Want to learn the most common backyard birds Colorado? Colorado is a beautiful state and like most places in the United States, it has its own unique bird species. When surveyed and researched, over 507 different types of birds have been identified in Colorado.
This is one of my favorite things about Colorado in the summer – the Colorado backyard birds you get to see and interact with!
Some will hop across your lawn, others will feed on your bird feeders, and still, others will flit around in your trees. There is something so fun about it, and it is even more fun when you know what types of birds you are seeing.
Colorful illustrations make this guide to backyard birding in Colorado a joy to read. Whether you have an entire acre to explore or just a small patio, this article shows you what you need to know to attract birds.
You will learn how to spot the brightest birds and the most elusive songbirds, which insects to watch for, what times of year are best, and how to encourage good wren hunting. This list will help you identify common Colorado backyard birds.
Backyard Birds Colorado
Backyard birding is a fun activity to do in Colorado, but not everyone has the knowledge or the opportunity to enjoy it. If you want to learn how to identify birds and if you want to attract more birds in your yard, then read on.
Here are the Colorado backyard birds:
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Northern Flicker
- Red Winged Blackbird
- House Finch
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird
- Mourning Dove
- American Robin
- House Wren
- Black-Billed Magpie
- Black-capped Chickadee
- Barn Swallow
- European starling
- American Crow
- Yellow warbler
- Blue Jay
- American Goldfinch
- Western Kingbird
- Eurasian Collared-Dove
- Common Grackle
- Western Meadowlark
Watch More Colorful Colorado Backyard Birds Video
colorado backyard birds youtube
1. Dark-eye Junco
Dark-eyed_Junco-birdsflock.com-common-Backyard-Birds-In-Ontario
The Dark-eye Junco is a favorite of birders and backyard nature-lovers alike, for good reason. By habit, these little sparrows are neat, and sometimes even flashy.
The male of this western species sports a striking black head with a white central crown stripe, white throat (sometimes a speckled brown/gray “chin strap”), bold white wing patches on otherwise grayish plumage, and a bright white eye-ring.
In the non-breeding season, their throat often takes on a pale gray-brown tint.
Besides these charismatic features, the Dark-eye Junco boasts other nifty traits: they are widespread (wintering throughout much of North America), adaptable (inhabiting forest floors as well as bird feeders), and not picky (feeding on various seeds and weed seeds).
Their overall gray or dark brown color and their obvious white outer tail feathers are their best field marks.
- Length: 5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)
- Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz (18-30 g)
- Wingspan: 7.1-9.8 in (18-25 cm)
Dark-eyed Juncos are birds of the coniferous forest, preferring areas with some brushy cover and partially open woods. Their soft scolding call is one of their best attributes for identification. Listen for it before you see them flying overhead.
Backyard Tips for Dark-Eyed Junco
This clever little sparrow, a regular visitor at many bird feeders, forages for weed seeds and small insects on lawns in winter. Be warned; like House Sparrows, this species can be very prolific if not kept in check.
Facts About Dark-Eyed Junco
- Juncos are known as snowbirds of the middle latitudes
- It is one of the most common birds in Colorado and other parts of the US.
- The oldest Dark-eyed Junco lived for at least eleven years, four months
2. Northern Flicker
Backyard Birds In Ontario” class=”wp-image-553″/> Northern_Flicker birdsflock.com common Backyard Birds In Ontario
If you like woodpeckers but do not have wood to provide food, the Northern Flicker is one of the amazing colorado backyard birds that will willingly live with you in the backyard. Every year flickers come through your yard on their way to South America, where they spend winter on the Pacific coast from California to Chile.
They are not shy, so if you see one, walk toward it and listen for a short whistle – you will see it fly up into a high branch and into the leaves for cover. If someone else is around, he or she will probably join in – a flicker whistled at one will whistle back at another. So, you may have fun trying this with a friend.
Northern Flickers can be found throughout most of the United States and southern Canada, frequenting forest edge habitats, often near their favorite food, the ground-cherry. These birds are most easily seen in Summer.
Look for their white rump patches and watch for stiff, rapid wing beats and short flights. Listen for their loud, ringing call and piercing yelp.
Backyard Tips for Northern Flicker
Look for Northern Flickers in large lawns and parks as well as along trails through open woods. Just about any well-treed backyard has a chance of supporting a Northern Flicker.
Prominent red marks on the white outer feathers of their tails help you recognize them easily. Flickers prefer to perch close to the ground, rather than high in the treetops like many other woodpeckers.
Facts About Northern Flicker
- Though the Northern Flicker can climb trees, it prefers finding food on the ground.
- It is a strongly migratory North American woodpecker
- It nests in tree holes
3. Red-winged blackbird
Love to see some of the backyard birds Colorado? With the return of spring, so comes the joyful song that announces its arrival. The Red-winged Blackbird is one of the most abundant birds across North America, and one with a bold color.
- Length: 6.7-9.1 in (17-23 cm)
- Weight: 1.1-2.7 oz (32-77 g)
- Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)
Look for the male Red-winged Blackbird’s glossy black body and glossy red shoulder patches. In flight look for the rusty wings, which are usually held in a triangular shape.
He will be hanging around his territory during the breeding season, singing his conk-la-lee song from perches at the tops of trees. The female is streaky brown overall, but with a reddish breast in breeding condition, and she does not have the male’s shoulder patches.
The Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight perched atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires, where they like to sing their cheery song.
Backyard Tips For Red-winged Blackbird
Red-winged Blackbirds are not the most colorful birds, but they make up for it with their charismatic personalities. They are very social birds that like to hang out with one another, and even raise their young together in communal nests.
They also come to yards with mixed grains and seeds; if you have a flat area where they can land, try spreading grain or seed on the ground to attract them!
Facts About Red-winged Blackbird
- Red-winged blackbirds are highly polygynous.
- Male Red-winged blackbirds always defend their territories, especially during breeding season.
- According to the record, the oldest Red-winged blackbird was fifteen years, nine months old.
4. House Finch
How about a red bird for your next house? The bright red head and breast of males, and the bird’s long, twittering song make it easy to identify. You can find one at the next bird feeder you come across because it is now found in most neighborhoods in Colorado.
- Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
- Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)
- Wingspan: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)
They fly around quickly, often hang upside down when they are looking at seeds or suet, and they chirp their sweet song repeatedly.
The House Finch is one of the backyard birds Colorado that is an extremely sociable bird that flocks in winter and nests communally in trees or shrubs. In summer, this finch moves into urban and suburban areas, where it feeds on human food at window trays, backyard feeders, and other backyard birding sites.
Its small size enables it to nest in gardens and shrubbery under power lines.
Backyard Tips For House Finch
If you love to feed birds and watch them at your feeders, try to attract House Finches.
This small finch is easy to attract to your yard with black oil sunflower seeds, and because the birds fly in flocks and dart around a bit, they provide more entertainment than other types of birds do. Each House Finch male sings and has his own song.
Facts About House Finch
- Originally, House finch was a bird of Mexico and western United states
- The House Finch’s red pigments contained in its food during molt
- The oldest House Finch was at least eleven years, seven months and it was a female.
5. Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Seductive hummingbirds with rose-magenta throats and stunning aerial displays live in the high mountains of the West. In addition to their gorgeous colors and song, males also have special adaptations that help them survive long, cold nights in the winter.
- Length: 3.1-3.5 in (8-9 cm)
- Weight: 0.1-0.2 oz (2.8-4.5 g)
Because these Colorado backyard birds spend only a short amount of time in each summer location, it is impossible to see all the places where Broad-tailed Hummingbirds live in Colorado.
However, there are three spots you can certainly check out:
1) Stop at forest openings and meadows that are filled with flowers. This is where you will often hear hummingbird songs.
2) Check out feeders. Hummingbirds will go to the same spots from summer to summer, so visiting a feeder will get you familiar with Broad-tailed Hummingbirds’ return locations.
3) While in the mountains, stop at lookout points to see the birds as they fly by. Good luck!
Backyard Tips for Broad-tailed Hummingbird
If you live around the location where broad-tailed hummingbird is, putting up a sugar-water feeder may bring them to your yard and allow you to watch one in your yard. A ratio of one part table sugar dissolved in four parts water is recommended.
Planting flowers in your backyard is another way to entice hummingbirds while also adding splendor to your yard.
Facts About Broad-tailed Hummingbird
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird enters a slowed metabolic state on very cold nights
- They are very aggressive and energetic bird species.
- The oldest Broad-tailed Hummingbird was twelve years, two months old.
6. Mourning Dove
Backyard Birds Kentucky” class=”wp-image-897″/> mourning_dove Backyard Birds Kentucky
Throughout Colorado and North America, the Mourning Dove is found in a variety of habitats. Their numbers are replenished by the high rate of reproduction and their ability to successfully adapt to a wide variety of habitats and locations.
Male
- Length: 9.1-13.4 in (23-34 cm)
- Weight: 3.4-6.0 oz (96-170 g)
- Wingspan: 17.7 in (45 cm)
Female
- Weight: 3.0-5.5 oz (86-156 g)
- Wingspan: 17.7 in (45 cm)
A graceful and slender-tailed, small-headed dove that is common across the continent, the Mourning Dove is an abundant game bird. It forages for seeds and lives in an open habitat consisting of fields, pastures, and rank growth. The soft, drawn-out calls of these doves sound like laments.
Their flight is fast and bullet straight; their wings make a sharp whistling or whinnying noise when taking off. They nest on the ground in dense cover and can be found in large flocks in winter with members of the same or other species as well as with Blue jays.
Mourning Doves, with their unmistakable mourning call, are a common sight in suburban neighborhoods. Perched on telephone wires and similar perches throughout the day to search for seeds and insects.
If you want to see these Colorado backyard birds, keep an eye open for Mourning Doves on the ground; they gather in large flocks to eat and exchange calls. They also roost communally in large numbers at night.
Backyard Tips For Mourning Dove
This sparrow-like bird is most often found foraging low to the ground, finding crashed insects by sight or sound.
They also eat fruits, berries, and grain seeds. Mourning Doves are one of the few birds that seem to prefer feeding on the ground; this habit makes them vulnerable to cats, dogs, and other predators.
Their nest is a flimsy platform built from twigs and grasses. It is placed on a tree limb or in dense brush. If a Mourning Dove does not have enough nesting sites around your home, consider putting up an appropriate nest box – they readily use them when they are available.
Facts About Morning Dove
- You might see three of these Mourning Doves flying tightly during the breeding season
- Mourning Doves feed on the ground more than most birds
- Morning dove can drink brackish spring water to survive
- They are the most widespread birds in North America
- The oldest Morning Dove was thirty years, four months old
7. American Robin
american-robin
They are a familiar sight at both town and city lawns, where residents often see them pulling Earthworms out of the ground. American Robins are popular birds for their cheery song, warm orange breast and early appearance at the end of winter.
It is the early bird that catches the worm! American Robins are common urban birds, and they work hard to provide your lawn or garden with healthy new growth. The smart little birds often start their day before sunrise when temperatures are still low.
- Length: 7.9-11.0 in (20-28 cm)
- Weight: 2.7-3.0 oz (77-85 g)
- Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)
After you have had your cup of coffee and a few hours to watch the world come to life, head out for an early morning stroll to catch one of these industrious garden helpers at work. Bring your camera for some closeups!
The American Robin is an iconic bird of the eastern United States. Watch for them running across lawns or standing on a fence post inspecting the world around them.
Their elongated bodies have distinctive multi-colored patterns and their pale gray bills can appear yellowish, particularly in spring and summer.
In winter these Colorado backyard birds may disappear from your lawn but could still be around. Look for flocks of them in treetops and around fruiting trees and listen for their low cuck notes.
Backyard Tips For American Robin
The American robin is a thrush often found in the woods and fields. Although they can be harder to attract than other birds, a well-constructed nest box with a panorama window can draw these birds in.
Facts about American Robin
- American Robin can produce three broods in just a year
- They eat a lot of fruit in winter and fall
- They also eat worms in the morning and fruit later in the day.
- The oldest American Robin was thirteen years, eleven months old.
8. House Wren
House Wren – Backyard Birds Colorado
House Wrens are plain brown Colorado backyard birds with effervescent voices. These common backyard birds Colorado breed from the southern United States to the southeastern coast of South America.
With its zippy rush-and-jumble song and active nature, the House Wren deserves a place in your backyard.
- Length: 4.3-5.1 in (11-13 cm)
- Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (10-12 g)
- Wingspan: 5.9 in (15 cm)
The secret to attracting this starling-sized bird is habitat—most House Wrens live close to humans, in brushy areas near wires. Playing host to this species is easy—just let a pile of twigs dry out on the ground or build it a box.
The small, plump House Wren is a surprisingly bold and playful bird. Family groups will often hang out on the edges of backyard ponds, digging for insect larvae.
They are common feeder visitors who are fascinated by shiny objects. These busy little birds are found over nearly the entire Western Hemisphere, where they tend to live in more suburban and rural settings, not tropical rainforests as one might expect.
House Wrens are not shy about singing away from their nests, and if you’re in the right habitat (backyards, parks, and open woods) you should be able to hear the male’s rollicking song: a cheerful scree-e-eee-tee-tee-tee followed by a rapid staccato trill—seet-wonk, seet-wonk—that slows in speed like a record played at the wrong speed.
Backyard Tips For House Wren
If you need to prune trees or cut brush in your yard, consider heaping the cuttings into a pile as a safe place for House Wren to gather. This can be fun. Making brush piles is also an effortless way to remove potential fire hazards.
Attracting birds is great for gardens, but it is also rewarding for people who have grown accustomed to seeing fewer bird species in their neighborhoods. Nest boxes will also attract House wren.
Facts about House Wren
- House Wrens nest inside nest boxes and tree holes
- House Wren is one of the backyard birds Colorado with the largest ranges in the New World
- Temperature inside Wren’s nest box can be very important for its eggs
- The oldest House Wren was nine years old.
9. Black-billed Magpie
Black-billed Magpie – backyard Birds Colorado
The black-billed magpie is an important and delightful bird of western North America, recognizable by its long, spectacular tail and distinctive call.
With striking white wing patches, the black-billed magpie spends much of its time on fenceposts or road signs—or winging across rangelands gathering in flocks of a dozen or more to feed at carrion. It is also intensely social and spends much time performing displays.
- Length: 17.7-23.6 in (45-60 cm)
- Weight: 5.1-7.4 oz (145-210 g)
- Wingspan: 22.1-24.0 in (56-61 cm)
Black-billed Magpies are noisy and conspicuous, making them easy to see and hear. Not to be confused with their smaller relatives the Black-capped Chickadee or Tufted Titmouse, this bold bird has a wide range of habitats, including forests, grasslands, deserts, farmlands, and even urban areas.
Backyard Tips For Black-billed Magpie
With a gorgeous black and white coloration pattern, the Black-billed Magpie is easy to identify. The Black-billed Magpie’s diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates, but they will also eat seeds and nuts.
They will even perch at the tops of trees to eat fruit, such as acorns and apples. attract them to your yard with a suet feeder and bird feeder.
Facts About Black-billed Magpie
- Black-billed Magpie can spend 40 days to make a very large nest
- According to history, it has been associating with people for a very long time
- Black-billed Magpie is a nest predator
- The oldest Black-billed Magpie lived in Idaho and was nine years, four months old
10. Black-capped Chickadee
Backyard Birds” class=”wp-image-1098″/> Black-capped Chickadee – Colorado Backyard Birds
The Black-capped Chickadee is a familiar bird to most Americans. This cuddly and friendly little bird is a native that sings in spring, summer, and fall.
The distinctive chickadee’s black cap and bib; gray back and tail, and wings; white cheeks and whitish underside with buffy sides make it one of the most beautiful Colorado backyard birds. Easy to identify, fun to watch, and always “cute” – the chickadee is an excellent bird to attract to your yard.
- Length: 4.7-5.9 in (12-15 cm)
- Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (9-14 g)
- Wingspan: 6.3-8.3 in (16-21 cm)
So easy to care for, they are among the first birds that people learn to recognize. As backyard visitors, they eat insect pests like aphids and grubs and depending on their breeding range they also feed on grain or berries in winter.
Backyard Tips For Black-capped Chickadee
It is easy to attract chickadees to your yard with hanging feeders and dishes filled with Nyjer seed, sunflower, peanut, or suet.
Facts About Black-capped Chickadee
- Black-capped Chickadee is a wise bird that reserves seeds and other food items for later days
- It lets brain neurons with old information die every autumn
- Several birds love associating with Black-capped Chickadee
- The oldest Black-capped Chickadee was eleven years, six months old.
11. Barn Swallow
The thrilling sight of a Barn Swallow in flight is only one of the reasons to make it a part of your nature-loving family. The Barn Swallow’s distinctive tail feathers were long prized by Native Americans, who used them for ornamentation and ritual dance costumes.
Look for the long, deeply forked tail that streams out behind this agile flyer and sets it apart from all other North American swallows. Barn Swallows are often seen cruising low over fields and marshes, where they hunt flying insects.
They build their mud nests almost exclusively on human-made structures, including barns, bridges, culverts, under highway overpasses—just about any place they can find a suitable ledge.
Once established in an area, they gather building materials with their bills at dusk; in the morning they add their eggs and off they go to feed.
- Length: 5.9-7.5 in (15-19 cm)
- Weight: 0.6-0.7 oz (17-20 g)
- Wingspan: 11.4-12.6 in (29-32 cm)
Look for Barn Swallows feeding in farmyards, above meadows, fields and over water, or perched on wires. During the summer, watch for males and females performing aerial courtship flights, a spectacular sight.
Barn Swallows build their nests with grasses, hair, and feathers in large colonies beneath overhanging structures. They will sometimes re-use old nests from other birds. Their thick mud nests are often found on structures near barns, fishing piers on lakes and near bridges.
Backyard Tips For Barn Swallow
Invite Barn Swallows to your yard with a ground-up eggshell, oyster shell, or mud source; they do not use conventional birdhouses. Provide a small platform feeder to increase their numbers and help reduce insect populations around your home.
Facts About Barn Swallow
- An unmated male Barn Swallow may kill the nestlings of a nesting pair
- Barn Swallow is the most extensively distributed and abundant swallow species in the world
- Other birds used to help Barn Swallow to feed their younger ones.
- The oldest Barn Swallow was ten years old
12. European Starling
European Starling Colorado Backyard Birds
Despite the many naysayers, starlings are a welcome sight every time of the year. The robust blackbirds delight with their sky wheeling, their flocks’ winter whiteness and their vocal clamor throughout the summer.
Their coloration bears some resemblance to the smoked meat they sometimes eat in North America; both are dark and glossy. Though slightly smaller than native robins, they are territorial creatures who get noisier by the year as their numbers increase.
- Length: 7.9-9.1 in (20-23 cm)
- Weight: 2.1-3.4 oz (60-96 g)
- Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 in (31-40 cm)
Though they are sometimes hated for their great quantity and violence, they are still amazing birds when you get a good look.
Covered in white spots during winter, they turn dark and glossy in summer. For much of the year, they wheel through the sky and mob lawns in big, noisy flocks.
With its unmistakable song, a European Starling is an amazing sight to see up close. As you get your binoculars ready, you will see plenty of these birds as they move across the lawns and fields looking for food in groups of twos or threes.
Backyard Tips For European Starling
The European Starling is a blackbird with white speckling on the wings. It is a very common short-distance migrant in the United States and Canada, occurring everywhere except the southwest.
This species often comes to bird feeders. You can attract them to your bird feeder with suet or black sunflower seed.
Facts About European Starling
- European Starlings in North America are descendant of one hundred birds released in New York’s Central Park early 1890s
- All European starlings are closely related
- They are great vocal mimics
- They are strong fliers
- The oldest European starling was fifteen years, three months
13. American Crow
American Crows are large, noisy birds that consume almost anything from earthworms to garbage. They usually feed on the ground and eat almost anything—typically insects, earthworms and other small animals, seeds, and fruit; also, carrion, garbage, and chicks they rob from nests.
They normally live in open habitats ranging from fields to pine woods, although they inhabit just about any urban setting in North America. They are known for their intelligence: used extensively in television and film roles demanding smart birds.
American Crows are moderately sized, carrion eaters that stand out in a crowd, literally. Their jet-black bodies and bright white belly and face contrast prominently with the muted tones of branches and trees.
- Length: 15.8-20.9 in (40-53 cm)
- Weight: 11.2-21.9 oz (316-620 g)
- Wingspan: 33.5-39.4 in (85-100 cm)
The bill is long, peaked and slightly hooked. Legs and feet are grey-black giving the birds a well-balanced look when perched.
If you have never seen an eagle up close, an American Crow may be the best substitute! It is often seen and heard in cemeteries, parks, landfills, city dumps, manicured lawns, campgrounds, and other open areas.
Backyard Tips for American Crow
American crows do not normally visit feeders, but if you are willing to provide a mix of trees, food, and open space for the birds, you can attract them to your backyard. You can also attract them with peanuts left in an open place. Crows are also attracted by garbage and compost that they can feed on.
Facts About American Crow
- American crows are known to congregate in numbe