Endemic birds of western North America
Encyclopedia
This article is one of a series providing information about endemism
among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds
.
This article covers western North America
, i.e. the regions of the United States
and Canada
which lie west of the Great Plains
.
The following genera are endemic to the region:
There are in addition NN secondary areas, namely:
In addition, the following are endemic as breeding species:
The following species are near-endemic:
The following species spend the winter wholly within the region:
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
among birds in the World's various zoogeographic zones. For an overview of this subject see Endemism in birds
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
.
This article covers western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, i.e. the regions of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which lie west of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
.
Patterns of endemism
There are no families endemic to this region.The following genera are endemic to the region:
- Dendragapus, the blue grouse (2 species)
- Chamaea, Wrentit (1 species)
Endemic Bird Areas
Most bird species which are endemic to this region have ranges which are too large to qualify for Birdlife International's restricted-range endemic status. As a result, only one Endemic Bird Area has been defined, in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
There are in addition NN secondary areas, namely:
List of species
The following is a list of species endemic to this region:- California CondorCalifornia CondorThe California Condor is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and coastal mountains of central and southern California and northern Baja California...
- California QuailCalifornia QuailThe California Quail, Callipepla californica, also known as the California Valley Quail or Valley Quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family...
- Gambel's QuailGambel's QuailThe Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California...
- Mountain QuailMountain QuailThe Mountain Quail, , is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. This species is the only one in the genus Oreortyx, which is sometimes included in Callipepla...
- Sooty Grouse
- Dusky Grouse
- Lewis's WoodpeckerLewis's WoodpeckerThe Lewis's Woodpecker, Melanerpes lewis, is a large North American species of woodpecker which was named for Meriwether Lewis, one of the explorers who surveyed the areas bought by the United States of America during the Louisiana Purchase.-Description:...
- Williamson's SapsuckerWilliamson's SapsuckerWilliamson's Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus thyroideus, is a medium-sized woodpecker belonging to the genus Sphyrapicus .-Habitat and range:...
- American Three-toed WoodpeckerAmerican Three-toed WoodpeckerThe American Three-toed woodpecker, Picoides dorsalis is a medium-sized woodpecker .This woodpecker has a length of 21 cm and a wingspan of 38 cm and closely resembles the Black-backed Woodpecker, which is also three-toed. Until recently, it was considered to be the same species as the Eurasian...
- White-tailed PtarmiganWhite-tailed PtarmiganThe White-tailed Ptarmigan, Lagopus leucura, is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It is found in the mountains of the western United States, Canada and Alaska.-Description:...
- Black Oystercatcher
- Santa Cruz Island Scrub Jay
- Yellow-billed MagpieYellow-billed MagpieThe Yellow-billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli, is a large bird in the crow family found only in California. It inhabits the Central Valley and the adjacent chaparral foothills and mountains...
In addition, the following are endemic as breeding species:
- Fork-tailed Storm-petrelFork-tailed Storm-petrelThe Fork-tailed Storm Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family Hydrobatidae. It is 20–23 cm in length, with a wingspan of 46 cm...
- Whooping CraneWhooping CraneThe whooping crane , the tallest North American bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. Along with the Sandhill Crane, it is one of only two crane species found in North America. The whooping crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild...
- Mountain PloverMountain PloverThe Mountain Plover is a medium-sized ground bird in the plover family . It is misnamed, as it lives on level land...
- Aleutian TernAleutian TernThe Aleutian Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae....
The following species are near-endemic:
- Red-faced CormorantRed-faced CormorantThe Red-faced Cormorant, Red-faced Shag or Violet Shag, Phalacrocorax urile, is a species of cormorant that is found in the far north of the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea, from the eastern tip of Hokkaidō in Japan, via the Kuril Islands, the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Aleutian...
- Pelagic CormorantPelagic CormorantThe Pelagic Cormorant , also known as Baird's Cormorant, is a small member of the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. Analogous to other smallish cormorants, it is also called Pelagic Shag occasionally...
- Brandt's CormorantBrandt's CormorantThe Brandt's Cormorant is a strictly marine bird of the cormorant family of seabirds that inhabits the Pacific coast of North America. It ranges, in the summer, from Alaska to the Gulf of California, but the population north of Vancouver Island migrates south during the winter...
- Trumpeter SwanTrumpeter SwanThe Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
- Cinnamon TealCinnamon TealThe Cinnamon Teal is a small, reddish dabbling duck found in marshes and ponds of western North and South America.thumb|left|Female Anas cyanoptera septentrionalium...
- Glaucous-winged GullGlaucous-winged GullThe Glaucous-winged Gull, Larus glaucescens, is a large, white-headed gull residing from the western coast of Alaska to the coast of Washington. It also breeds on the northwest coast of Alaska. During non-breeding seasons they can be found along the coast of California...
? (12% of the population winters in Asia) - Western GullWestern GullThe Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, is a large white-headed gull that lives on the western coast of North America. It was previously considered conspecific, the same species, with the Yellow-footed Gull of the Gulf of California...
The following species spend the winter wholly within the region:
- Western GrebeWestern GrebeThe Western Grebe, , is a species in the grebe family of water birds. Folk names include "dabchick", "swan grebe" and "swan-necked grebe"....
? - Clark's GrebeClark's GrebeClark's Grebe is a North American species in the grebe family. Until the 1980s, it was thought to be a pale morph of the Western Grebe, which it resembles in size, range, and behavior...
?