caspia |
| Royal Tern | Sterna maxima |
| Sandwich Tern | Sterna sandvicensis |
| Roseate Tern | Sterna dougallii |
| Common Tern | Sterna hirundo |
| Arctic Tern | Sterna paradisaea |
| Forster's Tern | Sterna forsteri |
| Least Tern | Sterna antillarum |
| Bridled Tern | Sterna anaethetus |
| Sooty Tern | Sterna fuscata |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger |
| Black Skimmer | Rynchops niger |
| Dovekie | Alle alle |
| Thick-billed Murre | Uria lomvia |
| Razorbill | Alca torda |
| Black Guillemot | Cepphus grylle |
| Rock Pigeon | Columba livia |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura |
| Monk Parakeet | Myiopsitta monachus |
| Black-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus erythropthalmus |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus americanus |
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | Otus asio |
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus |
| Snowy Owl | Nyctea scandiaca |
| Barred Owl | Strix varia |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus |
| Boreal Owl | Aegolius funereus |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor |
| Chuck-will's-widow | Caprimulgus carolinensis |
| Eastern Whip-poor-will | Caprimulgus vociferus |
| Chimney Swift | Chaetura pelagica |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | Archilochus colubris |
| Calliope Hummingbird | Stellula calliope |
| Rufous Hummingbird | Selasphorus rufus |
| Belted Kingfisher | Megaceryle alcyon |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Melanerpes erythrocephalus |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | Melanerpes carolinus |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus varius |
| Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus |
| Black-backed Woodpecker | Picoides arcticus |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus |
| Pileated Woodpecker | Dryocopus pileatus |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | Contopus virens |
| Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | Empidonax flaviventris |
| Acadian Flycatcher | Empidonax virescens |
| Alder Flycatcher | Empidonax alnorum |
| Willow Flycatcher | Empidonax traillii |
| Least Flycatcher | Empidonax minimus |
| Eastern Phoebe | Sayornis phoebe |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | Myiarchus crinitus |
| Western Kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis |
| Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus |
| Scissor-tailed Flycatcher | Tyrannus forficatus |
| Fork-tailed Flycatcher | Tyrannus savana |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus |
| Northern Shrike | Lanius excubitor |
| White-eyed Vireo | Vireo griseus |
| Bell's Vireo | Vireo bellii |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | Vireo flavifrons |
| Blue-headed Vireo | Vireo solitarius |
| Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus |
| Philadelphia Vireo | Vireo philadelphicus |
| Red-eyed Vireo | Vireo olivaceus |
| Blue Jay | Cyanocitta cristata |
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos |
| Fish Crow | Corvus ossifragus |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris |
| Purple Martin | Progne subis |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis |
| Bank Swallow | Riparia riparia |
| Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota |
| Cave Swallow | Petrochelidon fulva |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Poecile atricapilla |
| Boreal Chickadee | Poecile hudsonica |
| Tufted Titmouse | Baeolophus bicolor |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta canadensis |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis |
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana |
| Carolina Wren | Thryothorus ludovicianus |
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon |
| Winter Wren | Troglodytes hyemalis |
| Sedge Wren | Cistothorus platensis |
| Marsh Wren | Cistothorus palustris |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | Regulus satrapa |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea |
| Northern Wheatear | Oenanthe oenanthe |
| Eastern Bluebird | Sialia sialis |
| Townsend's Solitaire | Myadestes townsendi |
| Veery | Catharus fuscescens |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | Catharus minimus |
| Bicknell's Thrush | Catharus bicknelli |
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus |
| Wood Thrush | Hylocichla mustelina |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius |
| Varied Thrush | Ixoreus naevius |
| Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos |
| Brown Thrasher | Toxostoma rufum |
| European Starling | Sturnus vulgaris |
| Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava/tschutschensis (indeterminate) |
| American Pipit | Anthus rubescens |
| Bohemian Waxwing | Bombycilla garrulus |
| Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum |
| Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus |
| Worm-eating Warbler | Helmitheros vermivorus |
| Northern Waterthrush | Parkesia noveboracensis |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | Parkesia motacilla |
| Golden-winged Warbler | Vermivora chrysoptera |
| Blue-winged Warbler | Vermivora cyanoptera |
| Black-and-white Warbler | Mniotilta varia |
| Prothonotary Warbler | Protonotaria citrea |
| Swainson's Warbler | Limnothlypis swainsonii |
| Tennessee Warbler | Oreothlypis peregrina |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Oreothlypis celata |
| Nashville Warbler | Oreothlypis ruficapilla |
| Connecticut Warbler | Oporornis agilis |
| MacGillivray's Warbler | Geothlypis tolmiei |
| Mourning Warbler | Geothlypis philadelphia |
| Kentucky Warbler | Geothlypis formosus |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas |
| Hooded Warbler | Setophaga citrina |
| American Redstart | Setophaga ruticilla |
| Cape May Warbler | Setophaga tigrina |
| Cerulean Warbler | Setophaga cerulea |
| Northern Parula | Setophaga americana |
| Magnolia Warbler | Setophaga magnolia |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | Setophaga castanea |
| Blackburnian Warbler | Setophaga fusca |
| Yellow Warbler | Setophaga petechia |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | Setophaga pensylvanica |
| Blackpoll Warbler | Setophaga striata |
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | Setophaga caerulescens |
| Palm Warbler | Setophaga palmarum |
| Pine Warbler | Setophaga pinus |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Setophaga coronata |
| Yellow-throated Warbler | Setophaga dominica |
| Prairie Warbler | Setophaga discolor |
| Black-throated Gray Warbler | Setophaga nigrescens |
| Townsend's Warbler | Setophaga townsendi |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | Setophaga virens |
| Wilson's Warbler | Cardellina pusilla |
| Canada Warbler | Cardellina canadensis |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | Icteria virens |
| Summer Tanager | Piranga rubra |
| Scarlet Tanager | Piranga olivacea |
| Western Tanager | Piranga ludoviciana |
| Eastern Towhee | Pipilo erythrophthalmus |
| American Tree Sparrow | Spizella arborea |
| Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina |
| Clay-colored Sparrow | Spizella pallida |
| Field Sparrow | Spizella pusilla |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus |
| Lark Bunting | Calamospiza melanocorys |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum |
| Henslow's Sparrow | Ammodramus henslowii |
| Le Conte's Sparrow | Ammodramus leconteii |
| Nelson's Sparrow | Ammodramus nelsoni |
| Saltmarsh Sparrow | Ammodramus caudacutus |
| Seaside Sparrow | Ammodramus maritimus |
| Fox Sparrow | Passerella iliaca |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii |
| Swamp Sparrow | Melospiza georgiana |
| White-throated Sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis |
| Lapland Longspur | Calcarius lapponicus |
| Snow Bunting | Plectrophenax nivalis |
| Northern Cardinal | Cardinalis cardinalis |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | Pheucticus ludovicianus |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus |
| Blue Grosbeak | Passerina caerulea |
| Indigo Bunting | Passerina cyanea |
| Painted Bunting | Passerina ciris |
| Dickcissel | Spiza americana |
| Bobolink | Dolichonyx oryzivorus |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus |
| Rusty Blackbird | Euphagus carolinus |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus |
| Common Grackle | Quiscalus quiscula |
| Boat-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus major |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater |
| Orchard Oriole | Icterus spurius |
| Baltimore Oriole | Icterus galbula |
| Scott's Oriole | Icterus parisorum |
| Pine Grosbeak | Pinicola enucleator |
| Purple Finch | Carpodacus purpureus |
| House Finch | Carpodacus mexicanus |
| Red Crossbill | Loxia curvirostra |
| White-winged Crossbill | Loxia leucoptera |
| Common Redpoll | Carduelis flammea |
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus |
| American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis |
| Evening Grosbeak | Coccothraustes vespertinus |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus |
Total as of October 31st 2011 is 383 species (revised).
Technically, all text and images are © Phil Jeffrey 2010-2011, but it's a little pointless if I don't explicitly grant you permission to download and modify this list for your own personal use. So there you go.