Several years ago I fell off the deep end and picked up bird watching as a hobby. While I was always interested in birds, I often stereotyped bird enthusiasts as nerdy, walking down trails with binoculars around their neck, some bedecked with $2,000 cameras with lenses so big a person could barely balance them (thus the auto-balance feature on newer cameras). But, alas, I was forced through necessity to learn something about Alaska’s birds. I became a trail guide in 2004, working outdoors almost full time during the summer and into the Fall season. I taught at UAS1 at the time, so it was a great way to pick up some extra income while prepping for my classes in the coming year. I fell in love with bird watching.
After I retired in 2020, I really became serious about bird watching. I was regularly cataloging birds during my trips to Missouri and now I wanted to pull it all together for Alaska. One thing was obvious to me a few years before. Alaska does not have nearly the diversity in species as Missouri. An entire summer of bird watching in Alaska may net me sixteen land species. I was spotting as many as 64 species in Missouri. When you visit my Missouri bird site, you will notice that the count is approaching 100. Reasons for this low diversity has a lot to do with the peculiar geography of the region. The SE Alaskan rain forest is a narrow belt along the Pacific Ocean. It is far north, so it is typically a destination for birds. Most of the species we see during Winter in Juneau are actually Arctic species. Missouri, on the other hand, is a combination of destination, migration and winter residence. Almost all the birds I see in Alaska in summer are spotted in Missouri during migration in the Spring and Fall. But one thing that Alaska has a lot of that Missouri has nearly none of are sea birds.
Please note that this page is a work-in-progress. Expect more birds to be added. Best way to be notified about changes is to subscribe to my Substack account. Also note that the birds listed on this page are birds I have personally observed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive collection of all birds in Alaska.
American Robin
The most common bird observed throughout the United States, the robin is ever-present. Especially busy in the early morning, one of the first birds to greet the day. I was surprised to see it in SE Alaska. The Rocky Mountains tend to be a natural barrier for many species, but the robin has managed to venture across the continental divide to inhabit the rain forest.
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
When I was young, the Bald Eagle was considered an endangered species. It thrived only in part of North America — Southeast Alaska. Over the decades they have returned to many parts of the lower 48. Yet SE Alaska remains the favorite residence of the bald eagle. They are every where in Juneau. They love the shorelines of the inland waterway. Scavengers, they feast on the carcasses of salmon. Yet they find an abundance of food throughout the year.
We lived on a mountainside. We had the good fortune of living above a cluster of spruce trees that grew along the shoreline, providing the perfect place for eagles to rest and observe the movement of fish and other marine life below. They would make such a racket at times. Probably due to the heavy traffic along the highway and the presence of too many other predatory birds nearby, they preferred nesting about 300 feet higher in the forest above our houses. Often when I was working in my office I would observe them drifting over our roof, before my window and down to the trees below. In a similar manner, I would watch them fly up the hill again. Amazing birds to watch.
Be sure to check out The Bald Eagle of Alaska.
Barn Swallow
My experience with barn swallows goes back to my childhood. My father added a carport and garage to the house back in the mid-1960’s. It did not take long for barn swallows to move in. My father even made nesting platforms for them so as to encourage them to return. And they did for about thirty years, consistently shaping their mud nests and dutifully depositing bird droppings on his car.
SE Alaska is teeming with several species of swallows. Barn swallows are comfortably established in Juneau. You will find them watching over the tourists at the Mendenhall Glacier and tracking the shoppers at the grocery store.
Belted Kingfisher*
Belted kingfishers have a very distinct sound, one which I become quite familiar with in Alaska. I would frequently observe them while fly fishing. One of the advantages of fly fishing is that it is a very quiet process. You are wading in a stream and not in a boat. As a result, wildlife tend to move about as if you are not there. So it was with the belted kingfisher, a pleasant diversion from fishing, as it flew back and forth. I even observed them going in and out of their nests, a peculiar engineered hole in the bank of the stream.
Brown Creeper *
This has to be one of the shiest birds of the avian kingdom. They are evidently quite common in Alaska, but spotting the bird is nearly impossible and hearing it requires intentionality . It is noted that creepers require trees with large diameters where the bark is deeply furrowed, providing ideal conditions for the insects it consumes. The SE Alaskan rain forest is perfect.
It took some time, but I eventually spotted one in the cluster of spruce trees below my townhouse.
Canada Goose
If it makes you feel any better, for decades I called them Canadian Geese. It was while in Alaska that I realized my error. The SE Alaskan wetlands are covered with Canada geese as early as February before they disperse further north.
Cedar Waxwing
One of the most beautiful birds in North America is the cedar waxwing. I was introduced to the waxwing by a close friend. I was not into bird watching at the time, but he insisted I walk with him after the Easter sunrise service at our church. The church sits amidst a nearby forest, and the grounds were well landscaped with shrubs and fruit trees. It made for perfect birding. And my friend was an expert. He is responsible for my first encounter with cedar waxwings and rufus crowned kinglets.
Both cedar waxwings, and their cousins, the Bohemian waxwings, are quite common in Southeast Alaska. Primarily tree-top dwellers, they are hard to spot in the canopy of the rain forest. But my ears became attuned to their eery, high-pitched call. It was then that I realized that a bit a patience would reward me with a view of these beautiful birds. They would occasionally drift down into the lower branches.
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
This cute little woodpecker is a favorite for any feeder. Distinguishing a downy from a hairy woodpecker or any of the sapsuckers is an art. The easy thing is their size. Downies are the smallest of the woodpeckers I have seen. But that does not help you unless you see them side-by-side. Like all woodpeckers, they have a flash of red. But, again, it doesn’t make a lot of sense unless you see them in proximity to other woodpeckers. The most distinguishing feature is their bill. They have a very short bill.
They are classified as “uncommon” for Southeast Alaska, but I saw them frequently around the house.
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
This is one of the most peculiar birds in Alaska. It is considered “invasive”, but it is debatable whether it is destructive to native habitat. They certainly can be dominant. They love to spread their wings out making them appear twice as big as they are, scaring off the the other birds from the feeding station. But they are rare and reclusive. Every two or three years they would build a nest in our neighborhood and I would often hear their soft songs. If you want to know what they sound like, they are frequently included in the background sound of Midsomer Murders 🙂
Their story is quite interesting. They originated from the Middle East. A few hundred years ago they suddenly had this urge to travel. They amazingly adapted to the harsher climate of northern Europe. In this regard, they were not invasive as much as evolutionary. Someone had the bright idea of bringing them to the Bahamas as pets. But they escaped their aviary and flew over to the American mainland. The rest is history. I was surprised to find them at the feeding station one day.
Robert Armstrong did not include them in his book (see below), so as of 1995 they were not observed in Alaska.
European Starling
The starling — the bird that everybody loves to hate. Along with house sparrows, starlings rank as the best example of “invasive species.” In some parts of the country, they run in large mobs, especially in cities. But my experience with starlings has been much different.
I grew up in the Missouri countryside. The dern things would occasionally swamp the countryside. If they found a bird feeder it would soon be mobbed by starlings, ruining the experience for other birds. My father hated them, as did his father. So I did, too.
But my move up to Alaska in 2003 changed all that. It was there that I began to observe them with more care. Thinking they were a Midwestern bird, I was amazed how they survived Alaska. Even more so was my surprise encountering them in the middle of the Southeast Alaskan rain forest. Observing them in the wild was a memorable experience.
The other thing I picked up about starlings was the uniqueness of their songs and calls. Alaska is relatively “quiet” when it comes to birds. In Missouri, I almost never pick up on starling calls because there is too much competition. Alaska was different. On a warm afternoon, sitting outside and enjoying a heavenly Alaskan summer day, the world of birds would virtually be silent. Then I would hear this peculiar trill. Looking up I would see a starling, perched on an alder branch, looking me over.
It was in Alaska I began to appreciate their appearance. Before, they were just another black bird waddling across my yard. But they are far from that. They are rather beautiful, a rich assortment of effervescent colors.
Golden-crowned kinglet
Golden-crowned kinglets spend their summers in Alaska. I frequently encountered them on my walks. Like their cousins, the ruby-crowned kinglets, they explode with a long song. They are also very territorial, so it is easy to get their attention if you play their song. They will hop down to a nearby branch and look you over real good.
SE Alaska is famous for its micro-climates. I rarely saw golden-crowned kinglets in Juneau except during migration. Where I encountered them the most was on my trips to Haines, a mere 90 miles to the north.
Kinglets, in general, are easy to locate and identify because they love to feed on tiny insects that inhabit the shrubs and small trees along the shoreline and grasslands. I would frequently see them flying in front of me as I walked along the edge of the grasslands. If I stopped and waited, they would eventually work their way to nearby bushes.
Northwest Crow
Corvus caurinus
For years I despised crows. They were always a menace. I recall attempting a picnic only to have the picnic table a target of a “murder” of crows. I had to station my son at the table to keep the birds away while my wife and I went back to the car to retrieve more food. Even while we all sat at the table, they would land on the far end and cautiously attempt to approach the nearest food item.
For years, I attempted to keep them away from the feeding stations. They simply overwhelmed the feeders. I attempted everything to keep them all away, discovering that they had a learning curve. First time I approached in Spring they would fly off as soon as they saw me coming to the door, drifting down the hill to a cluster of spruce trees along the shore, far from the house. After a few encounters, they only flew off to a nearby branch. So I upgraded to the air soft guns. At first it was effective. They got to the point they understood what that thing could do. Simply holding the thing would scare them off. Then one day they only flew to a nearby branch. I would shoot them and they would drift away. By the end of the summer, I would hit them and they would simply ruffle their features. It was rather hilarious.
Finally, after I retired, I threw in the towel. I learned that it was all about timing. I put out less bird food and I noticed they were not around so much. When I put out a new batch of food, I sat nearby. The other birds were able to enjoy the food and the crows stayed away.
Yet, like ravens, they can be befriended. I never got myself to the point a making the attempt. They are rather comical to observe. Because they are a menace, most people do not make it a habit to intentionally feed them.
Steller’s Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri
Along with ravens, Steller’s Jays are the most amusing birds. There is nothing like them in Missouri. They are loud, have a tendency to dominate a feeder, and have an unpleasant, raspy call (most of the time). Yet they are quite curious and, subsequently, somewhat prone to domestication. Being around them a lot, they got comfortable with my presence. Chasing them away from the feeder was total vanity. It was then that I noticed that they had a tendency to follow me around. I started experimenting with their behavior by dropping seeds closer and closer to me. It took a while, but they were eventually eating from my hand. They even walked into the house! (Not something I encouraged). One panicked and started flying around the kitchen, banging into the pot rack. I was upstairs at the time and I had this horrible thought that a bear was in our house. But it was simply a Steller’s jay, frightened, trying to find its way out.
These jays are amazingly vocal, known to possess up to 15 different sounds. They love to mimic sounds, particularly that of the red-tail hawk (they must have a death wish). They have glorious, effervescent blue feathers. They enjoy sitting in the sun spreading their wings.
They are migratory, but tend to return to the same place. I noticed that as the years progressed, jays would return to our house and immediately become familiar. During the winter, they would fly further south but be replaced by a new set of jays. They were always more cautious. This familiarity was rather easy to note because they would not fly away when I came out onto the deck, but hop to a nearby branch. When they wanted more food, they would peck on our sliding glass door.
Willow Ptarmigan
Lagopus lagopus
The willow ptarmigan is the state bird of Alaska (most people think it is the bald eagle). My only encounter with one was while traveling through the Yukon territory. They are rather easy to see as they run over the barren landscape. It is a bit more challenging to spot them in Juneau. First, they prefer the alpine region. So you have to climb up to find them. Second, the mountains are not barren, but covered with a layer of shrubs and thick ground cover. So they will wander about, staying under cover for the most part. Hikers will occasionally spot them as they travel over bare ground.
Resources
Guide to the Birds of Alaska, by Robert H. Armstrong, Alaska Northwest Books, Portland, Oregon, 1995, 6th Printing (2004).
Please note that unless designated on the photo, pictures are from Creative Commons, usually Wikipedia.
© Copyright 2026 to Eric Niewoehner
Last updated February 26, 2026
- University of Alaska Southeast ↩︎