Bird Conservation Region 16

Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau

An ecological region spanning Arizona, Colorado, New-mexico, Utah, Wyoming, with 244 survey routes. BCRs are the natural unit for bird trends.

What Is Moving Here

long arc declinecomputed index

Bendire's Thrasher has collapsed in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau: down 99% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed index

Canada Goose has surged in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau: up 119× on the route-weighted index since 1974.

long arc declinecomputed index

Grasshopper Sparrow has collapsed in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau: down 99% on the route-weighted index since 1973.

long arc increasecomputed index

Eurasian Collared-Dove has surged in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau: up 39× on the route-weighted index since 2005.

long arc declinecomputed index

Lark Bunting has collapsed in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau: down 98% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed index

American White Pelican has surged in Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau: up 33× on the route-weighted index since 1992.

How Guilds Are Faring

Grassland birds

Game birds

Shorebirds

Wetland birds

Arid-land birds

Generalists

Birds of prey

Aerial insectivores

Forest birds

Waterfowl

Survey Routes

Species By Family

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk -53%Bald Eagle +75%Cooper's Hawk -31%Ferruginous Hawk +55%Golden Eagle +60%Northern Harrier -58%Red-tailed Hawk +62%Sharp-shinned Hawk -79%Swainson's Hawk +141%

Bushtits Aegithalidae

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -59%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -35%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Wigeon -55%Blue-winged Teal -36%Canada Goose 119×Canvasback -88%Cinnamon Teal +31%Common Merganser +235%Gadwall +945%Green-winged Teal -65%Lesser Scaup +369%Mallard +130%Northern Pintail -94%Northern Shoveler -47%Redhead -66%Ring-necked Duck -58%Ruddy Duck +722%

Swifts Apodidae

White-throated Swift -16%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -85%Black-crowned Night Heron -93%Great Blue Heron +480%Snowy Egret -95%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +345%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -53%Common Poorwill +39%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak +92%Blue Grosbeak +168%Hepatic Tanager -72%Indigo Bunting -61%Lazuli Bunting +89%Summer Tanager -63%Western Tanager +197%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture +220%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +197%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -65%Mountain Plover -78%

Dippers Cinclidae

American Dipper -79%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Band-tailed Pigeon -91%Eurasian Collared-Dove 39×Mourning Dove -34%Rock Pigeon -54%White-winged Dove -81%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +101%Black-billed Magpie -11%Blue Jay -34%Canada Jay +152%Chihuahuan Raven -44%Clark's Nutcracker +342%Common Raven +10%Pinyon Jay -80%Steller's Jay +18%Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay -75%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -84%Greater Roadrunner +4%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -51%Peregrine Falcon +3%Prairie Falcon +33%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +258%Cassin's Finch +389%Evening Grosbeak +73%House Finch -29%Lesser Goldfinch +211%Pine Grosbeak +113%Pine Siskin +75%Red Crossbill +380%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 14×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -87%Barn Swallow -41%Cliff Swallow +26%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -39%Purple Martin -45%Tree Swallow -21%Violet-green Swallow +36%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Bobolink -84%Brewer's Blackbird -33%Brown-headed Cowbird +49%Bullock's Oriole +101%Chihuahuan Meadowlark +5%Common Grackle -65%Great-tailed Grackle -67%Hooded Oriole -2%Red-winged Blackbird -14%Scott's Oriole -62%Western Meadowlark -18%Yellow-headed Blackbird +118%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +366%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -78%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

California Gull 15×Ring-billed Gull -75%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Bendire's Thrasher -99%Brown Thrasher -80%Crissal Thrasher +83%Curve-billed Thrasher +11%Gray Catbird +62%Northern Mockingbird -63%Sage Thrasher +151%

Wagtails & Pipits Motacillidae

American Pipit +17%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

California Quail +506%Gambel's Quail +9%Scaled Quail -76%

Osprey Pandionidae

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +432%Juniper Titmouse -63%Mountain Chickadee +96%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

Black-throated Gray Warbler +0%Common Yellowthroat +339%Grace's Warbler +101%Lucy's Warbler +664%MacGillivray's Warbler +82%Orange-crowned Warbler +988%Ovenbird -56%Virginia's Warbler +114%Wilson's Warbler +65%Yellow Warbler +70%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -26%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican 33×

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant 13×

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Chukar -79%Dusky Grouse -68%Greater Sage-Grouse -94%Gunnison Sage-Grouse -76%Ring-necked Pheasant -54%Ruffed Grouse -16%Wild Turkey +196%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Acorn Woodpecker -72%American Three-toed Woodpecker +147%Downy Woodpecker +88%Hairy Woodpecker +105%Ladder-backed Woodpecker -49%Lewis's Woodpecker -59%Red-headed Woodpecker -79%Red-naped Sapsucker +461%Williamson's Sapsucker +496%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Eared Grebe +753%Pied-billed Grebe +2%Western Grebe +202%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +529%

Silky-flycatchers Ptiliogonatidae

Phainopepla -66%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot +40%Sora +178%Virginia Rail -77%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet +4%Black-necked Stilt +20%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +99%Ruby-crowned Kinglet 17×

Penduline Tits Remizidae

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Long-billed Curlew +38%Spotted Sandpiper -20%Wilson's Phalarope -80%Wilson's Snipe +167%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Pygmy Nuthatch +94%Red-breasted Nuthatch +482%White-breasted Nuthatch +142%

Owls Strigidae

Burrowing Owl -81%Great Horned Owl -38%Northern Pygmy-Owl -32%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -22%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

White-faced Ibis -94%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Black-chinned Hummingbird +9%Broad-tailed Hummingbird +15%Calliope Hummingbird -86%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren -5%Cactus Wren -64%Canyon Wren -88%Marsh Wren -70%Northern House Wren +166%Rock Wren +42%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +55%Hermit Thrush +300%Mountain Bluebird +42%Swainson's Thrush +109%Townsend's Solitaire +266%Veery -66%Western Bluebird -32%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Ash-throated Flycatcher +77%Black Phoebe -88%Brown-crested Flycatcher -84%Cassin's Kingbird -19%Dusky Flycatcher 12×Eastern Kingbird -78%Gray Flycatcher +144%Hammond's Flycatcher +544%Least Flycatcher -69%Olive-sided Flycatcher -14%Say's Phoebe +32%Vermilion Flycatcher +46%Western Kingbird -19%Western Wood-Pewee +108%Willow Flycatcher +4%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo -75%Gray Vireo +96%Plumbeous Vireo +76%Warbling Vireo +404%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.