34 Winter Birds in Utah

Utah has a lake so salty you float in it like a pool noodle, and I'd still rather spend a January morning staring at a junco (my friends call this a personality, my CEO Will calls it a hobby). The good news is that winter birds in Utah don't make you choose between the desert, the mountains, and the marsh. From December through February, the Wasatch Front fills up with juncos and finches from the high country, hundreds of Bald Eagles drift down from the north, and the Great Salt Lake wetlands host ducks, swans, and the hawks that hunt them.

The state bird is the one that mostly skips it, though. The California Gull has been Utah's official state bird since 1955, honored for the swarms of insects it ate in the pioneers' fields in 1848. Most California Gulls spend the winter on the Pacific coast, so you'll see far fewer of them between December and February, but a few hang around ponds and open water along the Wasatch Front.

Types of Winter Birds in Utah

There are 3 types of winter birds in Utah you'll see on this list:

Irruptive Species – birds whose numbers swing wildly from year to year depending on seed, cone, and berry crops up north. Some winters they're everywhere, some winters you won't find one
Resident Utah Birds – birds that stay all year, including mountain species that simply move downhill when the snow gets deep
Winter Migrants / Visitors – birds that arrive for the cold months, from northern raptors and diving ducks to the sparrows and warblers that winter around St. George

Each entry covers ID, male vs female, calls, where to find the bird in Utah, and its feeder favorites if it visits feeders. For the birds that packed up and left in October, here's where birds go in the winter.

1. Dark-eyed Junco

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Junco hyemalis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird & Winter Migrant

The Dark-eyed Junco is the bird most Utah backyards can count on in winter. Some breed in the mountains and drop into the valleys when the snow piles up, while others arrive from farther north. They're ground feeders that hop around under the feeder, cleaning up whatever the messier birds knock loose.

Utah is a great place to play junco bingo, because several forms show up here in winter. The "Oregon" type has a dark hood and rusty sides, the "Gray-headed" type is pale gray with a rusty back, and the "Pink-sided" and "Slate-colored" types turn up too. Within each form, males are usually darker and crisper, and females are softer and browner. Every junco flashes white outer tail feathers when it flies.

The Dark-eyed Junco call is a sharp tick or smack, and the song is a quick, dry trill.

In Utah winters, the Dark-eyed Junco range covers yards, canyon mouths, and woodland edges statewide, usually in small, busy flocks.

Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn scattered on the ground

2. House Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Haemorhous mexicanus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

If there's one bird guaranteed to show up at a Utah feeder, it's the House Finch. In Project FeederWatch's Southwest region rankings, it was reported at about 94% of feeder sites, more than any other species. It eats seeds almost exclusively and travels in chatty little groups.

Males have a red to orange-red wash on the head, breast, and rump, and the shade depends on what they've been eating. Females are plain gray-brown with blurry streaks and no red at all.

The House Finch song is a long, jumbled warble that usually ends on a buzzy note, and the call is a short cheep.

In Utah winters, the House Finch range is anywhere people live, from Logan to St. George, with the biggest numbers in towns and suburbs with feeders.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, nyjer, sunflower chips

3. Black-capped Chickadee

Family – Paridae
Species – Poecile atricapillus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Black-capped Chickadee is found in all 29 Utah counties, according to Utah Public Radio's Wild About Utah, and it handles winter by caching seeds and remembering where it put them. (I can't remember where I put my sunglasses, which are on my head.)

It's got a black cap and bib, bright white cheeks, a gray back, and buffy sides. Males and females look the same.

The call is the classic chick-a-dee-dee-dee, and the more "dee" notes it adds, the more worked up it is. The song is a clear, whistled fee-bee.

In Utah winters, look for Black-capped Chickadees in valley neighborhoods, streamside cottonwoods, and canyon bottoms, especially along the Wasatch Front and in Cache Valley.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts

4. Mountain Chickadee

Family – Paridae
Species – Poecile gambeli
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Mountain Chickadee is the chickadee that seems to have walked through a doorway too fast, thanks to the white stripe over each eye. It lives in Utah's conifer forests year-round, but in winter many move down into the foothills and valleys, which is when they start showing up at feeders next to the Black-capped Chickadees.

That white eyebrow is the giveaway. Otherwise it's gray above and paler below, with a black cap and bib. Males and females look alike.

The Mountain Chickadee call is a hoarser, buzzier chick-a-dee-dee, and its whistled song often has three notes, like fee-bee-bee.

In Utah winters, the Mountain Chickadee range runs from mountain conifers down to canyon mouths and foothill neighborhoods, especially where pines and spruces are nearby.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, suet, peanuts

5. Northern Flicker

Family – Picidae
Species – Colaptes auratus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Northern Flicker is a woodpecker that would rather eat off the ground, where it digs for ants. In winter it switches to berries, seeds, and suet, and it ranked third in FeederWatch's Southwest list, right behind House Finches and juncos.

Utah's flickers are mostly the "Red-shafted" form, which flashes salmon-red under the wings and tail in flight. It's brown and barred with a black-spotted belly, a black crescent on the chest, and a white rump. Males have a red mustache stripe, while females don't.

The Northern Flicker call is a loud kyeer, plus a long, rolling wick-wick-wick and a soft wicka-wicka when two birds face off.

In Utah winters, the Northern Flicker range is statewide, in yards, parks, orchards, and riverside cottonwoods.

Feeder favorites: suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower

6. Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Aphelocoma woodhouseii
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

If you learned this one as the Western Scrub-Jay, you're not wrong, you're just a few field guides behind (same). Ornithologists split it in 2016, and Utah's bird is the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay. It caches acorns and pinyon nuts in fall and digs them back up all winter.

It's a slim, crestless jay with blue head, wings, and tail, a gray-brown back, and grayish underparts with a faint, blurry breastband. Males and females look alike.

The Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay call is a raspy, rising shreep, often repeated in a harsh series.

In Utah winters, the Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay range covers scrub oak foothills, pinyon-juniper country, and neighborhoods along the benches of the Wasatch Front and southern Utah.

Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet

7. Black-billed Magpie

Family – Corvidae
Species – Pica hudsonia
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Black-billed Magpie is the bird that makes visitors from the East Coast pull over. It's a big, flashy corvid that eats nearly anything, from insects and seeds to carrion, and it's smart enough to work out your feeder schedule in about a day.

It's black and white with a very long tail, and the black parts shine blue-green in good light. Males and females look the same, though males are a little bigger.

The Black-billed Magpie call is a harsh, rapid mag-mag-mag chatter, plus a range of squawks and whines.

In Utah winters, the Black-billed Magpie range covers farm country, river corridors, and towns in the northern and central valleys. They're much scarcer in the far south.

Feeder favorites: peanuts, suet, cracked corn

8. Eurasian Collared-Dove

Family – Columbidae
Species – Streptopelia decaocto
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird (Non-Native Species)

The Eurasian Collared-Dove is the houseguest who showed up for a weekend and now has a key. It isn't native to North America, but it spread across the West and is now one of the most common feeder birds in Utah towns, ranking in FeederWatch's Southwest top 10.

It's a pale, sandy gray dove with a thin black half-collar on the back of the neck and a squared-off tail. It's bigger and paler than a Mourning Dove. Males and females look alike.

The Eurasian Collared-Dove call is a three-part coo-COO-cook, repeated from rooftops and power lines.

In Utah winters, the Eurasian Collared-Dove range is statewide in towns, farms, and suburbs.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on a platform or the ground

9. Mourning Dove

Family – Columbidae
Species – Zenaida macroura
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The Mourning Dove is a ground-feeding seed eater that fills up fast and then sits somewhere sunny to digest. Some Utah birds head south for winter, but plenty stay, especially in the milder valleys and in southern Utah.

It's slim and soft gray-brown, with black spots on the wings and a long, pointed tail edged in white. Males have a bluish crown and a faint pink breast, while females are a bit browner overall.

The Mourning Dove call is a soft, sad coo-OO-oo-oo-oo, and their wings whistle when they take off.

In Utah winters, the Mourning Dove range is widest in farm country and towns at lower elevations, where they gather around feeders and grain.

Feeder favorites: millet, cracked corn, black oil sunflower on the ground

10. American Robin

Family – Turdidae
Species – Turdus migratorius
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

The American Robin doesn't actually leave Utah in winter, it just stops hanging out on your lawn. Robins form wandering flocks and switch to fruit, so you'll find them stripping juniper, hawthorn, and ornamental crabapple trees instead of pulling worms.

They're gray-brown above with a warm orange breast. Males usually have a darker, almost black head and a richer breast, while females are paler.

The American Robin call in winter is mostly a low tut-tut and a sharp peek, saving the familiar cheerily, cheer-up song for spring.

In Utah winters, the American Robin range follows the fruit, from valley neighborhoods to juniper-covered foothills and river bottoms.

Feeder favorites: chopped fruit, softened raisins, a heated bird bath

11. Lesser Goldfinch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus psaltria
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Partial Migrant

There's nothing lesser about the Lesser Goldfinch except its size. It's a tiny, seed-eating finch of the Southwest, and it ranked in FeederWatch's Southwest top 15. Numbers thin out in the coldest parts of northern Utah, but it's a regular at many valley feeders and common in southern Utah.

Males are bright yellow below with a black cap and a greenish back (the Utah version), plus white patches on black wings. Females are plain olive above and dull yellow below.

The Lesser Goldfinch call is a sweet, plaintive tee-yee, and the song is a long, jumbled twitter that often borrows other birds' notes.

In Utah winters, the Lesser Goldfinch range centers on lower elevations, especially St. George and the warmer neighborhoods of the Wasatch Front.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips

12. American Goldfinch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus tristis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The American Goldfinch sticks around all winter, but it trades its summer lemon yellow for a beige, olive-brown coat. It's the bird version of putting your sundress away and living in a fleece until April.

In winter, males keep a yellowish face and bold black wings with white bars, while females are duller and grayer. Both have a short, pale, cone-shaped bill. Next to a Lesser Goldfinch, the American is bigger and lacks the dark back.

The American Goldfinch call is a bouncy po-ta-to-chip, given in its roller-coaster flight.

In Utah winters, the American Goldfinch range covers weedy fields, river corridors, and backyards in the valleys statewide.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips, black oil sunflower

13. Pine Siskin

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Spinus pinus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive

The Pine Siskin is a streaky little finch that breeds in Utah's conifer forests and wanders widely in winter, following the cone crop. Some years flocks pour into valley feeders, and some years you'll barely see one.

It's brown and heavily streaked, with a thin, pointed bill and flashes of yellow in the wings and tail. Males tend to show more yellow, while females are duller.

The Pine Siskin call is a rising, buzzy zreeee, like someone slowly zipping up a jacket, mixed into a constant wheezy chatter.

In Utah winters, the Pine Siskin range depends on the year, from mountain conifers to valley feeders along the Wasatch Front.

Feeder favorites: nyjer, sunflower chips. Clean feeders often during siskin years, since crowded flocks spread disease

14. White-crowned Sparrow

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Zonotrichia leucophrys
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Resident

The White-crowned Sparrow is one of the most common winter sparrows in Utah's lowlands. Some breed high in the mountains, but in winter, flocks from farther north settle into valley brush, farms, and backyards and spend their days scratching under shrubs.

Adults have bold black-and-white crown stripes, a gray face, and a pinkish-orange bill. Young birds wear the same pattern in brown and tan. Males and females look alike.

The White-crowned Sparrow call is a sharp pink, and the whistled song sometimes starts up again in late winter.

In Utah winters, the White-crowned Sparrow range covers brushy edges, hedgerows, and yards at lower elevations statewide, including a healthy population around Gunlock near St. George.

Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn on the ground

15. Spotted Towhee

Family – Passerellidae
Species – Pipilo maculatus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Spotted Towhee feeds with a two-footed backward hop, kicking leaves out of the way like it's lost something important. It lives in Utah's scrub oak and brushy canyons and spends winter under shrubs and feeders.

Males have a jet-black hood and back with white spots on the wings, rusty sides, and a white belly. Females have the same pattern, but the hood is brown instead of black. Both have red eyes.

The Spotted Towhee call is a cat-like, rising mew, and the song is a quick buzzy trill.

In Utah winters, the Spotted Towhee range covers foothill scrub, canyon bottoms, and brushy yards along the benches.

Feeder favorites: millet, sunflower chips, cracked corn scattered under shrubs

16. Downy Woodpecker

Family – Picidae
Species – Dryobates pubescens
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Downy Woodpecker is Utah's smallest woodpecker, and it has no idea. It'll work a weed stalk or a thin twig that a bigger woodpecker couldn't balance on, picking out insect larvae.

It's black and white, with a white back, spotted wings, and a short, stubby bill. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, while females don't.

The Downy Woodpecker call is a soft pik, plus a descending, whinnying rattle.

In Utah winters, the Downy Woodpecker range covers river corridors, parks, and wooded yards, especially in cottonwoods and willows along creeks.

Feeder favorites: suet, black oil sunflower, peanuts

17. Red-breasted Nuthatch

Family – Sittidae
Species – Sitta canadensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Irruptive

The Red-breasted Nuthatch climbs headfirst down tree trunks, which is either confident or reckless, depending on your relationship with ladders. It lives in Utah's mountain conifers, and in poor cone years more of them show up at valley feeders.

It has a blue-gray back, a black eye stripe under a white eyebrow, and a rusty breast. Males have a black cap and deeper rust below, while females have a grayer cap and paler underparts.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal, tinny yank-yank, like a very small trumpet.

In Utah winters, the Red-breasted Nuthatch range is conifer forest at any elevation, plus valley yards with mature pines and spruces.

Feeder favorites: suet, shelled peanuts, black oil sunflower

18. White-breasted Nuthatch

Family – Sittidae
Species – Sitta carolinensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The White-breasted Nuthatch is the bigger nuthatch, and it spends its winter wedging seeds into bark and hacking them open. That's the "hatch" in nuthatch.

It's blue-gray above with a clean white face and breast and a rusty wash under the tail. Males have a glossy black cap, while females usually show a grayer cap.

The White-breasted Nuthatch call is a nasal, repeated yank or nyah, a bit like a tiny car horn.

In Utah winters, the White-breasted Nuthatch range covers pine, oak, and riverside forests, plus older neighborhoods with big trees.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower, peanuts, suet

19. Cooper's Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Astur cooperii
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Cooper's Hawk is the reason your feeder sometimes goes dead quiet for no obvious reason. It's a bird hunter that ambushes doves and songbirds at feeders, and it made FeederWatch's Southwest top 25. (Yes, it counts as a feeder bird. No, it's not there for the sunflower seeds.)

Adults are blue-gray above with fine orange barring below, red eyes, and a long, rounded tail with a white tip. Females are noticeably bigger than males. Young birds are brown with streaky breasts.

The Cooper's Hawk call is a harsh cak-cak-cak, though it's usually silent while hunting.

In Utah winters, the Cooper's Hawk range is statewide, often in suburbs where feeders concentrate its prey.

20. Bald Eagle

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Bald Eagle is the headliner. Hundreds of Bald Eagles winter in Utah by late January, coming from colder areas to the north, and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says February is the best month to see them. They eat fish, waterfowl, and carrion.

Adults have a white head and tail, a dark brown body, and a heavy yellow bill. Young birds are mottled brown and white and take about five years to get the full look. Females are larger than males, and the wingspan runs roughly 6 to 7 feet.

The Bald Eagle call is a high, thin, chattering whistle that sounds much smaller than the bird.

In Utah winters, the Bald Eagle range centers on open water, marshes, and rivers. DWR's list includes Farmington Bay, Willard Bay, the Salt Creek WMA near Corinne, Utah Lake, the Green River at Ouray NWR, and the Colorado River north of Moab.

21. Golden Eagle

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Aquila chrysaetos
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Golden Eagle is the Bald Eagle's quieter, more mountainous counterpart, and it hunts rabbits and ground squirrels across Utah's open country. Utah has resident birds, and more arrive from the north in winter.

It's dark brown all over with a golden sheen on the back of the head and neck. Young birds show white patches in the wings and a white tail base. Males and females look alike, but females are larger.

The Golden Eagle call is a weak, yelping whistle, and it's mostly silent.

In Utah winters, the Golden Eagle range covers open sagebrush, ridges, and canyon country statewide. Look on power poles and leafless cottonwoods, including around Park City and the Wasatch Back.

22. Rough-legged Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Buteo lagopus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Rough-legged Hawk breeds on the Arctic tundra, so a January morning in Box Elder County is basically its beach vacation. It hunts voles over open fields and marshes, and it often hovers in place before dropping.

It has feathered legs all the way to the toes (the "rough legs"), dark patches at the bend of the wing, and a white tail with a dark band at the tip. There are light and dark forms. Light-form females usually have a solid dark belly band, while males are more mottled and show more tail bands.

The Rough-legged Hawk call is a downslurred scream, but it's quiet most of the winter.

In Utah winters, the Rough-legged Hawk range covers open farmland and marsh in the northern valleys. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge says they hunt there from December through March, alongside Northern Harriers and Prairie Falcons.

23. Red-tailed Hawk

Family – Accipitridae
Species – Buteo jamaicensis
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Red-tailed Hawk is the hawk you see on every other light pole along I-15. It hunts rodents from high perches over fields and roadsides, all year long.

Adults have a brick-red tail, a pale breast with a band of dark streaks across the belly, and a dark bar on the leading edge of the underwing. Western birds come in light, dark, and in-between forms. Males and females look alike, though females are larger.

The Red-tailed Hawk call is a hoarse, screaming kee-eeee-arr, the sound movies use for every eagle.

In Utah winters, the Red-tailed Hawk range is statewide in open country, farmland, and highway corridors.

24. Great Horned Owl

Family – Strigidae
Species – Bubo virginianus
Primary Activity Time – Night
Nocturnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Great Horned Owl starts nesting in the dead of winter, so January is prime time to hear pairs hooting back and forth. It hunts everything from rabbits and rodents to ducks and skunks.

It's a big, bulky owl with feather tufts, yellow eyes, a white throat, and mottled gray-brown plumage barred below. Females are larger than males, but the male's hoot is deeper.

The Great Horned Owl call is a deep hoo-h'HOO-hoo-hoo, often in a duet at dusk.

In Utah winters, the Great Horned Owl range is statewide, from desert canyons and river cottonwoods to city parks. Scan the tops of old trees and cliff ledges just after sunset.

25. California Gull

Family – Laridae
Species – Larus californicus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Utah State Bird (most winter on the Pacific coast)

The California Gull is Utah's state bird, which makes it a little awkward that most of them leave for the coast in winter. Large colonies nest on the Great Salt Lake in spring and summer, and in winter the majority move to Pacific rivermouths and beaches. A few stick around Utah's ponds and open water, so it still counts on a winter list (barely).

Adults are medium-sized gulls with a medium gray back, yellow-green legs, and a yellow bill with a red and black spot near the tip. In winter, the head picks up brown streaks. Young birds are mottled brown and take four years to look like adults. Males and females look alike.

The California Gull call is a high, laughing kyow series, typical gull noise.

In Utah winters, the California Gull range is limited to open water and urban ponds along the Wasatch Front, mixed in with Ring-billed Gulls, the gull you're more likely to see here in winter.

26. Tundra Swan

Family – Anatidae
Species – Cygnus columbianus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (peaks late fall)

The Tundra Swan makes the Great Salt Lake marshes look like a snow globe. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge says over 30,000 arrive starting in mid-October and stay through December, feeding on aquatic plants in shallow water. A few linger later if the water stays open.

It's all white with a black bill, and adults often have a small yellow spot at the base of the bill in front of the eye. Young birds are dingy gray with a pinkish bill. Males and females look alike.

The Tundra Swan call is a high, mellow woo-hoo, and a big flock sounds like a distant crowd. Its old name was "Whistling Swan."

In Utah winters, the Tundra Swan range centers on the marshes around Great Salt Lake, especially Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, from late fall into December.

27. Common Goldeneye

Family – Anatidae
Species – Bucephala clangula
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor

The Common Goldeneye is a diving duck that shows up on Utah's open water in winter. It dives for aquatic insects, snails, and small fish, and it stays as long as the water does. Its wings make a whistling sound in flight, which is why hunters call it the "whistler."

Males are crisp white with a dark, green-glossed head, a round white spot below the eye, and golden eyes. Females have a chocolate-brown head, a gray body, and a dark bill that's often yellow at the tip.

The Common Goldeneye call is mostly quiet in winter, but displaying males give a sharp, buzzy peent while throwing their heads back.

In Utah winters, the Common Goldeneye range covers ice-free reservoirs, rivers, and lakes, mostly in the northern and central valleys.

28. American Dipper

Family – Cinclidae
Species – Cinclus mexicanus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The American Dipper is a songbird that took "polar plunge" and made it a personality. It walks and swims underwater in fast mountain streams, flipping stones for insect larvae, small fish, and crustaceans, and it sings in winter while everything else is huddled up.

It's a chunky, slate-gray bird with a short tail and a white eyelid that flashes when it blinks. It bobs constantly on rocks, like it's dancing to music only it can hear. Males and females look alike.

The American Dipper call is a sharp, buzzy zeet, and the song is a loud, bubbly run of trills that carries over rushing water.

In Utah winters, the American Dipper range is any open, fast-moving stream in the mountains and canyons, including East Canyon Creek near Swaner Preserve in Park City.

29. Townsend's Solitaire

Family – Turdidae
Species – Myadestes townsendi
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident / Winter Migrant

The Townsend's Solitaire is named like a card game, and it plays like one too: one bird, one juniper, no company. In winter it switches from insects to fruit, especially juniper berries, and individual birds perch on treetops to claim and defend a berry-laden patch.

It's a slim, gray thrush with a white eye-ring, buffy wing patches that glow in flight, and white outer tail feathers. It sits upright like a flycatcher. Males and females look alike.

The Townsend's Solitaire call is a single, ringing whistled note repeated over and over, and the song is a sweet, jumbled warble it sings even in winter.

In Utah winters, the Townsend's Solitaire range covers pinyon-juniper foothills and canyon slopes statewide, wherever the juniper crop is good.

30. Bohemian Waxwing

Family – Bombycillidae
Species – Bombycilla garrulus
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Irruptive

The Bohemian Waxwing shows up in Utah when berry crops fail up north, sometimes in flocks of hundreds. They strip juniper, mountain ash, and ornamental fruit trees in a few days and then move on. According to Wild About Utah, one of the last big invasions was the winter of 2012–2013, so these are a "when they come, drop everything" bird.

It's a sleek, gray-brown bird with a soft crest, a black mask, a yellow-tipped tail, and red waxy tips on the wing feathers. The cinnamon under the tail separates it from the smaller Cedar Waxwing. Males and females look alike.

The Bohemian Waxwing call is a high, buzzy trill, lower and rougher than the Cedar Waxwing's.

In Utah winters, the Bohemian Waxwing range is mostly northern Utah towns and canyons in irruption years, wherever the fruit trees are loaded.

Feeder favorites: fruit trees and berry shrubs, plus a heated bird bath. If you're shopping for one, our list of the best heated bird baths for winter covers what's worth buying and what isn't

31. Black Rosy-Finch

Family – Fringillidae
Species – Leucosticte atrata
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird (uncommon, moves to ski areas and canyons in winter)

The Black Rosy-Finch breeds on high alpine cliffs and is one of the least-studied birds in North America. In winter, flocks drop down to slightly lower elevations, and Utah's ski areas have become the best place to see them. Alta Ski Area's rosy-finch research tags birds at feeders around the resort, and the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch is the more common of the two there.

It's nearly black with a gray cap, a black forehead, and pink on the wings and belly. Females are browner and duller, with less pink.

The Black Rosy-Finch call is a harsh, chirping chew, often given in flight as the flock swirls.

In Utah winters, the Black Rosy-Finch range includes ski areas in the Wasatch, like Alta and Powder Mountain. At Alta, the easiest spot is the feeder at the top of the Collins lift, which makes them the only ones at the top of the lift not complaining about the line.

Feeder favorites: black oil sunflower and nyjer on a platform or the snow

32. Clark's Nutcracker

Family – Corvidae
Species – Nucifraga columbiana
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Clark's Nutcracker buries tens of thousands of pine seeds every fall and finds most of them again under the snow, which puts my holiday decoration storage system to shame. It's a mountain bird that lives on conifer seeds through winter.

It's pale gray with black wings, white patches in the wings and tail, and a long, dagger-like black bill. Males and females look alike.

The Clark's Nutcracker call is a harsh, grating kraaa, loud enough to carry across a whole basin.

In Utah winters, the Clark's Nutcracker range covers high pine and conifer forests, and you'll often hear them around ski resorts in the central Wasatch.

33. Steller's Jay

Family – Corvidae
Species – Cyanocitta stelleri
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Resident Utah Bird

The Steller's Jay is a mountain jay that looks like it got dipped in ink. It lives in Utah's conifer and aspen forests year-round, and it'll come down to cabins and campgrounds for handouts in winter.

It has a tall black crest, a sooty black head and chest, and deep blue wings, belly, and tail. Interior birds like Utah's often show white streaks on the forehead and above the eye. Males and females look alike.

The Steller's Jay call is a harsh, rapid shack-shack-shack, and it's also a good mimic of hawks.

In Utah winters, the Steller's Jay range is mountain forest, mostly in the Wasatch, Uintas, and southern plateaus, with some birds dropping to the foothills.

Feeder favorites: peanuts, black oil sunflower, suet

34. Yellow-rumped Warbler

Family – Parulidae
Species – Setophaga coronata
Primary Activity Time – Daytime
Diurnal
Winter Migrant / Visitor (mostly southwestern Utah)

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is proof that a warbler can do winter if it plays its cards right. Most leave northern Utah, but they winter in the warmer southwest corner, around St. George and Zion, where they eat insects and switch to berries on cold days.

In winter, both sexes are drab gray-brown with streaks, but they keep the bright yellow rump patch and yellow on the sides. Utah's are mostly the "Audubon's" form, with a yellow throat. Males are a bit brighter than females, and spring males get much bolder.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler call is a sharp, flat chek you'll hear from riverside trees long before you see the bird.

In Utah winters, the Yellow-rumped Warbler range is mostly Washington County, along the Virgin River and in towns like St. George and Springdale.

Feeder favorites: suet, especially in cold snaps

Best Places to See Birds of Utah in Winter

The birds of Utah in winter split into three neighborhoods, and each one has a short list of reliable spots.

The Great Salt Lake wetlands. Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge near Brigham City is the big one, with Tundra Swans into December and Rough-legged Hawks, harriers, and Bald Eagles all winter. Farmington Bay WMA, next to the Eccles Wildlife Education Center, is a classic winter spot too, though local photographers say its eagle numbers aren't what they were a decade or two ago. Willard Bay and Salt Creek WMA round out the list.

The mountains. Ski areas and canyon roads are where the high-country birds live in winter: rosy-finches at Alta, nutcrackers and Steller's Jays in the conifers, and dippers on any stream that stays open.

Dixie and southern Utah. St. George, Snow Canyon, and the Virgin River corridor are Utah's mildest winter birding. This is where you'll pick up wintering sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Say's Phoebes, and the occasional Anna's Hummingbird.

Give the eagles space. DWR asks viewers to stay on public land, pull completely off the road before stopping, and watch eagles through binoculars or a spotting scope rather than walking closer. An eagle that flushes off a carcass burns energy it needs to get through February, and no photo is worth that, mine included.

Utah Winter Birds FAQ

What Utah birds stay all winter?

Most of Utah's backyard regulars stay put, including Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, House Finches, Northern Flickers, Woodhouse's Scrub-Jays, Black-billed Magpies, and both nuthatches. They're joined by winter visitors like Bald Eagles, Rough-legged Hawks, Common Goldeneyes, and northern juncos and sparrows. For the state next door, see our guide to winter birds in Colorado.

What are the most common backyard birds in Utah in winter?

House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, and Northern Flicker top the list, followed by House Sparrows, American Robins, Mourning Doves, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees, and goldfinches. Those are the top birds in FeederWatch's Southwest region, and they line up with what most Wasatch Front feeders see. Black oil sunflower, suet, and millet on the ground will cover nearly all of them. Skip the bread, which has almost no nutrition for birds.

What is the state bird of Utah?

The California Gull. It became the state bird in 1955 to honor the gulls that ate the insects swarming the pioneers' crops in 1848. Of all the birds of Utah, it's one of the few that's easier to see in July than in January, since most winter on the Pacific coast.

Where can I see Bald Eagles in Utah in winter?

February is the best month. Good spots include Farmington Bay WMA, Willard Bay, the Salt Creek WMA near Corinne, Utah Lake, Ouray National Wildlife Refuge on the Green River, and the Colorado River north of Moab. DWR also hosts free eagle-viewing events with biologists and spotting scopes most winters.

Do hummingbirds stay in Utah in winter?

Almost all of them leave by fall. The exception is the Anna's Hummingbird, which occasionally winters at feeders in southwestern Utah, including around St. George and Snow Canyon. If you keep a nectar feeder up there in winter, keep it from freezing and change the nectar often. Further north, check our guide to winter birds in Idaho for what the next state up deals with.

What birds have you seen in Utah lately?

Share them on the Sparkbird App, where Utah birders post sightings and find each other for real-life walks, from Bear River to St. George.

And if you drive all the way up Little Cottonwood Canyon for rosy-finches and they don't show, at least you're at a ski resort. Order the hot chocolate and call it fieldwork.