Editing Central Park (section)

== Wildlife ==
Central Park is [[biodiversity|biologically diverse]]. A 2013 survey of park species by [[William E. Macaulay Honors College]] found 571 total species,<ref name="Foderaro 2013">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/science/census-of-central-park-finds-new-tenants.html |title=Canvassing Central Park and Finding New Tenants|last=Foderaro|first=Lisa W|date=August 27, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 16, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416163342/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/science/census-of-central-park-finds-new-tenants.html|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Macaulay BioBlitz">{{cite web|url=https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/bioblitz/files/2014/09/CentralParkBioBlitz2013-Results-Highlights-Feb14-update.docx|title=2013 Central Park BioBlitz Results Highlights – BioBlitz|date=September 22, 2014|publisher=Macaulay Honors College, City University of New York|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161935/https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/bioblitz/files/2014/09/CentralParkBioBlitz2013-Results-Highlights-Feb14-update.docx|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> including 173&nbsp;species that were not previously known to live there.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/central-park-animals-2013-9/|title=Roll Call in the Ramble |last=Bonanos|first=Christopher|date=September 30, 2013|work=New York Magazine|access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001082742/http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/topic/central-park-animals-2013-9/|archive-date=October 1, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Flora===
According to a 2011 survey, Central Park had more than 20,000 trees,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/nyregion/2-enthusiasts-compose-map-of-central-park-trees.html |title=2 Enthusiasts Compose Map of Central Park Trees|last=Robbins|first=Liz|date=May 30, 2011|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 16, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161929/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/nyregion/2-enthusiasts-compose-map-of-central-park-trees.html|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/07/07/137340619/mapping-almost-every-tree-in-central-park|title=Mapping (Almost) Every Tree In Central Park|date=July 7, 2011|publisher=[[NPR]]|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161933/https://www.npr.org/2011/07/07/137340619/mapping-almost-every-tree-in-central-park|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Conservancy Trees2">{{cite web |url=http://www.centralparknyc.org/tree-guide/|title=Tree Guide|publisher=Central Park Conservancy|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416145303/http://www.centralparknyc.org/tree-guide/|archive-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref> representing a decrease from the 26,000 trees that were recorded in the park in 1993.<ref name="Pollak 2013">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/nyregion/answers-to-questions-about-new-york.html |title=Answers to Questions About New York|last=Pollak|first=Michael |date=January 11, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 16, 2019 |issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161932/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/nyregion/answers-to-questions-about-new-york.html|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The majority of them are native to New York City, but there are several clusters of non-native species.{{sfn|Barnard|2002|pp=32–35}} With few exceptions, the trees in Central Park were mostly planted or placed manually. Over four million trees, shrubs, and plants representing approximately 1,500 species were planted or imported to the park.{{sfn|Rosenzweig|Blackmar|1992|p=150}} In Central Park's earliest years, two [[Plant nursery|plant nurseries]] were maintained within the park boundaries: a demolished nursery near the Arsenal, and the still-extant Conservatory Garden.{{sfn|Kinkead|1990|pp=55–56}} Central Park Conservancy later took over regular maintenance of the park's flora, allocating gardeners to one of 49&nbsp;"zones" for maintenance purposes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centralparknyc.org/about/blog/zone-management.html |title=Zone Management in Central Park |date=December 26, 2016 |publisher=Central Park Conservancy |access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161935/http://www.centralparknyc.org/about/blog/zone-management.html |archive-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>

Central Park contains ten "great tree" clusters that are specially recognized by NYC Parks. These include four individual [[Ulmus americana|American elms]] and one American elm grove; the 600&nbsp;[[Pine|pine trees]] in the [[Arthur Ross Pinetum]]; a [[Nyssa sylvatica|black tupelo]] in the Ramble; 35&nbsp;[[Prunus × yedoensis|Yoshino cherries]] on the east side of the Onassis Reservoir; one of the park's oldest [[Platanus × hispanica|London planes]] at 96th&nbsp;Street; and a ''[[Tetradium]]'' (formerly ''Euodia'') at Heckscher Playground.{{sfn|Barnard|2002|pp=32–35}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/facilities/great-trees|title=Central Park Great Trees|publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321195910/https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/central-park/facilities/great-trees|archive-date=March 21, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The American elms in Central Park are the largest remaining stands in the [[Northeastern United States]], protected by their isolation from the [[Dutch elm disease]] that devastated the tree throughout its native range.<ref name="Pollak 2013"/> There are several "tree walks" that run through Central Park.<ref name="Conservancy Trees2"/>

===Fauna===
[[File:Northern cardinal female in CP (02035).jpg|thumb|upright=1|alt=Female northern cardinal perched on a branch looking to its left|Female [[northern cardinal]], one of the bird species found in Central Park]]
Central Park contains various migratory birds during their spring and fall migration on the [[Atlantic Flyway]].{{sfn|Buckley|2018|p=35}} The first official list of birds observed in Central Park, which numbered 235&nbsp;species, was published in ''[[Forest and Stream]]'' in 1886 by [[Augustus G. Paine Jr.]] and Lewis B. Woodruff.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 10, 1886|title=List of birds of Central Park|journal=[[Forest and Stream]]|volume=XXVI|issue=20 |pages=386–387|publisher=The Forest and Stream Publishing Company}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|first=Eugene|last=Kinkead|date=August 26, 1974|title=The Birds of Central Park|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|volume=XXVI|issue=20 |page=78 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1974/08/26/1974_08_26_078_TNY_CARDS_000310343#ixzz14RUiiUAl|access-date=May 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201193909/http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1974/08/26/1974_08_26_078_TNY_CARDS_000310343#ixzz14RUiiUAl |archive-date=February 1, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Overall, 303&nbsp;bird species have been seen in the park since the first official list of records was published,{{sfn|Buckley|2018|p=35}} and an estimated 200&nbsp;species are spotted every season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.audubon.org/news/the-insiders-guide-birding-central-park-new-york-city|title=The Insider's Guide to Birding in Central Park, New York City|date=June 2, 2017|publisher=[[National Audubon Society]]|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161930/https://www.audubon.org/news/the-insiders-guide-birding-central-park-new-york-city|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> No single group is responsible for tracking Central Park's bird species.{{sfn|Buckley|2018|p=34}} Some of the more famous birds include a male [[red-tailed hawk]] called [[Pale Male]], who made his perch on an apartment building overlooking Central Park in 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/nyregion/01palemale.html |title=Reprise: The Fifth Avenue Ballad of Pale Male and Lola|last=Lueck|first=Thomas J|date=April 1, 2008|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416163347/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/nyregion/01palemale.html|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2014/11/06/spying-on-the-worlds-most-famous-hawk/|title=Spying On The World's Most Famous Hawk: Pale Male|last=Croke|first=Vicki|date=November 6, 2014|publisher=[[WBUR]]|access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161935/http://thewildlife.wbur.org/2014/11/06/spying-on-the-worlds-most-famous-hawk/|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[mandarin duck]] nicknamed [[Mandarin Patinkin]] received international media attention in late 2018 and early 2019<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/nyregion/hot-duck-mandarin-central-park.html |title=The Hot Duck That Won't Go Away |last=Jacobs|first=Julia|date=December 3, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206230341/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/nyregion/hot-duck-mandarin-central-park.html|archive-date=December 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> due to its colorful appearance and the species' presence outside its native range in [[East Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/gorgeous-mandarin-duck-rarely-seen-in-us-mysteriously-appears-in-central-park|title=Gorgeous Mandarin Duck, Rarely Seen In U.S., Mysteriously Appears In Central Park|last=Carlson|first=Jen|date=October 11, 2018 |work=Gothamist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206230345/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/gorgeous-mandarin-duck-rarely-seen-in-us-mysteriously-appears-in-central-park|archive-date=December 6, 2019 |access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref> Another bird, an [[Eurasian eagle-owl]] named [[Flaco (owl)|Flaco]], gained attention in 2023 when he escaped from the [[Central Park Zoo]] after his enclosure was vandalized.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 3, 2023 |title=Owl escapes from Central Park Zoo, eludes NYPD, zookeepers |url=https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-owls-4237450ea90e6de138b4946dfddf2245 |access-date=February 14, 2023 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=February 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211115954/https://apnews.com/article/new-york-city-owls-4237450ea90e6de138b4946dfddf2245 |url-status=live }}</ref> More infamously, [[Eugene Schieffelin]] released 100&nbsp;imported [[Common starling|European starlings]] in Central Park in 1890–1891, which led to them becoming an [[invasive species]] across North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-invasive-species-we-can-blame-on-shakespeare-95506437/|title=The Invasive Species We Can Blame On Shakespeare |last=Zielinski|first=Sarah |date=October 4, 2011|work=Smithsonian|access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161933/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-invasive-species-we-can-blame-on-shakespeare-95506437/ |archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://daily.jstor.org/all-the-birds-from-shakespeare-in-central-park/|title=All the Birds from Shakespeare in Central Park!|last=Lamb |first=Juliet |date=June 9, 2016|work=[[JSTOR Daily]]|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161934/https://daily.jstor.org/all-the-birds-from-shakespeare-in-central-park/|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Central Park has approximately ten species of mammals {{as of|2013|lc=y}}.<ref name="Macaulay BioBlitz"/> [[Bat]]s, a nocturnal order, have been found in dark crevices.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bats|publisher=[[Government of New York City]]|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/wildlifenyc/animals/bats.page | access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref> Because of the prevalence of [[raccoon]]s, the Parks Department posts [[rabies]] advisories.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/nyregion/raccoons-in-central-park-draw-crowds-and-warnings-to-stay-away.html |title=Raccoons in Central Park Draw Crowds, and Warnings to Stay Away|last=Nir|first=Sarah Maslin|date=November 13, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 16, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161934/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/nyregion/raccoons-in-central-park-draw-crowds-and-warnings-to-stay-away.html|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Eastern gray squirrel]]s, [[eastern chipmunk]]s, and [[Virginia opossum]]s inhabit the park.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/answers-about-central-park-wildlife-part-3/|title=Answers About Central Park Wildlife, Part 3|last=Winn|first=Marie|date=July 25, 2008|work=City Room|publisher=The New York Times Company|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416161935/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/answers-about-central-park-wildlife-part-3/|archive-date=April 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2019 squirrel census found there were 2,373 [[Eastern gray squirrel]]s in Central Park.<ref>{{Unbulleted list citebundle
| {{Cite news|last=Newman|first=Andy|date=October 6, 2018|title=Why Count All the Squirrels in Central Park? Why the Heck Not|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/nyregion/squirrels-central-park.html|access-date=July 11, 2023|issn=0362-4331}}
| {{cite web |date=June 20, 2019 |title=How many squirrels live in NYC's Central Park? We finally have the answer |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/06/squirrel-census-new-york-city-central-park/ |access-date=August 26, 2019 |publisher=National Geographic}}
| {{cite web | last=Vazquez | first=Jennifer | title=A 'Nutty' Census Aims to Count Squirrel Population in New York City's Central Park | website=NBC New York | date=October 2, 2018 | url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nutty-census-count-squirrel-population-central-park-new-york-ny-studies-animal-environment/1821174/ | access-date=July 11, 2023}}
| {{cite web | last=Daley | first=Jason | title=Volunteers Counted All the Squirrels in Central Park | website=Smithsonian Magazine | date=June 24, 2019 | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-census-counted-all-squirrels-central-park-180972480/ | access-date=July 11, 2023}}}}</ref> Central Park has also been home to coyotes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coyotes in Central Park |url=https://www.centralparknyc.org/coyotes-in-central-park |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Central Park Conservancy |language=en}}</ref>

There are 223&nbsp;[[invertebrate]] species in Central Park.<ref name="Macaulay BioBlitz" /> ''[[Nannarrup hoffmani]]'', a [[centipede]] species discovered in Central Park in 2002, is one of the smallest centipedes in the world at about {{convert|0.4|in|mm}} long.<ref>{{Cite news|title=A New Kind of New Yorker, One With 82 Legs |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/nyregion/a-new-kind-of-new-yorker-one-with-82-legs.html |last=Stewart|first=Barbara |date=July 24, 2002|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 16, 2019 |issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814110057/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/nyregion/a-new-kind-of-new-yorker-one-with-82-legs.html |archive-date=August 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The more prevalent [[Asian long-horned beetle]] is an invasive species that has infected trees in Long Island and Manhattan, including in Central Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/news/daily-plant?id=19491 |title=The Daily Plant|publisher=New York City Department of Parks and Recreation|access-date=April 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329025234/https://www.nycgovparks.org/news/daily-plant?id=19491 |archive-date=March 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2002/02/17/beetles-infest-2-trees-in-central-park/|title=Beetles infest 2 trees in Central Park|date=February 17, 2002|access-date=November 14, 2014|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129014229/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2002-02-17/news/0202170297_1_trees-beetle-central-park|archive-date=November 29, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

Turtles, fish, and frogs live in Central Park.<ref name="Macaulay BioBlitz"/> There are five turtle species: [[red-eared slider]]s, [[Chelydridae|snapping turtles]], [[painted turtle]]s, [[Sternotherus|musk turtles]], and [[box turtle]]s.<ref name="Turtle Pond"/> Most of the turtles live in Turtle Pond, and many of these are former pets that were released into the park.<ref name="Foderaro 2013"/> The fish are scattered more widely, but they include several freshwater species,<ref name="NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation 2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/61596.html |title=Central Park Lake|date=November 7, 2014 |publisher=[[New York State Department of Environmental Conservation]] |access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417155030/https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/61596.html|archive-date=April 17, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> such as the [[Snakehead (fish)|snakehead]], an invasive species.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/searching-for-the-snakehead-fish-fierce-and-entirely-unwelcome/|title=In Central Park, Hunt for an Intruder, the Snakehead Fish, Is On|last=Santora|first=Marc |date=April 30, 2013|work=City Room|publisher=The New York Times Company|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417155021/https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/30/searching-for-the-snakehead-fish-fierce-and-entirely-unwelcome/|archive-date=April 17, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Catch and release fishing is allowed in the Lake, Pond, and Harlem Meer.<ref name="NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation 2014"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/programs/catch-and-release-fishing.html |title=Catch-and-Release Fishing|publisher=Central Park Conservancy|access-date=April 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417155025/http://www.centralparknyc.org/visit/programs/catch-and-release-fishing.html |archive-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref> Central Park is a habitat for two amphibian species: the [[American bullfrog]] and the [[Lithobates clamitans|green frog]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Winn |first=Marie |year=2008 |title=Central Park in the Dark: More Mysteries of Urban Wildlife |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |isbn=978-0-374-12011-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QIeOAVDgdcAC&pg=PA139 |page=139}}</ref> The park contained snakes in the late 19th century,<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 25, 1895|title=They All Saw Snakes at Once; but the Reptiles Were in Glass Jars and Real |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/12/25/archives/they-all-saw-snakes-at-once-but-the-reptiles-were-in-glass-jars-and.html|access-date=June 28, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> though Marie Winn, who wrote about wildlife in Central Park, said in a 2008&nbsp;interview that the snakes had died off.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/answers-about-central-park-wildlife/ |title=Answers About Central Park Wildlife |last=Winn |first=Marie |date=July 23, 2008|work=City Room |publisher=The New York Times Company |access-date=April 16, 2019}}</ref>