Regional Birds

This guide to birds of Boulder County, Colorado features beautiful photos of every bird species likely to be seen in Boulder County.

If you’d also like a printable checklist, download the Boulder County Checklist from the Colorado Field Ornithologists (2013 version; PDF).

Quick Links to Groups

Gerhard Assenmacher, Stephen Jones, and Amy Schlotthauer worked together to make this online field guide possible. Stephen Jones collated all the status, population, and conservation information for each bird. A list of all the photographic contributors is at the end of this page.

The distribution and status of birds in Boulder County is ever-changing. If you find incorrect information or would like to contribute additional information or images to this guide, please contact us.

The expanded version of each image bears a copyright notice, photographer’s name, and information about each species. Please respect these specific copyrights if you choose to use them elsewhere.

Swans, Geese and Ducks

Pheasants and Grouse

Loons and Grebes

Bittern, Herons, Ibis

Vultures, Hawks, Eagles and Falcons

Rails, Coot and Crane

Shorebirds

Gulls and Terns

Pigeons and Doves

Eurasian Collared-dove (Copy)

Rock Pigeon (Copy)

Mourning Dove (Copy)

Owls

Nighthawks, Swifts, Hummingbirds and Kingfisher

Woodpeckers

Shrikes, Flycatchers and Vireos

Corvids

Larks and Swallows

Chickadees, Nuthatches and Creeper

Wrens, Gnatcatcher, Kinglets and Dipper

Thrushes

Starling, Pipit, Waxwings

Warblers

Orange-crowned Warbler (Copy)

Virginia's Warbler (Copy)

Yellow Warbler (Copy)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Copy)

Townsend's Warbler (Copy)

MacGillivray's Warbler (Copy)

Wilson's Warbler (Copy)

American Redstart (Copy)

Yellow-breasted Chat (Copy)

Common Yellowthroat (Copy)

Ovenbird (Copy)

Towhees and Sparrows

Green-tailed Towhee (Copy)

Spotted Towhee (Copy)

American Tree Sparrow (Copy)

Chipping Sparrow (Copy)

Brewer's Sparrow (Copy)

Vesper Sparrow (Copy)

Lark Sparrow (Copy)

Lark Bunting (Copy)

Savannah Sparrow (Copy)

Grasshopper Sparrow (Copy)

Fox Sparrow (Copy)

Song Sparrow (Copy)

Lincoln's Sparrow (Copy)

White-crowned Sparrow (Copy)

Dark-eyed Junco (Copy)

Tanager, Grosbeaks, Bunting, Blackbirds

Western Tanager (m) (Copy)

Western Tanager (f) (Copy)

Bullock's Oriole (m) (Copy)

Bullock's Oriole (f) (Copy)

Orchard Oriole (Copy)

Great-tailed Grackle (Copy)

Common Grackle (Copy)

Brewer's Blackbird (Copy)

Red-winged Blackbird (m) (Copy)

Red-winged Blackbird (f) (Copy)

Yellow-headed Blackbird (Copy)

Western Meadowlark (Copy)

Indigo Bunting (Copy)

Lazuli Bunting (m) (Copy)

Lazuli Bunting (f) (Copy)

Blue Grosbeak (Copy)

Black-headed Grosbeak (m) (Copy)

Black-headed Grosbeak (f) (Copy)

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Copy)

Bobolink (m) (Copy)

Bobolink (f) (Copy)

Finches and Weaver Finch

American Goldfinch (m) (Copy)

American Goldfinch (f) (Copy)

Lesser Goldfinch (m) (Copy)

Lesser Goldfinch (f) (Copy)

Evening Grosbeak (Copy)

Pine Grosbeak (Copy)

Gray-crowned Rosyfinch (Copy)

Brown-capped Rosyfinch (Copy)

House Sparrow (Copy)

Pine Siskin (Copy)

Red Crossbill (Copy)

House Finch (m) (Copy)

House Finch (f) (Copy)

Cassin's Finch (Copy)

The Boulder County Audubon Society greatly appreciates the images donated below. This page extensively features the photographs of Gerhard Assenmacher. Most are Gerhard’s photos, but he wants to acknowledge the following photographers who also contributed to this project:

Evan Assenmacher

Glenn Bartley
Don Brockmeier

Ken Cook
Alan Grant
Stephen Jones

Jay Mahoney

Jennifer Price
Scott Rashid

Bill Schmoker

Kevin Smith
Matthew Studebaker
Tom Wiberding
Don Whittaker