The last seven days on iNaturalist, checked against five years
Rare Birds in Washington This Week
Washington logged 367,791 confirmed bird sightings across 469 species on iNaturalist in five years, and 56 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings. The live list near Seattle covers 25 miles around the city. The Washington Bird Records Committee reviews rare bird records here.
Near Seattle
Rare birds near Seattle this week
Every bird posted within 25 miles of Seattle in the last seven days, with the ones that are rare there, out of season or uncommon first and the reason for each.
Reading this week's bird sightings within 25 miles of Seattle from iNaturalist.
Somewhere else in Washington? Enter your ZIP for the circle around it.
Washington birds on the record
iNaturalist, research grade
367,791
Confirmed bird sightings
research grade iNaturalist records, five years
469
Bird species on record
seen and confirmed in Washington
56
Species seen 3 times or fewer
12 percent of the state list, the birds that make news
25 mi
Live circle
around Seattle, or any ZIP you enter
Counted from iNaturalist’s research grade bird records in Washington from October 9, 2021 to October 1, 2026, read October 9, 2026.
Across Washington
The whole state this week
Every bird reported anywhere in Washington in the last seven days, checked against the state’s own five year record: Rare here means 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the whole state.
Reading this week's bird sightings across Washington from iNaturalist.
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What turns up here
Who confirms a rare bird in Washington
469 bird species have confirmed iNaturalist records in Washington over five years, and 56 of them were confirmed 3 times or fewer. A sighting of one of those is the kind a state records committee reviews before it joins the official list.
Washington Bird Records Committee
The committee reviews rare bird records in Washington.
“The Review List consists of birds with 20 or fewer records during the previous 10-year period.”
Birders and photographers setting up on an overlook. Word of an unusual bird travels this way: one person posts a photograph, and the people nearby go and look. “Birdwatchers stop to set up equipment at overlook”, Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
Washington rare bird questions
The lists above, read live from iNaturalist: first the birds within 25 miles of Seattle, then the whole state. Each species is checked against five years of confirmed sightings, and the most unusual come first.
469 bird species in 367,791 confirmed iNaturalist sightings between 2021-10-09 and 2026-10-01. 56 of those species have 3 or fewer confirmed sightings in the state, so a new one of them is news.
Near Seattle or your own ZIP, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings within 25 miles in five years, or one that is seen there but almost never in these weeks of the year. On the statewide list, a species with 3 or fewer confirmed sightings anywhere in Washington.
The Washington Bird Records Committee. From its page: “The Review List consists of birds with 20 or fewer records during the previous 10-year period.”
Enter your ZIP on the rare bird alert for a list around your own spot, and check it each week in spring and fall migration, when most strays turn up. Each bird links to its iNaturalist species page with photographs and a range map.
Yes, for this week only, because confirmation takes days and a rare bird may be gone by then. The five year record the week is checked against counts research grade sightings only.
Sightings and records from iNaturalist, read live for this week. The lists are built from counts per species, and each bird links to its species page. For your own spot, enter a ZIP on the rare bird alert.
