![]() ![]() Surveys provide an index of sites that attract advertising males of several northern forest owl species. Owl surveys continued after the completion of the Raptor Initiative in 2015, enabled by volunteers. Other species that occur in the park, such as American kestrels and Swainson’s hawks, are of growing conservation concern throughout their ranges in the United States. The park monitors golden eagles because they are affected by expanding energy development and increasing human activity across the United States. The osprey is monitored because of the decline of one of their primary food sources, the cutthroat trout in Yellowstone Lake. Bald eagles and peregrine falcons were previously listed as endangered and threatened species, and the park has continued monitoring since their delisting. The park monitors bald eagles, golden eagles, ospreys, and peregrine falcons. The park supports 19 breeding raptor species, with additional species during migrations and seasonal movements. Canada goose numbers were relatively stable from 1987 to 2010, after which they increased substantially. Large flocks of Canada geese along the Yellowstone River accounted for 75% of all observations along the interior route. The greatest species diversity (55) and individual bird abundance (2,254) were observed along the Yellowstone route through the interior. In 2018, surveyors detected more than 3,100 individuals of 82 species. Surveys conducted in June, during the height of the songbird breeding season, occur on three routes: Mammoth (Indian Creek to Tower Junction), Northeast Entrance (Tower Junction to Round Prairie), and the Yellowstone Route (Dunraven Pass to Mary Bay). The surveys are road-based with the registered observer recording all birds seen and heard within a quarter mile radius survey points occur every half mile. Since the 1980s, Yellowstone National Park has participated in these long-term surveys conducted throughout North America. Long-term monitoring efforts help inform park staff of potential shifts in ecosystem function, e.g., climate change effects, for Yellowstone’s bird community and may guide future conservation of the park’s birds and their habitats.īreeding bird surveys are a continent-wide monitoring effort coordinated by the US Geological Survey, the Canadian Wildlife Service’s Research Center, and Mexico’s National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO). Data are collected on multiple species from a wide variety of taxonomic groups and have been maintained for 25 or more years for several species. The Yellowstone National Park bird program monitors a small portion of its breeding bird species to gather information on reproduction, abundance, and habitat use. There are currently no federally listed bird species known to breed in Yellowstone National Park. The variation in elevation and broad array of habitat types found within Yellowstone contribute to the relatively high diversity. Approximately 150 species nest in the park. These records document nearly 300 species of birds to date, including raptors, songbirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. Records of bird sightings have been kept in Yellowstone since its establishment in 1872. ![]()
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