Reference
How many bird species are in Washington?
Washington has 529 bird species on its official list (Washington Bird Records Committee, November 2025), the 8th highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. Of these, 516 are backed by a specimen, a photo or a recording, and 13 by written descriptions of sightings alone.
Updated
Washington bird list at a glance
| Official count | 529 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | November 2025 |
| Kept by | Washington Bird Records Committee (Washington Ornithological Society) |
| With physical evidence | 516 species |
| Sight records only | 13 species |
| Among US states | 8th highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Washington State Checklist (Updated November 2025) |
What does Washington’s count include?
- 516 species backed by a specimen, a photo or a recording.
- 13 species known only from sight records, accepted on written descriptions.
- Rare species the committee reviews are part of the 529, not extra.
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 Washington 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 Washington; 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.
Washington’s state bird
American Goldfinch
Washington’s state bird is the American Goldfinch (officially, the “willow goldfinch”), the state bird since 1951. RCW 1.20.040. The law says willow goldfinch, an older name for the American Goldfinch of the West (its subspecies salicamans); birders call it the American Goldfinch.
Audubon painted it too: plate 33 of The Birds of America.
Source: RCW 1.20.040, State bird (Washington State Legislature), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Washington
Our birding festivals calendar lists 7 in Washington, with dates from each festival’s own website:
- Othello Sandhill Crane Festival, Othello: March 18–21, 2027
- Wings Over Water Northwest Birding Festival, Blaine: March 19–21, 2027
- Olympic BirdFest, Sequim: April 15–18, 2027
- Grays Harbor Shorebird and Nature Festival, Hoquiam: April 30 – May 2, 2027
- Leavenworth Spring Bird Fest, Leavenworth: May 13–16, 2027
- Puget Sound Bird Fest, Edmonds: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: June 6–7, 2026)
- Wings over Whidbey Bird Festival, Coupeville: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: September 26, 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: Idaho and Oregon.
- 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.