Hundreds of species of birds call the Grand Canyon home. What birds might you add to your list at Grand Canyon National Park?
Whether you’re standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon gazing out at the layers of colorful rock that make up the mile-deep gorge, or hiking down one of its many winding trails, don’t forget to look up. A beautiful sunset isn’t the only thing you’re likely to spot in the sky. The Grand Canyon is home to almost 450 species of birds.
Grand Canyon National Park is officially a globally important bird area. It provides vital cliff habitat for nesting spotted owls, California condors, peregrine falcons, golden eagles, prairie falcons, and white-throated swifts. In addition, many bird species live along the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon. Be sure to keep an ear out for the lovely call of the canyon wren.
The hundreds of bird species who make their home in the Grand Canyon year-round or spend the winter there range from common species to rare and endangered ones, and from great to small. They include massive California condors (my personal favorite) whose wings span up to 9.5 feet and petite and endangered southwestern willow flycatchers.
From the rim to the river bottom, the Grand Canyon is a fantastic place for birding. So as you’re preparing for your trip, don’t forget to pack your binoculars and consult the National Park Service’s complete bird checklist for Grand Canyon National Park.
Here are a few of the feathered friends you might add to your list during your visit.
California condors along the Grand Canyon’s rims
The Grand Canyon is an important refuge for some of the rarest birds in the world, including the California condor, which once teetered on the edge of extinction. In 1982, only 22 condors were thought to exist in the wild.
But thanks to captive breeding programs and to the efforts of groups like the Peregrine Fund, condors are making a comeback. And the south rim of the Grand Canyon is one of the best places to see them in the wild.
These impressive scavengers use their good eyesight rather than their sense of smell to locate dead animals, and can weigh up to 23 pounds. They mate for life and can live into their 60s.
Many visitors confuse turkey vultures with condors. You can recognize condors by the way they hold their wings straight out to the sides as they fly. Turkey vultures, by contrast, hold their wings in a slight V in flight.
If you spot a condor with a wing tag, you can look it up here to learn its age and family tree.
Great blue herons along the Colorado River
Great blue herons are one of the many species of water birds that you can spot in the Grand Canyon year-round, including along Bright Angel Creek. The North Kaibab Trail mostly follows the creek, so keep an eye out while you’re hiking.
You might just spot a wading heron waiting patiently for its next meal. The birds can stand up to four feet tall and have good night vision, allowing them to hunt day or night.
Southwestern willow flycatchers nesting in Grand Canyon willows
The endangered southwestern willow flycatcher nests in thick vegetation along the Colorado River. This endangered bird was once common across the Southwest, but only about 900 to 1,000 breeding pairs are thought to remain in the wild. This makes breeding habitat in dense willows or cottonwoods along the Colorado River critical for the species.
Southwestern willow flycatchers typically build their nests in late May or early June in the canyon, then migrate south, spending the winters in Mexico and Central America.
Canyon wrens on the canyon walls
You might hear a canyon wren, a small orange-brown bird with a long, thin, curved beak, before you see it.
Listen to a recording of the wren’s call so you’ll be able to identify it when you hear it.
The canyon wren prefers to stick to rocky cliffs and thick brush at the base of cliffs, making the Grand Canyon prime habitat.
Pinyon jays in the Grand Canyon’s pinyon and juniper forests
Keep your ears tuned for the call of the pinyon jay when out in the pinyon and juniper forests along the Grand Canyon’s south rim, or in the canyon itself.
These amazing blue birds can carry up to 50 pinyon pine nuts in their expandable throat pouches. The birds cache the seeds by burying them, and forgotten seeds sow the next generation of pinyon pine trees.
Your observations of pinyon jays can help protect this important and imperiled species. Find out how you can help by joining the Pinyon Jay Project
Happy birding.
