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Alpine Tundra and Meadows

40 Bird Species

American Golden-Plover

Very similar to other golden-plovers. At rest, the wingtips of this species extend well beyond the tail, with four or five primaries visible beyond the tertials. In flight, the undersides of the wings are gray. The upperside of the wings show an indistinct white stripe. In flight, the toes usually do more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 46 cm

American Pipit

This species is recognized by its slender build, white outer tail feathers, and constant tail-bobbing. Several subspecies occur, creating a lot of variation. Alternate Adult: Birds that breed in the Rocky Mountains are pale gray above, with light edges on the wing feathers. The underparts, cheek, and more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 25 cm

Asian Rosy-Finch

more...

Length: 17 cm Wingspan: cm

Baird's Sandpiper

In all plumages, this species is distinguished from the other small sandpipers by its short black legs, all-black bill which is straight or only slightly decurved, and wing tips that extend well beyond the tail. Alternate Adult: Back and scapular feathers black and brown with silvery fringes. Head an more...

Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Black Rosy-Finch

This species is much darker than the other two Rosy-Finches. The bill is black in summer, yellowish in winter, with white feathers covering the nostrils. In flight, the underside of the wings appear silvery on the flight feathers, similar to the other Rosy-Finches. Adult Male: Blackish-brown overall more...

Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 24 cm

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

This is the common hummingbird of mountain meadows throughout much of the West. In all plumages, the tail is broad and quite long, extending well beyond the wingtips at rest. At close range, note the pale eye ring. Male: Emerald green upperparts. The gorget is rose-red and contrasts sharply with the more...

Length: 10 cm Wingspan: 13 cm

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Of the three species of Rosy-Finch, Brown-capped has the least amount of gray on the head and the most southerly breeding range. The bill is black in summer, yellowish in winter, with white feathers covering the nostrils. Adult Male: Cinnamon brown overall, with reddish pink on the belly and pink edg more...

Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 24 cm

California Condor

The largest soaring bird in North America, California Condor dwarfs even the eagles. The plumage is black with a single white wing bar. A ruff of loose feathers surrounds the base of the neck. The head and neck are unfeathered, and range from yellow to red-orange. The feet are whitish, and the expose more...

Length: 117 cm Wingspan: 183 cm

Eurasian Dotterel

In all plumages, this rare visitor from Eurasia is recognized by its small bill, yellowish legs, and bold whitish supercilium that reaches the back of the head. In flight, the underside of the wings are plain gray. Alternate Adult: Upperparts are plain brownish-gray with thin buffy feather edges. The more...

Length: 21 cm Wingspan: 43 cm

Golden Eagle

This large soaring raptor is dark brown overall with varying amounts of golden-brown on the crown and nape. Adults have some gray mottling on the tail, sometimes forming indistinct bands. Juvenile birds have white at the base of the tail and on the base of the primaries and secondaries, forming large more...

Length: 76 cm Wingspan: 203 cm

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Alternate Adult is chocolate brown above, with frosty pinkish-gray edges to most of the back feathers, and black wings edged in pink. Underparts characterized by warm brown breast and belly feathers edged in dull pink, transitioning into rosy-pink flanks and uppertail coverts. Head may be almost enti more...

Length: 16 cm Wingspan: 33 cm

Great Knot

This species is a rare visitor from Asia. Alternate Adult: Plumage pattern similar to alternate Surfbird, but more elongated in shape with a longer bill, and dark gray legs. Upperparts dark gray-brown to blackish with pale feather edges and extensive rufous on the scapulars. Underparts white with ext more...

Length: 27 cm Wingspan: cm

Gyrfalcon

This barrel-chested, broad-winged raptor is the largest of falcons and is an extremely powerful flyer. The tail is quite long, so the wingtips only extend about two-thirds of the way down on resting birds. There are three color morphs: white, gray, and dark, with the gray being the most commonly enco more...

Length: 51 cm Wingspan: 122 cm

Himalayan Snowcock

This Asian species has been established only in the Ruby Mountains of Nevada. This large grouse is short-legged and short-tailed and very plump. Plumage is gray-brown overall with rusty streaks on the upperparts. The face and throat are whitish, highlighted by two chestnut stipes that frame the auric more...

Length: 55 cm Wingspan: 86 cm

Hoary Redpoll

A small finch of the far north. Adult male has black chin and lores, red crown, tiny yellow bill, and whitish body plumage with faint pink wash on breast, faint streaks on sides, light back with dark streaks, and black wings with broad white wingbars and white edging on secondaries. Female and first- more...

Length: 14 cm Wingspan: 23 cm

Horned Lark

This species exhibits as much geographic variation in appearance as any North American passerine, with 21 recognized subspecies (http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/195). Adult male has upperparts that vary from a cold pale sandy-brown to warmer medium brown with reddish tones. Median wing cover more...

Length: 18 cm Wingspan: 30 cm

Non-vegetated Areas

17 species

American Golden-Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Sandy Areas or Dunes, Estuaries and Bays, Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

American Pipit

Anthus rubescens

Alpine Slopes, Sandy Areas or Dunes, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Asian Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte arctoa

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Black Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte atrata

Alpine Slopes, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte australis

Alpine Slopes, Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Bare Rocky Slopes, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Chapparal, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Dry Western Woodlands

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

Alpine Slopes, Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Alpine Slopes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Himalayan Snowcock

Tetraogallus himalayensis

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Hoary Redpoll

Acanthis hornemanni

Bare Rocky Slopes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

King Eider

Somateria spectabilis

Bare Rocky Slopes, Estuaries and Bays, Inshore Waters, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Urban Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Prairie Falcon

Falco mexicanus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Rock Ptarmigan

Lagopus muta

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Rough-legged Hawk

Buteo lagopus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

White-tailed Ptarmigan

Lagopus leucura

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Willow Ptarmigan

Lagopus lagopus

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Salt Water

21 species

American Golden-Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Sandy Areas or Dunes, Estuaries and Bays, Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

American Pipit

Anthus rubescens

Alpine Slopes, Sandy Areas or Dunes, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Chapparal, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Dry Western Woodlands

Eurasian Dotterel

Charadrius morinellus

Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Great Knot

Calidris tenuirostris

Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Gyrfalcon

Falco rusticolus

Coastal Cliffs, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

Beaches, Coastal Dunes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

King Eider

Somateria spectabilis

Bare Rocky Slopes, Estuaries and Bays, Inshore Waters, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

Open Ocean, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest, Northern Wooded Swamps, Western Confierous Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Urban Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Rock Sandpiper

Calidris ptilocnemis

Rocky Shores, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Rough-legged Hawk

Buteo lagopus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Coastal Dunes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Clearcuts, Western Confierous Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Rocky Shores, Coastal Dunes, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeus

Coastal Dunes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Surfbird

Calidris virgata

Rocky Shores, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Rocky Shores, Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Human-altered Areas

8 species

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte australis

Alpine Slopes, Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Bare Rocky Slopes, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Alpine Slopes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Hoary Redpoll

Acanthis hornemanni

Bare Rocky Slopes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Suburban/residential Landscapes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Northern Wooded Swamps, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia, Thickets

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Urban Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Coastal Dunes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Clearcuts, Western Confierous Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Thickets

Fresh Water

11 species

American Golden-Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Sandy Areas or Dunes, Estuaries and Bays, Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Gyrfalcon

Falco rusticolus

Coastal Cliffs, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

King Eider

Somateria spectabilis

Bare Rocky Slopes, Estuaries and Bays, Inshore Waters, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Urban Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Red-throated Pipit

Anthus cervinus

Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Sandhill Crane

Grus canadensis

Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeus

Coastal Dunes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Rocky Shores, Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Grassland and Scrubland

40 species

American Golden-Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Sandy Areas or Dunes, Estuaries and Bays, Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

American Pipit

Anthus rubescens

Alpine Slopes, Sandy Areas or Dunes, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Asian Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte arctoa

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Black Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte atrata

Alpine Slopes, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

Selasphorus platycercus

Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Dry Western Woodlands, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

Brown-capped Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte australis

Alpine Slopes, Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Bare Rocky Slopes, Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Chapparal, Oak Savannah and Woodlands, Dry Western Woodlands

Eurasian Dotterel

Charadrius morinellus

Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch

Leucosticte tephrocotis

Alpine Slopes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Great Knot

Calidris tenuirostris

Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Gyrfalcon

Falco rusticolus

Coastal Cliffs, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Himalayan Snowcock

Tetraogallus himalayensis

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Hoary Redpoll

Acanthis hornemanni

Bare Rocky Slopes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

Beaches, Coastal Dunes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

King Eider

Somateria spectabilis

Bare Rocky Slopes, Estuaries and Bays, Inshore Waters, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Beaches, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Suburban/residential Landscapes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Northern Wooded Swamps, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia, Thickets

Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

Open Ocean, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Merlin

Falco columbarius

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Dry Western Woodlands

Pallas's Bunting

Emberiza pallasi

Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Thickets

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Urban Landscapes, Fresh Water Marshes, Lakes Resevoirs, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Prairie Falcon

Falco mexicanus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Rimrocks and Mesas, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Red-throated Pipit

Anthus cervinus

Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Rock Ptarmigan

Lagopus muta

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Rock Sandpiper

Calidris ptilocnemis

Rocky Shores, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Rough-legged Hawk

Buteo lagopus

Rocky Cliffs and Gorges, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Coastal Dunes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Clearcuts, Western Confierous Forest, Streamside Gallery Forest and Riparia

Sandhill Crane

Grus canadensis

Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Rocky Shores, Coastal Dunes, Saltmarshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Short-eared Owl

Asio flammeus

Coastal Dunes, Fresh Water Marshes, Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Surfbird

Calidris virgata

Rocky Shores, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Vesper Sparrow

Pooecetes gramineus

Open Country and Grasslands, Deserts and Sagebrush Plains, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Rocky Shores, Beaches, Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Urban Landscapes, Suburban/residential Landscapes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest, Western Confierous Forest, Dry Western Woodlands, Thickets

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Tidal Mudflats and Shallows, Fresh Water Marshes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

White-tailed Ptarmigan

Lagopus leucura

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows

Willow Ptarmigan

Lagopus lagopus

Alpine Slopes, Alpine Tundra and Meadows, Boreal Forest

Forest and Woodlands

13 species