Canada / United States Ramsar wetland
Niagara River
325 bird species recorded; the most in May and from September to October.
Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada · CC BY 2.0
This month here
139 species in January.139 species in February.159 species in March.222 species in April.247 species in May.192 species in June.192 species in July.217 species in August.242 species in September.237 species in October.194 species in November.154 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
VU
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NTNT
NT
VU
VUVUVUVU- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
325 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 325Speciesrecorded more than once
- 239Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 15ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 756,076Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 170 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 16Raptors
- 7Owls
- 38Waders
- 32Gulls & seabirds
- 43Ducks & geese
- 21Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 143Songbirds
- 24Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 325 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Falco atricapillusFalco atricapillus
Owls7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Northern Saw-Whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Tengmalm's OwlAegolius funereus
Waders38 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Bartram's SandpiperBartramia longicauda
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodusNT
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
Gulls & seabirds32 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Brown BoobySula leucogaster
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegansNT
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Black-capped PetrelPterodroma hasitata
- Long-tailed SkuaStercorarius longicaudus
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Slaty-backed GullLarus schistisagus
- Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
- Ross's GullRhodostethia rosea
- Wilson's Storm-PetrelOceanites oceanicus
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
Ducks & geese43 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- RedheadAythya americana
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- King EiderSomateria spectabilis
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinator
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Barrow's GoldeneyeBucephala islandica
- Black swanCygnus atratus
Herons, ibises & grebes21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Phalacrocorax brasilianusPhalacrocorax brasilianus
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajaja
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds143 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrina
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Grey-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Blue-winged warblerVermivora cyanoptera
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysopteraNT
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacilla
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Cerulean WarblerSetophaga ceruleaNT
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaVU
- Connecticut WarblerOporornis agilis
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Pipilo maculatusPipilo maculatus
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
- Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosa
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Arctic RedpollAcanthis hornemanni
- Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulva
- Swainson's warblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querulaNT
- Townsend's WarblerSetophaga townsendi
Other birds24 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- American CootFulica americana
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Eastern Whip-poor-willAntrostomus vociferusNT
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May and from September to October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan-1°/-7°64 mm
- Feb0°/-7°57 mm
- Mar5°/-3°63 mm
- Apr12°/2°81 mm
- May18°/8°85 mm
- Jun24°/14°87 mm
- Jul27°/18°91 mm
- Aug27°/17°79 mm
- Sep23°/13°87 mm
- Oct15°/7°98 mm
- Nov8°/1°75 mm
- Dec2°/-3°80 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Niagara River.
Watercourse on the boundary of Canada and the United States
Niagara River is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Canada.
325 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 756,076 open records.
The most recorded are the Ring-billed Gull, the Canada Goose and the Mallard.
143 species come for the summer, 86 for the winter and 10 only pass through.
15 are threatened worldwide, including Chimney Swift, Long-tailed duck and Horned Grebe.
The most species are recorded in May and from September to October.
Get there and watch
- Windmill Point Parkcampsite · 7.2 km · 3 within 10 km
- Knights Innplace to stay · 2.5 km · 33 within 10 km
- Fort Erienearest town · 2.3 km in a straight line
- Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 16 km in a straight lineCar hire at BUF airport (Buffalo)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 3bird hides within 6 kmNorth Viewing Blind, Berm Pond Blind
- 1observation towers within 6 km
- 2marked trails within 4 kmMain Street, Erie Canalway Trail (Buffalo Harbor State Park to Hertel Avenue)
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmBuffalo Visitor Center
- 25viewpoints within 5 kmBridge overlook, North Viewing Blind, Duck Blind and 22 more
- 273car parks within 3 km
- 29restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmWindmill Point Park
- 33places to stay within 10 kmKnights Inn, Buffalo Grand Hotel & Event Center, The Lofts on Pearl and 30 more
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Niagara River.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Coastya2 beaches within 10 kmErie Beach · 1.3 km↗Crescent Beach · 2.9 km
Riveryasthe river nearbyNiagara River53 km · 5.8 m³/s↗Ellicott Creek
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Niagara River
Canada
- 90Birdyas Score
- 325Species
- 239Migrants
- 15Threatened
Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area
Canada · 203 km
- 90Birdyas Score
- 301Species
- 211Migrants
- 14Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q182343) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 756,076 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Coastya, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit