Colorado is a well-traveled corridor for birds that are migrating south through the winter. With the Pawnee National Grasslands, the Rocky Mountains and the many rivers winding through the area, the Denver area is a hotspot for these migrating birds looking for a place to rest and recuperate during their long flights. 

Here are some of the birds you’ll see flying through the city this fall. If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to keep an eye on The Cornell Lab’s Migration Dashboard for real-time updates on the species passing through your area!

10 birds that migrate through Colorado

Wilson’s warbler

Cardellina pusilla

The Wilson’s warbler is a small, brightly colored songbird native to North America. Both males and females are characterized by their vibrant yellow underparts, olive-green backs and distinctive black cap on their heads. Males and females are usually pretty similar in appearance, but males may have slightly brighter plumage during the breeding season.

These little fellas breed in the northern forests of Canada and the western United States, particularly in dense shrublands and bogs. In the fall, they migrate south to their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America. Their migration is generally swift, and they pass through Colorado only briefly during their journey, often stopping in wooded areas and shrubby habitats to rest and stock up on food and water.

Black-headed grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

The black-headed grosbeak is a medium-sized songbird found primarily in the western regions of North America. Males are notable for their striking black head, orange-brown body and white wing bars, while females are more subdued with a brownish-yellow body and streaked breast.

These birds breed in the western United States, including in parts of Colorado, and migrate to Mexico and Central America for the winter. Their migration is characterized by a relatively short journey, and they typically pass through Colorado during the fall, where they can be seen in a variety of habitats like forests and woodlands.

Solitary sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

The solitary sandpiper is a small shorebird known for its more solitary behavior (who’d have guessed?) compared to other sandpipers. It has a greenish-brown back, white underparts and distinctive white spots on its wings, as well as long legs and a slender bill adapted for probing in shallow water.

Solitary sandpipers breed in wooded and forested wetlands in the northern regions of North America. During migration, they travel through the central and eastern parts of the United States, including Colorado, on their way to Central and South America.

Townsend’s warbler

Setophaga townsendi

The Townsend’s warbler is a small, strikingly colored warbler native to the western parts of North America. Males are easily identifiable with bright yellow underparts, a black and greenish-gray back and a distinctive black throat and face pattern. Females are less vivid but still have the same distinctive appearance.

These vibrant birds breed in coniferous forests from Alaska down through the western United States, including parts of Colorado. In the fall, they migrate to their wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America, passing through shrublands and forests on the way down.

Snowy egret

Egretta thula

With a long, slender neck and a sharp bill adapted for catching fish and other small prey, the snowy egret’s striking white plumage, slender black legs and bright yellow feet can be easily spotted in fields and lawns. It’s known for its elegant appearance and distinctive breeding plumes, which are especially prominent during the breeding season. 

Eastern kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

With a black head, white underparts and a grayish back, the eastern kingbird has a distinctive white band at the tip of its tail and bright red or orange underwing feathers that are often hidden but visible during flight. 

Unlike many of the other birds on this list, the eastern kingbird lives the majority of the year on the East coast of North America, after which it migrates through Colorado and Texas down to Central and South America for the winter. If you can’t see them up close, you’re likely to spot large groups of them traveling in loose flocks in the evening!

Warbling vireo

Vireo gilvus

This small, plump bird with a dull olive-green or grayish-green back, pale underparts and pale line above its eye has a distinctive warbling song that makes identifying them easy. 

Warbling vireos are a common sight all over North America, but especially so during migration season — their migration patterns take these little guys through all sorts of habitats on their gradual way south to Central America, so you’re just as likely to see them in wooded areas as you are in grasslands, riversides and wetlands. 

MacGillivray’s warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

MacGillivray’s warbler features an olive-green body with a grayish hood and pale yellow underparts. It spends much of the year in mountainous regions of western North America (including Colorado) before it migrates to southern Mexico and Central America for the winter. 

This little warbler prefers montane forests and shrublands during the breeding season and stops in riparian habitats during migration to forage for insects, covering a significant distance from its high-altitude breeding grounds. Keep an eye out for it near bodies of water!

Western kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

The western kingbird displays a completely different set of colors to its eastern cousin, though the shape and size remain fairly similar. This bird, though, features a light gray head, soft yellow belly and olive-green back that makes it look more like a pigeon than a kingbird.  They also travel in much smaller groups than the eastern kingbirds do, so you’re more likely to see small clusters of them in fields or near wetlands.

Western sandpiper

Calidris mauri

If you see this bird during migration season in Colorado, then count yourself lucky!

The western sandpiper travels a long, long way each year for such a small bird. Its breeding grounds are in the Arctic tundra way up north, and it flies across the entire continent to winter on the shores of southwestern North America, Central America and South America as far down as Peru! Thankfully, they fly in large flocks so they’re easy to spot on their stopovers!

If you live in or around our Denver apartments, then keep your eyes out for these birds migrating through Colorado this fall.

Good luck!

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Featured photo by Navi on Unsplash