Birds in Colorado in December: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Colorado in December in our iNaturalist sample; 2 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in December

Red-tailed Hawk737 obs.

Bald Eagle547 obs.

Canada Goose536 obs.

Black-billed Magpie474 obs.

Common Goldeneye460 obs.

Mallard442 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco359 obs.

Northern Flicker355 obs.

Hooded Merganser324 obs.

House Finch324 obs.

American Kestrel298 obs.

Cackling Goose285 obs.

All birds seen in Colorado in December

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	737	Apr (past peak)
2	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	547	Jan (past peak)
3	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	536	Apr (past peak)
4	Black-billed Magpie	Pica hudsonia	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	474	Jun (past peak)
5	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	460	Jan (past peak)
6	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	442	Apr (past peak)
7	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	359	Jul (past peak)
8	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	355	Apr (past peak)
9	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	324	Jan (past peak)
10	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	324	May (past peak)
11	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	298	Jan (past peak)
12	Cackling Goose	Branta hutchinsii	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	285	Dec (peak)
13	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	274	Apr (past peak)
14	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	269	Nov (past peak)
15	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	269	Apr (past peak)
16	American Wigeon	Mareca americana	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	227	Nov (past peak)
17	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	227	Apr (past peak)
18	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	222	Apr (past peak)
19	Ring-necked Duck	Aythya collaris	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	192	Jan (past peak)
20	Great Horned Owl	Bubo virginianus	Typical Owls	189	May (past peak)
21	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	188	Apr (past peak)
22	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	186	Jul (past peak)
23	Ferruginous Hawk	Buteo regalis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	180	Jan (past peak)
24	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	171	Apr (past peak)
25	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	169	Apr (past peak)
26	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	167	Jan (past peak)
27	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	167	Nov (past peak)
28	Mountain Chickadee	Poecile gambeli	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	166	Aug (past peak)
29	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	161	May (past peak)
30	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	157	May (past peak)
31	Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay	Aphelocoma woodhouseii	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	154	Aug (past peak)
32	Snow Goose	Anser caerulescens	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	154	Dec (peak)
33	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	153	Apr (past peak)
34	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	151	Jul (past peak)
35	Green-winged Teal	Anas crecca	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	147	Mar (past peak)
36	Steller's Jay	Cyanocitta stelleri	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	146	Sep (past peak)
37	Townsend's Solitaire	Myadestes townsendi	Thrushes	144	Oct (past peak)
38	Northern Harrier	Circus hudsonius	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	141	Jan (past peak)
39	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	135	Apr (past peak)
40	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	132	May (past peak)
41	Common Raven	Corvus corax	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	131	Jul (past peak)
42	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	129	Aug (past peak)
43	Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	123	Jan (past peak)
44	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	122	Apr (past peak)
45	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	120	Jun (past peak)
46	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	119	Nov (past peak)
47	American Dipper	Cinclus mexicanus	Dippers	108	Jul (past peak)
48	Canada Jay	Perisoreus canadensis	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	100	Sep (past peak)
49	Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	New World Sparrows	100	May (past peak)
50	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	97	Aug (past peak)

Birds Seen in Colorado in December

Top birds in December

All birds seen in Colorado in December