Brook Zelcer 
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Brook Zelcer, an intern with the local nonprofit advocacy group Our Tern.
In a move that celebrates both civic pride and ecological awareness, two New Jersey municipalities — Bayonne and Allendale — each declared an official bird, highlighting their commitment to local wildlife, community involvement, and environmental stewardship at a time when national support for conservation is under threat. On September 17th, Bayonne’s City Council unanimously voted to name the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron as the city’s official bird. Just 24 hours later, on September 18th, Allendale’s Mayor and Town Council honored the Red-Shouldered Hawk with the same distinction. Read on to learn about these socio-environmental decisions and their impact.
About the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron
Photo courtesy of Mike Ruscigno
The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, once listed as a “threatened species” in New Jersey, has made a remarkable comeback in Bayonne. Thanks to local advocacy, the bird now has an official place in the city’s identity. Leading the charge were Mike and Patricia Ruscigno of the Bayonne Nature Club, whose tireless work brought attention to the heron’s return to the city’s treetops.
Read More: The Common Tern is Officially Hoboken’s Honorary Bird
Jeffrey Train, the cofounder of Our Tern, which advocates for Hoboken’s Honorary bird, the Common Tern, lent support to Bayonne’s effort: “Though seemingly symbolic, these acts are powerful demonstrations of how grassroots efforts can make meaningful environmental impacts.”
“I love the way they take a busy street tree and turn it into their home. They multiply—they start with a few nests and now there are 22 nest sites. Every year they migrate back to the same nest site,” Mike Ruscigno said, adding, “people need to appreciate the nature that’s around them.” Their story is one of nature adapting and thriving in urban environments.
“Bayonne’s people are like the bird,” Mike noted. “They are resilient.” The city’s resolution included the following powerful language: “That the City of Bayonne reaffirms its commitments to advancing the health, safety and prosperity of our human and non-human residents and the natural environment that we inhabit, to the benefit of all people.”
About the Red-Shouldered Hawk
Photo courtesy of Jim Wright
The next night in Allendale, a different bird earned its moment in the spotlight: the Red-Shouldered Hawk, a striking raptor whose call is familiar to many residents of the small Bergen County town. The push to recognize the hawk was spearheaded by Jim Wright, a local naturalist and author who has spent years monitoring these nesting birds.
Jim recalled the beginning of his passion for the species: “Our friend Stiles Thomas showed my wife and me a red-shoulder nest in a yard about a half-mile away back in the early 2000s. We had never seen nesting hawks before, and it was magical to see the first little fuzzy head pop up in the nest.”
That wonder soon turned into advocacy. Because Red-Shouldered Hawks face numerous threats, including habitat loss and predation by Great Horned Owls, Jim began monitoring their nests throughout Allendale each spring. His connection to the birds goes beyond science and reveals the story of a community.
“The Red-Shoulders have nested so many places in town that they’ve developed a following,” he said. “They are often seen (and heard) in our local nature preserve, and people know them on sight. These raptors are also charismatically handsome, which doesn’t hurt.”
The Importance of These Local Projects
Across North America, bird populations are declining at alarming rates. According to the State of the Birds Report, nearly three billion birds have vanished since 1970.
These losses are driven by numerous overlapping threats: habitat destruction, climate change, pesticide use, car strikes, window collisions, and more. “Local projects like these can help us reverse these trends. Ordinary people can be the antidote to the apathy so many people feel,” said Our Tern co-founder Jeff Train. “Designating a species is a first step towards inviting everyone in a community to identify with a creature that thrives in their neighborhood. Awareness leads to advocacy and action, and that’s what birds need from us right now.”
See More: All About New Jersey’s State Bird + Where to Bird Watch Locally
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