Biodiversity Guide - The Intertwine

egional conservation strategybiodiversity guideChapter 5 Fish and Wildlife of the RegionBirdsFor More Informationtory stopover areas, for birds and other wildlife.Washington State Recovery Plan for the WesternThe Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife andPond TurtleKaty Weil and Lori Hennings, Metrothe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consider urbanD.W. Hays, K.R. McAllister, S.A. Richardson, and Birds make up the majority of the greaterareas critical for migrating birds. In fact, becauseD.W. Stinson. August 1999. Available at http:// Portland-Vancouver region’s vertebrate species.the greater Portland-Vancouver region is locatedwdfw.wa.gov/publications/pub.php?id=00398 At least 219 native bird species use habitat inalong the Pacific Flyway, large concentrations ofOregon Zoo Headstart Program for the Western the region, as do eight non-native species. Twobirds migrating along the flyway use key habitatsPond Turtle http://www.oregonzoo.org/Conservation/westernpondturtle.htmspecies are likely extirpated. The sheer diversitywithin the region—including habitats in urbanin bird species and ranges in the region createsareas. The City of Portland signed an Urban Con-Conservation Assessment for the Western Paintedcomplex management needs.servation Treaty for Migratory Birds with the U.S.Turtle in Oregon (Chrysemys picta bellii)Birds provide valuable ecosystem services suchFish and Wildlife Service in 2003 to demonstrateJ. Gervais, D. Rosenberg, S. Barnes, Claire Puchy, as insect predation, pollination, seed dispersal,the City’s long-term commitment to the protectionand E. Stewart. September 2009. Version 1.1. and scavenging. They also create tree cavities usedand conservation of migratory birds and theSponsored by USDI Bureau of Land Management by many other species and exert strong controlscontributions that urban areas can make towardand Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Serviceon invertebrate populations. For example, morebird conservation.Region 6, Oregon Department of Fish and than 90 percent of birds rely on an insect popu-The North American Bird Conservation Initia-Wildlife, City of Portland, and Metro. Available lation to successfully raise juveniles, therebytive’s 2011 State of the Birds report notes thatat http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/sfpnw/issssp/docu-reducing damage to plants (including trees) frompublic lands also provide essential habitat for thements/planning-docs/ca-hr-chrysemys-picta-bellii-2009-09.pdfinsects such as tent caterpillars and bark beetles.survival of hundreds of bird species. Approximately40 percent of the bird species that inhabit These particular threats are described in moreBirds control termites and carpenter ants, thusConservation Assessment of the Western Pond protecting human structures. Birds also can bethe United States have at least 50 percent of their detail in Chapters 6 and 8 of this BiodiversityTurtle in Oregon (Actinemys marmorata), Version reliable indicators of a healthy ecosystem—thedistribution on public lands and waters.Guide (see “Patch Size and Anchor Habitats”1.0proverbial canary in the coal mine. When nativeand “Biodiversity Corridors and Connectivity”D. Rosenberg, J. Gervais, D. Vesely, S. Barnes,Conservation Issues and Key Threats to Birdsbirds decline in an ecosystem, it is likely that theL. Holts, R. Horn, R. Swift, L. Todd, and C. Lee.Given the mobility and complex life history of in Chapter 6 and “Conservation in Developedhealth of that system is deteriorating.2009. Report prepared for the USDI Bureau ofsome bird species, the threats they face are many Areas” in Chapter 8), along with Chapter 6 of theBirds are highly mobile and use every naturalhabitat type and many man-made structuresLand Management and Fish and Wildlife Service,and varied. The following threats to birds are Regional Conservation StrategyUSDA Forest Service Region 6, Oregon Departmentof Fish and Wildlife, City of Portland andincreasingly common at the global, regional, andin the greater Portland-Vancouver region, withlocal scales:Special-status SpeciesMetro. Available at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/habitat defined as the areas that birds need forIn 2001, a presidential executive order mandatedsfpnw/issssp/documents/planning-docs/ca-hractinemys-marmorata-2009-11.pdf.from predators, dispersal, and migration. Becausefeeding, nesting, roosting, resting, protectionn Degradation, loss, and fragmentation of habitatthat federal agencies protect migratory birds. Thisn Disturbances such as roads, noise, and artificial order emphasized the importance of protecting“species of concern” that have been identi-of their flight capability, birds can respond to andNative Turtle Working Group, Native Turtles oflightsuse non-contiguous resources and habitats. ForOregonfied under the Endangered Species Act and insome species, gaps in the forest serve as importanthabitat, so the number, size, and condition ofmigration)nhttp://www.oregonturtles.com/Building strikes (particularly duringregional lists provided by the North AmericanSpecial Status Amphibians and ReptilesBird Conservation Initiative and Partners inforest gaps can influence bird populations.(see Appendix H)nBird species can be highly specialized. Examplesinclude the acorn woodpecker and slender-Invasive species (both avian and plant)Flight, a Neotropical migratory bird conservationMetro’s bird, mammal, and amphibian/reptileinitiative. Within the greater Portland-Vancouverwildlife checklists for the Portland arean Urbanizationregion, one species that may occur in the outskirtsof the region is currently listed as federallybilled (white-breasted) nuthatch, which rely onhttp://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/stands of Oregon white oak, and the streakedn Predation by domestic cats and disturbanceby.web/id=15421threatened: the northern spotted owl. The baldhorned lark, which requires sparse vegetationand predation by domestic dogsWashington Herp Atlas:eagle was originally federally listed as endangeredwith little structure. Other species use a variety ofhttp://www1.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/herp/index.n Land management and restoration practices in 1967, but it was downlisted to threatened inforested, agricultural, shoreline or other habitats.htmlthat conflict with nest success1995 and has now recovered to the point that itSome species, such as pileated woodpeckers andwas removed from the list (i.e., officially delisted)Swainson’s thrushes, require large forested areas.n Reduction in insect populations, which arein 2007. The peregrine falcon has gone through aUrban centers and their surrounding lands canimportant food resourcessimilar process. The California condor, a feder-provide important avian habitat, including migra-94 95