Trips

White-winged Dove on Staten Island

February 26, 2012 by Corey 6 Comments

Maybe Staten Island isn’t all bad. After all, I recently tracked down my first-for-New York State White-winged Dove in the forgotten borough of New York City. The bird has been coming to a private feeder – where a young birder named Anthony Ciancimino happens to live – for well over a week now. White-winged Doves, usually denizens of the southwestern United States. Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, are rare but relatively regular visitors to the northeastern United States, though this is the first that I have connected with outside of their normal range.

There isn’t even much of a story involved in twitching this bird. I arrived in the neighborhood where the bird has been, wandered around giving each Mourning Dove the once over, and eventually found the White-winged Dove. It didn’t even sing…

Not a bad bird at all! And it serves to remind me that I really need to put my New York State list on the blog. After all, not many people have seen 373 species of bird in New York!

…

Written by Corey

Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.

6 Comments

Jochen February 27, 2012 at 3:42 am
Sweet bird, send one over.
Congrats!
Dave Klauber February 27, 2012 at 7:34 am
How about some specific information on where the bird is, which would be useful to the rest of us
Corey February 27, 2012 at 7:37 am
@Jochen: Thanks!
@Dave: Because it is at a private residence I don’t feel comfortable putting that information out publicly – but I will drop you an email.
Brandy May 6, 2014 at 1:33 pm
These birds are spotted every morning on Lafayette Avenue near Richmond Terrace in the New brighton section of Staten Island, someone in the neighborhood feeds the birds daily, I seen them for awhile and have been wondering what kind of bird it is, thank you 10,000 Birds for helping me identify these beautiful birds
Corey May 6, 2014 at 6:13 pm
Brandy, it is much more likely that the birds you are seeing are Mourning Doves.
Jenni July 3, 2019 at 9:04 am
I saw a pair in front of my home on Father Capidanno Blvd. They flew in the area for a shirt while. I left seeds after I saw rhem bobbing around and picking at the ground but they did not return. It was a rare and beautiful site.