Birds of Colorado: The Official State Checklist

All 96 birds on the list

• American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus
• American Goshawk Astur atricapillus
• American Kestrel Falco sparverius
• American Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus anatum
• American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea
• Baird's Sparrow Centronyx bairdii
• Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
• Band-tailed Pigeon Columba fasciata
• Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica
• Black Rosy-Finch Leucosticte atrata
• Black Swift Cypseloides niger
• Black-Billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus
• Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus
• Boreal Owl Aegolius funereus
• Broad-tailed Hummingbird Selasphorus platycercus
• Brown Creeper Certhia americana
• Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Leucosticte australis
• Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus Ater
• Burrowing Owl Athene cuniculalria
• Calliope Hummingbird Selasphorus calliope
• Canada Goose Branta canadensis
• Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus
• Chestnut-collared Longspur Calcarius ornatus
• Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
• Chukar Alectoris chukar
• Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii
• Clark's Nutcracker Nucifraga columbiana
• Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
• Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus
• Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
• Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus
• Dusky Grouse Dendragapus obscurus
• Eastern Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis
• Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis
• European Starling Sturnus vulgaris
• Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
• Flammulated Owl Psiloscops flammeolus
• Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
• Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
• Grace's Warbler Setophaga graciae
• Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis
• Gray Vireo Vireo vicinior
• Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
• Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido
• Greater Sage-Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus
• Greater Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis tabida
• Gunnison Sage-Grouse Centrocerus minimus
• Juniper Titmouse Baeolophus ridgwayi
• Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
• Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
• Least Tern Sterna antillarum
• Lesser Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus pallidicintus
• Lewis's Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis
• Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
• Long-eared Owl Asio otus
• Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
• Mexican Spotted Owl Strix occidentalis lucida
• Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
• Mountain Chickadee Poecile gambeli
• Mountain Plover Charadrius montanus
• Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
• Northern Bobwhite​​ Northern Bobwhite​​
• Northern Bobwhite Colinus virginianus
• Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
• Northern Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium gnoma
• Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus
• Pinyon Jay Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus
• Piping Plover Charadrius melodus circumcinctus
• Plains Sharp-Tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesii
• Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus
• Red-naped Sapsucker Sphyrapicus nuchalis
• Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
• Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
• Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis
• Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
• Scaled Quail Callipepla squamata
• Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
• Southern White-tailed Ptarmigan Lagopus leucura altipetens
• Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii extimus
• Sprague's Pipit Anthus spragueii
• Thick-billed Longspur Rhynchophanes mccownii
• Turkey Meleagris gallopavo
• Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
• Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
• Virginia's Warbler Leiothlypis virginiae
• Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana
• Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
• Western Purple Martin Progne subis arboricola
• Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus occidentalis
• White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
• Whooping Crane Grus americana
• Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
• Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
• Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
• Yellow-Breasted Chat Icteria virens

Birds people confuse

Bald eagle or Golden eagle?

Bald eagle Not stated

No confirmed photo of Golden eagle

Golden eagle Not stated

Young bald eagles lack the white head and tail and are often mistaken for golden eagles. Bald eagles have unfeathered lower legs and hold their wings flat when soaring; TWRA says golden eagles have feathered legs, limited white under the wing, and lift the outer wing in a slight V.

Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.

When birds are active in Colorado

Records of birds in Colorado peak in April to September. They show when people record birds, not how many there are (about month bars).

If you see one

Official advice from Colorado Parks and Wildlife:

• Mountain lion: if the lion does not leave, face it and slowly back away; fight back if attacked. Colorado Parks and Wildlife

How to report

Invasive species: file a report with CPW (online "Report a Sighting" form linked from cpw.state.co.us/invasive-wildlife). Injured/abandoned animals, feeding or illegal activity: CPW Denver Headquarters 303-297-1192 or any CPW office; anonymous: Operation Game Thief 877-265-6648. After-hours emergency: Colorado State Patrol 303-239-4500. Wildlife posing immediate danger: local CPW office or law enforcement. Colorado Parks and Wildlife

About this list

The species list comes from CPW Species Profile List (cpw.state.co.us/species-profiles), Type = Bird, plus CPW 2025 SWAP SGCN list (birds) (Colorado Parks and Wildlife, retrieved 2026-11-03). 60 more entries come from other official sources named on each card.

Venom does not apply to birds.