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Avifauna of Sierra Nevada Network Parks Assessing Distribution, Abundance, Stressors, and Conservation Opportunities for 145 Bird Species

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Avifauna of Sierra Nevada Network Parks Assessing Distribution, Abundance, Stressors, and Conservation Opportunities for 145 Bird Species National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Avifauna of Sierra Nevada Network Parks Assessing Distribution, Abundance, Stressors, and Conservation Opportunities for 145 Bird Species Natural Resource Report NPS/SIEN/NRR—2012/506 ON THE COVER Birds of the Sierra Nevada Network parks (clockwise from upper left: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Tanager, Spotted Owl, Dark-eyed Junco nest, Purple Finch, Northern Flickers). Photographs courtesy of The Institute for Bird Populations Avifauna of Sierra Nevada Network Parks Assessing Distribution, Abundance, Stressors, and Conservation Opportunities for 145 Bird Species Natural Resource Report NPS/SIEN/NRR—2012/506 Zachary L. Steel, Monica L. Bond, Rodney B. Siegel, Peter Pyle The Institute for Bird Populations P.O. Box 1346 Point Reyes Station, California 94956–1346 April 2012 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Program Center publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. This report received formal peer review by subject-matter experts who were not directly involved in the collection, analysis, or reporting of the data, and whose background and expertise put them on par technically and scientifically with the authors of the information. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available from the Sierra Nevada Network website (http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sien/index.cfm) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrmp/). Please cite this publication as: Steel, Z. L., M. L. Bond, R. B. Siegel, and P. Pyle. 2012. Avifauna of Sierra Nevada Network parks: Assessing distribution, abundance, stressors, and conservation opportunities for 145 bird species. Natural Resource Report NPS/SIEN/NRR—2012/506. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 963/113541, April 2012 ii Contents Page Tables ............................................................................................................................................ vii Appendices ..................................................................................................................................... ix Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ xiii Acknowledgments..........................................................................................................................xv Introduction ......................................................................................................................................1 Background .............................................................................................................................. 1 General Approach .................................................................................................................... 1 Methods Used for Producing Species Accounts ...................................................................... 3 Acronyms Used in the Accounts ......................................................................................... 3 Species Name ...................................................................................................................... 4 Migratory Status.................................................................................................................. 4 Residency, Breeding and Abundance Statuses ................................................................... 4 Conservation Status ............................................................................................................ 5 Range Significance ............................................................................................................. 5 Occurrence and Habitat Associations ................................................................................. 5 Elevational Distribution ...................................................................................................... 6 Abundance, Trends, and Demographic Data ...................................................................... 6 Stressors .............................................................................................................................. 7 Management Options and Conservation Opportunities ...................................................... 7 Listed Species .......................................................................................................................... 7 Species Lost from SIEN Parks ................................................................................................ 8 Avifauna Condition and Trends .....................................................................................................11 Breeding Status ...................................................................................................................... 11 iii Contents (continued) Page Stressors to Bird Populations .........................................................................................................15 Climate Change ..................................................................................................................... 16 Management Options and Conservation Opportunities .................................................... 18 Altered Fire Regimes ............................................................................................................. 19 Management Options and Conservation Opportunities .................................................... 21 Air Pollution .......................................................................................................................... 21 Management Options and Conservation Opportunities .................................................... 24 Non-native Species ........................................................................................................... 25 Native Invasive Species .................................................................................................... 25 Avian Influenza ................................................................................................................. 26 West Nile Virus................................................................................................................. 26 Management Options and Conservation Opportunities .................................................... 28 Human Use Impacts ............................................................................................................... 29 Collisions and Electrocutions ........................................................................................... 29 Low-flying Aircraft ........................................................................................................... 29 Horseback Riding and Stock Use ..................................................................................... 30 Hiking and Camping ......................................................................................................... 30 Rock Climbing .................................................................................................................. 30 Intrusive Birding ............................................................................................................... 30 Hunting ............................................................................................................................. 30 Environmental Contamination .......................................................................................... 31 Management Options and Conservation Opportunities .................................................... 32 Summary of Species Stressor Rankings ................................................................................ 33 iv Contents (continued) Page Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................41 Addressing the Major Stressors ............................................................................................. 43 Climate Change ................................................................................................................. 43 Altered Fire Regimes ........................................................................................................ 43 Habitat
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