Did you know there are quite a few endangered species that make King County their home, or a stop while passing through during migration?
Have you seen any of these species in your neighborhood? Get outside today and celebrate Endangered Species Day. All links open external websites in a new tab/window.
| Common name | Scientific name | Type | Federal Status | State Status | Notes on King County Presence |
| Larch Mountain Salamander | Plethodon larselli | Amphibian | Federal Species of Concern | State Sensitive | in King County |
| Northern Leopard Frog | Rana pipiens | Amphibian | State Endangered | ||
| Northern Red-legged frog | Rana aurora | Amphibian | |||
| Oregon Spotted Frog | Rana pretiosa | Amphibian | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | historic presence; no current populations known |
| Van Dyke’s Salamander | Plethodon vandykei | Amphibian | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | Eastern King County near Snoqualmie Pass |
| Western Toad | Bufo boreas | Amphibian | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | Present and breeding in King County |
| American bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | Bird | |||
| American three-toed woodpecker | Picoides tridactylus | Bird | Rare in King County with only three BBA records near Cascade crest, including “confirmed” breeding pair at Pyramid Creek. Sparse occurrence does not support generous range on west side of crest mapped by Washington Gap report (Smith et al. 1997). | ||
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | Bird | State Endangered | Eastern WA; rare in K.C.; 5+ records | |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | Bird | Federal Species of Concern | State Sensitive | nesting in King County |
| Band-tailed pigeon | Columba fasciata | Bird | |||
| Barrow’s Goldeneye | Bucephala islandica | Bird | |||
| Belted kingfisher | Ceryle alcyon | Bird | |||
| Black scoter | Melanitta nigra | Bird | |||
| Black-Backed Woodpecker | Picoides arcticus | Bird | State Candidate | confirmed breeding in eastern King County | |
| Blue-winged teal | Anas discors | Bird | |||
| Brandt’s Cormorant | Phalacrocorax penicillatus | Bird | State Candidate | winters in King County waters | |
| Brant | Branta bernicla | Bird | |||
| Brown Pelican | Pelecanus occidentalis | Bird | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | outer coast; rare in K.C.; 5+ records |
| Burrowing Owl | Athene cunicularia | Bird | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | E WA; not in King County (fewer than 5 records) |
| Cassin’s Finch | Carpodacus cassinii | Bird | IUCN list: Near threatened | ||
| Cassin’s Auklet | Ptychoramphus aleuticus | Bird | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | outer coast; not King County; fewer than 5 records in K.C. |
| Cinnamon teal | Anas cyanoptera | Bird | |||
| Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse | Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus | Bird | State Endangered | ||
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | Bird | |||
| Common Loon | Gavia immer | Bird | State Sensitive | breeding in King County | |
| Common Murre | Uria aalge | Bird | State Candidate | winters in King County waters | |
| Flammulated Owl | Otus flammeolus | Bird | State Candidate | E WA; not in King County; fewer than 5 records in K.C. | |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | Bird | State Candidate | confirmed breeding in eastern King County | |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | Bird | |||
| Harlequin duck | Histrionicus histrionicus | Bird | |||
| Hooded merganser | Lophodytes cucullatus | Bird | |||
| Lewis’ Woodpecker | Melanerpes lewis | Bird | State Candidate | E WA; not supposed to be in King County; record from 1900s post-logging on Vashon | |
| Marbled Murrelet | Brachyramphus marmoratus | Bird | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | probable nesters in King County |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | Bird | State Candidate | winters in and migrates through King County; no breeding | |
| Mountain chickadee | Poecile gambeli | Bird | |||
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | Bird | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | few breeding in King County |
| Northern Spotted Owl | Strix occidentalis caurina | Bird | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | confirmed breeding |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | Bird | IUCN list: Near threatened | ||
| Oregon Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus affinis | Bird | State Endangered | ||
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | Bird | Federal Species of Concern | State Sensitive | in King County |
| Pileated Woodpecker | Dryocopus pileatus | Bird | State Candidate | confirmed breeding in King County | |
| Purple Finch | Carpodacus purpureus | Bird | |||
| Purple Martin | Progne subis | Bird | State Candidate | confirmed breeding in King County | |
| Ruffed grouse | Bonasa umbellus | Bird | Fairly common in hardwood and mixed woodlands at low to middle elevations throughout forested parts of four-county area, especially along brushy riparian corridors. | ||
| Sandhill crane | Grus canadensis | Bird | State Endangered | Eastern WA breeder; some migrate through K.C. | |
| Sandhill Crane (Greater) | Grus canadensis tabida | Bird | State Endangered | ||
| Snowy Plover | Charadrius alexandrinus | Bird | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | SW coast of WA; not their habitat or range; fewer than 5 records in K.C. |
| Sooty grouse | Dendragapus fuliginosus | Bird | |||
| Streaked Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris strigata | Bird | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | extremely unlikely; if in county, extreme NE edge |
| Surf scoter | Melanitta perspicillata | Bird | |||
| Tufted Puffin | Fratercula cirrhata | Bird | State Endangered | ||
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | Bird | State Endangered | Eastern WA, if in WA at all; fewer than 5 records in K.C. | |
| Vaux’s Swift* | Chaetura vauxi | Bird | State Candidate | confirmed breeding in King County | |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis | Bird | State Candidate | winters in and migrates through King County; no breeding | |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | Bird | |||
| Western Snowy Plover | Charadrius nivosus | Bird | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | |
| White-winged scoter | Melanitta fusca | Bird | |||
| Wood duck | Aix sponsa | Bird | |||
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus americanus | Bird | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | historic presence; no current populations known in WA |
| Island Marble | Euchloe ausonides | Butterfly/Moth | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Johnson’s Hairstreak | Mitoura johnsoni | Butterfly/Moth | State Candidate | have been recorded in King County in suitable habitat: lowland coniferous forests that contain dwarf mistletoes of the genus Arceuthobium. | |
| Mardon skipper | Polites mardon | Butterfly/Moth | State Endangered | ||
| Oregon Silverspot Butterfly | Speyeria zerene hippolyta | Butterfly/Moth | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | |
| Taylor’s Checkerspot | Euphydryas editha taylori | Butterfly/Moth | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Valley Silverspot | Speyeria zerene bremnerii | Butterfly/Moth | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | may be in King Co. |
| Black Rockfish | Sebastes melanops | Fish | State Candidate | in King County waters | |
| Bocaccio Rockfish | Sebastes paucispinis | Fish | Federal Endangered | State Candidate | potentially in King County waters |
| Brown Rockfish | Sebastes auriculatus | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | in King County waters |
| Bull Trout | Salvelinus confluentus | Fish | Federal Threatened | State Candidate | in King County |
| Canary Rockfish | Sebastes pinniger | Fish | Federal Threatened | State Candidate | potentially in King County waters |
| Chinook Salmon (Puget Sound) | Oncorhynchus tshawytscha | Fish | Federal Threatened | State Candidate | in King County |
| chum salmon | Oncorhynchus keta | Fish | |||
| coastal resident/searun cutthroat | Oncorhynchus clarki clarki | Fish | |||
| coho/silver salmon | Oncorhynchus kisutch | Fish | |||
| Copper Rockfish | Sebastes caurinus | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | in King County waters |
| Dolly Varden | Salvelinus malma | Fish | |||
| English sole | Parophrys vetulus | Fish | |||
| Green sturgeon | Acipenser Medirostris | Fish | State Monitor Species | ||
| Greenstriped Rockfish | Sebastes elongatus | Fish | State Candidate | potentially in King County waters | |
| kokanee salmon | Onchorhynchus nerka | Fish | |||
| lingcod | Ophiodon elongatus | Fish | |||
| longfin smelt | Spirinchus thaleichthys | Fish | |||
| Olympic Mudminnow | Novumbra hubbsi | Fish | State Sensitive | possibly in King County; tho’ records could have been from planted fish | |
| Pacific Cod | Gadus macrocephalus | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | King County waters |
| Pacific Hake | Merluccius productus | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | King County waters |
| Pacific Herring | Clupea pallasi | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | spawning grounds in Quartermaster Harbor, Vashon-Maury Island |
| Pacific sand lance | Ammodytes hexapterus | Fish | |||
| pink salmon | Oncorhynchus gorbuscha | Fish | |||
| Pygmy Whitefish | Prosopium coulteri | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Sensitive | in King County |
| Quillback Rockfish | Sebastes maliger | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | in King County waters |
| rainbow trout | Oncorhynchus mykiss | Fish | |||
| Redstripe Rockfish | Sebastes proriger | Fish | State Candidate | in King County waters | |
| River Lamprey | Lampetra ayresi | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | in King County |
| rock sole | Pleuronectes bilineatus | Fish | |||
| sockeye/red salmon | Onchorhynchus nerka | Fish | |||
| Steelhead (Puget Sound) | Oncorhynchus mykiss | Fish | Federal Threatened | in King County watercourses | |
| surfsmelt | Hypomesus pretiosus | Fish | |||
| Walleye Pollock (So. Puget Sound) | Theragra chalcogramma | Fish | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | possible in King County waters |
| White sturgeon | Acipenser transmontanus | Fish | |||
| Yelloweye Rockfish | Sebastes ruberrimus | Fish | Federal Threatened | State Candidate | in King County waters |
| Yellowtail Rockfish | Sebastes flavidus | Fish | State Candidate | in King County waters | |
| Beller’s Ground Beetle | Agonum belleri | Insect | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | In WA, only known in King County |
| Bog Idol Leaf Beetle (formerly Long-horned Leaf Beetle) |
Donacia idola | Insect | State Candidate | only known in Snohomish County in WA; is new PHS list wrong? Has it as only King county | |
| Hatch’s Click Beetle | Eanus hatchii | Insect | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | Endemic: only known in King County (historically also Snohomish County, but no longer) |
| Black Right Whale | Balaena glacialis | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | coastal – offshore; visitor to King County waters |
| Blue Whale | Balaenoptera musculus | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Canada Lynx | Lynx canadensis | Mammal | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | |
| Columbian black-tailed deer | O. h. columbianus | Mammal | |||
| Columbian White-tailed Deer | Odocoileus virginianus leucurus | Mammal | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | |
| Douglas Squirrel | Tamiasciurus douglasii | Mammal | |||
| elk in their historic range | Cervus canadensis | Mammal | |||
| Fin Whale | Balaenoptera physalus | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | coastal – offshore; visitor to King County waters |
| Fisher | Martes pennanti | Mammal | Federal Species of Concern | State Endangered | extirpated; historically present |
| Fisher | Pekania pennanti | Mammal | State Endangered | ||
| Gray Whale | Eschrichtius robustus | Mammal | State Sensitive | coastal – offshore; visitor to King County waters | |
| Gray Wolf | Canis lupus | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | possible; former range in Cascades of King County |
| Gray wolf | Canis lupus | Mammal | State Endangered | ||
| Grizzly bear | Ursus arctos | Mammal | Federal Threatened | State Endangered | possible, but highly unlikely in King County |
| Humpback Whale | Megaptera novaeangliae | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | coastal – offshore; visitor to King County waters |
| Killer Whale (Orca) | Orcinus orca | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | potentially the entire Sound; in K.C. waters |
| Lynx | Lynx canadensis | Mammal | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | extremely unlikely, but theoretically possible in extreme NE corner of county |
| Marten | Martes americana | Mammal | |||
| mink | Mustela vison | Mammal | |||
| mountain goat | Oreamnos americanus | Mammal | |||
| North Pacific Right Whale | Eubalaena japonica | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Pacific Harbor Porpoise | Phocoena phocoena | Mammal | State Candidate | range includes King County waters | |
| Pygmy Rabbit (Columbia Basin Population) |
Brachylagus idahoensis | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Sea Otter | Enhydra lutris | Mammal | Federal Species of Concern | State Endangered | outer coast; visitor to King County |
| Sei Whale | Balaenoptera borealis | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Sperm Whale | Physeter macrocephalus | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Steller Sea Lion | Eumetopias jubatus | Mammal | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | outer coast; visitor to King County |
| Townsend Chipmunk | Tamias townsendii | Mammal | |||
| Townsend’s Big-Eared Bat | Corynorhinus townsendii | Mammal | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | presumed in King County |
| Wolverine | Gulo gulo | Mammal | Federal Species of Concern | State Candidate | possible in King County |
| Woodland Caribou | Rangifer tarandus | Mammal | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Olympia Oyster | OSTREA conchaphila | Mollusk | State Candidate | not present currently or historically in King County waters; PHS data indicates otherwise | |
| Oregon floater | Anodonta oregonensis | Mollusk | State Monitor Species | ||
| Pinto abalone | Haliotis kamtschatkana | Mollusk | State Endangered | ||
| Western pearlshell mussel | Margaritifera falcata | Mollusk | State Monitor Species | ||
| Western ridged mussel | Gonidea angulata | Mollusk | State Monitor Species | ||
| Alaska harebell | Campanula lasiocarpa | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| black lily | Fritillaria camschatcensis | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| blue toadflax | Nuttallanthus texanus | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| bog clubmoss | Lycopodiella inundata | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| branching montia | Montia diffusa | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| bristly sedge | Carex comosa | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| Canadian St. John’s-wort | Hypericum majus | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| Choris’ bog-orchid | Platanthera chorisiana | Plant | Threatened | ||
| clubmoss cassiope | Cassiope lycopodioides | Plant | Threatened | ||
| few-flowered sedge | Carex pauciflora | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| flat-leaved bladderwort | Utricularia intermedia | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| golden chinquapin | Chrysolepis chrysophylla var. chrysophylla | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| golden paintbrush | Castilleja levisecta | Plant | Endangered | Listed Threatened | |
| humped bladderwort | Utricularia gibba | Plant | Potential concern | ||
| large-awned sedge | Carex macrochaeta | Plant | Threatened | ||
| lesser bladderwort | Utricularia minor | Plant | Potential concern | ||
| long-styled sedge | Carex stylosa | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| Nuttall’s waterweed | Elodea nuttallii | Plant | Potential concern | ||
| Oregon goldenaster | Heterotheca oregona var. oregona |
Plant | Threatened | ||
| smooth hornwort | Ceratophyllum echinatum | Plant | Potential concern | ||
| spleenwort-leaved goldthread | Coptis aspleniifolia | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| stalked moonwort | Botrychium pedunculosum | Plant | Sensitive | Species of Concern | |
| swamp sandwort | Arenaria paludicola | Plant | Possibly extinct or Extirpated | Listed Endangered | |
| tall bugbane | Cimicifuga elata var. elata | Plant | Sensitive | Species of Concern | |
| toothed wood fern | Dryopteris carthusiana | Plant | Potential concern | ||
| treelike clubmoss | Lycopodium dendroideum | Plant | Sensitive | ||
| triangle-lobed moonwort | Botrychium ascendens | Plant | Sensitive | Species of Concern | |
| Vancouver ground-cone | Boschniakia hookeri | Plant | Potential concern | ||
| Vancouver Island beggar-ticks | Bidens amplissima | Plant | Potential concern | ||
| water lobelia | Lobelia dortmanna | Plant | Threatened | ||
| white meconella | Meconella oregana | Plant | Threatened | Species of Concern | |
| white-top aster | Sericocarpus rigidus | Plant | Sensitive | Species of Concern | |
| Alligator lizard | Elgaria coerulea | Reptile | |||
| Leatherback Sea Turtle | Dermochelys coriacea | Reptile | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| Loggerhead Sea Turtle | Caretta caretta | Reptile | Federal Endangered | State Endangered | |
| western fence lizard | Sceloporus occidentalis | Reptile | |||
| Western Pond Turtle | Actinemys marmorata | Reptile | State Endangered | there are just a few historic records in KC | |
| Dungeness crab | Metacarcinus magister | Shellfish | |||
| Geoduck clam | Panopea generosa | Shellfish | |||
| Pacific oyster | Crassostrea gigas | Shellfish | |||
| Pandalid shrimp | Pandalus danae Humpback (Coonstripe) | Shellfish | |||
| Pandalid shrimp | Pandalus eous Ocean (Smooth) Pink | Shellfish | |||
| Pandalid shrimp | Pandalus goniurus Northern (Rough) Pink | Shellfish | |||
| Pandalid shrimp | Pandalus hypsinotus Humpy (Coonstripe) | Shellfish | |||
| Pandalid shrimp | Pandalus jordani | Shellfish | |||
| Pandalid shrimp | Pandalus platyceros Sidestripe | Shellfish | |||
| Pandalid shrimp | Pandalus species, and Pandalopsis dispar. Spot (Prawn) | Shellfish | |||
| Red Urchin | Strongylocentrotus franciscanus | Shellfish |
Sources
https://kingcounty.gov/services/environment/animals-and-plants/biodiversity/regulations.aspx
https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/at-risk/listed
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/wapmsmt11993.pdf
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/NHPfieldguide
https://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/archive-documents/wlr/waterres/biodiversity/kingco-rare-species-map.pdf