Seasonal Presence and Relative Frequency of Selected Species
This list summarizes the seasonal presence of selected bird species in Rhode Island, indicating whether each species occurs year-round, during the breeding season, or during the non-breeding season (winter and migration). Within each seasonal category, species are numbered and ordered from least to most frequently observed in the United States based on eBird frequency data. This ordering reflects how commonly a species has been observed by U.S. birders over time and is used here as a relative priority indicator, not as a measure of local abundance or the likelihood of encountering a species at a specific site or season within Rhode Island.
Northern Gannet
Clapper Rail
American Black Duck
Great Black-backed Gull
Cory’s Shearwater
Roseate Tern
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Arctic Tern
Seaside Sparrow
Chuck-will’s-widow
Cerulean Warbler
Black-billed Cuckoo
Piping Plover
Alder Flycatcher
Canada Warbler
Mississippi Kite
Black Skimmer
American Oystercatcher
Blue-winged Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Least Tern
Bobolink
Hooded Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Willow Flycatcher
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Least Flycatcher
Royal Tern
Veery
Orchard Oriole
Tricolored Heron
Scarlet Tanager
Little Blue Heron
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Baltimore Oriole
Indigo Bunting
Dovekie
Manx Shearwater
Black-headed Gull
Leach’s Storm-Petrel
Thick-billed Murre
Great Shearwater
Wilson’s Storm-Petrel
King Eider
Razorbill
Sooty Shearwater
Purple Sandpiper
Parasitic Jaeger
Black Guillemot
Snowy Owl
Northern Shrike
Common Murre
Harlequin Duck
Snow Bunting
Red-necked Grebe
Rough-legged Hawk
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Redpoll
Black Scoter
Evening Grosbeak
White-winged Scoter
Red-throated Loon
Common Eider
Long-tailed Duck
Brant
Ruddy Turnstone
Surf Scoter
Sanderling
American Tree Sparrow
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