Find Nature In New York

Additional Wildlife of New York

To flesh out your understanding of the region’s natural history, here is a breakdown of the specific taxa you can expect to encounter in the Empire State.

Birds (Avifauna)

New York is a pivotal state for the Atlantic Flyway. Central Park in Manhattan is arguably one of the most famous birding “migrant traps” in the world; the green oasis concentrates warblers and thrushes passing over the urban sprawl. In the high elevation forests of the Adirondacks, you find the Bicknell’s Thrush, one of the rarest songbirds in North America, which breeds only in dense balsam fir stands above 3,000 feet. The recovery of the Peregrine Falcon is visible on the bridges and skyscrapers of New York City, which the birds utilize as artificial cliffs for nesting.

Mammals

The Black Bear population is robust, particularly in the Catskills and Adirondacks, where they play a key role in seed dispersal. Moose have recolonized the northern part of the state from Vermont and Canada, reclaiming their historical range. In the New York Bight (the coastal waters off NYC), there has been a significant resurgence of marine mammals; Humpback Whales and Fin Whales are now regularly sighted feeding on menhaden runs within sight of the Manhattan skyline.

Insects

The Karner Blue Butterfly is the flagship species for insect conservation in the state. Found in the Albany Pine Bush, this federally endangered species is entirely dependent on wild blue lupine for its larval stage. The Nine-spotted Ladybug, the state insect, was once thought extinct in the state due to competition from invasive species but has been rediscovered in small pockets, prompting citizen science efforts to map its remaining range.

Plants

The Sugar Maple is the state tree and a keystone species of the northern hardwood forest, essential for nutrient cycling and soil retention. In the alpine zones, Diapensia is a cushion plant that looks like a moss but is actually a tough, woody shrub adapted to the desiccation of the high peaks. On Long Island, the Prickly Pear Cactus—the only native cactus in the northeast—can be found growing in the sandy, well-drained soils of the pine barrens and dunes.

Fungi

The diverse forests of New York support a massive array of mycological life. Chaga is common on the yellow birches of the Adirondacks, forming large, charcoal-like sclerotia. The Maitake (Hen of the Woods) is a staple of the oak forests in the Hudson Valley. In the old-growth hemlock stands, you may find the Artist’s Conk, a perennial polypore that can live for decades, adding a new layer of pores each year and serving as a host for specialized beetles.

New York Biodiversity Profile

New York is a state of geological contradictions that create distinct biological provinces. To the north, the Adirondack Park is not geologically part of the Appalachians but a southern extension of the Canadian Shield. This six-million-acre park acts as a massive boreal island, hosting deep spruce-fir forests and sphagnum bogs that are more typical of Labrador than the Mid-Atlantic. In the High Peaks region, the climate is severe enough to support an Alpine Tundra zone, where isolated plant communities survive on exposed bedrock, enduring sub-zero temperatures and high winds.

Connecting the mountains to the ocean is the Hudson River Estuary, often called “the river that flows two ways.” This is a tidal system where the Atlantic Ocean pushes salt water north to mix with freshwater runoff, creating a brackish gradient that shifts seasonally. This estuary is a biological superhighway, supporting migratory fish like the Atlantic sturgeon and striped bass, which use the river as a spawning ground before returning to the open ocean.

To the west, the landscape is defined by the Finger Lakes and Great Lakes. These deep, glacially carved freshwater systems moderate the local climate, creating a unique microclimate that supports specialized agriculture and rich deciduous forests. The shoreline of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie serves as a critical stopover for migratory raptors and waterfowl avoiding the open water crossing during their seasonal movements.

Finally, Long Island represents a completely different ecological reality. Formed by the terminal moraine of the Wisconsin Glacier, its sandy soils support the Long Island Pine Barrens, a fire-dependent ecosystem similar to those in New Jersey. The southern coast is a barrier island system, dynamic and shifting, protecting the calm, nutrient-rich bays that serve as nurseries for marine life.