The Most Commonly Seen Bird in New Jersey is NOT the American Goldfinch

Despite the fact that New Jersey’s state bird is the American Goldfinch, it is not the bird that you are most likely to see when out and about in the Garden State. The most common bird we see is actually the American Robin…so why isn’t that our state bird?

According to Bird Watching HQ, the most commonly seen bird in New Jersey is the American Robin. Any idea what it looks like? It’s a bird with a rusty red breast, dark head and back. The females are paler than the males, but they look similar. Craziest part about this bird… when it lays eggs they are sky blue! You can’t miss that.

Coming in at second and third place for common New Jersey birds, are the Downy Woodpecker and the Hairy Woodpecker. What’s really unique about these Woodpeckers is that you can tell the male and female birds apart very easily. According to Bird Watching HQ, The males have a distinctive red spot on the back of their head.

The American Goldfinch, the New Jersey’s state bird, is the fourth most common to be seen. The coolest part about these birds is that they change with the seasons. According to Bird Watching HQ, during the summer the male birds are vivid yellow with a black cap and wings. The females are not as brightly colored and don’t have a black cap. In the winter, the both the male and female look the same but both turn a pale brown/olive color. They are then identifiable by their black wings and white wing bar. Guess we do have a pretty cool state bird even if they aren’t all that common!