Backyard birds in Anchorage, Alaska
Which birds visit Anchorage yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Anchorage's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 61.218°, -149.900°
- Population
- 289,600
- June 21 daylight
- 19 h 23 min
- December 21 daylight
- 5 h 27 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:41 AM / 4:19 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 1a–8a
Nesting timing in Anchorage
The state guides give nesting windows for Alaska as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 61.5°N). Anchorage is at 61.2°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Anchorage goes from 5 h 27 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 19 h 23 min in June, a 13 h 55 min swing.
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Robin — state window May–July
- Dark-eyed Junco — state window June–July
- Song Sparrow — state window May–August
- Chipping Sparrow — state window May–July
- Northern Flicker — state window May–June; box hole 2 1/2 in
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker — state window June
- Red-breasted Nuthatch — state window June; box hole 1 1/4 in
Birds you can expect in Anchorage
Year-round residents (26)
Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Pine Siskins, Steller's Jays, Black-billed Magpies, Canada Jays, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Common Ravens, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Great Horned Owls, Mallards, Belted Kingfishers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Black-backed Woodpeckers, American Three-toed Woodpeckers, Hoary Redpolls, White-winged Crossbills, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finchs, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (49)
American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Redpolls, Cedar Waxwings, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Tree Sparrows, Rufous Hummingbirds, Mountain Bluebirds, Say's Phoebes, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Varied Thrushs, Violet-green Swallows, American Kestrels, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Warbling Vireos, Least Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Canada Gooses, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, Ospreys, Merlins, Savannah Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Horned Larks, Common Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings, Rusty Blackbirds
When to watch: dawn chorus in Anchorage
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Anchorage, sunrise is around 6:41 AM in mid-April, 4:19 AM at the June solstice and 10:13 AM in late December (local time, America/Anchorage). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Anchorage yards
Catkin seed feeds redpolls and siskins all winter.
Cone crops drive winter irruptions of finches and crossbills.
Persistent cones in boreal bogs.
Deciduous conifer with small cones for siskins and redpolls.
Early catkins draw insects for arriving warblers and hummingbirds.
Catkin seed for redpolls on the tundra.
Tall magenta spikes are a key northern hummingbird flower.
White fruit and red winter stems; good thicket cover.
Nearby cities in Alaska
- Eagle River — 13 mi away, nesting about the same time as Anchorage
- Badger — 258 mi away, nesting roughly 14 days later than Anchorage
- Fairbanks — 259 mi away, nesting roughly 14 days later than Anchorage
- Juneau — 573 mi away, nesting roughly 12 days earlier than Anchorage
Frequently asked
What birds live in Anchorage all year?
Year-round residents across Alaska include Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine Siskin. All of them visit backyard feeders in Anchorage.
When do birds start nesting in Anchorage?
Anchorage sits at a different latitude from Alaska's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Anchorage?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Anchorage, sunrise is around 6:41 AM in mid-April and 4:19 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Alaska
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.