NextGen Council | Seattle Christmas Bird Count
The 2025 Seattle Christmas Bird Count took place on December 14 and delivered another strong year of data, community participation, and insight into bird populations across the region. Thank you to everyone who contributed their time and observations to this long-standing citizen science effort. This year’s count recorded 130 bird species, slightly above the 10-year average of 127 species. Observers also tallied 54,086 individual birds, making 2025 the second-highest bird total of the past decade and more than 1,000 birds higher than last year’s count.
The 2025 Seattle Christmas Bird Count was powered by an impressive 322 participants, including:
-
281 observers in the field
-
46 at-home counters
With more than 300 participants, this marks only the third time in over 100 years that the Seattle CBC has reached this level of engagement.
For detailed species accounts, trends, and analysis, explore the full 2025 Christmas Bird Count report, compiled and written by longtime data compiler Matt Bartels.
Related Articles
Preventable Bird-Window Collision Kills Peregrine Fledgling
Urban Raptor Conservancy and Birds Connect Seattle are heartbroken to share news of the death of one of the 1201 Third Avenue peregrine falcon fledglings due to a bird-window collision in downtown Seattle.
Investing in Science, Access, and Community: Thank You to 4Culture
Birds Connect Seattle is honored to receive two 4Culture grants supporting science-based education, community access, and inclusive bird conservation programs across King County.
Neighborhood Bird Project Report Species Highlight #5: Cliff Swallow
Cliff swallows are hyper social aerial insectivores that nest in large colonies. One such colony in Magnuson Park was removed in 2010, leading to the crash of Cliff Swallow populations in the park.