Birds of the Mountain Parks and Mt. Evans Regions

--from Municipal Facts, Vol. 2, No. 3, March 1919

No less than 108 species have been recorded for Lookout Mountain and vicinity, to say nothing of the many species to be found at higher elevations, yet this brief list may serve to impress upon the reader the fact that Denver's Mountain Parks and the Mount Evans region offer a wealth of material and unlimited opportunities for the study of a phase of bird life unknown upon the plains.

An Annotated List of the Birds of the Mountain Parks and Mount Evans region by Robert B. Rockwell and Alexander Wetmore.

Shoveller Duck   Spatula clypeata   only one record Lookout Mountain.
American Avocet   Recurvirostra americana   only one record Lookout Mountain.
Spotted Sandpiper   Actitis macularia   only one record Lookout Mountain.
Killdeer   Oxyechus vociferus vociferus   only one record South Table Mountain.
Bobwhite   Colinus virginianus virginianus   Common resident west to Golden.
Ring-Necked Pheasant   Phasianus torquatus   A few wander to the top of Lookout Mountain.
Dusky Grouse   Dendragapus obscurus obscurus   Not uncommon resident.
White-tailed Ptarmigan   Lagopus leucurus   Resident above timberline on Mount Evans.
Western Mourning Dove   Zenaidura Maeroura marginella   Common summer resident.
Turkey Vulture   Cathartes aura septentrionalis   Occasional summer resident.

Sharp-shinned Hawk   Accipiter velox   Regular migrant probably occasional summer resident.
Western Red Tail   Buteo borealis calurus   Occasional summer resident.
Western Sparrow Hawk   Falco sparverius phaleana   Not uncommon summer resident.
Long-eared Owl   Asio wilsonianus   Not uncommon resident.
Saw-whet Owl   Cryptoglaux acadica   One of the few records of the state comes from Lookout Mountain resident.
Rocky Mountain Screech Owl   Otus asio maxwelliae   Common resident on the plains to the edge of the foothills.
Great Horned Owl   Bubo virginianus lagophonus   The second record of this subspecies for Colorado comes from North Table Mountain.
Rocky Mountain Hairy Woodpecker   Dryobates villosus monticola   Resident not uncommon.
Woodpecker   Dryobates pubescens homorus   resident not uncommon.
Red-naped Sapsucker   Sphyrapicus varius nuchalis   Common resident.

Williamson's sapsucker   Sphyrapicus throideus   resident not uncommon.
Red-headed Woodpecker   Melanerpes erythocephalus   One record for Lookout Mountain. Common on the plains west of Golden.
Lewis' Woodpecker   Asyndesmus lewisi   Common summer resident wintering on the plains.
Red-shafted Flicker   Colaptes cafer collaris   Common summer resident, wintering on the plains.
Poorwill   Phalaenoptilus nuttalli nuttalli   Summer resident not common.
Western Nighthawk   Chordeiles henryi   Summer resident fairly common.
White-throated Swift   Aeronautes melanolencus   Summer resident, not uncommon.
Broad-tailed Humming Bird   Selasphorus platycerous   Summer resident, common.
Arkansas Kingbird   Tyrannus verticalis   Summer resident rather uncommon.
Say's Phoebe   Sayornis sayus   Summer resident, less common in mountains than on plains.

Olive-sided Flycatcher   Nuttalornis borealis   Summer resident not common.
Western Wood Pewee   Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni   summer resident, not uncommon above 7,500 feet.
Wright's Flycatcher   Empidonax wrighti   Summer resident rather rare.
Desert Horned Lark   Otocoris alpetris leucolaema   Resident not uncommon.
Magpie   Pica pica hudsonia   Common resident, a characteristic bird.
Long-Crested Jay   Cyanocitta Stelleri diademata   Common summer resident. The most typical mountain parks bird.
Woodhouse Jay   Aphelocoma woodhousi   Resident, rather uncommon.
Mountain Jay   Perisoreus canadensis capitalis   Common resident around 10,000 feet.
Clarke's Nutcracker   Nucifraga columbiana   Resident, not uncommon.
Pinon Jay   Cyanocephalus cyanocephalus   Irregular visitor.

Cowbird   Molothrus ater ater   Summer resident, not common.
Yellow Headed Blackbird   Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus   Common summer resident on the plains, to the base of the foothills.
Red-winged Blackbird   Agelaius phoeniceus fortis   Occasional summer resident in the mountains, abundant on the plains.
Western Meadowlark   Sturnella neglecta   Common summer resident, wintering sparingly on the plains.
Bullock's Oriole   Icterus bullocki   Not uncommon summer resident in Golden.
Brewer's Blackbird   Euphagus cyanocephalus   Summer resident, not uncommon.
Rocky Mountain Pine Grosbeak   Pinicola anucleator montana   Only one record from Lookout Mountain.
Cassin's Purple Finch   Carpodacus cassini   Summer resident rather rare.
House Finch   Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis   Resident, much more common in the plains than in the mountains.
Bendire's Crossbill   Loxia curvirostra bendirei   Resident irregular visitor.

Redpoll   Acanthis linaria    Not uncommon in migration.
Goldfinch   Astragalinus tristis   Only one record from near Golden.
Arkansas Goldfinch   Astragalinus psaltria   Common summer resident at Golden.
Pine Siskin   Spinus pinus   Summer resident, rather uncommon.
Brown-capped Leucosticte   Leucosticte australis   Summer resident above timberline, winter resident above the plains.
Western Vesper Sparrow   Poocaetes gramineusconfinis   Common summer resident.
Western Savannah Sparrow   Passercelus sandwichensis alaudinus   Summer resident, not common.
Western Grasshopper Sparrow   Ammodramus savannarum bimaculatus   Only one record from Lookout Mountain.
Western Lark Sparrow   Chondestes grammacus strigatus   Summer resident, rather uncommon.
White-crowned Sparrow   Zonotrichia leucophrys   Common summer resident in higher altitudes.

Gambel's Sparrow   Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli   Common In migration.
Western Tree Sparrow   Spizella monticola ochracea   Common winter resident.
Brewer's Sparrow   Spizella breweri   Summer resident, not uncommon.
White-winged Junco   Junco aikeni   Rather common, winter resident.
Slate colored Junco   Junco hyemalis   Only two records, from near Golden.
Shufeldt's Junco   Junco hyemalis montanus   Regular winter resident. Common migrant.
Montana Junco   Junco hyemalis montanus   Winter resident. The commonest winter Junco.
Pink-sided Junco   Junco hyemalus mearnsi   Winter resident. The commonest winter junco.
Gray-headed Junco   Junco phaeonotus caniceps   Summer resident, very common. The only regular summer Junco.
Mountain Song Sparrow   Melospiza melodia montana   Common resident, more abundant during migration.

Lincoln's Sparrow   Melospiza lincolni   Common in migration.
Spurred Towhee   Pipilo maculatus montanus   Summer resident. Very common.
Green-tailed Towhee   Oreospiza chlorura   Common summer resident, but not as abundant as the preceding species.
Black-headed Grosbeak   Zamelodia melanocephala   Summer resident. More common on the plains than in the mountains.
Western Blue Grosbeak   Guiraca cerulea lazula   One record from Morrison.
Indigo Bunting   Passerina cyanea   Very rare. One record from Golden.
Lazuli Bunting   Passerina amoena   Summer resident, fairly common.
Lark Bunting   Calamospiza melanocorys   Not uncommon in migration.
Western Tanager   Piranga ludoviciana   Summer resident, not uncommon.

Cliff Swallow   Petrochelidon Lunifrons   Common summer resident.
Barn Swallow   Hirundo erythrogastra   Common summer resident.
Northern Violet Green Swallow   Tachyceneta thalassina lopida   Common summer resident.
Bohemian Waxwing   Bombycilla garrula   Erratic winter visitor.
Northern Shrike   Lanius borealis   Occasional winter visitor.
Western Warbling Vireo   Vireosylva silva swainsoni   Summer resident. Not common.
Cassin's Vireo   Vireo solitarius cassinli   One of the few state records comes from Cresswell.
Virginia's Warbler   Vermivora virginae   Summer resident, common.
Orange-crowned Warbler   Vermivora celata   Not uncommon in migration.
Lutescent Warbler   Vermivora celata lutescens   Not uncommon in migration.

Yellow Warbler   Dendroica aestiva   Common summer resident.
Myrtle Warbler   Dendroica coronata   Regular spring migrant.
Audubon's Warbler   Dondroica auduboni   Common during migration.
MacGillivray's Warbler   Oporonis tolmici   Common summer resident.
Western Yellowthroat   Goethlypis trichas occidentalis   Summer resident. Common in vicinity of Golden.
Long-Tailed Chat   Icteria virans longicauda   Summer resident. Common along Clear Creek as far west as Golden.
American Pippit   Anthus rubescens   Common in migration at lower altitudes.
American Dipper   Cinclus mexicana   Common resident along streams.
Sage Thrasher   Orescoptes montanus   Not uncommon in migration.
Catbird   Dumetella carolinensis   Summer resident, rather uncommon west of Golden.

Rock Wren   Salpinctes a obsoletus   Common summer resident in rocky hillsides.
Canon Wren   Catherpes mexicanus conspersus   Summer resident, not common.
Western House Wren   Troglodtes aedon parkmani   Abundant summer resident.
Rocky Mountain Creeper   Certhia familiaris montana   Summer resident in higher elevations, winter resident in lower.
Rocky Mountain Nuthatch   Sitta carolinensis nelsoni   Common resident.
Red-Breasted Nuthatch   Sitta canadensis   Resident not common.
Pygmy Nuthatch   Sitta pygmaea   Abundant resident.
Long-tailed Chicadee   Penthestes atricapillus septentrionalis   Resident. More common in winter than in summer.
Mountain Chicadee   Penthestes gambeli   Abundant resident.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet   Regulus calendula   Summer resident in higher elevations.
Golden Crowned Kinglet   Regulus satrapa olivaceus   Occasional migrant.
Townsend's Solitaire   Myadestes townsendi   Resident. Rather common.
Olive-backed Thrush   Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni   Common spring migrant.
Western Robin   Planesticus migratorius propinquus   Abundant summer resident.
Eastern Bluebird   Sailia sialis   one record from near Golden.
Chestnut-backed Bluebird   Sialias mexicana bairdi   One record of nesting birds on Colorow Point.
Mountain Bluebird   Sialia surrcoides   Common summer resident.

Note: Be aware that many species names, both common and scientific, have changed since 1919. This species list and the accompanying article were taken from a copy transcribed in 1934; both are in the process of being checked against the originals to determine the historical spellings as originally published (e.g., "chicadee") and eliminate any errors introduced in transcription. Italics added for scientific names.