Utah offers excellent birdwatching opportunities with over 450 species recorded in the state. From scenic mountain landscapes to red rock canyons and deserts, Utah has diverse habitats that attract a wide variety of resident and migratory birds throughout the year.
Whether you’re a beginner birder or a seasoned pro, Utah has something for everyone. Here is a look at 30 of the best birds to watch for during your next birding adventure in Utah:
American Dipper
The American Dipper is a unique songbird found along fast-moving mountain streams across Utah. These dark gray birds constantly bob up and down, or “dip”, along the water’s edge which gives them their name.
Dippers feed on aquatic insects and small fish by plunging headfirst into rushing streams. Listen for their loud, musical song near cascading waterfalls and rapids. Popular spots to find dippers include Provo River, Logan River, and rivers in canyonlands.
Bald Eagle
One of Utah’s most iconic birds of prey, Bald Eagles thrive around lakes, reservoirs, and rivers where they hunt for fish. In winter, concentrations of bald eagles gather near open water where their huge nests can often be seen in tall cottonwoods along shorelines.
Some of the best places to spot bald eagles include Fish Lake, Pelican Lake, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, and near the Great Salt Lake.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
The Black-chinned Hummingbird is a small, green-backed hummingbird with a dark, forked tail. The male has a gorgeous purple throat patch. These hummingbirds breed in open woodlands and canyons across southern Utah.
Listen for their buzzy song and watch for them defending territories around flower gardens and feeders in spring and summer. Good areas to find Black-chinned Hummingbirds include Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Cedar Breaks.
Black-necked Stilt
With their impossibly long, thin pink legs and elegant black and white plumage, Black-necked Stilts are one of Utah’s most distinctive and entertaining shorebirds. They breed around wetlands across Utah before migrating south for winter.
Seeing stilts running across the water’s surface as they chase flying insects is a treat. Look for them along the shores of the Great Salt Lake, at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, and Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area.
Burrowing Owl
The tiny Burrowing Owl lives up to its name, nesting in abandoned holes dug by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and badgers. These long-legged owls with bright yellow eyes are active during the day when they can often be found perched at burrow entrances or on fences in Utah’s arid landscapes.
Some of the best locations to spot them include Antelope Island, Ogden Bay, the west desert, and rural areas along I-15 near Nephi.
California Condor
With a wingspan over 9 feet, the California Condor is North America’s largest land bird. These massive vultures went extinct in Utah in the early 1900s but were reintroduced to Zion National Park starting in 1996. There are now over 80 condors in Utah.
Condors can occasionally be spotted soaring high overhead at Zion Canyon and other areas around southern Utah. Seeing one of these rare icons of the sky is an unforgettable experience.
Calliope Hummingbird
The smallest breeding bird in North America, the Calliope Hummingbird is a tiny, feisty hummingbird identified by its colorful streaked throat. Calliopes migrate through mountain areas of Utah in summer to breed.
Excellent areas to spot them include canyonlands near Cedar City, the La Sal Mountains, Abajo Mountains, and Uinta Mountains. Watch for them defending patches of flowers high in the mountains.
Chukar
The Chukar is a plump, partridge-like gamebird with a striking black and white face pattern. They inhabit rocky hillsides, canyons, and cliffs across arid regions of Utah. Listen for their repetitive, ringing “chukar!” calls echoing through dry washes and canyons.
Chukars can be found across southern Utah including Capitol Reef National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Dixie National Forest. They are fun to watch as they burst into flight on rapidly beating wings.
Clark’s Nutcracker
With black and white patterning, a long bill, and a raucous voice, Clark’s Nutcrackers are energetic members of Utah’s coniferous forests. These resourceful birds cache thousands of pine seeds each fall and rely on this stored food through winter.
Watch for them at higher elevations year-round at mountains including the Uintas, Wasatch, and La Sal. They are noisy and conspicuous as they gather seeds and pine cones.
Golden Eagle
With wingspans over 6 feet, Golden Eagles impress with their large size, golden feathers, and aerial acrobatics. They nest on remote cliffs and hunt over open habitats across Utah.
Some of Utah’s best locations to spot golden eagles include Box Elder County, the west desert, and areas around Canyonlands National Park. Watch for them soaring and diving at incredible speeds.
Gray Flycatcher
The Gray Flycatcher is a common but inconspicuous songbird of Utah’s arid shrublands and badlands. They sit upright and still, darting out to snatch insects from the air before returning to their perch.
Listen for their “whit!” call notes and watch for them along the Green River near Canyonlands, Natural Bridges, areas around Moab, and at scattered oases in the west desert.
Greater Roadrunner
With its long tail, exaggerated crest, and entertaining antics, the Greater Roadrunner adds a taste of the desert Southwest to southern Utah. Roadrunners prefer shrubby habitat and can even be found in rural neighborhoods.
Listen for its cuckoo-like call and watch for it scurrying across roads or darting after lizards and snakes. Good areas include Snow Canyon State Park, Zion National Park, and rocky benches around St. George.
Greater Sage-Grouse
Male Greater Sage-Grouse perform one of nature’s most spectacular mating displays each spring on leks across Utah’s high sagebrush plateaus. Viewing these flamboyant courtship dances is an iconic western experience.
Excellent leks can be found near Morgan, Randolph, Eden, and the west desert. Seeing dozens of males competing for female attention at dawn on a lek is an unforgettable highlight.
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Lewis’s Woodpeckers are pale pink-bellied woodpeckers with dark green backs, a dark red face, and gray collar. They hawk for insects from exposed perches in open oak and pine woodlands in southern Utah mountains.
This unusual woodpecker nests in cavities but also uses old nests built by other birds. Look for them in mountains near Cedar City, Kanab, Panguitch, and at higher elevations in Zion.
Long-billed Curlew
With an eight-inch, downcurved bill, the Long-billed Curlew is North America’s largest shorebird. These graceful birds breed in grasslands across Utah before migrating to the coast for winter.
Listen for their wild, ringing whistle over wet meadows. Good sites include Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, and rural valleys across northern Utah.
Mountain Bluebird
The stunning Mountain Bluebird is one of the most colorful birds in Utah. Males are sky-blue above and pale blue below with a white belly. Females are grayer. They move into Utah’s high mountain meadows and forests to breed each summer.
Excellent locations to find bluebirds include Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, Cedar Breaks, and mountains across northern Utah. Watch for them perching on fenceposts and swooping down to catch insects.
Mountain Chickadee
Active and acrobatic, Mountain Chickadees are busy songbirds of coniferous forests across Utah’s mountains. They have a black cap, gray back, and white cheeks. Listen for their “chick-a-dee-dee” song as they flutter about searching for insects and seeds.
Chickadees can be found year-round across mountain ranges including the Wasatch, Uintas, and La Sals. They readily visit backyard feeders at mountain cabins.
Northern Flicker
Northern Flickers are Utah’s most common woodpecker, often seen foraging on lawns or along roads. They have brown barred backs, black bibs, and red or black crescent marks on their white rumps. Listen for their loud calls and watch them fly with an undulating flight.
Flickers are widespread across Utah and found in open woods, parks, rural habitats, and backyards. Look for the red-shafted race in most of Utah and yellow-shafted in eastern Utah.
Osprey
Ospreys are large, rangy fish hawks that breed around lakes and reservoirs across Utah each summer. They dive feet-first to snatch fish from the water. Look for their huge stick nests atop poles, channel markers, and dead trees.
Prime locations to spot ospreys fishing include Fish Lake, Flaming Gorge NRA, Pineview Reservoir, and Willard Bay. Watch for them hovering 30+ feet over the water before plunging down.
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest bird in the world, capable of reaching 200 mph during a hunting dive known as a stoop. These powerful falcons nest on tall cliffs and hunt other birds.
Watch for them year-round in areas with cliffs and mountains like Park City, Salt Lake City, Provo, southern Utah, and eastern canyonlands. Seeing them make an acrobatic kill in mid-air is thrilling.
Pinyon Jay
Boisterous and intelligent, Pinyon Jays are handsome members of Utah’s pine forests and woodlands. Their blue bodies, gray heads, and white throat patches make them easy to identify. They cache pine seeds and forage in large, noisy flocks.
Look for them year-round across southern mountain ranges including the Pausaugunt Plateau near Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Dixie National Forest, and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
Red-naped Sapsucker
Red-naped Sapsuckers are patchwork woodpeckers with red foreheads, black and white mottled backs, and splashes of red on their throats. They drill sap wells in trees and feed on the oozing sap as well as insects.
Listen for their mewing calls and look for signs of sap wells as you search for them in aspen forests and mixed mountain woodlands of southern Utah. Prime locations include Cedar Breaks and Dixie National Forest.
Rock Wren
Rock Wrens inhabit rocky slopes, canyons, and cliffs across arid parts of Utah. Their bubbly, complex songs echo off the rocks as they deliver it from a high perch. Scan vertical canyon walls to spot these small, gray wrens with white throats.
Good spots include Arches National Park, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and remote side canyons across the Colorado Plateau region. Rock Wrens flit their short tails as they creep over jumbles of boulders.
Sandhill Crane
Each spring, Sandhill Cranes pass through Utah by the tens of thousands, stopping to rest and feed in agricultural areas and wetlands during their northward migration. These tall, elegant birds gather in noisy flocks as they perform exuberant dances.
Hotspots to witness huge flocks of cranes include Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, and marshes along the Green River. Seeing and hearing cranes fly overhead in giant V-formations is thrilling.
Scott’s Oriole
Scott’s Orioles add vibrant color to Utah’s desert landscapes with the males’ brilliant yellow plumage set against jet black wings and tails. They nest in yuccas and cottonwoods in dry lowland areas across southern and eastern Utah.
Prime spots to find them include Snow Canyon, Capitol Reef, remote canyon oases, Moab, Bluff, and areas near Lake Powell. Listen for their rising and falling whistled song.
Turkey Vulture
Soaring on 6-foot wingspans, Turkey Vultures are a common sight in Utah’s skies. They rock side to side buoyed by thermals as they survey the land below using their keen sense of smell to locate carrion.
Look for them circling over highways, canyons, and open habitats throughout the state. They often gather in groups along roadsides to clean up roadkill and along rivers to roost on secluded cliffs at night.
Virginia’s Warbler
Virginia’s Warblers are elegant yellow and gray songbirds of dry shrublands across southern Utah. Males have gray hoods and backs with bright yellow bellies and white eye rings. Look for them foraging low in oak, juniper, and sagebrush areas.
Prime spots include Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase, and Dixie National Forest. Listen for songs that alternate between wheezy notes and melodic warbles.
Western Grebe
With flaming red eyes, dazzling white plumage, and graceful swimming and diving abilities, Western Grebes are a real treat to find on open water across Utah. They often perform synchronized mating displays and build floating nests.
To see these elegant waterbirds, visit the Great Salt Lake, especially Antelope Island, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, and Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge during the spring and summer breeding season.
Western Meadowlark
Common across Utah’s rural valleys and plains, Western Meadowlarks sit atop fence posts and shrubs delivering their flute-like songs. Their yellow chests and black “V” necklaces make them easy to identify.
Drive country backroads and listen for singing meadowlarks during the breeding season. Good areas include Fairview, Morgan, Gunnison, Milford, Beaver, and rural parts of northern Utah.
White-faced Ibis
White-faced Ibis are striking and elegant wetland birds with glossy red eyes, long red bill, and shimmering white and maroon plumage. They feed in shallow marshes probing with their downcurved bill.
See flocks of them at Ogden Bay, Howard Slough, and the Great Salt Lake. Watching a flock of ibises take flight is an awe-inspiring sight.
Wilson’s Warbler
Male Wilson’s Warblers are a gorgeous sight, with yellow underparts and greenish-black caps. These small songbirds migrate through Utah each spring and fall, flitting quickly through trees and shrubs as they forage for insects.
Look and listen for them in May during spring migration at places like Farmington Bay, Antelope Island, Big Cottonwood Canyon, and Beaver Mountain Ski Resort where they pause to refuel during their migration.
American White Pelican
One of the largest North American birds with a 9-foot wingspan, American White Pelicans are elegant in flight over Utah’s lakes and wetlands. Watching hundreds of them flying in formation or floating on the water is magnificent.
Pelicans breed on islands at the Great Salt Lake and can be seen soaring and plunge-diving at places like Bear River Bay, Farmington Bay, and Gunnison Bend Reservoir in the summer.
Black Rosy-Finch
The Black Rosy-Finch is North America’s highest nesting bird, breeding above timberline on remote, windswept peaks in the Utah’s mountains. They have dark gray bodies, brown wings, and pink bills.
To find them, hike high into alpine zones of the La Sal, Uinta, and Wasatch mountains and scan for them feeding in loose flocks on windswept ridgetops and cliffs.
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is the only breeding hummingbird found in Utah’s high mountain ranges. Males have a bright fuchsia throat and metallic green back. Their buzzy wings and sharp “zeeeep” call notes ring out near mountain meadows and streams.
Find Broad-tailed Hummingbirds at high elevation mountain sites like Alta Ski Resort, Brighton, Cedar Breaks, and the Mirror Lake Highway in summer.
Bullock’s Oriole
Male Bullock’s Orioles are a dashing sight with bright orange bodies set against jet black heads, wings, and tails. Females are yellowish underneath with gray backs. This striking oriole nests in treetops in urban parks and mountain canyons.
Listen for their gurgling whistle and watch for them visiting nectar feeders and orange and grape jelly offerings in their Utah breeding habitats. Good spots include City Creek Canyon and Provo River Parkway Trail.
Ferruginous Hawk
North America’s largest hawk, the Ferruginous Hawk has pale body and rusty-red flight and tail feathers giving it a distinct appearance. They nest on cliffs, trees, and shrubs in grasslands and deserts across Utah.
Scan for large buteos soaring over open habitats like prairies, sagebrush, and badlands. They are often seen perched or hunting from dirt roads. Check locations like Antelope Island, west desert, and near Ogden for wintering hawks.
Lazuli Bunting
The Lazuli Bunting is a real treat to find on its Utah breeding grounds. Males have brilliant azure blue heads, backs, tails, and wing markings set off by an orange breast band. Females are more modestly patterned but also have wing bars.
Listen for their sweet song and search for these beauties along Provo River Parkway, Jordan River Parkway, mountain streams, and in shrubby areas around St. George.
Northern Saw-whet Owl
The Northern Saw-whet Owl is Utah’s smallest and most elusive owl. They nest in forested mountains and hunt mice and voles at night. Saw-whets have a catlike face, brown patterning, and large head with yellow eyes.
Finding them requires luck