West · Central Flyway
Hawks in Colorado
Hawks in Colorado come down to 10 species with regular eBird records, led by the Red-tailed Hawk. Together they account for 530,358 of the 16 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 3.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Ferruginous Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, American Goshawk and Common Black Hawk. Hawks range from the crow-sized accipiters that ambush songbirds at feeders to the broad-winged soaring buteos you see circling over highways. Many are year-round residents; others pass through in large numbers during spring and fall migration.
Hawks in Colorado: every species, most-reported first
Every hawk with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) — 308,987 records, 1.9% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) — 59,473 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to September and peaking in August.
3. Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) — 58,991 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) — 54,400 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in December.
5. Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) — 18,149 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in January.
6. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) — 16,499 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from September to April and peaking in December.
7. Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) — 8,996 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in January.
8. Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) — 2,500 records, 0.02% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in April, May and September with a peak in May.
9. American Goshawk (Astur atricapillus) — 2,196 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
10. Common Black Hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus) — 167 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in September with a peak in September.
When to see hawks in Colorado
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, hawks are most prominent in January, December and February and least in June and July. 3 of the 10 species are year-round — Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper's Hawk and American Goshawk — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Swainson's Hawk arrives around April and is mostly gone after September (peak August).
Winter visitors. Northern Harrier arrives around September and leaves after April (peak December); Ferruginous Hawk arrives around October and leaves after March (peak January); Sharp-shinned Hawk arrives around September and leaves after April (peak December); Rough-legged Hawk arrives around November and leaves after March (peak January).
Passage migrants. Broad-winged Hawk is reported mainly in April, May and September; Common Black Hawk is reported mainly in September.
Attracting hawks to Colorado backyards
A hawk visiting a feeder is part of a healthy yard, not a problem to solve. Dense shrubs and brush piles within a few feet of feeders give small birds cover; if a hawk keys in on your feeder, taking it down for a few days usually moves the hawk along.
In Colorado the hawk most likely to turn up is the Red-tailed Hawk, a year-round resident, followed by the Cooper's Hawk. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Hawks in Colorado: FAQ
How many species of hawks are there in Colorado?
10 species of hawks have regular eBird records in Colorado (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Harrier, Ferruginous Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, American Goshawk and Common Black Hawk.
What is the most common hawk in Colorado?
The Red-tailed Hawk, with 308,987 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Swainson's Hawk with 59,473. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see hawks in Colorado?
January, December and February, when the combined share of Colorado eBird records belonging to hawks is highest. Summer visitors such as the Swainson's Hawk arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Northern Harrier arrive around September.
More birds in Colorado
Hawks in other states
Hawks in Colorado: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Colorado records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Accipitridae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.