Northwest Territories bird checklist
307 bird species in 54 families have been recorded in Northwest Territories, according to eBird; about 235 of them are seen regularly, and the rest are rarities, vagrants and escaped or introduced birds. Download the full list as a PDF, or tick birds off on your phone, with counts and notes, even without signal.
Download the PDF (307 species)
Species data: eBird.org, updated · How these lists are made
The most common birds in Northwest Territories right now
1Ring-billed Gull
2House Sparrow
3Mallard
4Lesser Scaup
5Dark-eyed Junco
6Red-breasted Merganser
7Common Raven
8American Crow
9Cackling Goose
10Hooded Merganser
Northwest Territories bird checklist
307 species · loading the checklist tools…
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
- Snow Goose
- Ross's Goose
- Graylag Goose
- Greater White-fronted Goose
- Brant
- Cackling Goose
- Canada Goose
- Trumpeter Swan
- Tundra Swan
- Blue-winged Teal
- Cinnamon Teal
- Northern Shoveler
- Gadwall
- Eurasian Wigeon
- American Wigeon
- Mallard
- Northern Pintail
- Green-winged Teal
- Canvasback
- Redhead
- Ring-necked Duck
- Greater Scaup
- Lesser Scaup
- King Eider
- Common Eider
- Harlequin Duck
- Surf Scoter
- White-winged Scoter
- Black Scoter
- Long-tailed Duck
- Bufflehead
- Common Goldeneye
- Barrow's Goldeneye
- Hooded Merganser
- Common Merganser
- Red-breasted Merganser
- Ruddy Duck
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
- Ruffed Grouse
- Dusky Grouse
- Sharp-tailed Grouse
- White-tailed Ptarmigan
- Willow Ptarmigan
- Rock Ptarmigan
- Spruce Grouse
Pigeons and Doves
- Rock Pigeon
- Passenger Pigeon
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- White-winged Dove
- Mourning Dove
Nightjars and Allies
- Common Nighthawk
Hummingbirds
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Calliope Hummingbird
- Rufous Hummingbird
Rails, Gallinules, and Coots
- Sora
- American Coot
- Yellow Rail
Cranes
- Sandhill Crane
- Whooping Crane
Stilts and Avocets
- American Avocet
Plovers and Lapwings
- Black-bellied Plover
- American Golden-Plover
- Pacific Golden-Plover
- Killdeer
- Semipalmated Plover
Sandpipers and Allies
- Upland Sandpiper
- Hudsonian Whimbrel
- Eskimo Curlew
- Long-billed Curlew
- Bar-tailed Godwit
- Hudsonian Godwit
- Short-billed Dowitcher
- Long-billed Dowitcher
- Wilson's Snipe
- Wilson's Phalarope
- Red Phalarope
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Spotted Sandpiper
- Solitary Sandpiper
- Wandering Tattler
- Lesser Yellowlegs
- Willet
- Greater Yellowlegs
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Red Knot
- Surfbird
- Stilt Sandpiper
- Red-necked Stint
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper
- Sanderling
- Dunlin
- Purple Sandpiper
- Baird's Sandpiper
- White-rumped Sandpiper
- Least Sandpiper
- Pectoral Sandpiper
- Western Sandpiper
- Semipalmated Sandpiper
Skuas and Jaegers
- Long-tailed Jaeger
- Parasitic Jaeger
- Pomarine Jaeger
Auks, Murres, and Puffins
- Least Auklet
- Black Guillemot
- Dovekie
- Thick-billed Murre
Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Black-legged Kittiwake
- Ivory Gull
- Sabine's Gull
- Bonaparte's Gull
- Black-headed Gull
- Franklin's Gull
- Black-tailed Gull
- Short-billed Gull
- Ring-billed Gull
- American Herring Gull
- Glaucous Gull
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- California Gull
- Glaucous-winged Gull
- Slaty-backed Gull
- Iceland Gull
- Caspian Tern
- Black Tern
- Forster's Tern
- Arctic Tern
- Common Tern
Grebes
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Horned Grebe
- Red-necked Grebe
- Eared Grebe
Loons
- Red-throated Loon
- Pacific Loon
- Common Loon
- Yellow-billed Loon
Shearwaters and Petrels
- Northern Fulmar
- Short-tailed Shearwater
Boobies and Gannets
- Northern Gannet
Cormorants and Shags
- Double-crested Cormorant
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- American Bittern
- Snowy Egret
- Western Cattle-Egret
- Great Egret
- Great Blue Heron
Pelicans
- American White Pelican
New World Vultures
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
Osprey
- Osprey
Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
- Golden Eagle
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Cooper's Hawk
- American Goshawk
- Northern Harrier
- Bald Eagle
- Broad-winged Hawk
- Swainson's Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Rough-legged Hawk
Owls
- Snowy Owl
- Great Horned Owl
- Northern Hawk Owl
- Burrowing Owl
- Barred Owl
- Great Gray Owl
- Long-eared Owl
- Short-eared Owl
- Boreal Owl
- Northern Saw-whet Owl
Kingfishers
- Belted Kingfisher
Woodpeckers
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- American Three-toed Woodpecker
- Black-backed Woodpecker
- Downy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
Falcons and Caracaras
- American Kestrel
- Merlin
- Gyrfalcon
- Peregrine Falcon
Old World Parrots
- Budgerigar
Tyrant Flycatchers
- Olive-sided Flycatcher
- Western Wood-Pewee
- Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
- Alder Flycatcher
- Least Flycatcher
- Hammond's Flycatcher
- Dusky Flycatcher
- Eastern Phoebe
- Say's Phoebe
- Ash-throated Flycatcher
- Great Crested Flycatcher
- Western Kingbird
- Eastern Kingbird
Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis
- Blue-headed Vireo
- Philadelphia Vireo
- Western Warbling Vireo
- Red-eyed Vireo
Shrikes
- Northern Shrike
Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- Canada Jay
- Blue Jay
- Black-billed Magpie
- American Crow
- Common Raven
Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Boreal Chickadee
- Gray-headed Chickadee
Larks
- Horned Lark
Swallows
- Bank Swallow
- Tree Swallow
- Violet-green Swallow
- Barn Swallow
- Cliff Swallow
Leaf Warblers
- Kamchatka Leaf Warbler
Kinglets
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
Nuthatches
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
Treecreepers
- Brown Creeper
Wrens
- Rock Wren
- Northern House Wren
- Winter Wren
- Marsh Wren
Dippers
- American Dipper
Starlings
- European Starling
Mockingbirds and Thrashers
- Gray Catbird
- Brown Thrasher
- Northern Mockingbird
Thrushes and Allies
- Mountain Bluebird
- Townsend's Solitaire
- Varied Thrush
- Gray-cheeked Thrush
- Swainson's Thrush
- Hermit Thrush
- American Robin
Old World Flycatchers
- Northern Wheatear
Waxwings
- Bohemian Waxwing
- Cedar Waxwing
Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow
Wagtails and Pipits
- Gray Wagtail
- Eastern Yellow Wagtail
- American Pipit
Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Brambling
- Evening Grosbeak
- Pine Grosbeak
- Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
- House Finch
- Purple Finch
- Redpoll
- Red Crossbill
- White-winged Crossbill
- Pine Siskin
- American Goldfinch
Longspurs and Snow Buntings
- Lapland Longspur
- Smith's Longspur
- Snow Bunting
New World Sparrows
- Chipping Sparrow
- Clay-colored Sparrow
- Lark Sparrow
- American Tree Sparrow
- Fox Sparrow
- Dark-eyed Junco
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Golden-crowned Sparrow
- Harris's Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Vesper Sparrow
- LeConte's Sparrow
- Nelson's Sparrow
- Savannah Sparrow
- Song Sparrow
- Lincoln's Sparrow
- Swamp Sparrow
Troupials and Allies
- Yellow-headed Blackbird
- Bobolink
- Western Meadowlark
- Baltimore Oriole
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Brown-headed Cowbird
- Rusty Blackbird
- Brewer's Blackbird
- Common Grackle
New World Warblers
- Ovenbird
- Northern Waterthrush
- Black-and-white Warbler
- Tennessee Warbler
- Orange-crowned Warbler
- Nashville Warbler
- Connecticut Warbler
- Mourning Warbler
- Common Yellowthroat
- American Redstart
- Cape May Warbler
- Magnolia Warbler
- Bay-breasted Warbler
- Northern Yellow Warbler
- Blackpoll Warbler
- Palm Warbler
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Townsend's Warbler
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Canada Warbler
- Wilson's Warbler
Cardinals and Allies
- Western Tanager
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak
- Blue Grosbeak
- Lazuli Bunting
- Indigo Bunting
- Dickcissel
Most common birds in Northwest Territories
Ranked by how recently and how widely each was reported to eBird in the 30 days to 2026-10-13, and whether it is one of Northwest Territories’s regular birds. The list follows the seasons: migrants rise in spring and autumn.
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Common RavenCorvus corax
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Common MerganserMergus merganser
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Snow GooseAnser caerulescens
Largest bird families in Northwest Territories
Among its regular birds.
- Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl35
- Sandpipers and Allies26
- Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers19
- New World Sparrows15
- New World Warblers14
- Finches, Euphonias, and Allies10
- Hawks, Eagles, and Kites9
- Troupials and Allies9
Reported in the last 30 days
89 species reported to eBird in Northwest Territories in the 30 days to 2026-10-13. The 40 most recently reported:
Hairy Woodpecker, Spruce Grouse, Redpoll, Ring-billed Gull, Cackling Goose, Black-billed Magpie, American Tree Sparrow, American Herring Gull, American Three-toed Woodpecker, California Gull, Common Raven, Mallard, House Sparrow, Bald Eagle, Black-capped Chickadee, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Lesser Scaup, Hooded Merganser, Dark-eyed Junco, American Crow, Ruffed Grouse, Snow Bunting, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Pine Grosbeak, Common Merganser, American Robin, Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Pileated Woodpecker, White-winged Crossbill, American Goshawk, Common Loon, Greater Scaup, Black-backed Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, Tundra Swan, Great Horned Owl, Barrow's Goldeneye, Rough-legged Hawk, …
Get to know some of them
American Tree Sparrow
Bald Eagle
American Robin
Black-capped Chickadee
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Snow Bunting
Greater Scaup
Northern Pintail
Snow Goose
California Gull
Canada Goose
White-winged Crossbill
Black-billed Magpie