BirdAnalyst
State · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

New Jersey Breeding Birds

182 species recorded across 44 survey routes, 1966 to 2024. Browse by family or guild below.

New Jersey Bird Population TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in New Jersey: down 99% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

House Finch has surged in New Jersey: up 68× on the route-weighted index since 1973.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Ring-necked Pheasant has collapsed in New Jersey: down 98% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Herring Gull has surged in New Jersey: up 66× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Eastern Meadowlark has collapsed in New Jersey: down 97% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Carolina Wren has surged in New Jersey: up 54× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

How Bird Guilds Are Faring in New JerseyGuild trendA mean-index aggregate across the species in this group — the structural direction of the guild, with individual-species noise smoothed out.Full methodology →

-93%

Game birds

4 species
-91%

Grassland birds

6 species
-63%

Generalists

11 species
-10%

Aerial insectivores

17 species
+4%

Forest birds

65 species
+13%

Birds of prey

13 species
+16%

Wetland birds

24 species
+31%

Shorebirds

3 species
+252%

Waterfowl

6 species

New Jersey Bird Survey Routes

Browse New Jersey Birds By FamilyTrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →

Each species links to its trend in New Jersey.

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle +167%Broad-winged Hawk -69%Cooper's Hawk +359%Northern Harrier -13%Red-shouldered Hawk +512%Red-tailed Hawk 13×Sharp-shinned Hawk +62%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -63%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -52%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -81%Canada Goose 18×Common Merganser -1%Mallard -51%Mute Swan -82%Wood Duck -20%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -6%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron -45%Great Blue Heron +401%Great Egret -13%Green Heron -57%Little Blue Heron -58%Snowy Egret -55%Tricolored Heron -57%Western Cattle-Egret -5%Yellow-crowned Night Heron -29%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing 30×

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk +9%Eastern Whip-poor-will -77%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak +142%Indigo Bunting +17%Northern Cardinal +156%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +63%Scarlet Tanager +114%Summer Tanager +202%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +974%Turkey Vulture +119%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper -0%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +73%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Mourning Dove +8%Rock Pigeon -57%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +5%Blue Jay -47%Common Raven 11×Fish Crow +327%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -68%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -3%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -88%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +249%House Finch 68×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -67%Barn Swallow -16%Cliff Swallow -48%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +52%Purple Martin -58%Tree Swallow +40%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -15%Boat-tailed Grackle +25%Bobolink +29%Brown-headed Cowbird +168%Common Grackle -82%Eastern Meadowlark -97%Orchard Oriole +4%Red-winged Blackbird -14%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -88%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Skimmer -92%Common Tern -87%Forster's Tern -65%Great Black-backed Gull +580%Herring Gull 66×Laughing Gull 25×Least Tern -89%Ring-billed Gull +78%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -90%Gray Catbird +151%Northern Mockingbird -70%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -99%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +488%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +184%Carolina Chickadee +61%Tufted Titmouse +114%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +872%Black-and-white Warbler +46%Black-throated Green Warbler -46%Blackburnian Warbler -3%Blue-winged Warbler -90%Cerulean Warbler +222%Chestnut-sided Warbler +47%Common Yellowthroat -12%Golden-winged Warbler -73%Hooded Warbler +322%Kentucky Warbler +14%Louisiana Waterthrush -2%Northern Parula +381%Northern Waterthrush -36%Ovenbird +422%Pine Warbler +261%Prairie Warbler -58%Prothonotary Warbler +465%Worm-eating Warbler +313%Yellow Warbler +121%Yellow-throated Warbler +160%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +41%Eastern Towhee -74%Field Sparrow -69%Grasshopper Sparrow -62%Savannah Sparrow +44%Song Sparrow +16%Swamp Sparrow -80%Vesper Sparrow -67%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -66%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +145%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant -98%Ruffed Grouse -15%Wild Turkey 13×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +151%Hairy Woodpecker +42%Pileated Woodpecker 12×Red-bellied Woodpecker 26×

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 23×

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

Clapper Rail +186%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Spotted Sandpiper +5%Willet -71%

Nuthatches Sittidae

White-breasted Nuthatch 11×

Owls Strigidae

Eastern Screech-Owl -12%Great Horned Owl +152%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -59%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

Glossy Ibis +749%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +330%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren 54×Marsh Wren -5%Northern House Wren +66%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin -6%Eastern Bluebird +615%Hermit Thrush -33%Veery +872%Wood Thrush -5%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +459%Alder Flycatcher -10%Eastern Kingbird -50%Eastern Phoebe +186%Eastern Wood-Pewee +384%Great Crested Flycatcher +1%Least Flycatcher -52%Willow Flycatcher +78%

Vireos Vireonidae

Blue-headed Vireo +35%Red-eyed Vireo +71%Warbling Vireo 13×White-eyed Vireo +42%Yellow-throated Vireo +166%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.