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. |
Bald eagle 
American robin 
Great blue heron 
Barn owl 
Juvenile starling 
Black-capped chickadee 
Crow
| 
Visit the Barn Swallow page to learn about barn swallows at the zoo and the banding project conducted by staff and volunteers.
| 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 | All | 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 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 |
| 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 | F,W,Sp | 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 |
| 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 (Oh) |
| 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 * |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| European starling | All | A * | | Bohemian waxwing | W | O | | Cedar waxwing | Su,F | C |
| 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 |
| 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,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 |
| 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 * |
|