Reference
How many bird species are in Alaska?
Alaska has 551 bird species on its official list (University of Alaska Museum with the Alaska Bird Records Committee, January 1, 2026), the 6th highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. Every species on it is backed by a specimen or a photo; 15 more species reported without that proof are listed separately.
Updated
Alaska bird list at a glance
| Official count | 551 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | January 1, 2026 |
| Kept by | University of Alaska Museum with the Alaska Bird Records Committee |
| Edition | The 32nd edition of the Checklist of Alaska Birds |
| Not counted | 15 species without a specimen or photo |
| Among US states | 6th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Checklist of Alaska Birds, 32nd edition (2026) |
What does Alaska’s count include?
- Only species backed by a specimen or a photo from Alaska.
- Introduced species that live wild, such as the Rock Pigeon.
- Species only: subspecies are not counted separately.
- Not counted: 15 species reported in Alaska without a specimen or photo, listed separately.
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 Alaska 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 Alaska; 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.
Alaska’s state bird
Willow Ptarmigan
Alaska’s state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan, the state bird since 1955. Chosen by Alaska schoolchildren in 1955, while Alaska was still a territory; the state bird since statehood.
Audubon painted it too: plate 191 of The Birds of America.
Source: Alaska's Iconic Birds: Willow Ptarmigan (Alaska Department of Fish and Game), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Alaska
Our birding festivals calendar lists 6 in Alaska, with dates from each festival’s own website:
- Alaska Bald Eagle Festival, Haines: November 6–8, 2026
- Stikine River Birding Festival, Wrangell: April 21–25, 2027
- Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival, Cordova: May 6–9, 2027
- Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival, Homer: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: May 6–10, 2026)
- Yakutat Tern Festival, Yakutat: June 3–6, 2027
- Tanana Valley Sandhill Crane Festival, Fairbanks: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: August 16–23, 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.
- 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.