New Jersey chose the American Goldfinch as its state bird. It is a genuine feeder bird, at 68% of New Jersey feeders — but in the winter count it is only fifteenth, partly because in winter plumage many people do not recognise it.
At the top, two birds share first place at exactly the same share.
The twelve birds New Jersey feeders report most
From Project FeederWatch, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's winter count, in which volunteers record what turns up at their own feeders. The 2023–24 season had 355 participants in New Jersey — a large sample, so the order near the top is reliable. The percentage is the share of New Jersey feeder sites that reported the bird at least once.
| # | Bird | Share of NJ feeders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mourning Dove | 93.7% |
| 2 | Northern Cardinal | 93.7% |
| 3 | Dark-eyed Junco | 92.6% |
| 4 | Blue Jay | 92.3% |
| 5 | House Finch | 91.2% |
| 6 | Downy Woodpecker | 86.5% |
| 7 | Red-bellied Woodpecker | 84.6% |
| 8 | White-throated Sparrow | 78.3% |
| 9 | Tufted Titmouse | 75.8% |
| 10 | Carolina Wren | 75.6% |
| 11 | White-breasted Nuthatch | 74.7% |
| 12 | House Sparrow | 73.4% |
Four things in that list worth knowing
A dove at the top
Mourning Dove and Northern Cardinal tie for first at exactly 93.68%. New Jersey is one of the few states where the dove shares the top spot — and it arrives in groups of about six, feeding on the ground under the feeder. The wings whistle when it takes off; you often hear it leave before you see it.
Five birds within three points
Dove, cardinal, junco, Blue Jay and House Finch are all between 91% and 94%. On a sample of 355 feeders, that means a New Jersey feeder in winter can expect all five.
Where the chickadees split
New Jersey sits where Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees meet. FeederWatch lists Black-capped at 49% and a separate row for chickadees the observer could not identify to species at 36%. The chickadees are common — the line between the two species just runs through the state, and they are very hard to tell apart.
Your goldfinch did not leave
By November the lemon-yellow male has moulted into dull olive-buff and lost his black cap. Same bird, same feeder — which is why New Jersey's state bird seems to vanish every winter.
What is on our New Jersey mug, and where each bird actually ranks
The Backyard Birds of New Jersey mug shows the Mourning Dove (#1, 94%), the Northern Cardinal (#2, 94%), the Blue Jay (#4, 92%) and the House Finch (#5, 91%). All four are in the New Jersey top five.
The ones we would add next are the Dark-eyed Junco (#3) and the state bird, the American Goldfinch. They are on the list of designs we still owe this state.
If you want more of them
Black-oil sunflower seed covers the cardinal, jay, House Finch, titmouse and nuthatch at once. Suet keeps the woodpeckers and the Carolina Wren coming. Millet on a low tray brings the doves, juncos and White-throated Sparrows. Nyjer in a mesh sock holds the goldfinches.
Where these numbers come from: Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Top 25 Feeder Birds for New Jersey, 2023–24 season. These are volunteer reports from their own feeders, not a formal survey, and they describe the winter feeding season rather than the whole year. Percentages are the share of participating sites that reported the species; group sizes are the average when the bird was seen.
See the mugs for the other states → · Identify a bird in three questions →