Ontario · 44.18°N

Birds of Cookstown

What has actually been seen around Cookstown: 227 species, the most recorded backyard birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 227 within 6 mi
Observation records: 27,738 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Mourning Dove
Busiest month: May
Elevation: 778 ft
Daylight, June / December: 15.5 h / 8.9 h

What the records say about Cookstown

227 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Cookstown (Ontario) since 2010, across 27,738 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Mourning Dove, American Crow and Black-capped Chickadee.

Cookstown is backyard-bird country: 77% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Mourning Dove, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee and American Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

20 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel.

Records peak in May and are lowest in November — about 6.8 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Beeton, 8 mi to the south-west, has more species on record (237 against 227). Birds logged far more often around Cookstown than there include Snowy Owl.

Daylight runs from 15 h 31 min at midsummer to 8 h 52 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:36 AM in mid-April and 5:34 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Cookstown

#	Bird	Records
1	Mourning DoveZenaida macroura	1,517
2	American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos	1,336
3	Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus	1,156
4	American RobinTurdus migratorius	1,146
5	American GoldfinchSpinus tristis	1,091
6	Blue JayCyanocitta cristata	1,004
7	Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus	927
8	Song SparrowMelospiza melodia	864
9	European StarlingSturnus vulgaris	718
10	Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis	686
11	KilldeerCharadrius vociferus	617
12	Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis	542
13	Canada GooseBranta canadensis	531
14	Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens	513
15	Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis	464
16	Turkey VultureCathartes aura	450
17	Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula	439
18	Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis	424
19	Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor	397
20	House SparrowPasser domesticus	383

Records by month

What to put out in Cookstown

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

Mourning Dove
Millet · Cracked corn · Black-oil sunflower
American Crow
Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts
American Robin
Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets
American Goldfinch
Nyjer (thistle) · Hulled sunflower chips · Black-oil sunflower
Blue Jay
Peanuts in the shell · Black-oil sunflower · Suet

Seasonal bird notes for Ontario

What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for Canadian backyards. One email a month at most.

Nearby places

Frequently asked

What birds visit backyards in Cookstown?

The most recorded backyard birds within 6 mi of Cookstown are Mourning Dove, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin and American Goldfinch, based on 27,738 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Cookstown?

227 species have at least one record within 6 mi of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Cookstown?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 5:34 AM.

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.