Skip to content
birdfact
Identify
Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Washington

Our list for Washington has 200 bird species recorded regularly there: 58 residents, 45 summer visitors, 57 winter visitors, 35 passage migrants and 5 scarce visitors

The list comes from 23 million birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
200
In October
147
Common
56
Busiest month
May

What's special about Washington

vs United States

The birds recorded far more often here than across United States, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Washington is worth visiting for.

  1. Pacific WrenPacific Wren14×Resident · 1.2% of records here, 0.08% across United States
  2. Varied ThrushVaried Thrush13×Winter visitor · 0.80% of records here, 0.06% across United States
  3. Red-necked GrebeRed-necked Grebe9.3×Winter visitor · 0.41% of records here, 0.04% across United States
  4. Red-breasted SapsuckerRed-breasted Sapsucker8.9×Resident · 0.47% of records here, 0.05% across United States
  5. Eurasian WigeonEurasian Wigeon8.7×Winter visitor · 0.15% of records here, 0.02% across United States
  6. Pacific LoonPacific Loon6.9×Winter visitor · 0.21% of records here, 0.03% across United States
  7. Surf ScoterSurf Scoter6.1×Winter visitor · 0.84% of records here, 0.14% across United States
  8. Horned GrebeHorned Grebe5.7×Winter visitor · 0.76% of records here, 0.13% across United States

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. American CrowAmerican Crow3.43%
  2. Song SparrowSong Sparrow3.30%
  3. Northern FlickerNorthern Flicker3.08%
  4. American RobinAmerican Robin2.88%
  5. MallardMallard2.25%
  6. House FinchHouse Finch2.12%

Arriving now

  1. Red-breasted MerganserRed-breasted MerganserWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.22%
  2. Trumpeter SwanTrumpeter SwanWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.08%
  3. Long-tailed DuckLong-tailed DuckWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.04%
  4. Tundra SwanTundra SwanWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.04%
  5. Rough-legged HawkRough-legged HawkWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.04%
  6. Snow BuntingSnow BuntingWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.03%

Share of all bird records in Washington in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Washington

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Washington

Records by month
Bird records in Washington by month, 2019–2024
January1,830,321
February1,610,123
March1,910,801
April2,459,979
May3,202,853
June2,352,054
July1,737,271
August1,652,063
September1,718,733
October1,603,334
November1,446,911
December1,557,692

May has the most records (3.2 million). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 27
All 27 families in Washington

How common

More of United States

All of United States

All 200 birds, A to Z

Show all 200 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Washington known for?

Compared with the rest of United States, Washington stands out for Pacific Wren, Varied Thrush, Red-necked Grebe and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Each is recorded at least 8.9 times as often here as across United States, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Washington?

200 species, each recorded regularly in Washington (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 58 residents, 45 summer visitors, 57 winter visitors, 35 passage migrants and 5 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Washington, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Washington in October?

147 species on our list for Washington are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are American Crow, Song Sparrow, Northern Flicker, American Robin and Mallard.

What are the most common birds in Washington?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Washington are American Robin, Song Sparrow, American Crow, Northern Flicker and Mallard.

Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made

Download citations (7)