Large Birds in Colorado: Identifying and Appreciating Local Wildlife (2024)

This site is supported by our readers. We may earn a commission, at no cost to you, if you purchase through links.

Have you ever come across a large bird while exploring the vast landscapes of Colorado? Knowing what types of birds to look for in this state can be daunting, as there are many species that call it home.

From Trumpeter Swans and Bald Eagles to American White Pelicans and Great Blue Herons, these majestic creatures will always impress with their size! In this article, we’ll explore some of the largest birds found in Colorado so that you can identify them on your next outdoor adventure.

The American White Pelican, with its bright orange bill and nearly 10-foot wingspan, is a sight to behold as it soars over lakes and rivers. Watch for groups of these striking birds gliding in unison just above the water’s surface.

The Trumpeter Swan is North America’s largest waterfowl species, named for its sonorous call. At over 4 feet tall with pure white plumage, an adult Trumpeter Swan is unmistakable.

With wings spanning up to 7 feet, the Bald Eagle is arguably Colorado’s most iconic raptor. Look for these powerful birds perched in trees or circling high overhead near water sources. If you’re lucky, you may witness one swoop down to snatch an unlucky fish from the water! Finally, the Great Blue Heron can stand over 4 feet tall, with blue-gray plumage and a thick dagger-like bill.

Patiently stalking the shallows of wetlands and streams, these skillful hunters are a common sight across Colorado.

So grab your binoculars and start exploring Colorado’s diverse habitats, from high mountain lakes to grassland wetlands.

Mute Swan

You’d likely spot the state’s heaviest bird swimming gracefully around a northern Colorado lake. Its long orange bill is easily seen. The non-native mute swan favors the deeper northern lakes, feeding on submerged aquatic vegetation.

Watch for its distinctive S-shaped neck posture while foraging. Though beautiful, the aggressive swan competes with native waterfowl. Careful management helps protect Colorado’s fragile wetlands from overgrazing. While mainly in the north, mute swans may wander south during cold weather.

Their year-round presence distinguishes them from other white wetland birds like egrets and herons that migrate. The hefty swan’s adaptations let it thrive in its preferred habitat. With luck, a silent mute swan sighting will grace your next mountain lake visit.

Trumpeter Swan

Look for the mammoth frames and halcyon pure color as Trumpeter Swans skim across shielding skies or rest upon tranquil waters.

• Males utilize a territorial resonating calls, females produce softer notes in mating displays.
• Winter in ice-free areas of the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes, and eastern seaboard.
• Cause reverberations across wetlands with sonorous vocalizations.
• Endangered in the lower 48 until 1975, now largest healthy wild swan population in North America.
• Numbers continue to improve via wetland conservation and strict protections.

The majestic wild swans glide with regal elegance, their sounds stirring primordial wonder.

American White Pelican

You may be surprised to learn that the American white pelican is one of the largest birds in Colorado, boasting an immense wingspan that can extend up to 110 inches. These massive soaring birds reside in the state year-round, primarily inhabiting central and northern regions.

They prefer wetland habitats where they cooperatively feed by dipping their sizable throat pouches into the water to scoop up fish.

Size and Distribution

Only found in the center and north, the American white pelican is the largest of Colorado’s birds in wingspan, reaching up to 110 inches. Stretching those expansive wings, pelicans ride thermals, soaring hundreds of feet above plains and lakes.

Unlike the trumpeter swan, which stays mainly up north, pelicans range throughout the central region of the state. Even rarer, they share the open skies with migrant sandhill cranes and tundra swans during seasonal migrations.

You may catch a glimpse of white pelicans drifting over the reservoirs and rivers they call home if you’re lucky.

Habitat and Behavior

The American white pelicans’ massive wingspans allow them to soar effortlessly over lakes and wetlands as they scan for fish below. Colorado’s American white pelicans prefer freshwater lakes and marshes with abundant fish, where you can observe their synchronized fishing techniques as they cooperatively herd fish into the shallows.

The large birds plunge their pouched bills into the water in unison, straining fish and water through the sides.

Bald Eagle

Found throughout Colorado year-round, the massive bald eagle is easily identified by its snowy white head, piercing yellow eyes, and large yellow hooked bill. Though no longer endangered, this majestic raptor remains a protected species under federal and state law.

Appearance and Distribution

You’ll spot bald eagles all year-round in Colorado, although their numbers increase during the winter months. With their distinctive white heads and yellow bills, these majestic raptors are a treat to observe as they soar above rivers and reservoirs in search of fish.

An adult bald eagle has a snowy white head, dark brown body, and yellow beak. Their wingspans can reach up to seven feet! Watch for them perched in large cottonwoods along waterways or soaring overhead.

Conservation Status

Having once faced endangerment, bald eagles have luckily made a strong comeback across Colorado’s skies. After conservation efforts protected vital nesting sites and reduced harmful chemicals, their populations steadily rebounded from near-extinction.

Though they remain sensitive to habitat loss, with ongoing safeguards this iconic bird soars once more over Colorado’s mountains and plains.

Golden Eagle

Golden eagles are majestic birds of prey easily distinguished by their golden-brown crowns and napes. These large raptors inhabit open country throughout Colorado and much of North America, preying mainly on small mammals and other birds.

Physical Features and Behavior

You’re often wowed by a golden eagle’s massive six-foot wingspan when it suddenly soars overhead.

• Dark brown plumage except for golden feathering on the nape, crown, and neck
• Yellow beak, feet, and eyes
• Distinct white patches under the wings
• Long, broad wings for soaring and hunting

Golden eagles nest on cliffs and hunt mammals over wide-open spaces across western North America.

Habitat and Range

With piercing yellow eyes, golden eagles soar over Colorado’s open lands, scanning for prey. These large raptors frequent grasslands, deserts, shrublands, and other open habitats across the state. Abundant from the eastern plains to the western slope, they nest on cliffs and hunt jackrabbits, prairie dogs, and other small mammals over a vast range.

Though their numbers are stable, habitat loss threatens these majestic birds. We must conserve Colorado’s open spaces to preserve the realm of the golden eagle.

Sandhill Crane

Let’s talk about the sandhill crane, a rare breeding bird in Colorado that migrates south for winter. These tall, gray birds can be easily identified by their bright red crown and white cheeks and neck, using a comprehensive bird identification guide

.

Description and Behavior

While lifting your eyes to the winter-gold heavens, a lone human figure stands atop the mountain, watching the fleet-winged cranes’ graceful ballet soaring through the skies. Their red-crowned heads are held high. The stately Sandhill Crane glides on six-foot wings in ones or twos, at times in flocks stretching across the sky.

Their rattling bugle calls echo. Though rare nesters, these ancient gray birds migrate through in legions to wintering grounds. Their white cheeks are bright in the low-angle light. Their primal dances and complex bonds reveal captivating beauty to the lone witness under autumn’s crystalline sky.

Migration Patterns

Following their breeding season in the northern United States and Canada, Sandhill Cranes migrate south through Colorado to wintering grounds in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. With their majestic calls echoing across the skies, watching skeins of these large gray birds with crimson crowns pass overhead is a special fall and spring spectacle.

Their ancient migration patterns continue, thanks to conservation efforts protecting wetland stopover habitat that provides crucial rest and feeding areas during their long journeys. Sandhill Cranes play a vital role in transporting nutrients between their disparate breeding and wintering ecosystems.

Great Blue Heron

You’ll often see great blue herons, majestic large wading birds known for their grace and patience, in Colorado wetlands. These calm hunters spear fish and frogs with their long bills or stand motionless waiting to strike in shallow waters and marshes common across the state.

Great blue herons are a common sight in Colorado wetlands, where their graceful hunting makes for a memorable scene. Watch as they wade patiently in shallow water before spearing an unsuspecting fish or frog with their long, sharp bill.

Or you may catch one standing perfectly still, waiting to ambush its next meal. However you observe them, these majestic birds are an iconic part of wetland habitats across the state.

Identification and Habitat

Caught amid changing tides, your vision pierces the marsh’s veil, spying the sentry who keeps watch over the wilderness.

• Bluish-gray plumage with a distinctive white head and neck
• Shaggy crest at the nape during breeding season
• Found in marshes, swamps, ponds, rivers – anywhere with water
• Can stand nearly 5 feet tall with a 6 foot wingspan
• Patiently waits to ambush fish, frogs, and other aquatic prey

The majestic Great Blue Heron, regal lord of Colorado’s wetlands, stands guard over the marsh.

Feeding Habits

You stalk fish-filled waters with spear-like beaks, snatching them up. You forage marshes and shallows, plucking crabs, frogs, and small critters from murky depths. Mute swans feed on aquatic plants, while trumpeter swans dine on tubers. You are not shy about scavenging or stealing from other birds.

Fish make up half of bald eagles’ prey. Golden eagles favor cottontails and ground squirrels. Adapting to find sustenance for great wingspans. Crafty hunters of sky and swamp.

Snowy Owl

The Snowy Owl is a stunning, vulnerable, and rare species considered endangered in Colorado. With white or brown bodies and extensive brown barring, these owls spend the winter months in the eastern part of the state where they breed in the arctic tundra and inhabit open habitats.

Appearance and Range

You’ll find snowy owls across the open tundra in Colorado during winter, with their bright white plumage that can blend into the snow.

These arctic natives have wingspans between 4 and 5 feet wide while hunting. Their key physical features to note are the rounded head, yellow eyes, and almost entirely white plumage, though females may have dusky spotting.

They breed in the Arctic but head south in winter to the northern US and Canada, frequenting open areas like grasslands and marshes.

Look for these large, white owls roosting on the ground or utility poles as they survey for lemmings, their primary prey.

Breeding and Migration

Snowy owls breed in the Arctic tundra and sometimes migrate south to Colorado in winter. They nest on the ground, laying 3-11 eggs in May or June. The male provides food for the brooding female. Their populations fluctuate but are generally declining, so they are considered vulnerable.

Conservation efforts aim to protect their tundra habitat. With luck, you’ll spot these magnificent white owls on their occasional winter migrations down to the Rocky Mountains.

Great Horned Owl

The Great Horned Owl, one of the most common owls found throughout Colorado, is easily recognizable by its large ear tufts, yellow eyes, and mottled brown and black plumage. These resourceful birds of prey have a diverse diet, hunting mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even fish.

Physical Characteristics and Range

Sailing silently, skimming snowy skies, the sizeable soaring soul searches for shivering, scurrying sustenance. Envision its powerful talons crushing crunchy creatures, hear the horn hooting, resonating through reverent, ancient forests.

Marvel at muted, moonlit flight masking stealthy stalking. Witness the wise, white-faced watcher perched prominently, peering for prey. Though feared by fluttering fauna, respect this regal raptor ruling the wilderness realm – a lord of lost lands lingering as a living legend.

Hunting and Diet

Hunting mainly at night, you silently swoop down on unsuspecting prey like rabbits, squirrels, and rodents when foraging in open habitats. With your incredible low-light vision and silent flight, you are a stealthy and effective predator.

Your powerful talons and sharp beak make quick work of prey, while your acute hearing guides you to rustling brush. As a highly adaptable opportunistic hunter, you vary your diet depending on availability, feeding on birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.

Your unique hunting techniques and dietary flexibility allow you to thrive across diverse habitats.

Turkey Vulture

You’ll often spot turkey vultures soaring high in Colorado’s skies. As scavengers that feed on carrion, these large birds with dark bodies and distinctive red heads play an important ecological role by helping clear away dead animals and prevent the spread of diseases.

Identification and Distribution

From high aloft, broad wings carry you in keen-sighted soaring, spotting dinner below. Colorado’s open plains and mountains provide bountiful dead animals for your meals. Look for Turkey Vultures circling overhead, riding thermals far and wide across the state.

Their broad wingspan and effortless soaring make identification simple. Ranging through most of Colorado except the highest mountains, Turkey Vultures are easy to spot. Keep watch for these large scavenging birds, essential components of the ecosystem.

Role in Ecosystem

You’ll find turkey vultures soaring high over open areas, using their keen eyesight and sense of smell to locate carrion on which they feed, playing an essential role as nature’s clean-up crew.

• Help control populations of potential disease-carrying animals through scavenging.
• Aid in nutrient cycling by returning nutrients from carcasses back into the ecosystem.
• Indicate areas of recent wildlife mortality for biologists and wildlife managers.
• Compete for carrion resources with other scavenging species like coyotes and ravens.
• Migrate over long distances, connecting disparate ecosystems through nutrient transport.

Their unique adaptations allow them to fill an indispensable niche in the environment as ubiquitous scavengers.