Backyard birds in Denver, Colorado
Which birds visit Denver yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Denver's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 39.739°, -104.985°
- Population
- 729,019
- June 21 daylight
- 14 h 59 min
- December 21 daylight
- 9 h 21 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:23 AM / 5:31 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- USDA 3a–7b
Nesting timing in Denver
The state guides give nesting windows for Colorado as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 39.6°N). Denver is at 39.7°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Denver goes from 9 h 21 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 14 h 59 min in June, a 5 h 38 min swing.
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window April–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Downy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window May–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
- House Finch — state window April–August
- Mourning Dove — state window March–September
- American Robin — state window April–July
- Dark-eyed Junco — state window May–July
Birds you can expect in Denver
Year-round residents (70)
Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, White-breasted Nuthatchs, House Finchs, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Steller's Jays, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, Black-billed Magpies, Canada Jays, Mountain Chickadees, Bushtits, Juniper Titmice, Pygmy Nuthatchs, Lesser Goldfinchs, Cassin's Finchs, Spotted Towhees, Canyon Towhees, Gambel's Quail, Mountain Bluebirds, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, Curve-billed Thrashers, Bewick's Wrens, Eurasian Collared-Doves, American Crows, Common Ravens, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red Crossbills, Black-throated Sparrows, Pinyon Jays, Clark's Nutcrackers, Western Screech-Owls, Band-tailed Pigeons, Canada Gooses, Bald Eagles, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Lewis's Woodpeckers, Black-backed Woodpeckers, American Three-toed Woodpeckers, Horned Larks, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finchs, Greater Roadrunners, Brewer's Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (55)
House Wrens, Chipping Sparrows, Common Grackles, Indigo Buntings, Gray Catbirds, Northern Mockingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Broad-tailed Hummingbirds, Western Bluebirds, Say's Phoebes, White-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Violet-green Swallows, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Lazuli Buntings, Bullock's Orioles, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Pine Grosbeaks, Gray Catbirds, Western Tanagers, Lark Sparrows, Green-tailed Towhees, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Yellow-breasted Chats, Orange-crowned Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, Least Flycatchers, Western Kingbirds, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Burrowing Owls, Savannah Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds
Winter visitors (6)
American Tree Sparrows, Hooded Mergansers, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, White-winged Crossbills, Bohemian Waxwings
Cold snaps alternate with sunny, dry thaws; heated baths are valuable because natural water freezes nightly.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Denver
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Denver, sunrise is around 6:23 AM in mid-April, 5:31 AM at the June solstice and 7:17 AM in late December (local time, America/Denver). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Denver yards
Tubular flowers for hummingbirds and seed heads for finches.
Prolific seed heads for finches and sparrows.
Annual native sunflower — the original feeder seed.
Late nectar for insects and fall seed for sparrows.
Native bunchgrass; winter seed and ground cover for sparrows and juncos.
Insect-rich in fall and seed in winter.
Dark summer fruit and heavy caterpillar load.
Berry-like cones feed bluebirds, solitaires and waxwings in winter.
Nearby cities in Colorado
- Lakewood — 6 mi away, nesting about the same time as Denver
- Aurora — 8 mi away, nesting about the same time as Denver
- Thornton — 9 mi away, nesting about the same time as Denver
- Dakota Ridge — 12 mi away, nesting about the same time as Denver
- Centennial — 12 mi away, nesting about the same time as Denver
- Golden — 13 mi away, nesting about the same time as Denver
Frequently asked
What birds live in Denver all year?
Year-round residents across Colorado include Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Denver.
When do birds start nesting in Denver?
Denver sits at a different latitude from Colorado's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Denver?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Denver, sunrise is around 6:23 AM in mid-April and 5:31 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Colorado
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.