Mountain ecosystems host a large diversity of bird species, from year-round residents, who may only move to slightly different elevations for breeding or wintering, to neotropical migrants who fly thousands of miles in latitude between breeding and wintering grounds. You may find the tiniest of birds, the calliope hummingbird, buzzing around you in the Rocky Mountains, or if you're lucky, you could spot the massive California condor soaring overhead in the Sierra Mountains. Whether it's an American dipper hunting for insects below the surface of a cascading mountain stream or a mountain bluebird hovering over a field searching for prey, birds delight in their wide array of behaviors, calls, and plummages.
Birds have adapted to mountain environments in an astounding variety of ways. Explore some of the interesting bird species found in mountain parks and learn more about these adapations below.
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Chiricahua National Monument
Acorn woodpecker
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Denali National Park
Common raven
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Glacier National Park
Harlequin duck
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Mount Rainier National Park
Northern spotted owl
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Pinnacles National Park
Spotted towhee
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Rocky Mountain National Park
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)
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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Western tanager
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Shenandoah National Park
Blue-gray gnatcatcher
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Yellowstone National Park
American dipper
Last updated: October 26, 2022