Birds

Woodpecker

NPS Photo by Sheena Harper

From migratory birds in the spring and fall, to year-long residents, Florissant Fossil Beds supports a great diversity of birds.

Birds at the monument are generally most active during the early morning hours during the spring,summer, and fall. In the winter, birds tend to forage during the day when temperatures are milder. Visitors to the monument during the summer are likely to see ravens, Steller's Jays, northern flickers, song sparrows, and mountain bluebirds.
Each year, Florissant Fossil Beds hosts a backyard bird count. Please call the visitor center for more information.

Below is a list and short description of the taxonomic families that the birds belong to.

Herons (Ardeidae)-Wading birds; Characteristics: long legs, neck and bill for stalking food in shallow waters.

Geese, Ducks (Anatidae)- Aquatic, web-footed, gregarious birds.

Vultures (Cathartidae)-Scavengers characterized by small unfeathered head.

Eagles, Hawks (Accipitridae)-Diurnal birds of prey equipped with hooked bills and talons.

Falcons (Falconidae)-Powerful, fast flying birds of prey.

Grouse, Quail (Phasianidae)-Ground-dwellers, with short strong bills and short rounded wings.

Plovers (Charadriidae)-Small, compact, short-billed shorebirds.

Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)-Shorebirds characterized by long bill and neck.

Gulls (Laridae)- Long-winged swimming birds with strong flight.

Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae)-Strong fliers with plump bodies and a small bobbing head.

Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae)-Small nocturnal birds characterized by wide mouths for snaring insects.

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)-Very small, colorful birds that hover at flowers sipping nectar with long slender bills.

Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)-Stocky birds characterized by their large head and bill.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)-Sharp claws and a sharp bill enable thses birds to climb tree trunks and chisel out insect food and nest holes.

Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)-Small perching birds that dart about eating insects.

Swallows (Hirundinidae)-Small insect eating birds characterized by slender bodies and long pointed wings.

Jays, Crows, Magpies (Corvidae)-Large, aggressive birds with thick bills for varied diet.

Chickadees (Paridae)-Small birds with short wings, short bill and drab plumage.

Nuthatches (Sittidae)-Short-tailed tree-climbers that forage for insects in tree bark.

Creepers (Certhiidae)-Small tree-climbings birds with curved bill for extracting insects from bark.

Wrens (Troglodytidae)-Small chunky birds with slender bills and up-tilted tails.

Kinglets (Sylviidae)-Small, drab birds with thin bills for eating insects.

Thrushes (Muscicapidae)-Eloquent songbirds of open marshes and woodlands.

Mockingbirds (Mimidae)-Songbirds characterized by short wings and long tail.

Shrikes (Laniidae)-Heavy hooked beaks and black masks characterize these opportunistic hunters.

Larks (Alaudidae)-Ground dwellers of open fields, slender bills for eating seeds and insects.

Vireos (Vireonidae)-Small perching songbirds characterized by eye markings (eye rings, "eyebrows", and lores).

Warblers (Parulidae)-Family of small, brightly colored songbirds.

Tanagers (Thraupidae)-Brilliant thrush like birds of the forest.

Towhees, Sparrows (Fringillidae)-Family of small birds characterized by small stout bills used for cracking seeds.

Blackbirds, Orioles (Icteridae)-Medium to large heavy-billed birds.

Finches, Grosbeaks (Fringillidae) Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage

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Birds At Florissant

FAMILY	Common Name	RESIDENCY	FREQUENCY	HABITAT

Download This Dataset

 

NPS IRMA Species List

A working list of animal species in the park may be found on the NPSpecies portal. 

 

NPS Photo: Dylan Hanor

 

Rufous Hummingbird

NPS Photo: Dylan Hanor

 

NPS Photo: Dylan Hanor