Threatened, Endangered, and Vulnerable Species of Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Rocky Mountain Region
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''''' tCiin, Region,. ,Sou~Ges:-ofjnfQttnation, for s~le~fing~spe~des..:were c '~~~edfrtgaifd~Sllf¥ey~taifederat listsof~ene(angerea~anrl.thwaiened/ '\'s~f;l~iespublish~\b:y the Office of Endangere~/Species;Tl?-~rcNa111~ :~C';' , ,,' .(Goriservano:fS'Natura1lferita'ge-~::Progfam "data;:-base,; ~tn~, Na!iollal,1 , I; , _" ':Au~,~bQn-§o€ie'tY's;Jl~ue' List; lists "of §~Ci~s~-9f,;co'iu~ern~Pl!blish,~d ' -( \ ~ , ~·by~tlteOffiE~.ofMi~~tqry Bi:cdManag~me~t;]~'or-est Service r~gi9nl!1 . -; ,·)ist's ofsy,ri~ti~e' sygctes; "andc,state, ~i&j~:Of sel1~~tive sp'~~es:' in Yi9XJ. '/ ming ~ SO''pt1!, Dakbtp.;,~C{)loraa:6, N ehra~ka;a~d; J(ansa& ~ Life history , : acc{1unts of individual 'species oflunphlHiansi-te~tiles~ manlln,aIs "a.lld . Dirds f§llow~a~gerreEalan.alysi~::of's~cie~, hablta~~se and vufnerabik- fty amO:ngd'iff~rent taXonqJni~'Class~s>;. - , ...~ " _.' - '.~ -~_ \ ,- - ... >x:", { \., ~ ! . , "'" I ~/\. -' ....- (' . " I ~/ _ \ l - < , , -I I - 1,_,,' CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ............................................. 1 SOURCES OF INFORMATION . 2 Population Trends .......................................... 2 Office of Endangered Species (OES) ............. 2 Natural Heritage Program (NHP) .............................. 2 National Audubon Society's Blue List. 3 Office of Migratory Bird Management (OMBM) .................. 3 USDA Forest Service Lists of Sensitive Species .. 3 State Lists ................................................. 3 Wyoming ............... " .............. , ........ , .. .. .. 3 South Dakota ............................................ 4 Colorado ................................................ 4 Nebraska ................................................ 4 Kansas .................................................. 4 State Animal Atlases, Distribution Guides, Published Literature .... 4 CRITERIA USED FOR IDENTIFYING SENSITIVE SPECIES .......... 5 List Criteria . 5 Habitat and Distribution Criteria .............................. 5 SUMMARY OF INFORMATION. .. 6 Reasons for Listing ......................................... 6 Habitat Use . 8 List Information ............................................ 8 Threats to Species .......................................... 9 Implications ............................................... 11 SPECIES ACCOUNTS ......................................... 14 Amphibians ............................................... 14 Couch's Spadefoot Toad ................................... 14 Western Boreal Toad .................... 14 Green Toad .............................................. 14 Northern Leopard Frog .................................... 15 Wood Frog .............................................. 15 REPTILES ................................................. 15 Yellow Mud Turtle ....................................... 15 Texas Horned Lizard ...................................... 15 Smooth Green Snake ...................................... 16 Black Hills Red-bellied Snake . 16 Texas Longnosed Snake ................................... 16 Massasagua .............................................. 16 Mammals ................................................. 16 Dwarf Shrew . 16 Pygmy Shrew ............................................ 17 Townsend's Big-eared Bat. .. 17 Spotted Bat .............................................. 17 Fringed Myotis ........................................... 17 Abert's Squirrel .......................................... 18 Allen's Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel . .. 18 Prairie Dog .............................................. 18 Meadow Jumping Mouse . .. 18 Gray Wolf ............... .. 18 Swift Fox . 19 Grizzly Bear ............................................. 19 Ringtail ................................................. 19 Wolverine ............................................... 19 Marten .................................................. 19 Fisher. .. 20 Least Weasel ............................................. 20 Black-footed Ferret ...... .. 20 River Otter .............................................. 20 Lynx. .. .. .. 20 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep .. 21 Bison ................................................... 21 Birds ..................................................... 21 Common Loon ........................................... 21 American Bittern ......................................... 22 White-faced Ibis .......................................... 22 Trumpeter Swan . 22 Harlequin Duck .......................................... 22 Osprey .................................................. 22 Bald Eagle ............................................. " 23 Northern Harrier . 23 Northern Goshawk ........................................ 23 Ferruginous Hawk ........................................ 23 Peregrine Falcon . 24 Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse ............................. 24 Prairie Chicken . .. 24 Greater Sandhill Crane .................................... 25 Whooping Crane . .. 25 Mountain Plover . 25 Snowy Plover ............................................ 25 Upland Sandpiper ........................................ 25 Long-billed Curlew ....................................... 26 Black Tern . 26 Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 26 Flammulated Owl . 26 Mexican Spotted Owl ..................................... 27 Western Burrowing Owl. 27 Boreal Owl .............................................. 27 Black-backed Woodpecker . 27 Three-toed Woodpecker . .. 28 Olive-sided Flycatcher .. 28 Southwestern Willow Flycatcher .......................... .. 28 Purple Martin ............................................ 29 Loggerhead Shrike ........................................ 29 Lark Bunting .......................... .. 29 Baird's Sparrow .......................................... 30 REFERENCES .............................................. 30 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................... 38 Threatened, Endangered, and Vulnerable Species of Terrestrial Vertebrates in the Rocky Mountain Region Deborah M. Finch INTRODUCTION while meeting other public needs in compliance with the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 (Salwasser Widespread environmental changes caused by the 1989). rapid twentieth century growth of human civilization Federal legislation that mandates the protection of spe have alarmed ecologists and environmentalists world cies, habitats, and biological diversity is already in place. wide (Myers 1980, Soule 1986). Of special concern are The Endangered Species Act of 1973 established the con the impacts of land management practices and result servation of threatened and endangered species and their ing habitat alterations on rare species and biological critical habitats as a national priority. Section 7 (a) (2) diversity (Soule 1987, Wolf 1987, Wilson 1988). As rates mandates the assurance by a federal agency that any of of species extinctions accelerate in the tropics and else its actions "is not likely to jeopardize the continued ex where due to deforestation, agricultural conversion, istence of any endangered or threatened species or result desertification, and other changes associated with hu in the destruction or adverse modification of (its) man population expansion (Myers 1980, Wilson 1988), habitat." The National Forest Management Act of 1976 scientists, philosophers, and politicians alike have asked directs that the National Forest System' 'where appropri and attempted to answer the question, "Why should spe ate and to the extent practicable, will preserve and en cies and their diversity be preserved?" (Rolston 1985, hance the diversity of plant and animal communities." Norton 1988). Arguments for preserving species center Additionally, Sec. 219.12 (g) requires the maintenance on values involving ethics, scientific study, esthetics, of viable populations of native vertebrates in national recreation, "critical link" or "keystone" species, medic forests. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,