Birds at NYBG

Tiny black-capped chickadees are highly curious and seldom shy away from humans. At NYBG, they can often be found in the Chilton Azalea Garden.

Blue jays sometimes lower their feathered crests while eating. Both male and female birds exhibit unmistakable blue feathers.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Cooper’s hawks are smaller and harder to spot than the more common red-tailed hawk. Adults’ breast feathers appear orange in color.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Downy woodpeckers are small, black-and-white birds that eat foods larger woodpeckers cannot reach. Males have a small red patch on the back of their heads.

Bright-red cardinals are the easiest birds to spot in a winter landscape. Females are brown with red accents.

Red-bellied woodpeckers have red caps and zebra-like, black-and-white stripes on their backs. They can be found picking at the bark of medium to large trees.

Red-tailed hawk in flight

Red-tailed hawks are the most common hawk in North America. They eat small animals such as chipmunks, squirrels, and snakes.

Tufted titmice are small and gray with a bushy crest of feathers. Their song is a high-pitched whistle.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

White-throated sparrows hop on the ground while they eat. In winter they forage in large flocks. Look for the yellow markings above their eyes.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Goldfinches are the state bird of New Jersey. Males are bright yellow in spring, during breeding season. Females and non-breeding males are a dull gray with tinges of gold.

American robins can be found in cities as well as the countryside. It is easy to identify them by their orange breasts.

Mourning doves are named for their woeful call, which can be mistaken for an owl’s hoot. They store the seeds they forage in an enlarged esophagus to be digested later.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Bright-white feathers become visible in mockingbirds’ tails and wings in flight. Their calls mimic other birds and ambient noises.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Iridescent-green hummingbirds are especially attracted to red and other brightly colored flowers. In summer they are especially common in flower gardens such as the Perennial Garden. Males have bright-red throats.

Wild turkeys are native to North America. They can fly short distances, but you will mostly find them strutting on the ground in clearings.

When they are not fishing by the edge of a body of water, great blue herons make bulky nests in the trees.

Great egrets primarily wade in shallow water to hunt, but sometimes swim or dive from above. They are slightly smaller than Great Blue herons.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Hooded mergansers are in the duck family. Males have extravagant black-and-white crests. Females are a warm brown with darker brown crest.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Female mallard

Mallards are among the most common duck. Males have iridescent green heads, while females are speckled brown.

Male red-winged blackbirds have bright patches of yellow and red on their shoulders. Females are brown and resemble sparrows.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez

Both male and female wood ducks have elegant crests. Males are extravagantly patterned in iridescent green with black-and-white markings.

Photo by Patricia Gonzalez