Reference
How many bird species are in Arizona?
Arizona has 569 bird species on its official list (Arizona Bird Committee, January 2024), the 3rd highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. It counts the records the committee accepted through January 2024. An older booklet from January 2023 gave 570, so you may see both numbers.
Updated
Arizona bird list at a glance
| Official count | 569 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | January 2024 |
| Kept by | Arizona Bird Committee |
| Among US states | 3rd highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | ABC State Lists page |
What does Arizona’s count include?
- Records the Arizona Bird Committee accepted through January 2024.
- Species names as the committee updated them through July 2024.
Why do other sources give 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:
- 570. From an older booklet the committee published in January 2023. Its State Lists page now gives 569, as of January 2024.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own Arizona 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 Arizona; 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.
Arizona’s state bird
Cactus Wren
Arizona’s state bird is the Cactus Wren. Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-854. The law adds “otherwise known as Coues’ cactus wren,” one of the Cactus Wren’s subspecies.
Source: Arizona Revised Statutes § 41-854, State bird (Arizona Legislature), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Arizona
Our birding festivals calendar lists 6 in Arizona, with dates from each festival’s own website:
- Wings Over Willcox Birding and Nature Festival, Willcox: January 14–17, 2027
- Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival, Cottonwood: April 22–25, 2027
- Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival (Spring), Sierra Vista: May 5–8, 2027
- Sedona Hummingbird Festival, Sedona: July 23–25, 2027
- Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival (Summer), Sierra Vista: August 4–7, 2027
- Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, Tucson: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: August 12–16, 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: California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
- 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.