Wildlife of New York City: Urban Biodiversity Guide

Nature in the Five Boroughs

New York City's 300+ square miles host surprising wildlife diversity—over 400 vertebrate species documented. From Central Park's warblers to Jamaica Bay's horseshoe crabs, the city is an ecological crossroads.

Mammals

Common: Raccoon, gray squirrel, eastern chipmunk, white-footed mouse, Norway rat, house mouse
Expanding: Coyote (Bronx, Queens, Staten Island), white-tailed deer (Staten Island, Bronx parks), opossum, striped skunk
Rare/Transient: Red fox, bobcat (northern parks), river otter (recolonizing Bronx River), harbor seal (winter, harbor waters)
Bats: Big brown, little brown, red, hoary—insect control heroes

Birds (400+ Species Recorded)

Resident: Rock pigeon, house sparrow, European starling, northern cardinal, blue jay, red-bellied woodpecker, mourning dove
Raptors: Red-tailed hawk (nest on buildings), peregrine falcon (bridges, skyscrapers), Cooper's hawk, bald eagle (winter, reservoirs), osprey (Jamaica Bay)
Migrants: Warblers (30+ species in Central Park May/Oct), thrushes, tanagers, orioles—Atlantic Flyway stopover
Waterbirds: Great blue heron, great egret, double-crested cormorant, Canada goose, mallard, bufflehead

Fish (Hudson, East River, Harbor, Lakes)

Diadromous: Striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon (endangered), American eel, alewife, blueback herring
Resident freshwater: Largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, bluegill, brown bullhead, carp
Marine visitors: Bluefish, menhaden, summer flounder, black sea bass

Invertebrates

Insects: 200+ bee species, monarch butterflies, dragonflies, cicadas, spotted lanternfly (invasive)
Crustaceans: Blue crab, fiddler crab, horseshoe crab (spring spawning), grass shrimp
Mollusks: Eastern oyster (reef restoration), ribbed mussel, slipper shell, land snails