Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Haliaeetus ("Sea Eagle") leucocephalus ("white headed")

Adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) at Portage, Alaska, USA - August 2025

Featured Subspecies: Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus
Weight: 3-6.6kg  /  Length: 70-102cm  /  Wingspan: 1.8-2.3m
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

One of the most recognisable bird species on the planet, in large part due to it being the national bird of the USA and featured prominantly on a lot of it's iconography.  The bird itself however is perhaps less of an apex predator than it's hype would have you believe - a rather opportunistic feeder that will often feed on carrion or even landfill. A conservation success story - by the mid 20th century there were only 412 nesting pair in the Lower 48 as a result of shooting, pesticides such as DDT and other human caused deaths. With conservation measures, there are now believe to be over 71000 nesting pairs in the same area..

Related Species:
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Haliaeetus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Present everywhere but the High Tundra
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon

UNITED STATES - Found throughout most of the Lower 48 and Alaska
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Alaska

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Two-barred Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera)

OTHER NAMES: White-winged Crossbill
Latin Etymology: Loxia ("crosswise") leucoptera ("white winged")

Alex Holt · Two-barred Crossbill

Call of Two-barred Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) at Mucho Lake, British Columbia, Canada - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: Loxia leucoptera leucoptera
Weight: 25-40g  /  Length: 14-17cm  /  Wingspan: 26-28cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The most distinct of the Crossbill species due to the prominant white wingbars that almost all other species lack, excluding the Hispaniolan Crossbill which has absolutely no range overlap by a factor of several thousand miles. Present in both North America and Eurasia where it's range in each coincides largely with northern boreal forests. They favour spruce as their trees of choice.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Loxia
SUBSPECIES: L. l. leucoptera, L. l . bifasciata

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Breeds in most of Canada up to the Tree Line
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Heard in British Columbia

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Leiothlypis ("plain unknown warbler") celata ("secret")

Immature Orange-crowned Warbler (Leiothlypis celata) at Anchorage, Alaska - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: Unclear
Weight: 9g  /  Length: 12-13cm  /  Wingspan: 18cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Despite the rather opulant sounding name, the namesake orange crown of this warbler is actually fairly difficult to see as it is usually hidden beneath the crest - in many ways this species is actually more closely resembling a drab old-world  phylloscopid warbler than the other parulid warblers we saw on the trip.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Parulidae
Genus: Leiothlypis
SUBSPECIES: L. c. celata, L. c. lutescens, L. orestera, L. c. sordida

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Present largely everywhere but the High Tundra and Great Plains
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in the West including Alaska, Winters in South, Resident in thin strip along Pacific Coast
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at  San Francisco 

 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Alaska

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Leuconotopicus ("white back woodpecker") villosus ("hairy")

 Adult male Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) at Charlie Lake, British Columbia, Canada - August 2022

Featured Subspecies: Probably Leuconotopicus villosus septentrionalis
Weight: 40-5g  /  Length: 18-26cm  /  Wingspan: 33-43cm
 UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

One of the most common and recognisable woodpeckers of North America, the Hairy Woodpecker has a vast range covering pretty much all of North America that isn't desert or tundra. It has a large number of subspecies across its range which spans from Alaska to Panama. A common visitor to bird tables, despite it's similarity in plumage to the Downy Woodpecker, the two are not actually closely related.

Related Species:

Order: Piciformes

Family: Picidae

Genus: Leuconotopicus

SUBSPECIES: L. v. septentrionalis, L. v. picoideus, L. v. harrisi, L. v. terraenovae, L. v. villosus, L. v. orius, L. v. monticola, L. v. leucothorectis, L. v. audubonii, L. v. hyloscopus, L. v. icastus, L. v. intermedius, L. v. jardinii, L. v. sanctorum, L. v. extimus, L. v. piger, L. v. maynardi

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Present everywhere but the High Tundra
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in British Columbia

UNITED STATES 
Seen throughout the continental USA
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at San Jose

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Western White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)

OTHER NAMES: Red-spotted Purple, White Admiral
Latin Etymology: Limenitis ("of harbours") arthemis ("from Artemis")

Adult Western White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) in British Columbia, Canada - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: Limentitis arthemis arthemis
Wingspan: 4.7-7.8cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

An usnusual butterfly with two radically distinct forms - the "Northern Group" is a largely black individual with prominant white banding on their wings not entirely dissimilar to the White Admiral found in Europe. However, the Southern population has evolved to mimic the poisonous Pipevine Swallowtail and thus not only looks like an entirely separate species, but also has an entirely different evolutionary method of avoiding predators.

Related Species:
Order: Lepidoptera 
Family: Nymphalidae 
Genus: Limenitis
SUBSPECIES: L. a. arthemis, L. a. rubrofasciata, L. a. astyanax, L. a. arizonensis

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Present everywhere but the High Tundra and West Coast
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)

OTHER NAMES: Bear, Grizzly, Bruin
Latin Etymology: Ursus (Latin - "bear") arctos (Greek - "bear") 

Adult Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) in British Columbia, Canada - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: Grizzly Bear - Ursus arctos horribilis
Weight: 80-600kg  /  Length: 1.4-2.8m
EXTINCT IN UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The most widespread and diverse of the bears, and second only in size to the Polar Bear among the whole of the terrestrial carnivora.  Historically, the brown bear was found over Europe, Asia, North America and North Africa, but human interaction has severely pushed back it's range in more populated areas, with various subspecies been driven to extinction. They are a powerful species and dangerous to be around - this photo was taken at a distance from inside car.

Related Species:
Order: Carnivora 
Family: Ursidae 
Genus: Ursus 
SUBSPECIES: U. a. arctos, U. a. beringianus, U. a. collaris, U. a. gobiensis, U. a. isabellinus, U. a. lasiotus, U. a. marsicanus, U. a. pruinosus, U. a. pyrenaicus, U. a. syriacus, U. a. crowtheri, U. a. priscus, U. a. horribilis, U. a. californicus, U. a. dalli, U. a. gyas, U. a. middendorffi, U. a. nelsoni, U. a. sitkensis, U. a. stikeenensis

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Present in North West Canada
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in British Columbia

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

OTHER NAMES: Pine Squirrel, Piney Squirrel, Chickaree, Red Squirrel
Latin Etymology:  Tamiasciurus ("steward squirrel") hudsonicus ("of the Hudson")

Adult American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) at Buffalo River State Park, Minnesota, USA - July 2024

Featured Subspecies: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus minnesota
Weight: 200-250g  /  Length: 28-35cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Not closely related to the Eurasian Red Squirrel, the American Red is a widely adaptable species across temperate and boreal North America. Primarily feeding on nuts and seeds, they are none the less capable of being adaptive to feed on what the environment provides them up to and inclding predating other small mammals. 

Related Species:
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Sundasciurus
SUBSPECIES: T. h. abieticola, T. h. baileyi, T. h. columbiensis, T. h. dakotensis, T. h. dixiensis, T. h. fremonti, T. h. grahamensis, T. h. gymnicus, T. h. hudsonicus, T. h. kenaiensis, T. h. langinosus, T. h. laurentianus, T. h. loquax, T. h. lychnuchus, T. h. minnesota, T. h. mogollonensis, T. h. pallescens, T. h. petulans, T. h. picatus, T. h. preblei, T. h. regalis, T. h. streatori, T. h. ungavensis, T. h. ventorum

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Present most places except Tundra and Prairie
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon

UNITED STATES - Found in Alaska, the Rockies and the North East Lower 48
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Seen in Minnesota, North Dakota and Alaska 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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American Bison (Bison bison)

OTHER NAMES: Bison, Buffalo
Latin Etymology: Bison ("bison") bison ("bison")

Herd of American Bison (Bison bison) in British Columbia, Canada - August 2024

Featured Subspecies: Wood Bison - Bison bison athabascae
Weight: 318-1179kg  /  Length: 2.8-3.5m
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

A species which shapes both North American Nature and History, before European Colonialism the Bison was a key species of the prairie, with a population of up to 60 million individuals shaping both the habitat, the species around them and being a core food of the Indiginous peoples who hunted them. However, they were hunted on an industrial scale by the nascent United States - first for food, and later as an indirect means of attacking Indiginous Tribes by cutting off their traditional food sources. Only some last minute conservation efforts saved the species and it remains greatly diminished despite some recovery.

Related Species:
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Bison
SUBSPECIES: B. b. athabascae, B. b. bison

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Scattered herds in Western Canada
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in British Columbia

UNITED STATES - Scattered populations in the Central US and Alaska
 - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: Plains Bison seen in North Dakota

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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North American Beaver (Castor canadensis)

OTHER NAMES: Beaver, Canadian Beaver
Latin Etymology:  Castor (Greek: "beaver") canadensis ("of Canada")

Adult North American Beaver (Castor canadensis) at Saskatoon Lake, Alberta, Canada - July 2024

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 11-32kg  /  Length: 94-125cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

After the two species of Capybara, the two Beaver species tie for largest rodent in the world, and have achieved this through a distinctive and famous set of lifestyle choices. They are supreme habitat engineers which fell trees using their powerful incisors and use them to construct dams to create deep bodies of water where they can stay safe from predators via lodges with underwater entrances. As they also feed on trees, they can also store trees underwater as a larder. Despite being extensively hunted for their pelts in recent history, their population has rebounded widely and quickly.

Related Species:
Order: Rodentia 
Family: Castoridae
Genus: Castor 
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

CANADA -Present everywhere but the Tundra
  - CHICAGO TO ALASKA ROADTRIP 2024: - Seen in Alberta and British Columbia

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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