Backyard Birds of Colorado
Colorado stacks three life zones — plains, foothills, and alpine — into one rectangle, and a Centennial State feeding station works twelve months a year. Sixteen portraits are pinned on the map below, right where each species is most characteristic. Hover any portrait to see its name, tap to jump to its profile, then open its photo gallery and play its call.
Jump to a Species
The Black-billed Magpie — the bold backyard icon of the Front Range — leads the list, followed by feeder regulars, winter finches, and mountain songsters. Every entry links to a full species guide.
Backyard Birds in Colorado: A Year-Round Seasonal Identification Guide
Quick Answer: Birding a Colorado Backyard
Colorado’s elevation gradients concentrate birds into towns and feeders — backyard birding works 12 months a year. Anchor birds are year-round residents led by the Black-billed Magpie, Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, White-breasted and Pygmy Nuthatches, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, House Finch, Cassin’s Finch, Pine Siskin, Dark-eyed Junco, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, and Spotted Towhee. Summer adds Mountain Bluebirds and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. (The state bird, the Lark Bunting, arrives on the plains in May.) Colorado is bear country in the foothills and mountains — bring feeders in at night April through November.
Meet the 104 Backyard Birds of Colorado
The magpie leads the list, followed by year-round regulars, winter visitors, and summer breeders. Every card opens a photo gallery, plays a real field recording, and links to the full species guide. Use the seasonal filter bar above to narrow the list.
📍 Denver
Black-billed Magpie
Pica hudsoniaA spectacular 17.9–23.6-inch corvid: black-and-white with an iridescent green-blue tail half the bird’s length. Magpies patrol Colorado open country and ranch yards in noisy bands, visiting platforms for suet and scraps. They cache food, recognize individual people, and are among the smartest birds on Earth.
📍 Boulder
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillusA tiny 4.7–5.9-inch acrobat with a black cap and bib, white cheeks, and buffy flanks. Chickadees are the bold first visitors to any new feeder, grabbing one seed and flying off to cache it. Listen for the chick-a-dee-dee-dee call that gives the bird its name — and the clear two-note fee-bee whistle of spring.
📍 Steamboat Springs
Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeliThe chickadee of the high country (4.3–5.5 inches): black bib and cap like its eastern cousins, but with a bold white eyebrow stripe slicing through the black. Mountain Chickadees are year-round residents of Colorado’s conifer forests and faithful visitors to mountain feeders all winter.
📍 Fort Collins
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensisA compact 5.1–5.5-inch bird in blue-gray with a clean white face and breast and black cap. Nuthatches are the acrobats of the feeder, famously walking headfirst down tree trunks. Year-round residents of Colorado hardwoods and older neighborhoods, they call a nasal yank-yank.
📍 Colorado Springs
Pygmy Nuthatch
Sitta pygmaeaA tiny 3.5–4.3-inch nuthatch, brown-capped and blue-gray, that swarms ponderosa pines in busy, piping flocks. Pygmy Nuthatches live year-round in Colorado’s pine belt, visit suet feeders in gangs, and on cold nights dozens pile into a single cavity to roost together.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Greeley
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescensNorth America’s smallest woodpecker (5.5–6.7 inches) is a Colorado backyard regular in every season. Black-and-white checkered wings, a clean white stripe down the back, and a tiny stubby bill separate it from the larger Hairy Woodpecker; males wear a small red patch on the nape.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Pueblo
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratusA big 11–12-inch woodpecker in brown-barred plumage with a black bib and spotted belly; eastern birds flash golden wing linings and a red nape crescent. Flickers spend much of their time on the ground lapping up ants, and drum on Colorado gutters at dawn in spring — loud, but it’s a love song.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Grand Junction
American Robin
Turdus migratoriusThe familiar 7.9–11-inch thrush: gray above, brick-red below, yellow-billed. The dawn chorus over a Colorado lawn is built on its cheerily-cheerup phrases. Robins nest on porch lights and ledges, and big winter flocks descend on holly and hackberry trees across the state.
📍 Montrose
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanusA 5.1–5.5-inch finch: males washed strawberry-red on head, breast, and rump; females plainly streaked. House Finches spread across the East in the 1990s and now crowd Colorado tube feeders year-round, warbling long songs that end in an up-slurred veer.
📍 Glenwood Springs
Cassin’s Finch
Haemorhous cassiniiThe mountain cousin of the House Finch (6–6.7 inches): males are rose-pink with a bright red crown patch and fine streaking below; females are crisply streaked. Cassin’s Finches live in Colorado’s conifer belt and drop to feeders in winter, often in cheerful mixed flocks with siskins and goldfinches.
📍 Alamosa
Pine Siskin
Spinus pinusA tiny 4.3–5.5-inch finch, heavily streaked with flashes of yellow in wings and tail. Siskins breed in northern conifers and irrupt into Colorado some winters, swarming Nyjer feeders in twittering flocks mixed with goldfinches. Watch for them after poor northern cone crops.
📍 Salida
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalisThe classic snowbird: a 5.5–6.3-inch sparrow with a slate-gray hood set cleanly against a white belly, white outer tail feathers flashing in flight. Juncos pour into Colorado each October and double-scratch for millet under feeders until April — the surest sign of winter.
📍 Durango
Mountain Bluebird
Sialia currucoidesA 6.3–7.9-inch bluebird the color of a high-country sky — males are cerulean blue all over, females soft gray-blue. Mountain Bluebirds hover-hunt insects over Colorado’s open meadows and sage flats, and accept nest boxes on open ground far from trees.
📍 Lamar
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Selasphorus platycercusThe mountain hummingbird of the Rockies (3.9–4.3 inches): males have a rose-magenta throat and wings that trill metallically in flight — the soundtrack of a Colorado mountain summer. Broad-tails breed at altitude and visit feeders May through August before heading to Mexico.
📍 Trinidad
Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma woodhouseiiThe interior West’s scrub-jay (11–11.8 inches): duller blue than its California cousin, with a gray back and pale throat. Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays live year-round in Colorado’s pinyon-juniper belt and towns, caching piñon nuts by the thousand each fall — and remembering most of the hiding places.
Recording via Wikimedia Commons / xeno-canto
Read Full Guide →
📍 Sterling
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatusA striking 6.7–8.3-inch sparrow: black hood, white-spotted back, rusty flanks, and red eyes — the western counterpart of the Eastern Towhee. Spotted Towhees double-scratch in Colorado leaf litter, singing a buzzy tow-hee from shrubs and visiting ground feeders near cover.
More Backyard Birds in Colorado +88 species
Every other species from our backyard bird library that regularly occurs in Colorado — each with its own photo gallery, playable call, and full species guide. Browse 16 per page using the dots below.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Whole corn, peanuts, and a shallow water pan on open ground.
Feeder: Nyjer (thistle) socks and fine sunflower chips year-round.
Feeder: Perches on fences; nest boxes on poles in open country.
Feeder: White millet and fine cracked corn on ground or platform.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet crumbs and brush piles or wood stacks for cover.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Sugar-water feeders and a fine misting feature.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds at a sturdy platform feeder in summer.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Whole in-shell peanuts and coarse sunflower on a large tray.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Grain and crumbs on ground platforms in open western yards.
Feeder: Suet smeared on tree bark; spirals up trunks for hidden insects.
Feeder: Ground-scattered peanuts and corn near thick brush piles.
Feeder: Cracked corn and grain on the ground; a nest parasite.
Feeder: Grape jelly, halved oranges, and sugar water in summer.
Feeder: Suet in hanging baskets — whole buzzing flocks pile on together.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Sugar-water feeders; North America’s smallest bird.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Cracked corn, sunflower chips, and a shallow water dish.
Feeder: Berry-producing trees and a fountain or moving water.
Feeder: Fine seed mix and grass seed scattered on open ground.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Rarely visits feeders; appreciate these giants from the window.
Feeder: Not a feeder guest — it hunts the birds at your feeders.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Large grains on big platform feeders; spreading fast.
Feeder: Suet and crumbs; use starling-resistant caged feeders.
Feeder: Striped sunflower on big platform feeders — arrives in hungry flocks.
Feeder: Sunflower pieces and cracked corn; double-scratches in leaf litter.
Feeder: Ground grain and a low, shaded water dish in desert yards.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Grape jelly, halved oranges, raisins, and dense shady shrubs.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet blocks and whole peanuts; favors larger trees near feeders.
Feeder: Berry-producing shrubs and a ground birdbath in shady yards.
Feeder: Cracked corn, millet, and crumbs; nests in cavities and crevices.
Feeder: Nest boxes with 1-inch holes; eats insects, not seed.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds and suet; appreciates a water dish in arid yards.
Feeder: Suet and nut pieces in arid scrub yards.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: White millet and fine sunflower chips near brushy slopes.
Feeder: Nyjer socks and sunflower chips; feeds in tight twittering flocks.
Feeder: White millet and cracked corn on the ground or a low platform.
Feeder: Suet, fruit slices, and dense berry-producing shrubs.
Feeder: Suet crumbs; occasionally sips at hummingbird feeders.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Sunflower seeds on open platforms; visits erratically with cone crops.
Feeder: Suet, black oil sunflower, and peanut bits at tube feeders.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Sunflower, millet, and corn — arrives in loud flocks.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Hunts small feeder birds in winter; give feeders escape cover.
Feeder: Mixed seed and white millet near brushy edges; loves a birdbath.
Feeder: Whole peanuts, suet, and large nuts at mountain cabins.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Mealworms and a nest box facing open ground.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Tree-cavity style nest boxes; listen for the bouncing-ball call.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Sunflower chips and white millet on the ground near brush.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Visits backyard feeders and water features.
Feeder: Suet cakes, berries, and peanut butter smeared on bark.
The Colorado Seasonal Feeder Calendar
🌱 Spring
March – MayMountain Bluebirds return to nest boxes in March; Lark Buntings arrive on the plains in May. Hang nectar feeders by late April for Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. Bears leave dens in April across the foothills — bring feeders in at night, the rule Colorado Parks and Wildlife repeats every spring.
☀️ Summer
June – AugustChange hummingbird nectar every 2–3 days and keep the birdbath full — Colorado’s dry air makes water a magnet. Bluebirds raise second broods; goldfinches nest late, in July. Evening Grosbeaks and Cassin’s Finches visit mountain-town feeders all summer.
🍂 Autumn
September – NovemberMountain birds drift down to the plains. Juncos, siskins, and rosy-finches move; hummingbirds leave by early September. Stock seed and suet ahead of the first Front Range blizzard, and watch for Pine Grosbeaks in irruption years.
❄️ Winter
December – FebruaryPrime feeding season. Black oil sunflower, suet, and Nyjer carry chickadees, nuthatches, and finch flocks through the cold. A heated birdbath draws everything during freezes, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches descend on mountain-town feeders after storms.
Frequently Asked Questions: Backyard Birding in Colorado
- The Backyard Icon: The Black-billed Magpie — iridescent, bold, and unafraid — patrols Front Range yards year-round for suet, scraps, and peanuts.
- The State Bird: The Lark Bunting (state bird since 1931) is a plains bird — males are jet black with white wing patches — arriving in May; millet on open ground attracts migrants.
- Bear Country: Colorado’s foothills and mountain towns have serious black bear populations — Colorado Parks and Wildlife says bring feeders in at night April through November.
- Winter Finches: Evening Grosbeaks, Cassin’s Finches, Pine Siskins, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches all hit Colorado feeders in winter — sometimes at the same one.
- The Map: The pinned map at the top of this page shows where each of the 16 featured birds is most characteristic; every pin jumps to a profile with photos, a playable call, and a full guide link.
- Best Single Upgrade: A suet cage plus a heated birdbath — chickadees, nuthatches, magpies, and finches through the deepest Front Range winter.
Colorado Birding Checklist
Region: Colorado — 104 Backyard Species