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

60 birds were recorded seen in Alaska in January in our iNaturalist sample; 2 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 January

Common Raven178 obs.

Bald Eagle175 obs.

Common Merganser121 obs.

Redpoll101 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee83 obs.

Black-billed Magpie81 obs.

Pine Grosbeak76 obs.

Pacific Loon66 obs.

Trumpeter Swan66 obs.

Bohemian Waxwing60 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco56 obs.

Mallard55 obs.

All birds seen in Alaska in January

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	178	Jul (rising)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	175	Jul (rising)
3	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	121	Jul (rising)
4	Redpoll	Acanthis flammea	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	101	Jun (rising)
5	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	83	Jul (rising)
6	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	81	Jul (rising)
7	Pine Grosbeak	Pinicola enucleator	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	76	Jun (rising)
8	Pacific Loon	Gavia pacifica	Loons	66	Jun (rising)
9	Trumpeter Swan	Cygnus buccinator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	66	Jun (rising)
10	Bohemian Waxwing	Bombycilla garrulus	Waxwings	60	Jan (peak)
11	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	56	Jun (rising)
12	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	55	May (rising)
13	American Dipper	Cinclus mexicanus	Dippers	52	Jun (rising)
14	Barrow's Goldeneye	Bucephala islandica	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	May (rising)
15	Greater Scaup	Aythya marila	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	51	Jun (rising)
16	Surf Scoter	Melanitta perspicillata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	47	May (rising)
17	Pelagic Cormorant	Urile pelagicus	Cormorants and Shags	47	Jun (rising)
18	Glaucous-winged Gull	Larus glaucescens	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	45	Jul (rising)
19	Harlequin Duck	Histrionicus histrionicus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	45	Jun (rising)
20	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	45	Jun (rising)
21	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	44	Apr (rising)
22	Common Loon	Gavia immer	Loons	42	Jun (rising)
23	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	42	Aug (rising)
24	Common Murre	Uria aalge	Auks, Murres, and Puffins	40	Jul (rising)
25	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	39	Jun (rising)
26	Varied Thrush	Ixoreus naevius	Thrushes	39	Jun (rising)
27	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	36	Apr (rising)
28	Long-tailed Duck	Clangula hyemalis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	35	Jun (rising)
29	Short-billed Gull	Larus brachyrhynchus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	33	Jul (rising)
30	Lesser Scaup	Aythya affinis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	32	May (rising)
31	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	30	Jul (rising)
32	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	30	May (rising)
33	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	29	May (rising)
34	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	28	Aug (rising)
35	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	28	Nov (rising)
36	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	27	Jun (rising)
37	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	26	Jun (rising)
38	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	26	Aug (rising)
39	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	26	Aug (rising)
40	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	25	May (rising)
41	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	24	May (rising)
42	Anna's Hummingbird	Calypte anna	Hummingbirds	23	Jan (peak)
43	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	23	Mar (rising)
44	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	22	Mar (rising)
45	Eurasian Wigeon	Mareca penelope	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	22	May (rising)
46	Black Turnstone	Arenaria melanocephala	Sandpipers and Allies	20	Aug (rising)
47	Lincoln's Sparrow	Melospiza lincolnii	New World Sparrows	20	Jun (rising)
48	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	19	Jun (rising)
49	Black Oystercatcher	Haematopus bachmani	Oystercatchers	18	Jun (rising)
50	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	18	Jun (rising)

Birds Seen in Alaska in January

Top birds in January

All birds seen in Alaska in January