Alaska Bird photos
Common murre spreads its wings before taking flight on the waters of Prince William Sound, southcentral Alaska. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Alaska’s birds
Alaska is unique in providing a habitat for many migratory birds that choose its food-rich land to raise their young. Owls, swans, cranes, songbirds, and many more arrive in spring, and after a summer of sunlight and successful parenting, head south for warmer weather in the autumn. Some fly incredible distances in favor of the abundant daylight and plentiful food availability. All the Alaska bird photos here are available for purchase as stock photography or fine art prints to display in your home or office.
Great Horned owl perched on the branch of a birch tree in the boreal forest of Fairbanks, Alaska (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
Common redpolls are ubiquitous birds throughout Alaska’s Interior and Arctic regions. They inhabit the boreal forest and Arctic tundra and travel in flocks. They can survive in freezing weather and tunnel into the snow to stay warm during cold nights. They are one of the birds that overwinter in Alaska. They are beautiful birds, known for their bright red breast and crown during mating plumage.
Common Redpoll on a spruce branch, Fairbanks, Alaska (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea)
The Arctic tern is a slender and graceful flying birth that migrates up to 25,000 miles between its summer breeding range in Alaska’s Arctic to the wintering grounds in Antarctica.
Arctic tern hovering in flight, Alaska Range, Interior, Alaska. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)
Ruffed grouse forage in Alaska’s boreal forest floor, seeking seeds and insects. Males drum by beating their winds, often while standing on a log. During the winter, the birds can be seen eating buds on deciduous trees of the boreal forest.
Ruffed grouse feeds on quaking aspen tree buds in winter, Fairbanks, Alaska (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Ravens are among the smartest of all birds. They are entirely black, with a large beak. Scientists have defined their vocalizations into as many as 33 different categories. They are a bird that often appears in Native Alaska mythology and lore.
Common raven on the snowy tundra in the Arctic, Alaska. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
Red-necked grebe and chick riding on the back, Flat Lake, Alaska. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Tundra swan (Cygnus columbianus)
Tundra swan migrates through Solomon, Seward Peninsula, western Arctic, Alaska, during the autumn migration. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
Flocks of shorebirds, dominated by Western sandpipers, fly to the shores of Hartney Bay, Copper River Delta, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, to refuel during their migration to their summer nesting grounds. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)
Colorful male king eider duck in breeding plumage, swimming in a tundra pond in Alaska’s Arctic. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri)
Drake, or male spectacled eider in breeding plumage, swims in a tundra pond on Alaska’s arctic north slope. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
An inquisitive short-eared owl stares intently while standing on a rocky surface on Alaska’s Arctic North Slope. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Great grey owl (Strix nebulosa)
Great grey owl in black spruce trees, southcentral Alaska. (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus)
Willow ptarmigan on the snowy tundra of the Alaska Arctic. (Patrick J Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)
Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata)
Tufted puffins, St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Two species live in Alaskan waters: the Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) and the Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata). (Patrick J. Endres / AlaskaPhotoGraphics.com)