Birding Factoids

465 species
in 49 families

69 of the 246 species 
endemic to 
North America are 
represented here. 
No state endemics
3 USA endemics

    Colorado
    Hotspots
Checklist of Colorado BirdsLocal EventsTours and GuidesRare Bird AlertsSpeciality BirdsMap
....
Colorado Specialities
(Pause your cursor on the photo to see the species name. Click on the birds for more info... )
Lark Bunting - Colorado State Bird

American Pipit - Highest breeding concentration - Photo copyright Don DesJardin

Photo copyright Don DesJardin

White-crowned Sparrow - Photo copyright Robert McDonald

Photo copyright Robert McDonald

Violet-green Swallow - Photo copyright Patricia Michaels

Photo copyright Patricia Michaels

Western Warbling-Vireo - Photo copyright Don DesJardin

Photo copyright Don DesJardin

Mountain Plover - ENDANGERED - Photo copyright Marcus Martin

Photo copyright Marcus Martin

Warbling Vireo - Photo copyright Don DesJardin

Photo copyright Don DesJardin
 
     
    Key to Icons....Pawnee National Grassland - lies 90 miles northeast
      of Denver in Weld county, near Briggsdale, CO. It includes 193,000 acres of public land in two units located 30 miles east of Fort Collins and 20 miles northeast of Greeley.
    ....
    Key to Icons....Rocky Mountain National Park -  Lush forests,
      meadows filled with colorful alpine flowers, soaring cliffs, snowcapped peaks, picturesque valleys and rivers make Rocky Mountain National Park one of the most spectacular areas in the Colorado Rockies. See also Golden Gate Canyon Park (little information available).
    ....
    ....Great Pikes Peak Birding Trail - The Trail, will feature signs marking
      the sites and maps with directions, bird descriptions, other wildlife and their habitats, and general information to travelers. The Trail will offer opportunities for visitors to enjoy the abundance of birds and wildlife in the great State of Colorado. 
    ....
    ....Birding Maps - from the Colorado Field Ornithologists. Follow the
      Birding Maps link from the main page to find excellent printable (Adobe Acrobat) maps to key birding sites in:
      • Boulder County
      • City of Boulder
      • Ramah State Wildlife Area
      • Tunnel Drive (near Canon City)
      • Fort Collins Area
      • Loveland Lakes & Reservoirs
      • Pueblo's Valco Ponds
    ....
    ....Birding in Colorado - This site is a good guide to Denver metro area
      birding hotspots. 
    ....
    ....Birding Spots by County - courtesy of the Colorado Birding Society.
      This clickable map give directions on reaching the best birding spots.
    ....
    ....Colorado Birdwatching Sites - from National Geographic. 
    ....
    ....Birding Opportunities from the Arkansas Valley Audubon Society. 
      Due to its unusually large geographic expanse which encompasses several altitudinal life zones and a great variety of habitats, the AVAS chapter area offers outstanding birding opportunities. An example would be the grouse species which range from the high altitued White-tailed Ptarmigan to the Lesser Prairie Chicken of the southeastern plains. Our checklist for the Pueblo area alone contains over 400 species, over a fourth of which may be seen at any time during the year. 
    ....
    ....Birding in Colorado - Denver area Hotspots
    ....
    ....Where to find birds in the Fort Collins Area - from the Fort Collins
      Audubon Society.
    ....
    ....Good Places for Birding Around Denver and Colorado - from the 
      Audubon Society of Greater Denver. The sites listed on this website include directions to the park, park conditions, event calendars, entrance fees, and much more.
    ....
    ....Alamosa and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuges, in south-central
      Colorado. Ducks, geese, shorebirds and waterbirds nest in the area, and mallards and geese reside on refuge grainfields in winter. Sandhill and whooping cranes can be seen October through November and February through April; bald eagles are  abundant November through March. An auto tour route is open daily dawn-dusk.
    ....
    ....National Wildlife Refuges Index - Colorado. Includes links
      to information on:
      • Alamosa-Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge
      • Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge
      • Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge
      • Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Area
    ....
    ....Audubon Trail - managed by the Grand Valley Audubon Society. 
    ....
    ....Nature Conservancy of Colorado - site descriptions of
      Visitable Preserves and Cooperative Acquisitions including:
      • Aiken Canyon Preserve
      • High Creek Fen Preserve
      • Hoosier Ridge Preserve
      • Phantom Canyon Preserve
      • San Miguel Canyon Preserve
      • South Fork San Miguel River Preserve
      • Yampa River Preserve
      • Mueller State Park and Wildlife Area
      • North Star Ranch
      • Ryan Ranch
      • Sheep Mountain Ranch 
    ....
    ....Better Birdwatching in the Mountain West Ecoregion - this commercial
      site sells CD-ROMS about Colorado birding.
    ....
    ....Colorado Trip Reports - a number of Colorado trip reports are available
      from Blake Maybank's "Birding the Americas - Trip Report and Trip Planning Repository".
....
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Tours and Guides

See DISCLAIMER
>>>>

birdingpal.com...>> A Birding Pal is not a paid guide, but someone who likes to help out of town visitors. You can become a Birding Pal today! Help someone to enjoy your local birding spots and find a pal to help you when you travel. Click here for Colorado Birding Pals, or join to be a Birding Pal!
Lewis's Woodpecker - Photo copyright Kent Nickell
Photo copyright Kent Nickell
    **..Winter Colorado: Rosy Finches with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours
      (VENT). Rosy-finches are some of the hardest birds to add to one's life list. Breeding in remote, often inaccessible mountaintops and tundra regions, they remain high on the wish list of many a birder. In Colorado, however, most winters signal the arrival of all three rosy-finch species. VENT offers nearly 140 tours to over 100 land-based destinations each year and is the largest tour company in the world specializing in birding and natural history.
    **..Colorado Grouse with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours (VENT). Four
      species of grouse inhabit the prairies of North America: the Sage and Sharp-tailed, and the Greater and Lesser prairie-chickens. All are noted for their spectacular mating displays, and all can be exceedingly difficult to find away from their leks or display grounds. From the sandhills of southeastern Colorado to the high sagebrush parklands of the north, we will see some of the most fascinating rituals in the bird world: the booming of the prairie-chickens, the wild dance of the Sharp-tails, and the strutting of the huge Sage Grouse. 
      • Colorado Grouse  April 15 - April 24, 2004  (10.0 days - Limit 16) with leaders Kevin Zimmer & Barry Zimmer.

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Local Birding Events

Lark Sparrow - Photo copyright Steve Nanz
Photo copyright Steve Nanz

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Rare Bird Alert

     Colorado (Statewide) Hotline: (303) 659-8750
     Check also Colorado RBA Archives
     For a variety of "First Arrival" Lists for Colorado, see Amy Cervene's page

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North American Specialities in Colorado

Information derived from Sibley & Monroe checklists in Thayer's Birder's Diary - Version 2.5.
These counts will differ in minor ways from counts based on the ABA classification,
but an international checklist system was required to enable world-wide
country to country comparisons.These speciality birds may be uncommon, or extremely rare
at this location, or may only be present in migration. However, documented sightings of
each species noted below have been made in Colorado. Consult the Breeding Bird Survey or
Christmas Bird Count data on the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center website
to determine the "best" place to see each bird. Species printed in blue are endangered.


USA Endemics in Colorado

___ Black Rosy-Finch ___ Brown-capped Rosy-Finch ___ Lesser Prairie Chicken
North American Endemic Specialities in Colorado

___ Anna's Hummingbird
___ Baird's Sparrow
___ Bendire's Thrasher
___ Bewick's Wren
___ Black-chinned Hummingbird
___ Black-headed Grosbeak
___ Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
___ Black-throated Sparrow
___ Blue Grouse
___ Blue-throated Hummingbird
___ Brewer's Sparrow
___ Bullock's Oriole
___ California Gull
___ Calliope Hummingbird
___ Canyon Towhee
___ Cassin's Finch
___ Chestnut-collared Longspur
___ Chihuahuan Raven
___ Clark's Grebe
___ Clark's Nutcracker
___ Common Poorwill
___ Cordilleran Flycatcher
___ Curve-billed Thrasher
___ Ferruginous Hawk
___ Gambel's Quail
___ Greater Roadrunner
___ Grey Flycatcher
___ Grey Vireo
___ Grey-crowned Rosy-Finch
___ Harris's Sparrow
___ House Finch
___ Le Conte's Sparrow
___ Lewis's Woodpecker
___ Long-billed Thrasher
___ Lucy's Warbler
___ McCown's Longspur
___ Mountain Bluebird
___ Mountain Chickadee
___ Mountain Plover
___ Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
___ Phainopepla
___ Pinyon Jay
___ Plain Titmouse
___ Prairie Falcon
___ Pygmy Nuthatch
___ Pyrrhuloxia
___ Red-bellied Woodpecker
___ Red-naped Sapsucker
___ Red-shouldered Hawk
___ Ruffed Grouse
___ Rufous-crowned Sparrow
___ Sage Sparrow
___ Sage Thrasher
___ Say's Phoebe
___ Scaled Quail
___ Scott's Oriole
___ Sharp-tailed Grouse
___ Spotted Owl
___ Spotted Towhee
___ Townsend's Solitaire
___ Trumpeter Swan
___ Western Bluebird
___ Western Grebe
___ Western Gull
___ Western Screech-Owl
___ Western Scrub-Jay
___ Whooping Crane
___ White-tailed Ptarmigan
___ Williamson's Sapsucker

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Links checked September 1, 2003