Winter Birding
January 13, 2025
Winter. For many living in cooler, or northern climates, the winter season does not necessarily evoke the image of great birding. It’s true, a lot of birds do disperse to the warmer climates in winter. But, winter is a great time to see some beautiful waterfowl, hardy songbirds, and impressive birds of prey, especially here in Colorado!
A Dark-eyed Junco (slate-colored variety)
One of the “sure signs” of winter’s arrival is the appearance of White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and a variety of ducks, typically in their breeding plumage. You may also start to see a variety of raptors moving back in, particularly Ferruginous Hawks and Bald Eagles! Due to Colorado’s often sunny, mild winters, it’s a great time to go birding in Colorado. Winter is also a great time to get some unique images and practice your bird photography, too!
Colorado happens to be along the Central Flyway, which is a migration route that runs through the west-central US. This Central Flyway is one of the biggest routes for waterfowl and shorebirds. You have a great chance at spotting numerous species of ducks over the winter in Colorado, including American Wigeon, Gadwall, Green-winged, Blue-winged, and Cinnamon Teal, Redheads, Common and Hooded Mergansers, Common and Barrow’s (rare-ish) Goldeneyes, Canvasback, Ring-necked, Greater (rare-ish) and Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, and Northern Shoveler. We even get the occasional rarity like White-winged and Surf Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, and Loons. Not to mention, we often see a variety of geese species, swans, and grebes! If it’s not clear by now, winter can be an excellent time to see these birds!
Male American Wigeon
Male Ring-necked ducks
Northern Shoveler ducks
Along with waterfowl, some songbird species make Colorado their winter home (or might just be more prevalent in the winter months). The most commonly seen are White-crown Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos.
White-crowned Sparrow at home in the snow. These birds make an elevational migration from the high mountain peaks in the summer to the lower elevations for winter
Occasionally, we also see “songbirds” like the Northern Shrike! These fierce little predators are well-known as the “The Butcher Bird” and impale prey on sharp branches, thorns, or even barb-wire fencing!
Winter brings birds normally seen much further north into Colorado, like this Northern Shrike perching on a high branch to look for prey. Shrikes are not great singers, but they are experts at hunting
A common site in Colorado, Ring-billed Gulls. This immature individual was scavenging crayfish in the snow last winter.
Winter in Colorado is a paradise for birds of prey! Colorado is lucky to see Bald Eagles returning to nesting sites all across the state in the winter. With the eagles, we also see the largest hawk across North America, the Ferruginous hawk. We have Red-tailed hawks, Northern Harriers, and American Kestrels. You might even get lucky and see a Prairie Falcon! And don’t forget about the owls! Owls will begin nesting in the “dead” of winter and are some of the first raptors to raise young.
Colorado also has some lovely year-round residents that look extra spectacular in the winter, including Blue & Steller’s Jays, Northern Flickers, American Robins, American Goldfinches, Chickadees (black-capped & mountain), House Finches, Canada (Gray) Jays, Clark’s Nutcrackers, and many more. Winter really brings out the beautiful colors and feather details in these birds.
Click on the images below to enlarge.
Did you know,? Colorado is also home to a couple species of grouse, including the Greater Sage Grouse, a threatened species. These birds can sometimes more easily be seen during the winter when they walk on top of the sagebrush in the snow. These hardy birds rely 100% on the sagebrush for food and shelter, and they are losing habitat rapidly. Although this is a discussion for another time, it is worth mentioning these special year-round residents of Colorado! Have you seen a Greater Sage Grouse?
