Colorado's montane ecosystem supports a community of cavity-nesting birds that interact through selection and competition for nest sites. These species can be divided into three guilds based on their habits for acquiring nest sites: primary cavity-nesters, secondary cavity-nesters, and weak primary cavity-nesters. Because of innate interdependencies among these guilds, nest habitat preferences among cavity-nesting species may reflect a complex hierarchy that affects community structure. However, the extent to which nest habitat characteristics are partitioned among cavity-nesting species and guilds is understudied, particularly in ecosystems where availability of potential nest trees is not limited. In 2015, I quantified habitat characteristics associated with 92 nests of 10 avian species in the Manitou Experimental Forest in central Colorado to determine how niche characteristics were partitioned in a community of cavity-nesting birds. Compared to unused cavity trees, both primary and secondary cavity-nesters selected for a more open canopy, and both primary and weak primary cavity-nesters selected for smaller cavity entrances. Additionally, primary cavity-nesters chose sites with higher shrub species richness, and secondary cavity-nesters selected for higher cavities and smaller trees within nest sites. Among guilds, both primary cavity-nesters and secondary cavity-nesters preferred more open canopies than weak primary cavity-nesters, but their respective cavity entrances differed in compass aspect. A pairwise comparison among species revealed that the most important factors for nest site selection included cavity entrance area, cavity height, and nest site density. Further, these variables divided six of the ten species into two distinct groupings of three species each. Understanding where the nest site preferences of different species crossover explains their individual nest selection process and how the community interacts as a whole. This study outlines the direct and indirect interactions among cavity-nesting avian species that can predict how an ecosystem will respond to potential change. Using these data to infer the stability and resilience of this community provides a critical piece for refining appropriate management strategies for Colorado's forests.