What bird is in my backyard? Here are the top 5 birds you may see in New York this month
Are you curious which birds are still in your background?
USA TODAY has a ranking determined by adding the number of times each bird was listed as most-sighted for each state, each month. For example, over six seasons, the house sparrow was listed as top bird 76 times across the country.
The type of bird you are most likely to see in New York in November is the house sparrow.
Learn about the most sighted birds in New York below the graphic.
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Most sighted birds in New York
House sparrow
Immigrants to North America, house sparrows are thought to have spread across the U.S. with the help of freight trains.
They’re well-adapted to humans and have been for hundreds of years, making it hard to find a spot that’s too built-up for the house sparrow.
In a recent study, researchers estimated 862 million birds in the sparrow family have been lost since 1970, comprising the single largest proportion of the 3 billion birds lost overall.
Mourning dove
Most people who think they’re hearing owls outside might actually be listening to the cooing call of the mourning dove.
These doves are one of the most harvested migratory game birds in North America. Hunters killed approximately 11 million mourning doves in 2020 and 9 million the following year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
American goldfinch
The American goldfinch changes its appearance, depending on the season.
The change in plumage from drab olive in the winter to bright yellow in the summer is a sight to see. The molting cycle repeats in the fall, when their golden feathers are replaced with new grayish ones.
This transformation helps American goldfinches attract mates during their breeding and nesting seasons, which usually begin in late June and early July.
“American goldfinches are much later nesters than just about anything else you have in your yard,” said Geoff LeBaron, Christmas Bird Count director for National Audubon Science. This is because as seedeaters, the birds wait for thistles to produce seed before building nests and feeding their young.
Dark-eyed junco
The dark-eyed junco doesn’t look the same in Colorado as it does in Oregon.
Once considered different species, numerous varieties of juncos have been lumped together over the years. They can be found almost anywhere during the winter, with the possible exception of south Florida.
Blue jay
Blue Jays are known for their intelligence and complex social systems, according to allaboutbirds.org. Their fondness for acorns is thought to have helped spread oak trees after the last glacial period.
They are often detected by their noisy call and thousands migrate in flocks along the Great Lakes, but why they migrate when they do is somewhat of a mystery.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Here are birds you may see in NY in November. Search our database
