Field Guide · Regional

Wildlife in Colorado

The birds, plants, and insects most often recorded in Colorado. A starting field list, drawn from iNaturalist research-grade observations, for what is likely living near you.

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Birds

Birds Commonly Recorded In Colorado

Most-recorded birds reported across the state.

  1. Red-Tailed Hawk Red-Tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis 9,081 records
  2. Black-Billed Magpie Pica hudsonia 8,936 records
  3. Mallard Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 8,542 records
  4. Canada Goose Branta canadensis 7,512 records
  5. American Robin American Robin Turdus migratorius 7,080 records
  6. Red-Winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus 5,962 records
  7. Northern Flicker Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus 5,672 records
  8. House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus 4,902 records
  9. Great Blue Heron Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias 4,600 records
  10. Bald Eagle Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus 4,465 records
  11. Dark-Eyed Junco Dark-Eyed Junco Junco hyemalis 4,405 records
  12. Steller's Jay Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri 4,139 records
Plants

Plants Commonly Recorded In Colorado

Plants observers log most often statewide.

  1. Great Mullein Verbascum thapsus 9,204 records
  2. Showy Milkweed Showy Milkweed Asclepias speciosa 7,629 records
  3. Blue Columbine Blue Columbine Aquilegia coerulea 7,104 records
  4. Creeping Mahonia Creeping Mahonia Berberis repens 6,816 records
  5. Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine Rocky Mountains Ponderosa Pine Pinus scopulorum 6,733 records
  6. Fireweed Fireweed Chamaenerion angustifolium 6,630 records
  7. Rubber Rabbitbrush Rubber Rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa 6,625 records
  8. Quaking Aspen Quaking Aspen Populus tremuloides 6,387 records
  9. Lanceleaf Stonecrop Lanceleaf Stonecrop Sedum lanceolatum 6,018 records
  10. Sulfur Buckwheat Sulfur Buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum 5,788 records
  11. Great Plains Yucca Great Plains Yucca Yucca glauca 5,729 records
  12. Prairie Pasqueflower Prairie Pasqueflower Pulsatilla nuttalliana 5,563 records
Insects

Insects Commonly Recorded In Colorado

The insects that turn up most in records.

  1. Western Honey Bee Apis mellifera 6,213 records
  2. White-Lined Sphinx Hyles lineata 3,605 records
  3. Hunt's Bumble Bee Hunt's Bumble Bee Bombus huntii 3,531 records
  4. Convergent Lady Beetle Hippodamia convergens 3,417 records
  5. Painted Lady Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 3,341 records
  6. Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle Coccinella septempunctata 3,162 records
  7. European Paper Wasp European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula 2,616 records
  8. Two-Striped Grasshopper Two-Striped Grasshopper Melanoplus bivittatus 2,603 records
  9. Asian Lady Beetle Harmonia axyridis 2,585 records
  10. Monarch Monarch Danaus plexippus 2,359 records
  11. Two-Tailed Swallowtail Two-Tailed Swallowtail Papilio multicaudata 2,284 records
  12. European Mantis European Mantis Mantis religiosa 2,266 records

Go Deeper

Use the live finder to narrow this to your town and season. Then read Who Lives Here, how to attract wildlife to your yard, and planting for local wildlife. For tools and field guides, see the recommended gear.

Photographs via iNaturalist contributors, used under their Creative Commons licenses: (c) Craig K. Hunt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Craig K. Hunt  ·  (c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)  ·  (c) John D Reynolds, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John D Reynolds  ·  (c) Kala Murphy King, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Kala Murphy King  ·  (c) Dan Roach, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Dan Roach  ·  (c) Glenn Perelson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Glenn Perelson  ·  (c) Atlee Hargis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Atlee Hargis  ·  (c) stormcatcher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by stormcatcher  ·  (c) Jennifer Ackerfield, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jennifer Ackerfield  ·  (c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)  ·  (c) Steve Harbula, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steve Harbula  ·  (c) Anton Dangl, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Anton Dangl  ·  (c) Pete & Gretchen Pederson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Pete & Gretchen Pederson  ·  (c) Damon Tighe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Damon Tighe  ·  (c) Peter Zika, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Peter Zika  ·  (c) Belinda Lo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)  ·  (c) amkatros, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) anneepierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by anneepierce  ·  (c) John Kolts, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Kolts  ·  (c) roy pilcher, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by roy pilcher  ·  (c) Thomas Shahan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Thomas Shahan  ·  (c) Bill Keim, some rights reserved (CC BY)  ·  (c) Steven Mlodinow, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Steven Mlodinow  ·  (c) Virginia Rivers, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  ·  (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley  ·  (c) Ryszard, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)