Have you ever wondered what kinds of birds are in the backyard of people’s home in Alaska? Do you need assistance in finding the most common birds that frequent your backyard in Alaska so you can help feed them and coexist as one big community?
It is an amazing experience when you put the bird feeders up and see the birds that visit, but it’s even more enjoyable when you know what they are.
In this article, we’ll examine the popular backyard birds in Alaska, particularly those that are near home. But first let’s have a quick look at how to identify birds in Alaska.
How To Identify Birds In Alaska
Here are some additional tips to help you spot birds in Alaska no matter if you want to go birding in the wild or just stay at home and watch birds in Alaska :
- Size: It is the most important aspect to be aware of about birds. Birds are usually measured in centimeters or inches in books on birding. It is recommended to make note of the bird’s dimensions by its size, whether medium or large in order to find it in the future. A small bird is one-third the size as a bird. the medium bird is around an ounce larger than a pigeon. And large birds are comparable to goose.
- Shape: Make note of the outline of the bird’s silhouette and write it down or sketch the outline. Take a look at the length of the tail the bill shape, the wingshape, as well as the overall shape of your body.
- Color Pattern – Make a note of the primary color of the back, head and belly as well as wingsand tails for the primary color, and after that, any secondary patterns or colors.
- Habitat – Woodlands, parks meadows, grasslands, or shrubs and marsh, shores or marsh.
Let’s look at the top 15 backyard birds found in Alaska and find out a bit more about each of the species.
The Top backyard birds of Alaska
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Black-billed Magpie
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- American Robin
- Steller’s Jay
- Boreal Chickadee
- Song Sparrow
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee
- Downy Woodpecker
- Pine Siskin
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
The Top backyard birds of Alaska
Black-capped Chickadee
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Paridae |
| Genus | Poecile |
| Species | P. atricapillus |
| Length | four to six inches |
| Weight | 11 g |
The Black-capped Chickadee is an adorable bird with a round head and a tiny body. They love to feed at backyard feeders and look at everything, even you!
They have black-capped heads and beaks with white cheeks. They are gray on their back, wings, as well as the tail.
They are found in open woods, and parks. The black-capped Chickadees consume seeds, berries as well as insects, spiders and suet.h
To draw more Black-capped Chickadees in your yard, you can try Suet, sunflower seeds and peanuts, or peanut butter.
They may even feed out of your hands and are usually among the birds that first find new feeders. They also make use of nest boxes, particularly when you fill them with shavings of wood.
Black-billed Magpie
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Corvidae |
| Genus | Pica |
| Species | P. hudsonia |
| Length | 45 – 60 cm |
| Weight | 180 g |
Black-billed Magpies are white and black birds with loud voices. They are bigger than Jays and have long tails, and blue-green iridescent flashes that appear in the wing and tail.
They are not known to migrate , and can be found in meadows and grasslands or other open areas.
They feed on grains and fruits beetles and grasshoppers. They are also reported to kill small mammals, like voles and squirrels. They also hunt bird nests looking for nestlings or eggs, and even carrion.
Black-billed Magpies can be seen in backyards to eat suet and platform feeders that contain black oil sunflower seeds. Peanuts millet, fruit, suet and milo
Dark-eyed Junco
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Passerellidae |
| Genius | Junco |
| Species | J. hyemalis |
Eyes dark Juncos are sparrows with diverse in color depending on the state. They generally have a slate-colored color in the east, and black, white and brown in the west.
They are located in open and partially wooded areas, typically in the soil, and are prevalent throughout the world.
Many remain in residence all year in the west and regions such as the Appalachian Mountains. Breeders in Canada and Alaska are able to migrate south during winter, settling in the southern part of the United States.
It is possible to attract more dark-eyed Juncos to your backyard feeders by using many seeds, including black oil sunflower seeds cracked corn, nyjer, millet and peanuts. Platform feeders , or scattered on the ground are the best.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Sittidae |
| Genus | Sitta |
| Species | S. canadensis |
| Length | 12 cm |
| Weight | 10 g |
Red-breasted Nuthatches are present throughout the year round in the western and northeastern state, Alaska and Canada but can migrate south across the entire parts of North America in winter if cone crops are not growing well.
They’re blue-gray birds with white and black stripes on their head. They also have an underside that is rusty.
Red-breasted Nuthatches are found in coniferous woodlands, where they hunt to find cones. They often frequent backyard feeders.
It is possible to attract more Red-breasted Nuthatches into your yard by using sunflower seeds that are black in oil suet feeders and mealworms, and peanuts.
Red-breasted Nuthatches aren’t the only red bird in Alaska.
American Robin
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Turdidae |
| Genus | Turdus |
| Species | T. migratorius |
American Robins can be a regular sight in lawns where they eat earthworms. They have black heads , and backs that are orange or red with breasts.
They are known to nest in trees during winter months, therefore you’re more likely to find them in your backyard in spring.
American Robins are found in a variety of habitats including forests, woodlands and mountains to fields, parks and lawns. They feed on earthworms, snails, insects, and fruits.
You can lure more American Robins into your yard by introducing sunflower seeds and suet, peanuts, fruits and mealworms.
Platform feeders are the best choice or food that is scattered over the ground. Additionally, you can plant native plants that grow fruits, like hawthorn, sumac, juniper and dogwood.
Steller’s Jay
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Corvidae |
| Genus | Cyanocitta |
| Species | C. stelleri |
Steller’s Jays are large songbirds with black triangular crests which are affixed to their heads. They’re head and on their chests and backs are black with the remainder of their bodies blue.
They are found in evergreen forests of the mountains. They are also found at picnic tables, in campsites, and backyard feeders. They create nests in the dirt.
Stellar’s Jays eat most things they can hunt for such as insects and nuts, seeds eggs, berries and nestlings. They are also creating a mess in the garbage, and even on your unprotected picnic!
Stellar’s Jays can be attracted to your backyard by nuts and sucet.
Boreal Chickadee
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Paridae |
| Genus | Poecile |
| Species | P. hudsonicus |
| Length | 130–140 mm (5–5.5 in) |
| Weight | 10 g (0.35 oz) |
Boreal Chickadees are small songbirds that have a grayish-brown color with caps that are darker brown and a small black bib sides of cinnamon and white under as well as on their cheeks. They live across Canada in Canada and Alaska and are also found in northwestern US states.
Boreal Chickadees are typically found in coniferous forest typically near water, but are located in mixed or deciduous forests. They consume seeds and insects in the upper regions of the canopy, and frequently visit feeders.
To attract more of the boreal Chickadees to your yard, you can try Black sunflower seeds that are oily as well as nyjer seeds suet, peanuts and mealworms in all types of feeders. You can also build a nesting area to draw mating pairs.
Song Sparrow
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Passerellidae |
| Genius | Melospiza |
| Species | M. melodia |
Song sparrows aren’t so impressive as other backyard birds but they do employ their almost continuous song to draw mates during the spring and summer months.
They are often found in open, bushy and wet zones, usually perched on low tree singing. They can be found in backyard feeders.
Song Sparrows devour a wide range of insects and plants such as caterpillars, beetles spiders, midges and earthworms. They also eat strawberries, sunflower, buckwheat wild cherries, blackberries and rice.
You can draw additional song sparrows and birds at your feeders in the back yard by adding sunflower seeds with black oil cracking corn, Nyjer on the feeders on platforms.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Paridae |
| Genus | Poecile |
| Species | P. rufescens |
| Length | 4.5-4.9 in |
| Weight | 8.5–12.6 g |
Chestnut-backed chickadees are tiny birds that have white and black for their head. They have a rich chestnut on their back and grey wings and belly.
They form a flock in the moist evergreen forests throughout in the Pacific Coast and are regular frequent visitors to backyard feeders.
Insects such as caterpillars, wasps, spiders and aphids constitute the majority of their diet with berries, seeds and fruits making up the rest.
It is possible to attract Chestnut-backed Chickadees to your backyard by using suet or nyjer peanuts or mealworms inside tube feeders, feeders on platforms and suet cages. They can also be found in nest boxes.
Downy Woodpecker
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Piciformes |
| Family | Picidae |
| Genus | Dryobates |
| Species | D. pubescens |
| Length | 14 –17 cm |
| Weight | 21 – 28 g |
Downy Woodpeckers are tiny birds that are often seen in backyard feeders. They’re often paired with other birds, such as nuthatches and chickadees. They are black and white colors, and red patches on the top of their heads. They resemble The Hairy Woodpecker.
Downy woodpeckers are found in woodlots and along the banks of streams, in cities, backyards and parks and they eat mostly insects, larvae of beetles, Acorns, berries and even grains.
To attract even more Downy Woodpeckers in your yard, Try suet feeders, but they are also known to eat black millet, sunflower seeds in oil, millet and peanuts from platforms for feeders.
Pine Siskin
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Fringillidae |
| Genus | Spinus |
| Species | S. pinus |
| Length | 11–14 cm |
| Weight | 12–18 g |
Pine Siskins are tiny finches with brown streaks with yellow streaks along the tail and wings. They are a bit slender tail with pointed wings. They also have the bill being short and pointed.
Pine Siskins reproduce in Canada and can winter over large parts of the US however their movement is contingent on the growth of pine cones and, therefore, there are times when they do not be able to migrate.
Some birds, however, remain throughout the year throughout the forest of pine in the west.
Like their name implies, Pine Siskins mostly consume seeds of conifers, however they also eat young buds as well as seeds from the grasses, weeds and grasses.
Pine Siskins can be attracted by backyards that have thistle and Nyjer feeders. They also enjoy sunflower seeds with black oil and suet.
Yellow-rumped Warbler
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Parulidae |
| Genus | Setophaga |
| Species | S. coronata |
| Length | 14 cm |
| Weight | 12.5 g |
Yellow-rumped Warblers are gray , with flashes of yellow on their sides, the face and rump as well as white on the wings. Females could be brown, while winter birds appear paler brown, with bright yellow rumps, and the sides changing to in bright gray and then bright yellow in spring.
After breeding primarily in Canada they move in huge numbers south over the vast majority of central and southern North America and the Pacific Coast as well as throughout Mexico as well. Central America.
You can lure more Yellow-rumped Warblers to your garden with sunflower seeds and suet peanut butter, raisins and.
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Parulidae |
| Genus | Leiothlypis |
| Species | L. celata |
| Length | 4.8–5.3 in |
| Weight | 9 g |
The Orange-crowned Warblers may not be as vibrantly color as the other species of warblers, with their yellow-olive coloring. This is more yellow along their Pacific Coast. The orange crown is not often observed.
Breeding occurs in Canada and the western states prior to making their way towards in the Southern US and Mexico. The orange-crowned warblers are observed in migration across all states , but they are more prevalent in the west.
The Orange-crowned Warblers are found in low and shrubs and can be found on open forest.
Their diet is primarily comprised of spiders and insects, including caterpillars and spiders as well as insects like flies. They also consume fruits such as berries, seeds, and berries and frequently check out backyard food sources.
To attract more Orange-crowned Warblers to your backyard, you can try suet, peanut butter or Hummingbird feeders that contain nectar made from sugarwater.
White-crowned Sparrow
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Passerellidae |
| Genus | Zonotrichia |
| Species | Z. leucophrys |
| Length | 5.9-6.3 in |
| Weight | 0.9-1.0 oz |
White-crowned Sparrows are huge grayish sparrows, with large tails, small bills. They also sport bold white and black stripes on their heads.
Breeding occurs in Alaska and the arctic Canada before moving south to most from the upper 48 states and Mexico to winter. They may also remain for the entire the year long in a small region across their Pacific Coast and west.
White-crowned Sparrows are found in fields of weeds along the roadsides, along the edges of forests and in yards where they are foraging to find seeds of weeds and fruits like Blackberries, elderberries or elderberries.
It is possible to attract more White-crowned Sparrows into your backyard by providing sunflower seeds as well as a variety of seeds left by birds at your feeders.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Regulidae |
| Genus | Corthylio Cabanis, 1853 |
| Species | C. calendula |
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are small songbirds which are olive-green. The males sport a bright red crown, which is typically not visible because it is flat however they’re a treat when you do.
They breed throughout Canada and in the western mountains before settling in the south and southwest states, and Mexico for winter. They are also visible in migration, when they are common.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets can be difficult to identify They are swift and peaceful birds that fly around among the lower branches of plants and trees in search of insects and spiders.
They are suet feeders or platforms for sunflower seeds that have been hulled, mealworms and peanuts.
Best Bird Feeders to Attract Birds In Alaska
Many bird feeders are sure to attract majority of species of birds found in Alaska to your yard.
- Tube Feeders can be filled with various kinds of bird seed and based on the seeds, different birds are attracted. The seeds of sunflower with black oil draw Goldfinches, Chickadees, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and Pine Siskins.
- Ground Feeders or a tray under the Tube Feeder equipped with Black oil sunflowers as tube feeders draw Cardinals, Jays, Finches and Sparrows.
- Platform feeders that contain Millet or Corn draw small and medium-sized birds, such as birds like sparrows Blackbirds, Towhees, Juncos, Doves, Grackles and Starlings.
- Peanut feeders draw Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Nuthatches, Titmice, Jays, Juncos, Finches, and Sparrows.
- Suet Feeders are fantastic particularly in winter especially for Woodpeckers, Cardinals, Nuthatches, Kinglets, Wrens, and Chickadees.
- Hummingbird feeders draw these amazing birds, but they attract other birds too.
How to Attract Birds To Your Backyard in Alaska
If you’d like to draw many more bird species to your backyard in Alaska, Here are some suggestions:
- Offer bird feeders to different types of birds in order to attract the largest variety of birds to come into your backyard.
- Install a water feature, like a birdbath fountain or stream. Be sure the water is clear and is not stagnant.
- Plant native plants that provide shelter and food. Plants, trees, as well as plants that yield fruit, berries and nuts. Blackberries, wild grasses elderberries, serviceberries Oaks, Beeches, Cherries Sumacs, hemlocks purple Coneflowers, Sunflowers, Milkweed, Cardinal Flowers, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Virginia Creeper, Buttonbush and Dogwoods.
- Grow your grass long to cover seeds.
- Make a pile of brush for food, protection and nesting sites for birds.
- Avoid using herbicides or pesticides since they could be toxic to birds, and can impede the natural food sources to insects as well as seeds birds are likely to seek out within your yard.
- Create nest boxes that attract birds that breed and ensure they are kept clean each year.