Wild birds seen at Woodland Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo is one of the most wooded areas in municipal Seattle and as such, is prime territory for a variety of wild bird species.

This list compiles observations made by many people from the late 1970s through 2007. Coverage includes all land bounded by Phinney and Aurora Avenues, and by 50th and 59th Streets. No hypothetical species are included; only actual observations were tabulated. Omitted are non-established exotics (including chukar and various parrot species) which have been seen occasionally. Taxonomy and nomenclature follow the A.O.U. Check-list of North American Birds, 7th edition (1998).

Wild Bird Key

Seasons:
F	Fall	September, October, November
W	Winter	December, January, February
Sp	Spring	March, April, May
Su	Summer	June, July, August

Abundance:
A	=	Abundant: Found in great numbers, with little searching, during appropriate seasons.
C	=	Common: Usually found when sought in correct habitat and appropriate seasons.
U	=	Uncommon: Sometimes found in correct habitat, during appropriate seasons, with diligent searching; is seen on zoo grounds every year, at least in small numbers.
R	=	Rare: Only found on rare occasions, and not every year.
O	=	Occasional: Has been reported on zoo grounds less than five times.
Oh	=	Overhead: Has only been seen flying over the zoo.
*	=	Nester: Has been seen nesting on zoo grounds.

Western tanager

Bald eagle

American robin

Great blue heron

Barn owl

Juvenile starling

Black-capped chickadee

Crow

Stellar jay

Northern flicker

Yellow-rumped warbler

Waterfowl and quail

Greater white-fronted goose	F	O
Snow goose	F	R (Oh)
Canada goose	All	C
Trumpeter Swan	F,W	R (Oh)
Tundra swan	F,W	R (Oh)
Wood duck	ll	R *
Gadwall	All	U *
Eurasian wigeon	W	O
American wigeon	W	U
Mallard	All	A *
Blue-winged teal	F,W,Sp	O
Northern shoveler	W	O
Northern pintail	F,W,Sp	O (Oh)
Green-winged teal	F,W,Sp	O
Bufflehead	F,W,Sp	O
Common goldeneye	F,W	O (Oh)
Barrow's goldeneye	W	O (Oh)
Hooded merganser	F,W,Sp	O
Common merganser	W,Sp	R
California quail	All	R

Cormorants, herons and vultures

Common loon	F,Sp,Su	O (0h)
Double-crested cormorant	F,W,Sp	U
Great blue heron	All	C
Cattle egret	F	O (0h)
Green heron	Sp	O
Black-crowned night-heron	Su	O
Turkey vulture	F,W,Sp	U (0h)

Eagles, hawks, owls and falcons

Osprey	F,W,Sp	U (Oh)
Bald eagle	All	C (Oh)
Northern harrier	All	R
Sharp-shinned hawk	All	U
Cooper's hawk	All	C
Northern goshawk	W	O
Red-tailed hawk	All	U
Rough-legged hawk	W	O (Oh)
American kestrel	All	O (Oh)
Merlin	F,W,Sp	U
Peregrine falcon	F,W,Sp	U
Snowy owl	F	R (0)

Shorebirds, gulls and terns

Sora	Su	O
American coot	F,W	O
Sandhill crane	F	R (Oh)
Killdeer	Sp,Su	R
Spotted sandpiper	Sp	O
Wilson's snipe	F, W	O
Bonaparte's gull	F, S	O
Mew gull	F,W,Sp	U (Oh)
Ring-billed gull	F,W,Su	U (Oh)
California gull	F,W,Sp	R
Glaucous-winged gull	All	A *
Caspian tern	Sp,Su	R (Oh)

Pigeons, owls and nighthawks

Rock pigeon	All	C *
Band-tailed pigeon	All	U
Mourning dove	Sp	O
Barn owl	All	R
Great horned owl	F	U *
Barred owl	All	U
Long-eared owl	F	O
Short-eared owl	F	O (Oh)
Common nighthawk	Su	O (Oh)

Swifts, hummingbirds and kingfishers

Black swift	Sp,Su	R (Oh)
Vaux's swift	Sp,Su,F	R (Oh)
Anna's hummingbird	All	C
Rufous hummingbird	Sp,Su	U
Belted kingfisher	All	U

Woodpeckers

Red-naped sapsucker	Sp	O
Red-breasted sapsucker	F,W,Sp	U
Downy woodpecker	All	U
Hairy woodpecker	All	O
Northern flicker	All	C *
Pileated woodpecker	Sp	O

Flycatchers, shrikes and vireos

Olive-sided flycatcher	F,Sp,Su	U
Western wood-pewee	F,Sp,Su	U
Willow flycatcher	Su	O
Hammond's flycatcher	Sp, Su	R
Pacific-slope flycatcher	F,Sp,Su	U
Northern shrike	W	O
Cassin's vireo	F,Sp,Su	U
Hutton's vireo	All	U
Warbling vireo	F,Sp,Su	U

Jays, crows and relatives

Steller's jay	All	U
Western scrub-jay	F	O
American crow	All	A *

Swallows

Purple martin	Su	O (Oh)
Tree swallow	Sp	O (Oh)
Violet-green swallow	F,Sp, Su	C *
Northern rough-winged swallow	Sp	O
Cliff swallow	Sp, Su	U (Oh)
Barn swallow	F,Sp,Su	C *

Chickadees and nuthatches

Black-capped chickadee	All	C *
Chestnut-backed chickadee	All	U*
Bushtit	All	C *
Red-breasted nuthatch	All	U *

Creepers, wrens and dippers

Brown creeper	All	R
Bewick's wren	All	C *
Winter wren	All	U *
American dipper	F	O
Marsh wren	Sp	R

Kinglets and thrushes

Golden-crowned kinglet	All	C *
Ruby-crowned kinglet	F,W,Sp	C
Townsend's solitaire	Sp,F	R
Swainson's thrush	F,Sp,Su	U
Hermit thrush	F,W,Sp	U
American robin	All	A *
Varied thrush	F,W,Sp	C

Starlings and waxwings

European starling	All	A *
Bohemian waxwing	W	O
Cedar waxwing	Su,F	C

Warblers and tanagers

Orange-crowned warbler	Sp,Su,F	U
Nashville warbler	Sp,Su	R
Yellow warbler	Sp,Su,F	U
Yellow-rumped warbler	All	C
Black-throated gray warbler	Sp,Su,F	U
Townsend's warbler	All	U
MacGillivray's warbler	Sp,Su	R
Common yellowthroat	Sp,Su,F	O
Wilson's warbler	Sp,Su,F	C
Western tanager	Sp,Su,F	C

Sparrows and relatives

Spotted towhee	All	C *
Savannah sparrow	F,Sp	R
Fox sparrow	F,W,Sp	C
Song sparrow	All	C *
Lincoln's sparrow	Sp	R
White-throated sparrow	F,W,Sp	O
White-crowned sparrow	F,Sp	U
Golden-crowned sparrow	F,W,Sp	C
Dark-eyed junco	All	C *
Black-headed grosbeak	Sp,Su	U
Lazuli bunting	Sp,Su	O

Blackbirds and orioles

Red-winged blackbird	All	R *
Yellow-headed blackbird	F,Sp	O
Brown-headed cowbird	Sp,Su	C *
Bullock's oriole	Sp,Su	R *

Finches and weaver finches

Purple finch	Sp,F	R
House finch	All	C *
Red crossbill	F,W,Sp	R
Pine siskin	F,W,Sp	U
American goldfinch	All	U
Evening grosbeak	Sp,F	R
House sparrow	All	A *