United States bird sanctuary
U Thant Island
345 bird species recorded; the most in May and in October.
Farawayman · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
158 species in January.155 species in February.166 species in March.227 species in April.247 species in May.185 species in June.154 species in July.205 species in August.222 species in September.238 species in October.210 species in November.175 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.
NT
NT
NT
VUVUNT
VUNT
NTVU
VU
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
345 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).
- 345Speciesrecorded more than once
- 223Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 13ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 2,728,754Recordsopen records within 4 km
- 18Raptors
- 9Owls
- 26Waders
- 35Gulls & seabirds
- 41Ducks & geese
- 16Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 163Songbirds
- 36Other 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 345 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Falco atricapillusFalco atricapillus
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
Owls9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Northern Saw-Whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
- Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
- Tengmalm's OwlAegolius funereus
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Waders26 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodusNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
Gulls & seabirds35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Slaty-backed GullLarus schistisagus
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Wilson's Storm-PetrelOceanites oceanicus
- Sooty TernOnychoprion fuscatus
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Band-rumped Storm PetrelOceanodroma castro
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- South Polar SkuaStercorarius maccormicki
- Pacific LoonGavia pacifica
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- White-tailed TropicbirdPhaethon lepturus
- Roseate TernSterna dougallii
- Great shearwaterPuffinus gravis
- Bridled TernOnychoprion anaethetus
Ducks & geese41 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- RedheadAythya americana
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinator
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Swan GooseAnser cygnoides
- Velvet scoterMelanitta fuscaVU
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
Herons, ibises & grebes16 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds163 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- Blue-winged warblerVermivora cyanoptera
- Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrina
- Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacilla
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Grey-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
- Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosa
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Cerulean WarblerSetophaga ceruleaNT
- Connecticut WarblerOporornis agilis
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaVU
- Couch's KingbirdTyrannus couchii
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Bicknell’s thrushCatharus bicknelliVU
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Varied ThrushIxoreus naevius
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysopteraNT
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Hammond's FlycatcherEmpidonax hammondii
- Swainson's warblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Kirtland's WarblerSetophaga kirtlandiiNT
- Seaside SparrowAmmospiza maritima
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Saltmarsh SparrowAmmospiza caudacuta
- Scott's OrioleIcterus parisorum
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Ash-throated FlycatcherMyiarchus cinerascens
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Empidonax difficilisEmpidonax difficilis
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- Boat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus major
- Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Painted BuntingPasserina ciris
- Henslow's SparrowCentronyx henslowii
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Black-throated Grey WarblerSetophaga nigrescens
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querulaNT
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Pin-tailed WhydahVidua macroura
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalusNT
- Bell's VireoVireo bellii
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Hermit WarblerSetophaga occidentalis
- Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulva
- Fork-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus savana
Other birds36 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- American CootFulica americana
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Chuck-will's-widowAntrostomus carolinensisNT
- Monk ParakeetMyiopsitta monachus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Eastern Whip-poor-willAntrostomus vociferusNT
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufusNT
- Clapper RailRallus crepitans
- BudgerigarMelopsittacus undulatus
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Purple GallinulePorphyrio martinica
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Black-chinned HummingbirdArchilochus alexandri
- Chukar PartridgeAlectoris chukar
- Costa's HummingbirdCalypte costae
- Gambel's QuailCallipepla gambelii
- Colinus virginianusColinus virginianus
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- CockatielNymphicus hollandicus
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 in October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan4°/-2°99 mm
- Feb4°/-1°95 mm
- Mar7°/1°114 mm
- Apr12°/6°107 mm
- May17°/12°101 mm
- Jun22°/17°115 mm
- Jul26°/21°114 mm
- Aug26°/21°114 mm
- Sep23°/18°97 mm
- Oct18°/12°124 mm
- Nov12°/7°101 mm
- Dec7°/2°133 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
U Thant Island.
Islet on East River in Manhattan, New York, United States
U Thant Island is a bird sanctuary in United States.
345 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 2,728,754 open records.
The most recorded are the House Sparrow, the Rock Dove and the American Robin.
113 species come for the summer, 93 for the winter and 17 only pass through.
13 are threatened worldwide, including Chimney Swift, Rusty Blackbird and Evening Grosbeak.
The most species are recorded in May and in October.
Get there and watch
- Liberty Harbor RVcampsite · 7.7 km · 1 within 10 km
- Fitzpatrick Grand Central Hotelplace to stay · 1.1 km · 726 within 10 km
- Long Island Citynearest town · 1.3 km in a straight line
- LaGuardia Airport (LGA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 8 km in a straight lineCar hire at LGA airport (New York)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
- 1observation towers within 6 kmCastle Point on Hudson
- 2marked trails within 4 kmHudson Valley Greenway Trail (The Battery, NYC to Inwood), Stephanie and Fred Shuman Running Track
- 6visitor centres within 6 kmRoosevelt Island Visitor Center Kiosk, The Dairy (Visitor Center and Gift Shop), David Rubenstein Atrium and 3 more
- 56viewpoints within 5 kmKiesza - Hideaway, Granite Prospect, One World Observatory and 53 more
- 376car parks within 3 km
- 2,858restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 1campsites within 10 kmLiberty Harbor RV
- 726places to stay within 10 kmFitzpatrick Grand Central Hotel, Clarion Hotel Park Avenue, adour alan ducasse and 723 more
- bird hides within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around U Thant Island.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas20 mountains within 25 kmSummit Rock · 4.1 kmKings Bluff · 5.4 kmSnake Hill · 11 kmGrymes Hill, Staten Island · 18 kmTodt Hill · 20 kmBlackwell Hill · 23 kmStony Hill · 25 kmCronins Hill · 25 km
Darkskyas2 dark-sky places within 30 kmHayden PlanetariumBortle 9 · 4.0 km↗Lamont–Doherty Earth ObservatoryBortle 7 · 29 km
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.
U Thant Island
United States
- 89Birdyas Score
- 345Species
- 223Migrants
- 13Threatened
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 131 km
- 88Birdyas Score
- 271Species
- 173Migrants
- 12Threatened
Connecticut River
United States · 149 km
- 89Birdyas Score
- 306Species
- 209Migrants
- 16Threatened
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 191 km
- 90Birdyas Score
- 326Species
- 219Migrants
- 13Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q933185) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 2,728,754 open bird records within 4 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 | Peakyas, Islandyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas |
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