Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Sanctuary · United States

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Photo © USFWSAlaska

Photo © USFWSAlaska — CC0 1.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the North Pacific collides with Alaska's rugged coastline, a sprawling archipelago of islands, rocky outcrops, and coastal headlands forms one of North America's most remote and ecologically vital wildlife sanctuaries. The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge encompasses nearly 4.7 million acres across some of the state's most inhospitable terrain—a subarctic realm of perpetual moisture where the Cfc climate delivers precipitation year-round with no true dry season. Fog-shrouded islands rise from cold, nutrient-rich waters, their rocky slopes clothed in low-growing tundra vegetation, dwarf shrubs, and dense coastal grasses that cling to windswept terrain. Here, in this unforgiving landscape, seabirds congregate in colonies of staggering proportions, wheeling and diving through the maritime air above cliff faces and sea stacks. Marine mammals haul out on ice floes and rocky shores, while smaller vertebrates and invertebrates exploit every microhabitat this demanding environment permits. The refuge represents one of the planet's great seabird hotspots, a breeding ground where millions of birds return each spring to nest and raise their young in the brief window of plenty that the subarctic summer provides.

For wildlife photographers and serious birders willing to undertake the considerable logistical challenge of reaching these remote islands, few destinations on Earth offer comparable rewards. The light during the extended subarctic daylight hours—when summer days stretch to near-perpetual daylight—casts dramatic illumination across cliff colonies and open water, revealing the behavioural theatre of foraging seabirds and marine mammals in remarkable detail. Access requires charter boat or floatplane from mainland Alaska, and conditions demand respect; but those who make the journey encounter breeding aggregations of pelagic and coastal seabirds in densities rarely witnessed elsewhere, along with opportunities to observe pinnipeds and cetaceans in their natural maritime habitat. The refuge's isolation has preserved ecological relationships little changed over millennia, making it essential viewing for anyone seeking to witness subarctic coastal ecosystems at scale and in their most pristine form.

Website alaskamaritime.fws.gov/index.htm

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Bubo scandiacus

Aquila chrysaetos

Branta bernicla

Anser canagicus

Anser caerulescens

Tundra Bean Goose

Anser serrirostris

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Cygnus buccinator

Cygnus columbianus

Spatula querquedula

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Mareca strepera

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Anas platyrhynchos

Northern Pintail

Aythya fuligula

Somateria spectabilis

Somateria mollissima

Histrionicus histrionicus

White-winged Scoter

Melanitta deglandi

Melanitta americana

Long-tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis

Bucephala albeola

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Barrow's Goldeneye

Bucephala islandica

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Willow Ptarmigan

Lagopus lagopus

Cuculus canorus

Antigone canadensis

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Podiceps auritus

Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

Pluvialis squatarola

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Common Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticula

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponica

Black-tailed Godwit

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemastica

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Gallinago gallinago

Gallinago delicata

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Phalaropus fulicarius

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Terek Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Grey-tailed Tattler

Tringa brevipes

Wandering Tattler

Tringa glareola

Common Greenshank

Tringa nebularia

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Black Turnstone

Arenaria melanocephala

Calidris canutus

Calidris pugnax

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Calidris acuminata

Red-necked Stint

Calidris ruficollis

Calidris alpina

Calidris ptilocnemis

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Calidris minuta

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Sterna paradisaea

Rhodostethia rosea

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Black-headed Gull

Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Short-billed Gull

Larus brachyrhynchus

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Larus hyperboreus

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Glaucous-winged Gull

Larus glaucescens

Slaty-backed Gull

Larus schistisagus

Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

Fratercula cirrhata

Fratercula corniculata

Cassin's Auklet

Ptychoramphus aleuticus

Aethia cristatella

Parakeet Auklet

Aethia psittacula

Marbled Murrelet

Brachyramphus marmoratus

Black Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemot

Cepphus columba

Thick-billed Murre

Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

Red-throated Loon

Black-throated Loon

Yellow-billed Loon

Laysan Albatross

Phoebastria immutabilis

Black-footed Albatross

Phoebastria nigripes

Short-tailed Albatross

Phoebastria albatrus

Leach's Storm Petrel

Hydrobates leucorhous

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Pterodroma inexpectata

Sooty Shearwater

Red-faced Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

Rough-legged Buzzard

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

Short-eared Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

Falco columbarius

Northern Shrike

Lanius borealis

Black-billed Magpie

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Riparia riparia

Tachycineta bicolor

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Troglodytes pacificus

Ixoreus naevius

Catharus guttatus

Eyebrowed Thrush

Turdus obscurus

Grey-streaked Flycatcher

Muscicapa griseisticta

Dark-sided Flycatcher

Muscicapa sibirica

Luscinia svecica

Siberian Rubythroat

Calliope calliope

Taiga Flycatcher

Ficedula albicilla

Northern Wheatear

Oenanthe oenanthe

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Siberian Accentor

Prunella montanella

Eastern Yellow Wagtail

Motacilla tschutschensis

Red-throated Pipit

Anthus cervinus

Anthus rubescens

Fringilla montifringilla

Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Grey-crowned Rosy Finch

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Haemorhous purpureus

Acanthis flammea

Loxia curvirostra

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Plectrophenax nivalis

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

American Tree Sparrow

Spizelloides arborea

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Larus glaucoides

Branta canadensis

Taiga Bean Goose

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Aythya valisineria

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Steller's Eider

Polysticta stelleri

Spectacled Eider

Somateria fischeri

Melanitta perspicillata

Stejneger's Scoter

Melanitta stejnegeri

Chaetura pelagica

Porzana carolina

Fulica americana

American Golden Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Upland Sandpiper

Bartramia longicauda

Bristle-thighed Curlew

Numenius tahitiensis

Gallinago solitaria

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Marsh Sandpiper

Tringa stagnatilis

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Calidris virgata

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferruginea

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Calidris subruficollis

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Onychoprion aleuticus

Hydroprogne caspia

White-winged Tern

Chlidonias leucopterus

Red-legged Kittiwake

Rissa brevirostris

Pagophila eburnea

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Kittlitz's Murrelet

Brachyramphus brevirostris

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Great Blue Heron

Pandion haliaetus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Steller's Sea Eagle

Haliaeetus pelagicus

Aegolius funereus

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher

Empidonax flaviventris

Alder Flycatcher

Empidonax alnorum

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Bohemian Waxwing

Bombycilla garrulus

Bombycilla cedrorum

Boreal Chickadee

Poecile hudsonicus

Eremophila alpestris

Siberian House Martin

Delichon lagopodum

Phylloscopus fuscatus

Phylloscopus trochilus

Phylloscopus borealis

Middendorff's Grasshopper Warbler

Helopsaltes ochotensis

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Hylocichla mustelina

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Catharus minimus

Naumann's Thrush

Turdus naumanni

Turdus migratorius

Asian Brown Flycatcher

Muscicapa dauurica

Rufous-tailed Robin

Larvivora sibilans

Red-flanked Bluetail

Tarsiger cyanurus

Saxicola stejnegeri

Olive-backed Pipit

Anthus hodgsoni

Pallas's Rosefinch

Carpodacus roseus

Oriental Greenfinch

Two-barred Crossbill

Loxia leucoptera

McKay's Bunting

Plectrophenax hyperboreus

Emberiza leucocephalos

Emberiza rustica

Emberiza variabilis

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Dark-eyed Junco

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Cape May Warbler

Setophaga tigrina

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Blackpoll Warbler

Setophaga striata

Setophaga palmarum

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

South Polar Skua

Stercorarius maccormicki

Falco rusticolus

Eastern Warbling Vireo

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Spatula cyanoptera

Aythya americana

Oxyura jamaicensis

Dendragapus fuliginosus

Anna's Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Band-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas fasciata

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Rallus limicola

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Aechmophorus occidentalis

Charadrius vociferus

Larus occidentalis

California Gull

Larus californicus

Pink-footed Shearwater

Ardenna creatopus

Brandt's Cormorant

Urile penicillatus

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Mountain Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium gnoma

Western Screech Owl

Megascops kennicottii

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Picoides dorsalis

Hairy Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus villosus

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Sayornis phoebe

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Western Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Western Warbling Vireo

Vireo swainsoni

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Poecile rufescens

Hirundo rustica

Certhia americana

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

Passer montanus

Haemorhous cassinii

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Melospiza melodia

Melospiza georgiana

Pipilo maculatus

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Brown-headed Cowbird

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Setophaga coronata

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

American Black Duck

Canachites canadensis

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

Zenaida macroura

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Black-tailed Gull

Larus crassirostris

Heermann's Gull

Larus heermanni

Flesh-footed Shearwater

Ardenna carneipes

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

Lewis's Woodpecker

Melanerpes lewis

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Black-backed Woodpecker

Picoides arcticus

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Hammond's Flycatcher

Empidonax hammondii

American Dusky Flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

Vireo olivaceus

Philadelphia Vireo

Vireo philadelphicus

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo solitarius

Perisoreus canadensis

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Dumetella carolinensis

Passer domesticus

Evening Grosbeak

Hesperiphona vespertina

Smith's Longspur

Calcarius pictus

Chondestes grammacus

Clay-colored Sparrow

Spizella pallida

Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querula

LeConte's Sparrow

Ammospiza leconteii

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Black-throated Grey Warbler

Setophaga nigrescens

Spiza americana

Meleagris gallopavo

Bonasa umbellus

White-tailed Ptarmigan

Lagopus leucura

American Black Swift

Cypseloides niger

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

European Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Wedge-tailed Shearwater

Ardenna pacifica

Great Shearwater

Red-footed Booby

White-faced Ibis

Mississippi Kite

Ictinia mississippiensis

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

Eastern Wood Pewee

Contopus virens

Clark's Nutcracker

Nucifraga columbiana

Troglodytes hiemalis

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Quiscalus quiscula

Common Killer Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

North American Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

Arctic Ground Squirrel

Urocitellus parryii

Rattus norvegicus

North American River Otter

Lontra canadensis

Steller Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

Histriophoca fasciata

Common Minke Whale

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Eschrichtius robustus

Rangifer tarandus

Odobenus rosmarus

Northern Fur Seal

Callorhinus ursinus

Ursus maritimus

Balaenoptera physalus

Physeter macrocephalus

North American Red Squirrel

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Marmota caligata

North American Beaver

Castor canadensis

Alexandromys oeconomus

Northern Red-backed Vole

Clethrionomys rutilus

Ondatra zibethicus

Northwestern Deermouse

Peromyscus keeni

Little Brown Myotis

Myotis lucifugus

American Marten

Martes americana

Northern Raccoon

California Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

Northern Elephant Seal

Mirounga angustirostris

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

Risso's Dolphin

Grampus griseus

Harbor Porpoise

Phocoena phocoena

Dall's Porpoise

Phocoenoides dalli

Baird's Beaked Whale

Berardius bairdii

Rocky Mountain Goat

Oreamnos americanus

Odocoileus hemionus

European Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

California Myotis

Myotis californicus

Mustela erminea

American Ermine

Mustela richardsonii

Balaena mysticetus

Balaenoptera musculus

Delphinapterus leucas

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