Along with the familiar suburban birds, such as cardinals, blue jays, and mockingbirds, the varied habitats of the park attract a number of more unusual residents and migrants. A bluebird program in the park is run in conjunction with volunteers from the Audubon Society. Bluebird nesting boxes have been placed in 14 locations around the park and are monitored through out the summer. An average of 40 fledglings are produced from these boxes each year.
Sightings by park personnel included Common Grackle, Mourning Dove, House Finch, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, House Wren, Pileated Woodpecker, Baltimore Oriole, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Turkey Vulture, American Robin, American Crow, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Chipping Sparrow, Common Flicker, Canada Goose, Wood Thrush, Red-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, Black-throated blue warbler, Blue-grey gnatcatcher, Louisiana Waterthrush, Ovenbird, Red-shouldered hawk, Eastern Towhee and Eastern Bluebird.
An ongoing inventory of birds has documented more than 128 species since 2001. The following is a list of birds that have either been observed by park staff or identified in the park by National Capital Region Inventory and Monitoring personnel:
Bird Inventory for Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
- Key: x = breeding has been recorded in the region, W = winter resident, or M = migrant. In some cases Pr = probable occurrence or Po = possible occurrence.
| Great Blue Heron | x | Po |
| Green Heron | x | Po |
| Canada Goose | x | Po |
| Wood Duck | x | Po |
| Mallard | x | Po |
| Turkey Vulture | x | M |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | | W |
| Cooper's Hawk | x | W |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | x | M |
| Broad-winged Hawk | x | M |
| Red-tailed Hawk | x | M |
| American Kestrel | x | Po |
| Merlin | | M |
| Peregrine Falcon | | M |
| Killdeer | x | Po |
| Solitary Sandpiper | | M |
| Common Snipe | | M |
| American Woodcock | x | M |
| Ring-billed Gull | | W |
| Rock Dove | x | Pr |
| Mourning Dove | x | Pr |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | x | Po |
| Eastern Screech-Owl | x | Po |
| Great Horned Owl | x | Po |
| Barred Owl | x | Po |
| Common Nighthawk | x | M |
| Chimney Swift | x | Po |
| Ruby-throated Hummingbird | x | Po |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | x | M |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | x | Pr |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | | W |
| Downy Woodpecker | x | Pr |
| Hairy Woodpecker | x | Po |
| Northern Flicker | x | Pr |
| Pileated Woodpecker | x | Po |
| Eastern Wood-Pewee | x | Pr |
| Yellow-bellied Flycatcher | | M |
| Acadian Flycatcher | x | Po |
| Alder Flycatcher | | M |
| Willow Flycatcher | x | M |
| Least Flycatcher | x | M |
| Eastern Phoebe | x | Pr |
| Great Crested Flycatcher | x | Po |
| Eastern Kingbird | x | Po |
| Purple Martin | x | Po |
| Barn Swallow | x | Po |
| Blue Jay | x | Pr |
| American Crow | x | Po |
| Fish Crow | x | Po |
| Carolina Chickadee | x | Pr |
| Tufted Titmouse | x | Pr |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | x | Pr |
| Brown Creeper | x | W |
| Carolina Wren | x | Pr |
| House Wren | x | Po |
| Winter Wren | | W |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | | W |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | | M |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | x | Pr |
| Eastern Bluebird | x | Pr |
| Veery | x | M |
| Gray-cheeked Thrush | | M |
| Swainson's Thrush | | M |
| Hermit Thrush | | W |
| Wood Thrush | x | Pr |
| American Robin | x | Pr |
| Gray Catbird | x | Pr |
| Northern Mockingbird | x | Pr |
| Brown Thrasher | x | Po |
| Cedar Waxwing | x | Po |
| European Starling | x | Pr |
| White-eyed Vireo | x | Po |
| Blue-headed Vireo (Solitary) | | M |
| Yellow-throated Vireo | x | Po |
| Philadelphia Vireo | | M |
| Red-eyed Vireo | x | Pr |
| Blue-winged Warbler | x | M |
| Golden-winged Warbler | x | M |
| Tennessee Warbler | | M |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | | M |
| Nashville Warbler | | M |
| Northern Parula | x | Po |
| Yellow Warbler | x | Po |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | x | M |
| Magnolia Warbler | | M |
| Cape May Warbler | | M |
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | | M |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | | W |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | x | M |
| Blackburnian Warbler | x | M |
| Palm Warbler | | M |
| Bay-breasted Warbler | | M |
| Blackpoll Warbler | | M |
| Cerulean Warbler | x | M |
| Black-and-white Warbler | x | M |
| American Redstart | x | M |
| Ovenbird | x | Po |
| Northern Waterthrush | | M |
| Louisiana Waterthrush | x | Po |
| Kentucky Warbler | x | Po |
| Connecticut Warbler | | M |
| Mourning Warbler | | M |
| Common Yellowthroat | x | Pr |
| Hooded Warbler | x | M |
| Wilson’s Warbler | | M |
| Canada Warbler | | M |
| Yellow-breasted Chat | x | Po |
| Scarlet Tanager | x | Po |
| Northern Cardinal | x | Pr |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | x | M |
| Blue Grosbeak | x | Po |
| Indigo Bunting | x | Pr |
| Eastern Towhee | x | Po |
| Chipping Sparrow | x | Po |
| Fox Sparrow | | W |
| Song Sparrow | x | Pr |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | | M |
| White-throated Sparrow | | W |
| Dark-eyed Junco | | W |
| Red-winged Blackbird | x | Po |
| Common Grackle | x | Pr |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | x | Pr |
| Orchard Oriole | x | Po |
| Baltimore Oriole | x | Po |
| Purple Finch | | M |
| House Finch | x | Pr |
| American Goldfinch | x | Pr |
| House Sparrow | x | Pr |
| | |
| Total Species | | 128 |
| Total Species Breeding | 91 | |
