Hooded Crow on Staten Island

A Hooded Crow in New York City has attracted much attention over the past two weeks.  Since mid-June, birders have flocked for regular looks of the bird at Great Kills Park, part of Gateway National Recreational Area, on the ocean side of Staten Island, just south of Manhattan.

This individual has been favoring the area around Crooke’s Point where it forages along the beach front, the fisherman’s parking lot, and perches in the adjacent woods.

This is a species that is resident in Eastern Europe. The northern population does migrate south-eastward, and it has been recorded in Iceland and westward to Greenland.

It has sparked much interest, not least because there have been few sightings in North America. But since their origins are indeterminate, there have been no accepted American Birding Association (ABA) records!

A bird is a bird! As long as it was not a pet or zoo bird, does it really matter how it got there? Whether it was on its own accord or ship-assisted, we will never know.  However, I think we can all agree that it is certainly one of the most striking of the world’s crows and well worth a visit if you are anywhere near!  And it’s your list, so you can tick if you want to!