Backyard birds in Seattle, Washington
Which birds visit Seattle yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Seattle's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 47.606°, -122.332°
- Population
- 780,995
- June 21 daylight
- 15 h 59 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 26 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:22 AM / 5:11 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 4a–9a
Nesting timing in Seattle
The state guides give nesting windows for Washington as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 47.3°N). Seattle is at 47.6°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. Seattle goes from 8 h 26 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 15 h 59 min in June, a 7 h 34 min swing.
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window April–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window May–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window May–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
- House Finch — state window April–August
- Purple Finch — state window May–July
- Mourning Dove — state window March–September
Birds you can expect in Seattle
Year-round residents (38)
Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Finchs, Purple Finchs, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Steller's Jays, Black-billed Magpies, Canada Jays, Mountain Chickadees, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Bushtits, Pygmy Nuthatchs, Anna's Hummingbirds, Cassin's Finchs, Spotted Towhees, California Quail, Bewick's Wrens, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Varied Thrushs, Eurasian Collared-Doves
Summer breeders (17)
Purple Martins, House Wrens, Chipping Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Kingbirds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Rufous Hummingbirds, Lesser Goldfinchs, Western Bluebirds, Mountain Bluebirds, Say's Phoebes, Violet-green Swallows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli Buntings, Bullock's Orioles
Winter visitors (3)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows
Mild, wet winters on the Puget Sound; cold winters in the east.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Seattle
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Seattle, sunrise is around 6:22 AM in mid-April, 5:11 AM at the June solstice and 7:54 AM in late December (local time, America/Los Angeles). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Seattle yards
Tubular flowers for hummingbirds and seed heads for finches.
Prolific seed heads for finches and sparrows.
Annual native sunflower — the original feeder seed.
Native bunchgrass; winter seed and ground cover for sparrows and juncos.
Insect-rich in fall and seed in winter.
Catkin seed feeds redpolls and siskins all winter.
Dark summer fruit and heavy caterpillar load.
Berry-like cones feed bluebirds, solitaires and waxwings in winter.
Nearby cities in Washington
- Bellevue — 6 mi away, nesting about the same time as Seattle
- Bainbridge Island — 9 mi away, nesting about the same time as Seattle
- Burien — 9 mi away, nesting about the same time as Seattle
- Renton — 10 mi away, nesting about the same time as Seattle
- Shoreline — 10 mi away, nesting about the same time as Seattle
- Bothell — 12 mi away, nesting about the same time as Seattle
Frequently asked
What birds live in Seattle all year?
Year-round residents across Washington include Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Seattle.
When do birds start nesting in Seattle?
Seattle sits at a different latitude from Washington'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 Seattle?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Seattle, sunrise is around 6:22 AM in mid-April and 5:11 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Washington
- 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.