Birds in Alaska in April: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Alaska in April in our iNaturalist sample; 4 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in April

Trumpeter Swan159 obs.

Northern Pintail154 obs.

Greater White-fronted Goose153 obs.

Short-billed Gull151 obs.

Common Merganser146 obs.

Greater Yellowlegs141 obs.

Black-billed Magpie131 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee117 obs.

All birds seen in Alaska in April

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	419	Jul (rising)
2	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	254	May (rising)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	191	Jun (rising)
4	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	180	Jul (rising)
5	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	159	Jun (rising)
6	Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	154	May (rising)
7	Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	153	May (rising)
8	Short-billed Gull	Larus brachyrhynchus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	151	Jul (rising)
9	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	146	Jul (rising)
10	Greater Yellowlegs	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers and Allies	141	Aug (rising)
11	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	131	Jul (rising)
12	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	117	Jul (rising)
13	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	111	May (rising)
14	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	108	Apr (peak)
15	Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	99	May (rising)
16	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	99	Jun (rising)
17	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	89	May (rising)
18	Cackling Goose	Branta hutchinsii	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	88	May (rising)
19	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	87	Jun (rising)
20	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	86	Apr (peak)
21	Glaucous-winged Gull	Larus glaucescens	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	74	Jul (rising)
22	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	74	Apr (peak)
23	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	72	May (rising)
24	Bonaparte's Gull	Chroicocephalus philadelphia	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	66	Jul (rising)
25	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	66	May (rising)
26	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	65	Aug (rising)
27	Savannah Sparrow	Passerculus sandwichensis	New World Sparrows	64	Jun (rising)
28	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	63	Jun (rising)
29	Black-bellied Plover	Pluvialis squatarola	Plovers and Lapwings	61	Apr (peak)
30	American Dipper	Cinclus mexicanus	Dippers	58	Jun (rising)
31	Dunlin	Calidris alpina	Sandpipers and Allies	55	May (rising)
32	Black Turnstone	Arenaria melanocephala	Sandpipers and Allies	54	Aug (rising)
33	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	53	Jun (rising)
34	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	53	Jun (rising)
35	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Corthylio calendula	Kinglets	52	May (rising)
36	Pelagic Cormorant	Urile pelagicus	Cormorants and Shags	51	Jun (rising)
37	Western Sandpiper	Calidris mauri	Sandpipers and Allies	49	May (rising)
38	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	49	Jun (rising)
39	Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	49	Jun (rising)
40	Rufous Hummingbird	Selasphorus rufus	Hummingbirds	48	Jun (rising)
41	Golden-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia atricapilla	New World Sparrows	47	Jun (rising)
42	Red-breasted Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus ruber	Woodpeckers	47	Jun (rising)
43	Varied Thrush	Ixoreus naevius	Thrushes	46	Jun (rising)
44	Pigeon Guillemot	Cepphus columba	Auks, Murres, and Puffins	45	Jul (rising)
45	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	45	Jun (rising)
46	Surf Scoter	Melanitta perspicillata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	44	May (rising)
47	Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	New World Sparrows	43	Jun (rising)
48	Glaucous Gull	Larus hyperboreus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	42	Jun (rising)
49	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	42	May (rising)
50	Marbled Godwit	Limosa fedoa	Sandpipers and Allies	41	May (rising)

Birds Seen in Alaska in April

Top birds in April

All birds seen in Alaska in April