Birds

Woodpecker

NPS Photo by Sheena Grabski

This bird list was compiled from Monument observation records, the Colorado Bird Atlas, and a bird survey of 2006. Abundance records are subjective and influenced by factors such as the relative abundance of the species, season, habitat, and species behavior. If you see ant birds not on this list please notify a Monument staff member.

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FAMILY	BIRDS	RESIDENCY	FREQUENCY	HABITAT
Herons (Ardeidae)-Wading birds; Characteristics: long legs, neck and bill for stalking food in shallow waters.	Great Blue	Breeding	Uncommon	Wetlands
Geese, Ducks (Anatidae)- Aquatic, web-footed, gregarious birds.	Canada Goose Green-winged Teal Mallard Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Gadwall American Widgeon Bufflehead Common Merganser	Migrant Breeding Resident Migrant Migrant Resident Migrant Migrant Winter	Uncommon Common Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare Uncommon	Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands Wetlands
Vultures (Cathartidae)-Scavengers characterized by small unfeathered head.	Turkey Vulture	Migrant	Common	Varied
Eagles, Hawks (Accipitridae)-Diurnal birds of prey equipped with hooked bills and talons.	Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Swainson's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Ferruginous Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle	Migrant Resident Resident Migrant Resident Resident Winter Resident	Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Rare Common Rare Uncommon Common	Wetlands Varied Varied Meadows Varied Meadows Varied Varied
Falcons (Falconidae)-Powerful, fast flying birds of prey.	American Kestrel Prairie Falcon	Breeding Resident	Common Uncommon	Meadows Meadows
Grouse, Quail (Phasianidae)-Ground-dwellers, with short strong bills and short rounded wings.	Wild Turkey	Winter	Rare	Forests
Plovers (Charadriidae)-Small, compact, short-billed shorebirds.	Killdeer	Breeding	Common	Wetlands
Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)-Shorebirds characterized by long bill and neck.	Spotted Sandpiper Common Snipe	Migrant Resident	Rare Uncommon	Wetlands Wetlands
Gulls (Laridae)- Long-winged swimming birds with strong flight.	Ring-billed California	Summer Summer	Uncommon Uncommon	Wetlands Wetlands
Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)-Strong fliers with plump bodies and a small bobbing head.	Mourning Dove	Resident	Uncommon	Forests
Owls (Strigidae)-Nocturnal birds of prey characterized by strong, silent flight and short necks.	Great-horned Owl	Resident	Uncommon	Forests
Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae)-Small nocturnal birds characterized by wide mouths for snaring insects.	Common Nighthawk	Breeding	Common	Varied
Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)-Very small, colorful birds that hover at flowers sipping nectar with long slender bills.	Broad-tailed Rufous	Breeding Migrant	Common Rare	Varied Meadows
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)-Stocky birds characterized by their large head and bill.	Belted	Resident	Uncommon	Wetlands
Woodpeckers (Picidae)-Sharp claws and a sharp bill enable thses birds to climb tree trunks and chisel out insect food and nest holes.	Williamson's Sapsucker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Nothern Flicker	Breeding Resident Resident Resident	Common Uncommon Uncommon Common	Forests Forests Forests Varied
Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)-Small perching birds that dart about eating insects.	Olive-sided Flycatcher Least Flycatcher Hammond's Flycatcher Cordilleran Flycatcher Western Wood Peewee Say's Phoebe Western Kingbird	Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding	Common Uncommon Uncommon Common Common Uncommon Uncommon	Forests Forests Forests Forests Varied Meadows Varied
Swallows (Hirundinidae)-Small insect eating birds characterized by slender bodies and long pointed wings.	Tree Violet-green Cliff Barn	Breeding Breeding Breeding Migrant	Common Common Rare Uncommon	Varied Varied Cliffs Structures
Jays, Crows, Magpies (Corvidae)-Large, aggressive birds with thick bills for varied diet.	Gray Jay Steller's Jay Blue Jay Clark's Nutcracker Black-billed Magpie American Crow Common Raven	Resident Resident Resident Migrant Resident Migrant Resident	Common Common Rare Uncommon Common Common Common	Forests Forests Varied Forests Meadows Varied Varied
Chickadees (Paridae)-Small birds with short wings, short bill and drab plumage.	Mountain Chickadee	Resident	Common	Forests
Nuthatches (Sittidae)-Short-tailed tree-climbers that forage for insects in tree bark.	Red-breasted White-breasted Pygmy	Resident Resident Resident	Uncommon Common Common	Forests Forests Forests
Creepers (Certhiidae)-Small tree-climbings birds with curved bill for extracting insects from bark.	Brown	Resident	Common	Forests
Wrens (Troglodytidae)-Small chunky birds with slender bills and up-tilted tails.	Rock Bewick's House	Breeding Breeding Breeding	Rare Uncommon Common	Rocks Rocks Forests
Kinglets (Sylviidae)-Small, drab birds with thin bills for eating insects.	Ruby-crowned	Breeding	Uncommon	Forests
Thrushes (Muscicapidae)-Eloquent songbirds of open marshes and woodlands.	Western Bluebird Mountain Bluebird Townsend's Solitaire Veery Swainson's Thrush Hermit Thrush American Robin	Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding	Common Common Uncommon Rare Uncommon Common Common	Varied Varied Forests Wetlands Varied Forests Varied
Mockingbirds (Mimidae)-Songbirds characterized by short wings and long tail.	Northern	Migrant	Rare	Forests
Shrikes (Laniidae)-Heavy hooked beaks and black masks characterize these opportunistic hunters.	Loggerhead Northern	Breeding Winter	Uncommon Rare	Meadows Meadows
Starlings (Sturnidae)-Bold birds with glossy plumage; introduced species from Europe.	European Starling	Resident	Common	Varied
Larks (Alaudidae)-Ground dwellers of open fields, slender bills for eating seeds and insects.	Horned Lark	Resident	Rare	Meadows
Vireos (Vireonidae)-Small perching songbirds characterized by eye markings (eye rings, "eyebrows", and lores).	Solitary Warbling	Breeding Breeding	Rare Uncommon	Forests Forests
Warblers (Parulidae)-Family of small, brightly colored songbirds.	Yellow Yellow-rumped Wilson's	Breeding Breeding Migrant	Uncommon Common Rare	Wetlands Forests Varied
Tanagers (Thraupidae)-Brilliant thrush like birds of the forest.	Western	Breeding	Common	Forests
Towhees, Sparrows (Fringillidae)-Family of small birds characterized by small stout bills used for cracking seeds.	Green-tailed Towhee Rufous-sided Towhee Canyon Towhee American Tree Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Brewer's Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lark Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Fox Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Dark-eyed Junco	Breeding Resident Migrant Winter Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Winter Breeding Resident Migrant Resident	Uncommon Uncommon Rare Uncommon Common Uncommon Uncommon Uncommon Common Rare Common Uncommon Rare Common	Varied Varied Forests Varied Varied Meadows Meadows Meadows Meadows Wetlands Wetlands Varied Meadows Varied
Blackbirds, Orioles (Icteridae)-Medium to large heavy-billed birds.	Red-winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark Yellow-headed Blackbird Brewer's Blackbird Common Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Northern Oriole	Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding Breeding	Common Common Rare Common Uncommon Uncommon Rare	Wetlands Meadows Wetlands Wetlands Varied Varied Wetlands
Finches, Grosbeaks (Fringillidae)	Pine Siskin American Goldfinch Red Crossbill Common Redpoll Rosy Finch Cassin's Finch Evening Grosbeak	Resident Resident Resident Winter Winter Breeding Breeding	Common Rare Rare Rare Uncommon Uncommon Common	Varied Varied Forests Meadows Meadows Forests Forests

List compiled by Norris Muth and Laine Weber.

HTML by Marc Duggan.