United States Ramsar wetland
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
326 bird species recorded; the most in May and in October.
Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
181 species in January.176 species in February.168 species in March.229 species in April.255 species in May.176 species in June.156 species in July.181 species in August.217 species in September.237 species in October.187 species in November.170 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
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NTNT
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NTNT
NT- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
326 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).
- 326Speciesrecorded more than once
- 219Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 13ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 274,265Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 18Raptors
- 7Owls
- 35Waders
- 31Gulls & seabirds
- 38Ducks & geese
- 20Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 142Songbirds
- 34Other 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 326 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
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Mississippi KiteIctinia mississippiensis
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Falco atricapillusFalco atricapillus
- Swallow-tailed KiteElanoides forficatus
Owls7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Eastern Screech-OwlMegascops asio
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Northern Saw-Whet OwlAegolius acadicus
Waders35 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- American WoodcockScolopax minor
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Purple SandpiperCalidris maritima
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodusNT
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
Gulls & seabirds31 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Northern gannetMorus bassanus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
- Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensis
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Yellow-nosed AlbatrossThalassarche chlororhynchos
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Magnificent FrigatebirdFregata magnificens
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Wilson's Storm-PetrelOceanites oceanicus
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- RazorbillAlca torda
Ducks & geese38 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- American WigeonMareca americana
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- RedheadAythya americana
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
- King EiderSomateria spectabilis
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
Herons, ibises & grebes20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Western GrebeAechmophorus occidentalis
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds142 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Carolina WrenThryothorus ludovicianus
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Seaside SparrowAmmospiza maritima
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Boat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus major
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Pine WarblerSetophaga pinus
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Yellow-throated WarblerSetophaga dominica
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Toxostoma rufumToxostoma rufum
- Eastern Wood-PeweeContopus virens
- Eastern MeadowlarkSturnella magnaNT
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Saltmarsh SparrowAmmospiza caudacuta
- Indigo BuntingPasserina cyanea
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- Nelson's SparrowAmmospiza nelsoni
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Baltimore OrioleIcterus galbula
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- Scarlet TanagerPiranga olivacea
- Grass WrenCistothorus platensis
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Black-throated Blue WarblerSetophaga caerulescens
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Black-throated Green WarblerSetophaga virens
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Swainson's warblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Blue-winged warblerVermivora cyanoptera
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Louisiana WaterthrushParkesia motacilla
- Hooded WarblerSetophaga citrina
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaVU
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Grey-cheeked ThrushCatharus minimus
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Canada warblerCardellina canadensis
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- Kentucky WarblerGeothlypis formosa
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- Connecticut WarblerOporornis agilis
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Scissor-tailed FlycatcherTyrannus forficatus
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Mourning WarblerGeothlypis philadelphia
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Cave SwallowPetrochelidon fulva
- Black-headed GrosbeakPheucticus melanocephalus
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Varied ThrushIxoreus naevius
- Golden-winged WarblerVermivora chrysopteraNT
Other birds34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Clapper RailRallus crepitans
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Tsįįłkaałii bitłʼaaʼ halchíʼígííMelanerpes carolinus
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicaVU
- Chuck-will's-widowAntrostomus carolinensisNT
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Eastern Whip-poor-willAntrostomus vociferusNT
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufusNT
- American CootFulica americana
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Colinus virginianusColinus virginianus
- Calliope HummingbirdSelasphorus calliope
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
- Rallus longirostrisRallus longirostris
- Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagris
- Rallus elegansRallus elegans
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- Red JunglefowlGallus gallus
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.
- Jan5°/0°76 mm
- Feb5°/0°79 mm
- Mar8°/3°96 mm
- Apr14°/8°91 mm
- May19°/14°89 mm
- Jun24°/19°103 mm
- Jul27°/23°111 mm
- Aug27°/23°115 mm
- Sep24°/20°95 mm
- Oct19°/14°112 mm
- Nov13°/8°89 mm
- Dec8°/3°108 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge.
Wildlife habitat in New Jersey, USA
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States.
326 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 274,265 open records.
The most recorded are the Agelaius phoeniceus, the American Herring Gull and the Laughing Gull.
104 species come for the summer, 100 for the winter and 15 only pass through.
13 are threatened worldwide, including Short-billed Dowitcher, Grey Plover and Lesser yellowlegs.
The most species are recorded in May and in October.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- Adventure Bound Camping Resortcampsite · 9.5 km · 18 within 10 km
- C A Nothnagle Log Houseplace to stay · 5.4 km · 3 within 10 km
- Cape May Court Housenearest town · 8.4 km in a straight line
- Atlantic City International Airport (ACY)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 39 km in a straight lineCar hire at PHL airport (Philadelphia)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 kmDias Creek Station Fire Tower
- 1marked trails within 4 kmNJ State Long Trail
- 1restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 18campsites within 10 kmAdventure Bound Camping Resort, CCC Camping Area, Meisle Camping Area and 15 more
- 3places to stay within 10 kmC A Nothnagle Log House, Jessie Creek Inn, Townsend Inlet Recreational Facility
- bird hides within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- car parks within 3 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 Cape May National Wildlife Refuge.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Coastya2 beaches within 10 kmCooks Beach · 8.1 kmKimbles Beach · 8.5 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.
Cape May National Wildlife Refuge
United States
- 90Birdyas Score
- 326Species
- 219Migrants
- 13Threatened
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
United States · 66 km
- 88Birdyas Score
- 271Species
- 173Migrants
- 12Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q5034934) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 274,265 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 |
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