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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Rhode Island

Our list for Rhode Island has 207 bird species recorded regularly there: 41 residents, 46 summer visitors, 63 winter visitors, 50 passage migrants and 7 scarce visitors

The list comes from 2.5 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
207
In October
135
Common
86
Busiest month
May

What's special about Rhode Island

vs United States

The birds recorded far more often here than across United States, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Rhode Island is worth visiting for.

  1. Great CormorantGreat Cormorant22×Winter visitor · 0.41% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  2. Black-headed GullBlack-headed Gull20×Winter visitor · 0.05% of records here, 0.00% across United States
  3. Roseate TernRoseate Tern12×Summer visitor · 0.08% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  4. EiderEider12×Winter visitor · 0.92% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  5. Purple SandpiperPurple Sandpiper9.9×Winter visitor · 0.11% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  6. Great ShearwaterGreat Shearwater9.0×Summer visitor · 0.07% of records here, 0.01% across United States
  7. Great Black-backed GullGreat Black-backed Gull8.3×Resident · 2.1% of records here, 0.26% across United States
  8. Piping PloverPiping Plover8.3×Summer visitor · 0.31% of records here, 0.04% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Blue JayBlue Jay3.76%
  2. Song SparrowSong Sparrow3.53%
  3. American CrowAmerican Crow2.72%
  4. Northern CardinalNorthern Cardinal2.53%
  5. Yellow-rumped WarblerYellow-rumped Warbler2.50%
  6. American Herring GullAmerican Herring Gull2.39%

Arriving now

  1. Pine SiskinPine SiskinWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.20%
  2. Surf ScoterSurf ScoterWinter visitorSep 0.03% → Oct 0.20%
  3. Brent GooseBrent GooseWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.17%
  4. Red-breasted MerganserRed-breasted MerganserWinter visitorSep 0.07% → Oct 0.15%
  5. Greater ScaupGreater ScaupWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.13%
  6. GadwallGadwallWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 0.13%

Share of all bird records in Rhode Island in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Rhode Island

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Rhode Island

Records by month
Bird records in Rhode Island by month, 2019–2024
January180,130
February157,634
March171,298
April247,424
May448,036
June218,657
July194,488
August193,644
September184,442
October203,086
November172,224
December151,660

May has the most records (448,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 28
All 28 families in Rhode Island

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 207 birds, A to Z

Show all 207 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Rhode Island known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Rhode Island stands out for Great Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, Roseate Tern and Eider. Each is recorded at least 11.9 times as often here as across United States, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Rhode Island?

207 species, each recorded regularly in Rhode Island (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 41 residents, 46 summer visitors, 63 winter visitors, 50 passage migrants and 7 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Rhode Island, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Rhode Island in October?

135 species on our list for Rhode Island are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Blue Jay, Song Sparrow, American Crow, Northern Cardinal and Yellow-rumped Warbler.

What are the most common birds in Rhode Island?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Rhode Island are Song Sparrow, American Robin, American Herring Gull, Blue Jay and Canada Goose.

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

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