Safekipedia

List of birds of Colorado

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

A family of American Coot birds swimming happily in a pond at the Cloisters City Park in Morro Bay, California.

In the U.S. state of Colorado, many different kinds of birds can be found. As of September 2022, people have seen and recorded 519 different species of birds in Colorado. These records were kept by the Colorado Bird Records Committee, a group of bird experts.

This list of birds follows a special order used by the American Ornithological Society. This group makes a list of all the birds in North and Middle America. The names of the bird families come from another group called the Clements taxonomy.

Six of these birds are not originally from North America. People brought them to this part of the world, and they are marked special on the list. Some birds might have escaped from places where they were kept, but they are not included in this list unless they were seen flying free in Colorado. One extra bird, seen only once, is also included in the records.

Ducks, geese, and waterfowl

Canada goose
Female mallard in flight

Order: Anseriformes   Family: Anatidae

The family Anatidae includes ducks, geese, and swans. These birds are well-suited for water with webbed feet, special bills, and feathers that keep them dry.

Some birds in this group found in Colorado include the Black-bellied whistling-duck, Snow goose, Canada goose, Wood duck, Mallard, and Ruddy duck, among others.

New World quail

The New World quails are small, plump birds that live on the ground. They look similar to other quails but are only distantly related.

Pheasants, grouse, and allies

White-tailed ptarmigan

Order: Galliformes   Family: Phasianidae

Phasianidae includes birds like pheasants and their relatives. These birds live on land and are usually round and chubby with short wings. Some of them are hunted for sport, and others are raised by people for food.

Grebes

Grebes are small to medium-sized birds that live in freshwater and are great at swimming and diving. They have special toes that help them move well in water, but this makes them clumsy when walking on land.

Western grebe

The grebes found in Colorado include:

Pigeons and doves

Mourning dove

Order: Columbiformes   Family: Columbidae

Pigeons and doves are strong birds with short necks and short, thin beaks with a special fleshy part on top.

Cuckoos

The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners, and anis. These birds have slender bodies, long tails, and strong legs. Some cuckoos from the Old World lay their eggs in other birds' nests.

Nightjars and allies

Nightjars, also known as goatsuckers, are medium-sized birds that are active at night and usually lay their eggs on the ground. They have long wings, short legs, and very short beaks. Most of them have small feet that aren't very good for walking and long, pointy wings. Their feathers are soft and blend in with bark or leaves.

Swifts

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae

Violet-green swallow

Swifts are small birds that spend most of their lives in the sky. They have very short legs and don't like to land on flat ground, preferring to rest only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long, special wings that look like a crescent or boomerang.

Some swifts found in Colorado include:

Hummingbirds

Order: Apodiformes   Family: Trochilidae

Broad-tailed hummingbird

Hummingbirds are tiny birds that can hover in one spot because their wings beat very fast. They are the only birds that can fly backward.

Some hummingbirds found in Colorado include:

Rails, gallinules, and coots

American coot

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Rallidae

The Rallidae family includes birds like rails, crakes, coots, and gallinules. These birds usually live in wet areas close to lakes, swamps, or rivers, where they hide among tall plants. They are often hard to spot because they are quiet and shy. Most of these birds have strong legs and long toes, which help them walk on soft, uneven ground. Their wings are usually short and rounded, so they are not very good at flying.

Some birds in this family found in Colorado include:

Cranes

Sandhill cranes

Order: Gruiformes   Family: Gruidae

Cranes are big birds with long legs and necks. They fly with their necks stretched out, which makes them look different from herons. Many cranes show off with loud and fancy dances when they want to find a mate.

Stilts and avocets

American avocet

The family Recurvirostridae includes large birds called avocets and stilts. Avocets have long legs and curved bills, while stilts have very long legs and thin, straight bills.

Two birds in this family found in Colorado are:

Plovers and lapwings

Killdeer

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Charadriidae

The Charadriidae family includes plovers, dotterels, and lapwings. These birds are small to medium-sized with compact bodies, short thick necks, and long, usually pointed, wings. They live in open areas around the world, especially near water.

Some birds in this family found in Colorado include:

Sandpipers and allies

Wilson's phalarope

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Scolopacidae

Scolopacidae is a large family of small to medium-sized shorebirds. It includes sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers, and phalaropes. Most of these birds eat tiny animals they find in mud or soil. Their different leg and bill lengths let many species eat in the same place without needing to fight for food.

Skuas and jaegers

Skuas and jaegers are medium to large birds with gray or brown feathers, often marked with white on their wings. They have long bills with hooked tips and webbed feet with sharp claws. These birds look like big dark gulls but have a special fleshy part above their upper bill called a cere. They are strong and agile fliers.

Auks, murres, and puffins

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Alcidae

The family Alcidae includes auks, murres, and puffins. These birds have short wings and live out on the ocean. They usually only come to land when it's time to have babies.

Gulls, terns, and skimmers

Ring-billed gull

Order: Charadriiformes   Family: Laridae

Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds. It includes jaegers, skuas, gulls, terns, kittiwakes, and skimmers. These birds are usually gray or white, sometimes with black marks on their heads or wings. They have strong, fairly long beaks and webbed feet.

Loons

Loons are birds that live in water and are about the size of a big duck, though they are not related to ducks. They have gray or black feathers and long, pointy bills. Loons are good swimmers and can fly, but they are not very good on land because their legs are placed far back on their bodies.

Storks

Storks are big birds with long legs and necks. They have long, strong beaks and wide wings. Unlike some other birds, storks do not have special feathers to clean themselves. They also cannot make sounds.

Frigatebirds

Frigatebirds are large seabirds that live near tropical oceans. They are black or black-and-white with long wings and forked tails. Male frigatebirds have special throat pouches that they can inflate. These birds cannot swim or walk, and they can't take off from flat ground. Because they have very large wings for their body size, they can fly for many days without stopping.

Boobies and gannets

Order: Suliformes   Family: Sulidae

The sulids include the gannets and boobies. These are medium to large birds that live near the coast and catch fish by diving into the water.

Anhingas

Anhingas are water birds that look like cormorants, with long necks and straight beaks. They eat fish and usually swim with just their necks showing above the water.

Cormorants and shags

Order: Suliformes   Family: Phalacrocoracidae

Cormorants are medium-to-large water birds. They often have dark feathers and colored skin on their faces. They have long, thin, hooked bills and webbed feet with four toes.

Pelicans

Pelicans are large water birds known for the big pouch they carry under their beaks. They belong to the group of birds called Pelecaniformes and, like others in this group, they have four webbed toes.

Two kinds of pelicans can be found in Colorado:

Herons, egrets, and bitterns

Order: Pelecaniformes   Family: Ardeidae

The family Ardeidae includes herons, egrets, and bitterns. Herons and egrets are medium to large birds that walk in water with long necks and legs. Bitterns are usually shorter and more hidden. When herons and egrets fly, they pull their necks in, which is different from other long-necked birds like storks.

Some birds in this family are:

Ibises and spoonbills

The family Threskiornithidae includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings. Their bodies tend to be stretched out, especially their necks and legs. The bill is also long, curved for ibises and flat for spoonbills.

New World vultures

Order: Cathartiformes   Family: Cathartidae

New World vultures look similar to Old World vultures but they are not closely related. They evolved to look alike because they both eat animals that have already died. While Old World vultures find food by sight, New World vultures use their strong sense of smell to find animals that have passed away.

Some birds in this group include:

Osprey

The Osprey belongs to the family Pandionidae, which is a special group with only one type of bird. These birds eat fish and are known for their large, strong beaks, powerful legs, sharp talons, and excellent eyesight.

Hawks, eagles, and kites

Order: Accipitriformes   Family: Accipitridae

Accipitridae is a family of birds that includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and vultures. These birds have large, strong beaks for catching their food, powerful legs, sharp claws, and excellent eyesight.

Barn-owls

Barn-owls are medium to large owls with big heads and special heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs and powerful talons.

Owls

Owls are special birds that are usually active at night. They have big eyes that face forward, a sharp beak like a hawk, and a circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.

Some owls found in Colorado include:

Kingfishers

Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails.

Woodpeckers

Order: Piciformes   Family: Picidae

Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with strong beaks for pecking at trees. They have short legs and stiff tails, and they use their long tongues to catch insects. Some woodpeckers have two toes pointing forward and two backward, while others have only three toes. Many woodpeckers often tap loudly on tree trunks with their beaks.

Some woodpeckers found in Colorado include:

Falcons and caracaras

Order: Falconiformes   Family: Falconidae

Falconidae is a family of birds that hunt during the day, including falcons and caracaras. Unlike hawks, eagles, and kites, they use their beaks to catch prey instead of their talons.

Some birds in this family found in Colorado include:

Tyrant flycatchers

Tyrant flycatchers are a group of birds that live in North and South America. They belong to the order Passeriformes and the family Tyrannidae. These birds look a bit like Old World flycatchers but are stronger and have thicker beaks. They mainly eat insects, and most of them have simple, plain looks. Unlike some other birds, they don't have very complex songs.

Vireos, shrike-babblers, and erpornis

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Vireonidae

Vireos are small to medium-sized birds mostly found in North and South America. They often have greenish feathers and look similar to wood warblers but have thicker beaks.

Shrikes

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Laniidae

Shrikes are birds that like to catch other birds and small animals. They sometimes put parts of what they catch on thorns to keep as food. Shrikes have a hooked beak, similar to birds that hunt other animals.

Crows, jays, and magpies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Corvidae

The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers, and ground jays. These birds are usually larger than other Passeriformes, and some of the bigger ones are quite smart.

Tits, chickadees, and titmice

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Paridae

The Paridae family includes small, sturdy woodland birds with short, strong beaks. Some of these birds have crests on their heads. They can eat a mix of seeds and insects.

Larks

Larks are small birds that live on the ground. They have beautiful songs and often show off in the air with special flights. Most larks look plain, and they eat insects and seeds.

Swallows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Hirundinidae

The Hirundinidae family is made for catching food while flying. They have slim bodies, long pointed wings, and a short bill with a wide opening. Their feet are made for landing on branches rather than walking, and the front toes are partly joined together at the base.

Long-tailed tits

Long-tailed tits are small birds with medium to long tails. They build woven bag nests in trees and eat a mix of insects and other foods.

Kinglets

The kinglets are a small family of birds that look similar to titmice. These birds are tiny and eat insects. Adult kinglets have colorful crowns on their heads, which is why they have their names.

Waxwings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Bombycillidae

Waxwings are a group of birds with soft, silky feathers and special red tips on some of their wing feathers. In the Bohemian and cedar waxwings, these red tips look like sealing wax, which is how they got their name. These birds live in the forests of northern areas. In the summer, they eat insects, and in the winter, they eat berries.

Silky-flycatchers

The silky-flycatchers are a small group of birds that belong to a family found mostly in Central America, but one species lives as far north as central California. These birds are related to waxwings and share their soft, silky-looking feathers, which are usually gray or pale yellow. They also have small crests on their heads.

Nuthatches

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sittidae

Nuthatches are small birds that live in wooded areas. They can climb down trees head first, which most birds cannot do. They have big heads, short tails, and strong beaks and feet.

Treecreepers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Certhiidae

Treecreepers are small birds that live in forests. They are brown on top and white underneath. They have long, thin beaks that curve downward, which they use to find insects hiding in tree bark. Their tails are stiff, like woodpeckers, helping them climb straight up tree trunks.

Gnatcatchers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Polioptilidae

Gnatcatchers are small, delicate birds that look similar to Old World warblers. They move quickly through leaves, looking for insects to eat. These birds are usually a soft bluish-gray color and have long, sharp beaks. Many gnatcatchers, especially the males, have unique black patterns on their heads and long tails with black and white feathers.

Wrens

Wrens are small birds that are often hard to see, but they sing loudly. They have short wings and thin, downward-pointing beaks. Some wrens like to hold their tails up. They eat insects.

Mockingbirds and thrashers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Mimidae

The mimids are a group of birds that includes thrashers, mockingbirds, tremblers, and New World catbirds. These birds are known for their singing, especially their ability to copy many different bird sounds and outdoor noises. They often have dull gray and brown feathers.

Some birds in this group found in Colorado are:

Starlings

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Sturnidae

Starlings are small to medium-sized birds with strong feet. They fly well and like to stay together in groups. They live in open areas and eat both insects and fruit. Their feathers are usually dark and have a shiny, metallic look.

Dippers

Dippers are small birds that live near water in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. They get their name from their bouncing or dipping movements while moving in the water. These birds can dive and walk along the bottom of water to find food like insect larvae.

Thrushes and allies

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Turdidae

Thrushes are a group of birds found mostly in the Old World. They are often plump and have soft feathers. These birds are usually small to medium-sized and eat insects or other small animals, sometimes also eating plants. Many thrushes are known for their beautiful songs.

Some birds in this group found in Colorado include:

Old World sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passeridae

Old World sparrows are small birds that belong to a group called passerine birds. They are usually small, plump, and have brown or gray feathers. They have short tails and strong beaks. These birds mainly eat seeds, but they also eat tiny insects.

One common type is the House sparrow, known scientifically as Passer domesticus.

Wagtails and pipits

The Motacillidae family includes small birds with medium to long tails, such as wagtails, longclaws, and pipits. These birds are slender and eat insects while moving on the ground in open areas.

Some birds in this family found in Colorado are the American pipit and Sprague's pipit.

Finches, euphonias, and allies

Finches are small birds that eat seeds. They have strong, cone-shaped beaks and often sing beautifully. They fly by flapping their wings and then gliding.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae

Longspurs and snow buntings

The Calcariidae are a group of birds that belong to the Passeriformes order and the Calcariidae family. They are often found in open grassy areas.

New World sparrows

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Passerellidae

Until 2017, these birds were grouped with another family called Emberizidae. Though many are called sparrows, they are not related to the sparrows found in the Old World, which belong to a different family called Passeridae. Many of these birds have unique patterns on their heads.

Yellow-breasted chat

The Yellow-breasted chat belongs to the order Passeriformes and the family Icteriidae. In the past, this bird was thought to be part of the wood-warblers group, but scientists were not sure. In 2017, it was given its own family.

Troupials and allies

The icterids are small to medium-sized, colorful birds found in North and South America. They include grackles, blackbirds, and orioles. Many of these birds have black feathers with bright yellow, orange, or red colors.

Some birds in this group found in Colorado are:

New World warblers

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Parulidae

The wood warblers are small, often colorful birds that live in the New World. Many live in trees, but some, like the ovenbird and the two waterthrushes, live closer to the ground. Most of these birds eat insects.

Cardinals and allies

The cardinals are a group of strong, seed-eating birds with thick beaks. They are often found in open woodlands. Male and female cardinals usually look very different from each other.

Order: Passeriformes   Family: Cardinalidae

Images

A male and female Green-winged Teal swimming together in their natural habitat.
A male and female Hooded Merganser duck, a type of waterfowl known for its striking appearance.

Related articles

Passeriformes
U.S. state
Colorado
American Ornithological Society
Clements taxonomy
Charadriiformes

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on List of birds of Colorado, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.