Reference
How many bird species are in New Mexico?
New Mexico has 559 bird species on its official list (New Mexico Bird Records Committee, March 1, 2026), the 4th highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. Every species on it is backed by a specimen, a photo or a sound recording, and it covers the birds known in New Mexico since 1540.
Updated
New Mexico bird list at a glance
| Official count | 559 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | March 1, 2026 |
| Kept by | New Mexico Bird Records Committee (New Mexico Ornithological Society) |
| Introduced species | 5, established in New Mexico |
| No longer found | 3 species |
| Among US states | 4th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | NMOS State Checklist (Checklist of New Mexico Bird Species, 2026 Mar 1) |
What does New Mexico’s count include?
- Only species verified in New Mexico by a specimen, a photo or a sound recording.
- Birds known from 1540 to the present.
- 5 established introduced species.
- 3 species no longer found in New Mexico.
Why might you see a different number?
A state’s count is every species ever accepted on its official list, so a figure from another year, or one that counts something else, won’t match.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own New Mexico list?
Your state list is every species you’ve seen in the state. If you log your sightings in eBird, it lets you filter your life list by place, a state included (eBird’s My eBird help page, updated March 28, 2025), and the data download you can ask for gives the state of every sighting: our guide shows how to download your own eBird data. On paper, count the species you’ve seen in New Mexico; what is a life list? explains how birders keep their lists.
If you’d like your whole life list in print, Birdfolio turns it into a hardcover book, each species beside a classic painting.
New Mexico’s state bird
Greater Roadrunner
New Mexico’s state bird is the Greater Roadrunner, the state bird since 1949. Adopted by the State Legislature on March 16, 1949.
Source: State Bird (New Mexico Secretary of State), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in New Mexico
Our birding festivals calendar lists one festival in New Mexico, with dates from its own website:
- Festival of the Cranes (Bosque del Apache), Socorro: December 2–5, 2026
In winter you can also join a Christmas Bird Count near you; our guide explains how.
More about bird counts
- How many bird species are in each state: all 50 states, DC and Canada, each from its official list.
- Bird lists of nearby states: Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.
- State birds of all 50 states, each with its classic painting.
- How many bird species are in the US and Canada, and how birders count them.
- Bird splits and lumps: when one species becomes two, state lists change too.