Biodiversity of Westchester County, New York

Westchester County is located in southern New York, sharing its southern boundary with New York City and its northern border with Putnam County. It is bordered on the west side by the Hudson River and on the east side by the Long Island Sound and Fairfield County, Connecticut. The county has a total area of 500 square miles (1,300 km2), of which 430 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 69 square miles (180 km2) (14%) is water. It is an area rich in biodiversity with many parks, preserves, and the Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary, a 179-acre sanctuary along Long Island Sound migratory flyway. In winter months, the 85-acre lake hosts more than 5,000 ducks. Recognized by Audubon New York.[1] Literary environmental writer Alex Shoumatoff hailed Westchester County as the "most richly diversified deciduous forest in the world" in a 1978 The New Yorker profile, at the time estimating 4,200 species.[2]

Plants

There are 1,168 species of vascular plants in Westchester County, according to the Parks Department.[3]

Endangered plants:[4]

Threatened plants:[4]

Special concern plants:[4]

Invasive plants:[5]

  • Porcelain-Berry Ampelopsis brevipedunculata
  • Oriental Bittersweet "Celastrus orbiculatus
  • Tartarian Honeysuckle "Lonicera tartarica"
  • Japanese Barberry "Berbers thunbergii"
  • Multiflora Rose "Rosa multiflora

Birds

There are 311 species of birds in Westchester County, as documented by the Parks Department.[3] The local Audubon Society chapter records 368 bird species.[6]

Endangered birds:[4]

  • Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus
  • Loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus
  • Least bittern Ixobrychus exilis
  • Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
  • King rail Rallus elegans
  • Common tern Sterna hirundo
  • Henslow’s sparrow Ammodramus henslowii
  • Osprey Pandion haliaetus
  • Cooper’s hawk Accipiter cooperii
  • Northern goshawk Accipiter gentilis
  • Red-shouldered hawk Buteo lineatus
  • Golden-winged warbler Vermivora chrysoptera
  • Cerulean warbler Dendroica cerulea
  • Vesper sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
  • Grasshopper sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
  • Seaside sparrow Ammodramus maritimus
  • Savannah sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
  • Kentucky warbler Oporornis formosus

Threatened birds:[4]

  • Yellow-breasted chat Icteria virens
  • Common barn owl Tyto alba
  • Common raven Corvus corax
  • American woodcock Scolopax minor
  • Saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow Ammodramus caudacutus
  • Eastern meadowlark Sturnella magna
  • Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Special Concern birds:[4]

  • Common nighthawk Chordeiles minor
  • Whip-poor-will Caprimulgus vociferus
  • American black duck Anas rubripes
  • Wood thrush Hylocichla mustelina
  • Prairie warbler Dendroica discolor
  • Worm-eating warbler Helmitheros vermivorus
  • Canada warbler Wilsonia canadensis

Mammals

There are 33 species of mammals in Westchester County.[3]

Special concern mammals:[4]

  • River otter Lutra canadensis
  • Bobcat Lynx rufus

Reptiles

There are 19 species of reptiles in Westchester County.[3]

Endangered reptiles:[4]

  • Bog turtle Clemmys muhlenbergi
  • Wood turtle Clemmys insculpta
  • Timber rattlesnake Crotalus horridus


Threatened reptiles:[4]

  • Spotted turtle Clemmys guttata
  • Eastern box turtle Terrapene carolina
  • Northern fence lizard Sceloporus undulatus
  • Eastern ribbon snake Thamnophis sauritus

Special concern reptiles:[4]

References

  1. "Nature Preserves". Visit Westchester. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  2. Shoumatoff, Alex (1978-11-13). "Profiles: Westchester County". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 2014-08-26. Retrieved 2014-08-26.
  3. "Biodiversity Research Program List". Westchestergov.com. Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation. 2003. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. "Westchester County Endangered Species List" (PDF). Westchestergov.com. Westchestergov.com. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  5. http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/isprohibitedplants2.pdf
  6. "A guide to the Birds of Westchester County". Hudson River Audubon Society of Westchester. 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
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