The Riparian Bird Conservation Plan A strategy for reversing the decline of riparian associated birds in California A project of California Partners in Flight and the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture The Riparian Bird Conservation Plan A strategy for reversing the decline of riparian associated birds in California Version 2.0 2004 California Partners in Flight Riparian Bird Conservation Plan -ii- Conservation Plan Authors Grant Ballard Ryan Burnett David Burton Ann Chrisney Lyann Comrack Gregg Elliott Tom Gardali Geoffrey Geupel Sacha Heath Diana Humple Barbara Kus Mike Lynes Melissa Pitkin Lars Pomara Sandy Scoggin Stacy Small Diana Stralberg Viola Toniolo Species Account Authors Tina Chouinard, Division of Migratory Bird Management – USFWS Diana Craig, USDA Forest Service Tom Gardali, PRBO Conservation Science Barry Garrison, California Department of Fish and Game Geoff Geupel, PRBO Conservation Science Jeanne Hammond, PRBO Conservation Science (Currently at Humboldt State University) Sacha Heath, PRBO Conservation Science Diana Humple, PRBO Conservation Science Barbara Kus, San Diego State University Steve Laymon, Kern River Research Center (Currently at Bureau of Land Management) Mike Lynes, PRBO Conservation Science (Currently at Hastings University) Chris McCreedy, PRBO Conservation Science Chris Otahal, Coyote Creek Riparian Station (Currently at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Matt Ricketts, LSA Associates Stacy Small, PRBO Conservation Science (Currently at University of Missouri, Columbia) Bill Hamilton, UC Davis Nils Warnock, PRBO Conservation Science Jennifer White, PRBO Conservation Science (Currently at University of Missouri, Columbia) Mary Whitfield, Southern Sierra Research Station Pamela Williams, Kern River Research Center (Currently at Kern National Wildlife Refuge) David Winkler, Cornell University Brian Woodbridge, USDA Forest Service (Currently at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Data Contributions The growing list of data contributors is updated frequently and can be viewed at http://cain.nbii.gov/prbo/calpifmap/livemaps/sitecreds.htm. California Partners in Flight Riparian Bird Conservation Plan -iii- Technical Editors Tom Gardali, PRBO Conservation Science Barbara Rocco, Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. Kim Kreitinger, PRBO Conservation Science Sandy Scoggin, PRBO Conservation Science (Currently at San Francisco Bay Joint Venture) Viola Toniolo, PRBO Conservation Science Copy Editor Chris Fink, San Jose State University, English Department Design and Layout Kim Kreitinger, PRBO Conservation Science Sandy Scoggin, PRBO Conservation Science (Currently at San Francisco Bay Joint Venture) Illustrations Zac Denning Sophie Webb (cover) Cover Photo Greg Golet Financial Contributors Bureau of Reclamation Point Reyes Bird Observatory Packard Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Publication Bureau of Reclamation PRBO Conservation Science Meeting Facilitator Dave Ceppos, Jones & Stokes Associates, Inc. Recommended Citation RHJV (RIPARIAN HABITAT JOINT VENTURE). 2004. Version 2.0. The riparian bird conservation plan: a strategy for reversing the decline of riparian associated birds in California. California Partners in Flight. http://www.prbo.org/calpif/pdfs/riparian.v-2.pdf. For copies of this plan, please contact the PRBO Conservation Science at (415) 868-0655 or write to: Riparian Conservation Plan, c/o PRBO, 4990 Shoreline Hwy., Stinson Beach, CA 94970. An electronic version of this plan is available at http://www.prbo.org/calpif/plans.html. California Partners in Flight Riparian Bird Conservation Plan -iv- Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................................X BIOLOGICAL NEED ..................................................................................................................... XI MISSION AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................................................XII FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .........................................................................................XII CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1 UPDATES TO VERSION 2.0 ........................................................................................................... 1 RIPARIAN HABITAT JOINT VENTURE........................................................................................... 2 PARTNERS IN FLIGHT................................................................................................................... 2 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE CONSERVATION PLAN .......................................................................... 3 ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ......................................................................................................... 4 INTRINSIC PERSPECTIVE .............................................................................................................. 4 UTILITARIAN OR HUMANIST PERSPECTIVE ................................................................................. 4 OBJECTIVE OF THE RIPARIAN BIRD CONSERVATION PLAN......................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2. RIPARIAN VEGETATION IN CALIFORNIA ............................................... 6 RIPARIAN HABITAT ..................................................................................................................... 7 MONTANE RIPARIAN (MRI) ........................................................................................................ 7 VALLEY FOOTHILL RIPARIAN (VRI) ........................................................................................... 8 DESERT RIPARIAN (DRI) ............................................................................................................. 8 PALM OASIS (POS)...................................................................................................................... 8 FRESHWATER EMERGENT WETLAND (FEW) .............................................................................. 8 WETLAND MEADOW (WTM) ...................................................................................................... 8 ASPEN (ASP) ............................................................................................................................... 9 A STANDARDIZED CALIFORNIA VEGETATION CLASSIFICATION................................................. 9 CHAPTER 3. RIPARIAN HABITAT CONSERVATION AT THE LANDSCAPE SCALE ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 WHAT IS LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY?.............................................................................................. 12 ALTERED HYDROLOGY .............................................................................................................. 12 HABITAT FRAGMENTATION AND LANDSCAPE CONDITION ........................................................ 13 CONSERVATION APPROACHES................................................................................................... 14 FRAGMENTATION VS. NATURAL PATCHINESS............................................................................ 14 THE LANDSCAPE PARADIGM...................................................................................................... 14 CHAPTER 4. PROBLEMS AFFECTING RIPARIAN BIRDS ............................................ 16 NEST PARASITISM...................................................................................................................... 16 NEST PREDATION....................................................................................................................... 17 LEAST BELL’S VIREO: AN EXAMPLE OF CONSERVATION NEED AND ACTION ......................... 19 CHAPTER 5. THE CONSERVATION PLANNING PROCESS.......................................... 20 CRITERIA FOR SELECTING RIPARIAN FOCAL SPECIES............................................................... 21 FOCAL SPECIES.......................................................................................................................... 22 DATA-GATHERING EFFORT ....................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 6. POPULATION TARGETS............................................................................... 49 POPULATION SIZE ESTIMATES................................................................................................... 52 POPULATION TARGET ESTIMATES............................................................................................. 52 Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus occidentalis).................................... 56 California Partners in Flight Riparian Bird Conservation Plan -v- Table of Contents POPULATION:............................................................................................................................. 56 HABITAT PATCH SIZE:................................................................................................................ 57 PESTICIDE USE: .......................................................................................................................... 57 OTHER FACTORS:....................................................................................................................... 57 Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) ..............................................................................