Backyard birds in Tri-Cities, Washington
Which birds visit Tri-Cities yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Tri-Cities's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 46.245°, -119.196°
- Population
- 244,036
- June 21 daylight
- 15 h 47 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 37 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:11 AM / 5:04 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 4 days earlier than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 4a–9a
Nesting timing in Tri-Cities
The state guides give nesting windows for Washington as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 47.3°N). Tri-Cities is at 46.2°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 4 days earlier than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Tri-Cities goes from 8 h 37 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 15 h 47 min in June, a 7 h 11 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 Tri-Cities
Year-round residents (73)
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, American Crows, Common Ravens, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Red Crossbills, Clark's Nutcrackers, Western Screech-Owls, Hooded Mergansers, Band-tailed Pigeons, Canada Gooses, American Coots, Killdeers, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Barn Owls, Lewis's Woodpeckers, Black-backed Woodpeckers, White-headed Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (42)
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, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Gray Catbirds, Western Tanagers, Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhees, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-breasted Chats, Orange-crowned Warblers, Warbling Vireos, Western Kingbirds, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Spotted Sandpipers, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Ospreys, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds
Winter visitors (9)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Pine Grosbeaks, Merlins, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Common Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings
Mild, wet winters on the Puget Sound; cold winters in the east.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Tri-Cities
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Tri-Cities, sunrise is around 6:11 AM in mid-April, 5:04 AM at the June solstice and 7:36 AM in late December (local time, America/Los Angeles). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Tri-Cities 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
- Richland — 5 mi away, nesting about the same time as Tri-Cities
- Sunnyside — 39 mi away, nesting about the same time as Tri-Cities
- Walla Walla — 43 mi away, nesting about the same time as Tri-Cities
- Moses Lake — 61 mi away, nesting roughly 4 days later than Tri-Cities
- Yakima — 67 mi away, nesting about the same time as Tri-Cities
- Ellensburg — 82 mi away, nesting roughly 3 days later than Tri-Cities
Frequently asked
What birds live in Tri-Cities 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 Tri-Cities.
When do birds start nesting in Tri-Cities?
Tri-Cities sits at a different latitude from Washington's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 4 days earlier than the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Tri-Cities?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Tri-Cities, sunrise is around 6:11 AM in mid-April and 5:04 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.