More than 300 hummingbird species exist in the world. Four of the bird species--broad tailed, calliope, magnificent and rufous hummingbirds--nest in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Except for the broad tailed hummingbird, the birds are mainly seen at the park during mild to warm months. The broad tailed hummingbird migrates to the park from Mexico during the summer.
The four hummingbird species can be found near the park's ponds, lakes and streams. The rufous hummingbird is often spotted by park visitors, while the other birds are rarely seen. Male rufous hummingbirds have an orange hue around their heads, chests and tail areas while females are orange and green. Rufous hummingbirds migrate to the Rocky Mountain National Park starting around May 9. They stay at the park until late summer. Park lodges have hummingbird feeders that encourage visits from the small, colorful birds.
Woodpeckers mainly nest in the park's Upper Beaver Meadows. Beaver Meadows is located just beyond the park's headquarters. Eight different types of woodpeckers can be spotted at the park: Lewis, red headed, yellow bellied sapsucker, Williamson sapsucker, downy, hairy, three toed and northern flicker. All of the birds live at the park year round except for the red headed, yellow bellied sapsucker and Williamson sapsucker woodpeckers; these three birds only visit the park during summer. Lewis woodpeckers visit the park in fall, spring and late summer and are very rarely spotted. Aspen and Douglas (mountainous park areas) and wooded creek bottoms and marshlands are good park areas for spotting woodpeckers.
Three types of tanager live at the Rocky Mountain National Park: hepatic, scarlet and western. The western tanager only lives at the park during the summer months. The scarlet and hepatic tanagers live at the park in fall, spring and late summer. The birds are rarely spotted by casual visitors, but good place to look for them is at the tops of oak trees. The tanagers range in color from scarlet to yellow to light and dark blue.
