Diagnostic Ross's Gull, Rhodostethia rosea, 34.3 cm / 13.5 in. VERY RARE visitor from the arctic and Siberia.
Cherry Creek Reservoir, Cherry Creek, Arapahoe County, Colorado, USA.
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Tags: bird Laridae Gulls, Terns and Skimmers Rhodostethia rosea Ross's Gull
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Greater Sage-Grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus, 71 cm. / 28 in. UNCOMMON and local in expansive sagebrush plains. Seen VERY early on a cold morning sometime before sunrise.
Coalmont Mine Lek, Walden, Jackson County, Colorado, USA.
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Tags: Greater Sage-Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus Birds of Colorado Pheasants, Grouse and Allies Phasianidae
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Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina arizonae, 5.5 in / 13.97 cm. COMMON and widespread from open woodlands, suburban areas to shortgrass areas with scattered trees or brush.
Near the Royal Gorge, Canon City, Fremont County, Colorado, USA.
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Tags: Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina New World Sparrows Emberizidae Birds of Colorado ©bryanjsmith
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Thick-billed Longspur, McCowan's Longspur, Rhynchophanes mccownii, 15.24 cm. / 6 in. UNCOMMON and local. Nests in very dry, shortgrass prairie and winters on barren ground like dry lakebeds and bare dirt fields.
Pawnee National Grasslands, Keota, Weld County, Colorado, USA.
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Tags: Bird pictures Calcariidae Longspurs and Snow Buntings Rhynchophanes mccownii McCown's Longspur Birds of Colorado Calcarius mccownii
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Greater Prairie-Chickens, Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus, 17 in. / 43 cm. RARE, local and declining in tallgrass prairie where diverse grasses mix with low shrubs and weeds. Female in the middle of a lek of around 25 displaying males. Using a vehicle as a blind since before sunrise.
Bledsoe Lek, Bledsoe Cattle Ranch, Wray, Yuma County. Colorado, USA.
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Tags: Birds of Colorado Phasianidae Pheasants, Grouse and Allies Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus Tympanuchus cupido Greater Prairie-Chicken ©bryanjsmith
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