Northwest Territories · 60.00°N

Birds of Fort Smith

What has actually been seen around Fort Smith: 159 species, the most recorded backyard birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 159 within 6 mi
Observation records: 3,784 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Common Raven
Busiest month: May
Elevation: 673 ft
Daylight, June / December: 18.9 h / 5.9 h

What the records say about Fort Smith

159 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Fort Smith (Northwest Territories) since 2010, across 3,784 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Common Raven, American White Pelican and Black-capped Chickadee.

Fort Smith is backyard-bird country: 73% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin and Canada Jay make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including American Kestrel, Great Horned Owl and Bald Eagle.

Records peak in May and are lowest in December — about 18.3 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Fort Chipewyan, 93 mi to the south, has more species on record (189 against 159). Birds logged far more often around Fort Smith than there include American White Pelican, Canada Jay, Hairy Woodpecker and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Daylight runs from 18 h 52 min at midsummer to 5 h 52 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:13 AM in mid-April and 4:02 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Fort Smith

#	Bird	Records
1	Common RavenCorvus corax	429
2	American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos	173
3	Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus	166
4	American RobinTurdus migratorius	153
5	Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis	123
6	Common RedpollAcanthis flammea	112
7	Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina	101
8	American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos	95
9	Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis	93
10	Canada GooseBranta canadensis	80
11	Yellow-rumped WarblerSetophaga coronata	80
12	Boreal ChickadeePoecile hudsonicus	77
13	American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus	77
14	Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus	76
15	Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis	75
16	Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota	74
17	Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator	65
18	White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis	64
19	Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertina	61
20	Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus	55

Records by month

What to put out in Fort Smith

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

Common Raven
Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps
Black-capped Chickadee
Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts
American Robin
Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets
Canada Jay
Suet · Peanuts
Common Redpoll
Nyjer · Hulled sunflower
Chipping Sparrow
Millet · Hulled sunflower chips

Seasonal bird notes for Northwest Territories

What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for Canadian backyards. One email a month at most.

Nearby places

Frequently asked

What birds visit backyards in Fort Smith?

The most recorded backyard birds within 6 mi of Fort Smith are Common Raven, Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, Canada Jay and Common Redpoll, based on 3,784 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Fort Smith?

159 species have at least one record within 6 mi of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Fort Smith?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:02 AM.

Sources

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.