The following bird checklist is from the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge list as shown on the USGS web site.
Birding in Alaska is relatively new, even though some of us have been birding for many years. This list is currently being revised by the Wildlife Refuge staff. Our list of birds seen on our trips is more extensive, and some of the ones they list as casual or accidental we have in our yard, or we often see on our trips. Our birding list as of the end of 2007 is now at 510 naturally occuring species in Alaska. If you have specific birds in mind, we will do our best to help you find them. We can help everyone, of all levels of expertise to find and enjoy our Alaskan birds.
KENAI PENINSULA AVIAN SPECIES
Ocean & Coastline Birds
| Common Name | Scientific Name | S | S | F | W |
| Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel | Oceanodroma leucorhoa | I | R | ||
| Double-crested Cormorant | Phalacrocorax auritus* | U | U | U | |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus* | R | R | R | I |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres | R | R | ||
| Black Turnstone | Arenaria melanocephala | R | R | ||
| Surfbird | Aphriza virgata | U | R | R | |
| Rock Sandpiper | Calidris ptilocnemis | I | |||
| Black-legged Kittiwake | Rissa tridactyla | R | R | U | |
| Herring Gull | Larus argentatus* | C | C | C | |
| Glaucous Gull | Larus hyperboreus | R | R | R | |
| Aleutian Tern | Sterna aleutica* | R | R | R | |
| Black-footed Albatrosses | Phoebastria nigripes | R | R | R | |
| Short- tailed albatross | Phoebastria albatrus | R | R | R | |
| Northern Fulmar | Fulmarus glacialis | C | C | C | |
| Mottled Petrel | Pterodroma inexpectata | U | U | U | |
| Pink-footed Shearwater | Puffinus creatopus | R | R | R | |
| Flesh-footed Shearwater | Puffinus carneipes | R | R | R | |
| Sooty Shearwater | Puffinus griseus | C | C | C | |
| Short-tailed Shearwater | Puffinus tenuirostris | U | C | U | |
| Manx Shearwater | Puffinus puffinus | A | A | A | |
| Leach's Storm-Petrel | Oceanodroma leucorhoa | R | R | R | |
| Red-faced Cormorant | Phalacrocorax urile | C | C | C | |
| Pelagic Cormorant | Phalacrocorax pelagicus | C | C | C | |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus* | C | U | C | |
| Gyrfalcon | Falco rusticolus | R | R | R | I |
| Black-bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola | U | R | ||
| American Golden Plover | Pluvialis dominica | U | R | ||
| Pacific Golden Plover | Pluvialis fulva | U | U | ||
| Semi-palmated Plover | Charadrius mongolus* | C | C | C | |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | R | |||
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | C | U | C | |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | Limosa lapponica | ||||
| Black Turnstone | Arenaria melanocephala | R | R | ||
| Red Knot | Calidris canutus | I | |||
| Sanderling | Calidris alba | R | R | ||
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | Calidris pusilla | U | R | U | |
| Baird's Sandpiper | Calidris bairdii | R | R | ||
| Sharp-tailed Sandpiper | Calidris acuminata | R | |||
| Long-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus scolopaceus | R | |||
| Common Snipe | Gallinago gallinago* | C | C | C | |
| Pomarine Jaeger | Stercorarius pomarinus | ||||
| Parasitic Jaeger | Stercorarius parasiticus* | C | C | C | |
| Long-tailed Jaeger | Stercorarius longicaudus | U | R | R | |
| Franklin's Gull | Larus pipixcan | ||||
| Common Black-headed Gull | Larus ridibundus | ||||
| Ring-billed Gull | Larus delawarensis | I | I | I | |
| Glaucous-winged Gull | Larus glaucescens* | A | A | A | |
| Sabine's Gull | Xema sabini | I | I | ||
| Snowy Owl | Nyctea scandiaca | I | I | ||
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus* | U | U | U | R |
| Rough-legged Hawk | Buteo lagopus* | R | R | C | |
Rivers,Lakes and Marshes Birds
| Common Name | Scientific Name | S | S | F | W |
| Greater White-fronted Goose | Anser albifrons | A | U | U | |
| Snow Goose | Chen caerulescens | A | R | ||
| Brant | Branta bernicla | R | I | R | |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis* | A | C | C | |
| Trumpeter Swan | Cygnus buccinator* | C | C | C | R |
| American Wigeon | Anas americana* | A | C | C | R |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos* | A | C | C | R |
| Northern Shoveler | Anas clypeata* | C | U | C | |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta* | A | C | C | |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas crecca* | A | C | C | |
| Canvasback | Aythya valisineria | R | I | R | |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris* | R | R | R | |
| Greater Scaup | Aythya marila* | C | U | C | U |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | R | R | ||
| Harlequin Duck | Histrionicus histrionicus* | U | U | U | I |
| Surf Scoter | Melanitta perspicillata* | C | C | C | |
| White-winged Scoter | Melanitta fusca* | R | R | R | |
| Black Scoter | Melanitta nigra | R | R | R | |
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola | R | R | U | |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula* | C | C | C | C |
| Barrow's Goldeneye | Bucephala islandica* | C | C | C | U |
| Common Merganser | Mergus merganser* | C | C | C | C |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator* | U | U | U | |
| Red-throated Loon | Gavia stellata* | U | U | U | |
| Pacific Loon | Gavia pacifica* | U | U | U | |
| Common Loon | Gavia immer* | C | C | C | |
| Horned Grebe | Podiceps auritus* | U | C | C | |
| Red-necked Grebe | Podiceps grisegena* | U | C | C | |
| Great Blue Heron |
Ardea herodias | I | |||
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus* | R | R | R | |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus* | C | C | C | C |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus* | C | U | C | |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | U | U | U | U |
| Sandhill Crane | Grus canadensis* | A | C | C | |
| Black-bellied Plover | Pluvialis squatarola | U | R | ||
| American Golden Plover | Pluvialis dominica | U | R | ||
| Pacific Golden Plover | Pluvialis fulva | U | U | ||
| Semi-palmated Plover | Charadrius mongolus* | C | C | C | |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularia* | C | C | C | |
| Wandering Tattler | Heteroscelus incanus* | U | U | U | |
| Greater Yellowlegs | Tringa melanoleuca* | C | C | C | |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | Tringa flavipes* | C | C | C | |
| Whimbrel | Numenius phaeopus | C | U | C | |
| Hudsonian Godwit | Limosa haemastica* | C | C | U | |
| Western Sandpiper | Calidris mauri | U | R | U | |
| Least Sandpiper | Calidris minutilla* | C | C | C | |
| Pectoral Sandpiper | Calidris melanotos | C | U | C | |
| Dunlin | Calidris alpina | U | R | ||
| Short-billed Dowitcher | Limnodromus griseus | C | C | C | |
| Red-necked Phalarope | Phalaropus lobatus* | C | C | U | |
| Bonaparte's Gull | Larus philadelphia* | C | C | C | |
| Mew Gull | Larus canus* | A | A | A | |
| Arctic Tern | Sterna paradisaea* | C | C | U | |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus* | U | U | U | R |
| Belted Kingfisher | Ceryle alcyon* | U | U | U | I |
| Northwestern Crow | Corvus caurinus | R | R | R | R |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris* | U | U | U | |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor* | C | C | R | |
| Violet-green Swallow | Tachycineta thalassina* | C | C | R | |
| Cliff Swallow | Hirundo pyrrhonota* | U | U | U | |
| American Dipper | Cinclus mexicanus* | U | U | U | U |
| American Pipit | Anthus rubescens* | C | C | C | |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis* | C | C | C | |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia* | R | R | R | |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii* | C | C | C | |
| Red-throated Loon | Gavia stellata* | U | U | U | |
| Yellow-billed loon | Gavia adamsii | U | U | U | |
| Pied Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | A | A | A | |
| Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis | A | A | A | |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis | A | A | A | |
| Tundra Swan | Cygnus columbianus | C | C | ||
| Emperor Goose | Chen canagica | I | I | I | |
| Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors | R | I | R | |
| Cinnamon Teal | Anas cyanoptera | ||||
| Gadwall | Anas strepera | R | I | R | |
| Eurasian Wigeon | Anas penelope | R | |||
| Redhead | Aythya americana | R | R | ||
| Common Eider | Somateria mollissima | ||||
| Oldsquaw | Clangula hyemalis | I | |||
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola | R | R | U | |
| Solitary Sandpiper | Tringa solitaria* | U | U | U | |
| Ruddy Turnstone | Arenaria interpres | R | R | ||
| Bank Swallow | Riparia riparia* | C | C | C | |
Forest Birds
| Common Name | Scientific Name | S | S | F | W |
| Spruce Grouse | Dendragapus canadensis* | C | C | C | C |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus* | C | C | C | |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis* | U | U | U | U |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | C | C | C | |
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus* | C | C | C | C |
| Northern Hawk-Owl | Surnia ulula | U | U | U | U |
| Great Gray Owl | Strix nebulosa | R | R | R | R |
| Boreal Owl | Aegolius funereus* | U | U | U | U |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus* | R | R | R | R |
| Rufous Hummingbird | Selasphorus rufus | R | R | R | |
| Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens* | C | C | C | C |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus* | C | C | C | C |
| Three-toed Woodpecker | Picoides tridactylus* | C | C | C | C |
| Black-backed Woodpecker | Picoides arcticus* | R | R | R | R |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus* | R | R | R | R |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus borealis* | U | U | U | |
| Western Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus* | U | U | U | |
| Alder Flycatcher | Empidonax alnorum* | C | C | C | |
| Northern Shrike | Lanius excubitor* | U | U | U | R |
| Gray Jay | Perisoreus canadensis* | C | C | C | C |
| Steller's Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri | R | R | R | I |
| Black-billed Magpie | Pica pica* | C | C | C | C |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax* | C | C | C | C |
| Black-capped Chickadee | Parus atricapillus* | C | C | C | C |
| Boreal Chickadee | Parus hudsonicus* | C | C | C | C |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta canadensis | U | U | U | U |
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana* | U | U | U | U |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | Regulus satrapa* | R | R | U | R |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula* | C | C | C | R |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | Catharus minimus* | C | C | C | |
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | C | C | C | |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus* | C | C | C | |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius* | C | C | C | |
| Varied Thrush | Ixoreus naevius* | C | C | C | |
| Bohemian Waxwing | Bombycilla garrulus* | U | U | U | R |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata* | C | C | C | |
| Yellow Warbler | Dendroica petechia* | U | U | U | |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | Dendroica coronata* | C | C | C | I |
| Townsend's Warbler | Dendroica townsendi* | U | U | U | |
| Blackpoll Warbler | Dendroica striata* | U | U | U | |
| Northern Waterthrush | Seiurus noveboracensis* | U | U | U | |
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla* | U | U | U | |
| American Tree Sparrow | Spizella arborea* | U | U | U | |
| Fox Sparrow | Passerella iliaca* | C | C | C | |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys* | C | C | C | R |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia atricapilla* | C | C | C | R |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis* | C | C | C | |
| Pine Grosbeak | Pinicola enucleator* | U | U | U | U |
| White-winged Crossbill | Loxia leucoptera* | U | U | U | U |
| Common Redpoll | Carduelis flammea* | C | C | C | C |
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus* | C | C | C | C |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | I | |||
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | U | U | U | U |
| Ruffed Grouse | Bonasa umbellus* | R | R | R | R |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaidura macroura | I | I | ||
| Red-breasted Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus ruber | R | R | R | |
| Say's Pheobe | Sayornis phoebe* | R | R | R | |
Mountain Top Birds
Birds nesting locally are identified with an *.
Seasons: (across the top)
| S=spring (Apr-May) | S=summer (Jun-Jul) | F=fall (Aug-Oct) | W=winter (Nov-Mar) |
Abundance: The abundance of each species is listed by the following letters:
| A | = | Abundant | I | = | Irregular |
| C | = | Common | + | = | Accidental |
| U | = | Uncommon | ( ) | = | never observed on KNWR |
| R | = | Rare |
