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World atlas

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Sanctuary · United States

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Photo © USFWSAlaska

Photo © USFWSAlaska — CC0 1.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

ABOUT

Where temperate rainforest meets subarctic coast, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge sprawls across Alaska's largest island, a sanctuary defined by steep valleys carved by tidewater glaciers and hemmed by the cold waters of the Gulf of Alaska. The refuge's landscape is a study in dramatic contrasts—dense coastal forests of Sitka spruce and western hemlock give way to alpine tundra above the treeline, their vegetation compressed and wind-sculpted by a climate that receives snow and rain year-round but grants no truly dry season to speak of. This maritime subarctic environment (Köppen-Geiger Dfc) creates a perpetually moist habitat where moss carpets the forest floor, streams run ice-cold with glacial melt, and the boundary between water and land blurs into a maze of tide pools, estuaries, and salmon spawning grounds. Large mammals roam these valleys—bears fish the rivers, while mountain goats cling to vertical rock faces—and the refuge pulses with birds of prey, waterfowl, and seabirds that exploit the rich salmon runs and marine productivity that define the coastal ecosystem.

This is destination-grade territory for wildlife watchers willing to embrace genuine wilderness access. The refuge's remoteness and rugged topography mean that most travel requires chartered aircraft or water-based transport, but that same isolation preserves an ecosystem that functions with minimal human interference. Photographers and birders arrive for the salmon season (late summer and autumn) when bears congregate at river mouths and raptors concentrate in pursuit of spawning fish—the light during these months is dramatic and long, with evening clarity that rewards patient observers. The subarctic maritime climate means you will encounter rain, wind, and sudden weather shifts, but the dense vegetation and seabird colonies remain productive year-round. This is not a destination for casual drive-by tourism; it is a refuge in the truest sense, demanding respect for wilderness conditions while rewarding those who undertake the journey with an encounter with a functioning, wild ecosystem at the edge of the continent.

Website fws.gov/refuge/kodiak

WILDLIFE

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Aquila chrysaetos

Branta bernicla

Branta canadensis

Branta hutchinsii

Anser canagicus

Anser caerulescens

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Cygnus buccinator

Cygnus columbianus

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mareca strepera

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Northern Pintail

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Somateria mollissima

Histrionicus histrionicus

Melanitta perspicillata

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

Fulica americana

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Podiceps auritus

Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Gallinago delicata

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Wandering Tattler

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Black Turnstone

Arenaria melanocephala

Calidris virgata

Calidris alpina

Calidris ptilocnemis

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Sterna paradisaea

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Short-billed Gull

Larus brachyrhynchus

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Glaucous-winged Gull

Larus glaucescens

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

Fratercula cirrhata

Fratercula corniculata

Parakeet Auklet

Aethia psittacula

Marbled Murrelet

Brachyramphus marmoratus

Pigeon Guillemot

Cepphus columba

Thick-billed Murre

Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

Red-throated Loon

Yellow-billed Loon

Black-footed Albatross

Phoebastria nigripes

Fork-tailed Storm Petrel

Hydrobates furcatus

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Sooty Shearwater

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

Great Blue Heron

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Short-eared Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

American Three-toed Woodpecker

Picoides dorsalis

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

Falco columbarius

Northern Shrike

Lanius borealis

Black-billed Magpie

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Bohemian Waxwing

Bombycilla garrulus

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Riparia riparia

Tachycineta bicolor

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

Hirundo rustica

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Troglodytes pacificus

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Certhia americana

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Ixoreus naevius

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Catharus guttatus

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Catharus minimus

Turdus migratorius

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Anthus rubescens

Grey-crowned Rosy Finch

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Haemorhous cassinii

Acanthis flammea

Loxia curvirostra

Two-barred Crossbill

Loxia leucoptera

Plectrophenax nivalis

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

American Tree Sparrow

Spizelloides arborea

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Melospiza melodia

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Setophaga coronata

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Spatula cyanoptera

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Aythya valisineria

Aythya americana

Aythya fuligula

Steller's Eider

Polysticta stelleri

Somateria spectabilis

Anna's Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Antigone canadensis

Pluvialis squatarola

American Golden Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Charadrius vociferus

Bristle-thighed Curlew

Numenius tahitiensis

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponica

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemastica

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Phalaropus fulicarius

Tringa glareola

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropus

Calidris canutus

Calidris pugnax

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Calidris acuminata

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Calidris subruficollis

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Onychoprion aleuticus

Hydroprogne caspia

Red-legged Kittiwake

Rissa brevirostris

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Black-tailed Gull

Larus crassirostris

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Larus occidentalis

Larus hyperboreus

Slaty-backed Gull

Larus schistisagus

Larus glaucoides

Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

Cassin's Auklet

Ptychoramphus aleuticus

Aethia cristatella

Kittlitz's Murrelet

Brachyramphus brevirostris

Pterodroma inexpectata

Red-faced Cormorant

Pandion haliaetus

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Rough-legged Buzzard

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

Bubo scandiacus

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

Black-backed Woodpecker

Picoides arcticus

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Bombycilla cedrorum

Eremophila alpestris

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Fringilla montifringilla

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

McKay's Bunting

Plectrophenax hyperboreus

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

South Polar Skua

Stercorarius maccormicki

Laysan Albatross

Phoebastria immutabilis

Short-tailed Albatross

Phoebastria albatrus

Leach's Storm Petrel

Hydrobates leucorhous

Pink-footed Shearwater

Ardenna creatopus

Northern Hawk-Owl

Alder Flycatcher

Empidonax alnorum

Haemorhous purpureus

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Common Killer Whale

Lepus americanus

North American Red Squirrel

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

North American Beaver

Castor canadensis

Alexandromys oeconomus

Ondatra zibethicus

Little Brown Myotis

Myotis lucifugus

North American River Otter

Lontra canadensis

Mustela erminea

Steller Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

Eschrichtius robustus

Megaptera novaeangliae

Dall's Porpoise

Phocoenoides dalli

Rocky Mountain Goat

Oreamnos americanus

Odocoileus hemionus

Cervus canadensis

Balaenoptera physalus

Harbor Porpoise

Phocoena phocoena

View Complete List (235 more) →

COMMUNITY

0 Community observations

No community observations yet — be the first to log a sighting here.

Natural environment

Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge

A marine setting shaped by the ocean rather than land elevation.

Usual climateMarine environmentMarine environment · Lowland · Upland

Average annual temperature 5.4 °C Average of the twelve monthly means

Average elevation 0 m Marine

Climate pattern Marine environment Main environment around this hotspot

A year of temperatures

Monthly means, with the coldest and warmest highlighted

Monthly minimum · February 0.9 °C Monthly maximum · August 11.8 °C

Global temperature scale

−40°−20°0°20°40°

Terrain and elevation

0 m · Marine

Average terrain elevation estimate across the hotspot; the figure does not represent its highest summits.

Elevation scale

0 m

02,0004,0006,0008,000m

Marine

Long-term climate averages, not live weather.

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