Colorado has a diverse variety of backyard birds. And In this article, I’ll list and explain all the backyard birds of colorado in detail.
Note: If you’re short on time I have compiled a table of all the backyard birds with identification and their Diet. You can also read about these birds in detail below.
| Backyard Birds in Colorado | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
| American Robin | 23-28 cm | 77 gm (2.7 oz) | These birds have black heads and backs with a hint of red or orange on their breast. | Mostly insects, berries, earthworms. In early summer, insects make up the majority of the diet; they also feed on many earthworms, snails, spiders, and other invertebrates. |
| Mourning Dove | 22-36 cm | 120 gm (4.2 oz) | Soft brown in color with hints of black on the wings. | Millet, black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, peanut hearts. |
| Broad-tailed Hummingbird | 3.1-3.5 in (8-9 cm) | 0.1-0.2 oz (2.8-4.5 g) | This bird has a white chest and an iridescent green upper body with greenish flanks. They also have a rose-magenta throat patch | This bird’s diet mostly consists of insects and nectar |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 24cm/37cm | 85 gm (2.9oz) | All black only with a bright red and yellow patch on the top of their wings. The female is pale brown. | Mixed grains. |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 12-16 cm | 19 gm(0.67oz) | These are dark-eyed variants of Sparrows. These birds are long-distance migratory birds. | Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. |
| House Finch | 14 cm | 19-22 gm (0.6-0.7oz) | These birds have a redhead and breast in the males and a brown streak of colors in females. They are generally noisy and move in flocks. | Seeds, buds, and fruits like thistle, cactus, cherries, apricots, plums, blackberries, figs, and strawberries. |
| Northern Flicker | 30-35 cm | 120 gm(4.23oz) | Large woodpeckers, with a size in between crows and Robins, with brown body color and black spots, bars, and crescents all over their bodies along with a red nape. They also have hints of yellow on their bodies as well. | Black oil sunflower seeds are their favorite. |
| Black-Capped Chickadee | 10-15 cm | 12 gm (0.4oz) | Small bird with a big round head. They have black caps and beaks, white cheeks, with a gray back, wings, and tail. | They eat seeds, different berries, insects, suet, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and spiders. |
| Black-billed Magpie | 17.7-23.6 in (45-60 cm) | 5.1-7.4 oz (145-210 g) | This bird has a black and white body with blue-green iridescent flashes in the wing and tail. | Mostly eats seeds, fruits, insects, and small animals |
| House Wren | 11-13 cm | 11 gm(0.38oz) | Small brown birds with dark wings and tails and pale throats. | Insects like spiders, beetles, earwigs, brush piles caterpillars. |
| American Crow | 40-53 cm | 320-620 gm (11.2- 21.8oz) | These birds are large with all black bodies. They are found on treetops, beaches, and towns. | Earthworms, seeds, insects, fruits, fish, young turtles, clams, eggs, mussels, and nestlings of different species of birds. |
| European Starling | 22 cm | 58-100 gm (2.04- 3.5oz) | These birds are stocky black, with a purple, green and blue hue. These birds are famous for their aggressive behavior. | They eat insects like flies, beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, and spiders, along with fruits like cherries, holly berries, mulberries, Virginia Creeper, sumac, blackberries, and even seeds and grains. |
| Western Meadowlark | 6.3-10.2 in (16-26 cm) | 3.1-4.1 oz (89-115 g) | This bird has a yellow underbody with intricately patterned brown, black, and buff upper body. The bright yellow breast is covered with V black cross. | This bird’s diet consists of mostly seeds and insects. |
| Common Grackle | 28-34 cm | 110 gm (3.8oz) | Tall blackbird with a long tail and glossy texture. These birds move in huge flocks. | Eats mostly insects, berries, seeds, fruit, bird eggs, although it is also known to eat frogs and snakes. |
| Western Kingbird | 7.9-9.4 in (20-24 cm) | 1.3-1.6 oz (37-46 g) | This bird has a gray head with a yellow belly and a white chest and throat. | Mostly insects, seeds, and fruits. |
| Blue Jay | 22-30 cm | 65-110 gm (2.2- 3.8oz ) | Blue crest, black backs, and white undersides. | Acorns, insects, grain, nuts, and seeds. |
| Song Sparrow | 12-17 cm | 19 gm (0.60z) | Brown streaked birds and are well known for singing all day just in order to attract mates during the season. | They eat a wide variety of insects like caterpillars, beetles, midges, spiders, and earthworms, along with buckwheat, raspberries, sunflower, wild cherries, wheat, and rice. |
| House Sparrow | 14-18 cm | 24-40 gm (0.84-1.41oz) | These birds are extremely common and would literally eat out of your hand. They are mostly found in busy areas close to human existence. | They feed on all grains and seeds, like birdseed, millet, corn, and sunflower seeds along with discarded food. |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 14 cm | 12.5 gm (0.44oz) | Gray with flashes of yellow, with slightly brownish tones in females. | Insects and fruits like wax myrtle and bayberry. |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 27-28 cm | 20 gm (0.70oz) | These are active little birds with a grayish-blue back and white face and belly with a black cap. Their lower belly and tails are mostly of the chestnut shade. | They feed on insects and larvae like caterpillars, ants, and even spiders. Other than that, they also feed on acorns, sunflower seeds, hawthorns, and corn crops. |
Backyard Birds Of Colorado In Different Seasons
Summer Backyard Birds
- American Robin 51%
- Mourning Dove 35%
- Broad-tailed Hummingbird 33%
- Red-winged Blackbird 31%
- Northern Flicker 30%
- House Wren 29%
- House Finch 29%
- Black-billed Magpie 24%
- Yellow Warbler 21%
Winter Backyard Birds
- Dark-eyed Junco 60%
- House Finch 36%
- Northern Flicker 35%
- Black-capped Chickadee 34%
- Black-billed Magpie 34%
- American Crow 29%
- European Starling 24%
- American Robin 23%
- Song Sparrow 17%
Backyard Birds Of Colorado In Detail
American Robin
The American Robin is a tiny songbird that belongs to the common thrush family, the Turdidae family, and the genus Thrush.
Their breasts are reddish-orange, while their head, back, wings, and tail are all covered with black feathers. They also have long pointed beaks and white patterns on the margins of their wings.
They are timid and like to live in woodland settings. They are herbivores in their native environment, eating berries, leaves, and insects.
They are migratory birds that migrate from the southern United States to the cooler portions of Canada and Mexico in the winter and then back north in the summer.
The American Robin can be seen scavenging for food along roadways, in droughts, and in flooded fields in search of earthworms and other tiny invertebrates.
If you want to attract American Robins to your backyard then feed them sunflower seeds, suet and peanut hearts, fruit, and mealworms.
You can either disperse the food on the ground or use a platform feeder. Grow berry-yielding plants like juniper, sumac, hawthorn, and dogwood.
Mourning Dove
The mourning dove is a native member of the Columbidae family of doves. The mourning dove, rain dove, wetland dove, turtle dove, and, more lately, simply the mourning dove are all names given to the species.
It’s currently largely recognized in the southeastern United States, as well as Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, and Ontario, Canada. It also frequents metropolitan locations, including major cities, pastures, farm fields, parks, resorts, and even some residential areas.
By distributing millet, black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, and peanut hearts on the ground or using platform feeders, you may attract more Mourning Doves to your yard.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Males have magenta necks and mostly green and white bodies with buffy flanks. Males emit a loud metallic “trilling” sound with special feathers on their wingtips during the spring and summer.
By the end of the winter, these feathers are worn down and regrown for the next spring breeding season.
Breeding is possible at high elevations where nightly temperatures are below freezing. They go into a phase of hibernation, in order to preserve energy in the cold until the sun rises again.
During the breeding and migratory seasons, broad-tailed hummingbirds can be seen throughout Colorado.
With the help of nectar feeders, you can attract Broad-tailed Hummingbirds to your backyard.
Red-winged Blackbird
The red-winged blackbirds have an all-black plumage with vivid red and yellow shoulder patches, making them easy to distinguish. In comparison to the streaky brown hue of the males, the females are quite drab.
They are frequently seen perched on telephone lines, and during the mating season, the males will fiercely protect their territory, even attacking individuals who come too close to nests.
Red-winged blackbirds gather in huge numbers during winter. The majority of the United States is home to Red-winged Blackbirds.
If you want to attract Red-winged blackbirds to your backyard then start by spreading mixed grain and seeds on the ground or on platform feeders.
Dark-eyed Junco
The dark-eyed junco is a dainty and attractive New World sparrow with a small range through central to southern Canada and northern the United States.
Small dark-eyed birds appear to favor gardens with small open spaces, such as meadows, where they may feed on a diverse range of plant species.
Seed, particularly sunflower seeds, is the most common diet for these birds, but nectar and even caraway appear to be effective favorites as well.
If you want to attract Dark-eyed Juncos to backyard feeders then feed them black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. The ideal feeders are platform feeders or those that are dispersed on the ground.
House Finch
Originally a Western bird, it may now be found across the United States. Other red finches exist, but house finches are the ones that are most likely to be found in residential environments.
From bill tip to tail tip, the House Finch is around 6 inches long. Goldfinches and chickadees are smaller. White-crowned Sparrows and Spotted/Eastern towhees are smaller.
With a medium-long notched tail, he has a medium-sized physique. With a round head. Males have a crimson head, breast, and rump (occasionally orange or yellow).
Small flocks can be seen on wires, on treetops, and in shrubs. Originally, these areas were deserts and grasslands. They’re presently most frequent in rural and urban locations.
Black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer seeds in tube feeders or platform feeders can attract more House Finches to backyard feeders.
Northern Flicker
The northern flicker is a woodpecker that is modest in size. It’s widespread over North America, and it’s even endemic to portions of Central America, Mexico, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands.
Because they can forage almost everywhere, they make excellent bird feeders. You’ll encounter them in deciduous woods, evergreen forests, coniferous forests, and grasslands.
Flickers are most active at night, although they are quiet during the day, spending much of their time on the wing or perched on branches. They are often seen eating only seeds or insects, making them an ideal choice for bird feeders.
Suet and black oil sunflower seeds can attract more Northern Flickers to your garden feeders.
Black-capped Chickadee
The black-capped chickadee is one of North America’s most well-known birds, and it may be found in a range of habitats across the continent. The chickadee is a common winter visitor to backyards.
These birds are normally singing at this time of year, although they can also be seen in other seasons.
Black-capped chickadees are a common sight on the edges of rolling hills and tiny meadows in southern Ontario, Canada, where they forage for grass and other food sources before winter.
The music of the birds is especially delightful at this time of year. A birch tree is one of the most common sites to find the bird.
If you want to attract Black-capped Chickadees to your yard then feed them suet, sunflower seeds, and peanuts or peanut butter. If you try this bird will even eat from your hand.
Black-billed Magpie
Black-billed Magpies are loud black and white birds with long tails with blue-green iridescent flashes in the wing and tail. They are bigger than Jays.
They do not migrate and may be seen eating fruit and grain, beetles, and grasshoppers in meadows and grasslands, as well as other open spaces.
They’ve also been known to kill small animals like squirrels and voles, as well as raiding bird nests for eggs and nestlings, as well as carrion.
Black-billed Magpies will frequent backyards in search of black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, fruit, suet, millet, and milo in platform and suet feeders.
House Wren
House Wrens are little brown birds with lighter necks and darker banded wings and tails. Before moving to the extreme south and Mexico for the winter, they breed in most states.
House Wrens can be seen hunting on insects such as beetles, caterpillars, and earwigs in brush heaps in backyards, parks, and open woodlands.
House Wrens may be aggressive when it comes to nesting places, harassing even larger birds and even dragging eggs and young ones away from a nest site they choose.
You may encourage more House Wrens to visit your yard by providing brush piles for them or by erecting a nest box to attract a breeding pair.
American Crow
The American Crow is a bright and colorful bird. This is one of the most common birds in the area, and it can be found all around the province. Birders frequently discover these birds breeding in trees along the sides of roadways or even in people’s backyards.
They are frequently found grazing on the roots of trees and plants, although they seldom nectar from flowers. They are one of the most active species of birds, meaning they are always on the search for new foods.
By throwing peanuts in your yard, you can attract additional American Crows.
European Starling
The European starling, often known as the common starling in the United Kingdom, is a medium-sized passerine bird that belongs to the Sturnidae family of the avian order songbirds.
It’s around 20 cm long and has metallic green plumage with a faint golden sheen that’s mottled with white at different times of the year.
Similar to many other songbirds, It has a tinny, high-pitched tone to it. In busy places like backyards, they are usually observed together.
Black oil sunflower seeds, suet, cracked corn, and peanuts may all be used to attract more European Starlings to your backyard feeders.
Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlarks are little blackbirds with brown and white upperparts and a black V-shaped band across the brilliant yellow breast that fades grey in the winter.
Western Meadowlarks may brighten your day with their beautiful yellow bellies and delightful voice. This bird is quite popular they are the official bird of six states.
Use hulled sunflower seeds and broken corn in ground feeders to attract more Western Meadowlarks to your yard.
Common Grackle
The common grackle is a big Icteridae that may be seen in vast flocks in North America. Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, was the first to identify it in 1758.
Common grackles may be found over most of the northern United States, particularly in the northern plains, along the central west and southeastern states, and in the continent’s northeastern regions.
If you want to attract Common Grackles to your yard then feed them mixed grains and seed, strewn on the ground or on platform feeders.
Western Kingbird
Huge flycatchers with yellow bellies, white chests, grey heads, grayish-brown wings, and darker tails, Western Kingbirds are large flycatchers with yellow bellies, white chests, grey heads, grayish-brown wings, and darker tails.
They like open areas and perch on fences and utility wires, where they wait for insects to pass past before catching them in mid-flight. They are frequently seen on the edge of forests, where they may nest in the trees and feed openly.
Making your yard insect-friendly and growing elderberry or hawthorn can attract more Western Kingbirds.
Blue Jay
The blue jay is a lovely genus bird that may be found in huge flocks in parks, near water, and near human settlements.
Mountainous locations with steep cliffs and exposed soil are frequent habitats for this species. It’s a popular visitor’s bird, and its vivid, colorful plumage has long made it a favorite of photographers.
Blue jays are often regarded as the greatest bird for bird watchers and walkers since they are timid and may hide in long grass and oak trees.
They eat a variety of seeds, but sunflower seeds are their favorite. Berries, suet, insects, worms, and carrion are among the things they consume.
If you want to attract more Blue Jays to your yard, try feeding them peanuts, sunflower seeds, or suet in tray feeders or hopper feeders on a post. They’ll also like a birdbath.
Song sparrow
The song sparrow is a New World bird of middling size. The Song Sparrow is perhaps one of the least well-known and least popular of all North American birds.
It’s certainly one of the most prolific, versatile, and adaptable species among North American native birds.
And it’s exciting to think that if this gorgeous bird decides to build a home in our backyard, we may be among the first to witness it.
They may live in a range of habitats, including tree bark, rocks, logs, and even steep rocky outcrops.
If you want to attract song sparrows to your backyard then feed them black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and nyjer on platform feeders.
House Sparrow
The house sparrow is a beautiful sparrow that may be found across North America. Many populations have been discovered in Canada, northern Germany, and Russia.
The house sparrow, like most members of its genus, has a thin incisor beak that it uses to split open fruits and pick at little seeds.
The house sparrow, unlike most other birds, exhibits a high level of intellect. They are gregarious creatures who form lifelong pairs rather than mating. They nest among trees in the spring but return to their natal holes in the fall.
Most types of birdseed, such as millet, maize, and sunflower seeds, will attract more House Sparrows to your backyard feeders.
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler is a common winter visitor to treetops and weedy regions in the southern United States. Chickadees and goldfinches are smaller than these birds.
They are smaller than juncos and House Finches. With a shorter tail, plump and neckless.
In the spring, the breeding plumage is blue-gray on the top portions, black on the sides and breast, yellow on the rump, and yellow on the sides. Both types have grey-brown upper plumage and creamy cream lower plumage in the winter.
During the nesting season, they are usually found in coniferous or mixed woods in the western Alps. Open regions with fruiting shrubs and scattered trees in the winter. Breed across Canada and Alaska, as well as in western coniferous woods.
If you want to attract Yellow-rumped Warblers to your yard then feed them sunflower seeds, suet, raisins, and peanut butter.
White-breasted Nuthatch
The white-breasted nuthatch is a lovely little songbird in the nuthatch family that may be found over much of North America’s mid-latitudes.
Early spring to late summer expeditions into open woodlands are preferred by the white-breasted nuthatch.
It eats a wide range of insects, including moths, aphids, and spiders. These nuthatches, like many other birds, become exceptionally silent and secretive throughout the winter.
Sunflower seeds and peanuts in tube feeders or suet feeders can attract more White-breasted Nuthatches to your yard.
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