Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Rock it like a woodcock: This Bryant Park bogsucker is NYC’s latest 'it bird'
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 4, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Catalina Gonella / Gothamist
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Apr 4, 2026
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Crowds have been forming daily at Bryant Park for the last few weeks. They’re not there for a demonstration or performance — at least not one by fellow humans.
“It's the way they walk. That's what the main attraction is,” said self-described amateur birder Sheeba Garg, 54.
Garg, a California resident, was in town to visit her son, but made sure her itinerary included a stop at the Midtown park to catch a glimpse of the American woodcock. The bird stops in Bryant Park every year during its spring migration — and it’s got a funky stride. It bobs back and forth as it walks, like it’s grooving to an ornithological orchestra the wingless aren’t privy to.
Garg, like many in the crowd, had a camera with a long, telephoto lens. One person brought her binoculars. Most recorded with their phones.
Videos of the bird, some edited to music, have been all over TikTok and Instagram this year, and have drawn even more people than usual to the park. Liz Riegel, operations analyst and bird walk guide at Bryant Park, said it’s the most attention the woodcocks have ever gotten — with likely thousands of people stopping by for a glimpse so far this year.
“For the past couple weeks, at any given time we might see 50 people or more gathered around one of the woodcocks,” she said. “The crowds build on themselves, attracting people who haven't seen the videos and are just curious about what everyone is looking at.”
Crowds at Bryant Park take pictures and gawk at the American woodcock.
Catalina Gonella / Gothamist
Gabriel Willow, a nature educator who has been leading woodcock walks in various locations for around 20 years said he’s thrilled about the excitement for the bird, though maybe a little anxious that too many people will show up for his upcoming tours.
“There's just a lot of aspects of woodcocks that are entertaining, I guess, and unusual, and that really seems to have captivated people,” he said. “I feel vindicated because I've been spreading the woodcock gospel since I was a kid and now everybody's really coming around.”
The American woodcock is a nocturnal bird from the sandpiper family that is well-camouflaged by its brown feathers. Bryant Park officials say they’re usually found in marshes (hence the 'bogsucker' nickname) or on beaches, but they’re the “landlubbers of the shorebird family.” The plump and round avians have “huge doe-eyes and ridiculously long beaks” that can just open at the tip to grab worms even when they’re plunged underground.
Willow said the birds are also present in other parks throughout the city, but are more easily seen in Bryant Park, which could explain why the ones there have been spotted more often. Those with untrained eyes might walk right by, if not for the constant crowd.
Deven Williams said he knew nothing about the bird, but spotted the crowd on his way to lunch with a friend, and then recognized it from a video he saw on social media.
“It’s really funny. I woke up this morning and I went on Instagram and I saw a reel about this bird, I swear to God,” he said. “And so I saw this crowd around here and I saw the bird. It’s a complete coincidence.”
For Brooklyn birder and retired college professor Donald Thea, 72, it was a chance to add another bird to his “life list” — a record of every bird species a person has identified in their lifetime. He's traveled the world for birds but only needed to travel to a neighboring borough to find the woodcock. He said he went to the park after seeing the bird in the news, and was awe-struck at the sight of it, taking a seat at a chair nearby to watch it.
“ I've been [birding] since I was 10 years old, and I've been doing it all over the world," he said. "I've been to Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Central America — it's the first time I've seen this bird. ”
Tagged
Existing in New York City
manhattan
parks
Catalina Gonella
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Hochul names NY AG James as special prosecutor on alleged rape case at Cornell University
The governor said she does not have faith that the police and the Tompkins County DA effectively investigated the case.
By
Jon Campbell
Published Oct 1, 2026 at 9:04 p.m. ET
Founder of NYC LGBTQ therapy practice charged with rape after alleged sexual assaults
Joseph LoGiudice is the second therapist at Liberation Psychotherapy to be accused of sexually abusing a patient.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Founder of NYC LGBTQ therapy practice charged with rape after alleged sexual assaults
Joseph LoGiudice is the second therapist at Liberation Psychotherapy to be accused of sexually abusing a patient.
By
Giulia Heyward
US judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
By
Arya Sundaram
Lawyer challenging NYC rent freeze releases Mamdani officials’ emails and text messages
By
David Brand
Push to strengthen NY sexual assault laws gathers steam after Cornell rape allegations
By
Walter Wuthmann
and
Jon Campbell
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .