Bird Watching

 

The Great Gray Owl is one of many birds that make their home in Grand Teton.

NPS Photo/C. Adams

 

Grand Teton National Park is home to a wide variety of bird species. Birds can be found throughout the park, but knowing their habitat helps know where to see them.

Please report any sightings of birds listed as rare or accidental to a park ranger.

Be a Responsible Birder

Nesting birds of all species are easily disturbed. If an adult on a nest flies off at your approach, circles you, or screams in alarm, you are too close to the nest. Unattended nestlings readily succumb to predation or exposure to heat, cold, and wet weather.

Good birding areas often attract other wildlife. Remain at least 100 yards from wolves and bears and 25 yards from all other wildlife. Do not position yourself between a female and her offspring.

Migratory Bird Conservation Program

Most of the birds found in the park and parkway are migratory, spending only 3-6 months here each year. Migratory birds are protected while they nest in national parks, but may lose safe nesting sites on other lands due to human activities. Migratory birds also face numerous perils on their long journeys to and from wintering grounds. Human-caused habitat changes fragment forests and remove safe feeding and roosting areas in migration corridors. Birds that migrate to the tropics may lose their winter range due to deforestation.

Birdwatchers and scientists alike have become concerned about the future of migratory birds. Show your concern by enjoying birds in your backyard and during your travels. Assist scientists tracking bird population changes by participating in bird counts and surveys such as Christmas Bird Counts, the North American Migration Count, and Breeding Bird Surveys. Find out about the Partners in Flight program in your home state. You can use your interest and knowledge of birds to help assure their future.

Learn about the species present in Grand Teton.

 

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Recommended Reading

 

Birds of Grand Teton National Park and the Surrounding Area features 60 species of birds commonly sighted in Grand Teton National Park, with full color identifying photographs of each bird and each habitat. Also includes individual habitat maps. Photos from leading wildlife photographers in the Jackson Hole area. Best bet on where a bird can be found with local look-alikes and checklist.

 

Additional Grand Teton Information