Our Birds in 1805

Lewis and Clark found a wealth of

birds all across the Pacific Northwest.

State Our Birds Today

One-third of Washington’s 317
common birds are at risk.

Birds on the Brink

We’re losing our birds because
we’re altering critical habitat –
and Important Bird Areas can
help save them.
the
of
Our
Vulnerable Birds
Now disappearing at a location
near you: These birds and habitats
are vulnerable in Washington state.

Why Birds
Matter
Birds bring us many
benefits – but time is
running out for many
of our native species.
Birds
What You Can Do
We can take many actions to help protect
our birds and, ultimately, ourselves.
Our Birds in 1805
As Captains Lewis and Clark led the Corps of Discovery down
the Snake and Columbia rivers in October 1805, they found a
multitude of birds in great abundance, including one species
of plump game bird they called a “prairie hen.” Having sub-
sisted for weeks on salmon and desperate for variety in their diets,
the explorers ate prairie hens at every opportunity. The birds were
particularly numerous in the brushy meadows and grasslands bor-
dering streams in what is now eastern Washington. Later, settlers
moved into the dry Columbia Basin and viewed prairie hens as an
important source of meat. As late as the 1890s, homesteaders and
ranchers reported harvesting entire wagonloads of the birds
in a single day’s hunting.
Today we know the prairie hen as the Sharp-tailed Grouse,
a threatened species in Washington. By 1998 the population
in Washington was estimated at a mere 1,000 birds, and their
range – which once extended from Oregon to the Canadian bor-
der and from Idaho to the Cascade foothills – had shrunk to a
few isolated pockets in Douglas, Lincoln, and Okanogan counties. Clark’s Nutcracker
The decline of the Sharp-tailed Grouse in Washington, despite de-
cades of intense hunting pressure, is attributed primarily to the loss of habitat. Conversion of grasslands to
crops, livestock grazing, herbicides, and the use of fire to control brush have nearly eliminated the native
habitat the sharp-tails need to survive.
As we approach the 200th anniversary of the Corps of Discovery expedition, it is time to inventory the
impact we humans have had on the landscape documented by Lewis and Clark. And, with results in hand,
it is also time to reflect on changes since then and ask ourselves, “Two hundred years from now, what flora
and fauna will still live along this famous route?”

Our Birds Today

This report examines the conservation status of 317 species of birds that live in or migrate through Wash-
ington every year. While more than 400 species of birds visit the state, only these 317 have populations large
enough for management actions taken here to affect the regional, continental, or global conservation status
of these birds.
Audubon Washington worked with a team of ornithologists and wildlife management experts to examine
existing but widely dispersed data from government wildlife agencies, national bird conservation organi-
zations, and independent scientific analyses. The goal was to determine whether each bird species is secure
or faces risks to its continued existence in our state.
The team found that 93 species and four subspecies are at risk. This means that almost
one-third of our birds are vulnerable to drastic population declines.

2
Birds on the Brink
Why are we losing our birds? Pollution, pesticides, chemical and oil spills, invasive nonnative plant and
animal species, collisions with man-made structures, and predation by uncontrolled cats and dogs – all
these are threats to birds in North America and Washington state. But by far the greatest threat to birds is
the loss of their habitat from human population growth and alteration of the landscape.

Washington’s human population has more than doubled in the past 50 years, increasing from 2.4 million
people in 1950 to 6 million in 2000. In the next 50 years, our population is expected to double again – the
equivalent of adding 29 more cities the size of Tacoma or Spokane.

It is not just that people want houses and roads, businesses and parking lots – or Passenger Pigeon
(now extinct)
that structures and pavement and crops are replacing the forests, grasslands,
and wetlands needed by our birds. It is also that our patterns of development
are extremely destructive, as humanity sprawls across the landscape using up
land at a rate faster than our population growth.

Such sprawl fragments natural landscapes so that birds and other

wildlife have only small “islands” suitable for their needs. These
tiny remnants of native lands and waters often are not sufficient
to sustain viable populations of some species, because food sources
are limited, breeding habitat is scarce, and a single natural disaster can
wipe out a critical “island.” And so we lose more of our birds.

Important Bird Areas

The Important Bird Areas, or IBA, program is a worldwide effort to identify key places that
provide essential habitat for birds and focus conservation action on protecting these sites.

More than 150 countries participate in the IBA program, and Audubon is the lead organization
in the United States. We work with scientists and local volunteers to identify the sites and define
the conservation strategies, and we add the information to both the International World Bird
Database and a national register that Audubon is constructing to help advocates and landown-
ers with local conservation planning.

Audubon Washington is continuing to identify sites in the state while moving into the monitor-
ing and conservation-planning phase. The first 53 sites are catalogued in Important Bird Areas of
Washington, and another 50 sites are currently being researched. In 2004 the Washington State
Legislature approved the use of recognized Important Bird Areas as part of the criteria for man-
aging public land and water. IBA data are also available to private landowners so they will know
more about their properties’ significance to birds.

The IBA program helps us make decisions today that will safeguard the habitat vital to our
birds’ future.

3
 Our Vulnerable Habitats
Washington is blessed with a rich diversity of birds and bird habitat, but the state of our birds is troubling. This chart
describes the characteristics of Washington’s six major habitats, their importance to birds, and the status of these
habitats today.

COASTAL WETLANDS RIPARIAN FORESTS SHRUB STEPPE GRASSLANDS

Washington Habitat

Red Knot American Bittern Yellow-breasted Chat Pileated Woodpecker Sharp-tailed Grouse Burrowing Owl

Sandy beaches, rocky Among the most pro- Lush, dense, productive Western forests: Moist, Bunchgrass inter- Dry, open bunchgrass
shorelines, river deltas, ductive of all habitats, vegetation of mostly complex systems of spersed with sagebrush savannas, some with
estuarine wetlands, in- with moist soils and deciduous trees and conifers – Douglas fir, and bitterbrush scattered oaks; Palouse
tertidal mudflats, off- water-loving plants; shrubs adjacent to western hemlock, prairie moister with
shore islands includes marshes, streams and other fresh western red cedar – denser grasses
swamps, and bogs water, moist soil; may with many canopy lay-
include islands in rivers ers, a dense understory,
or lakes mosses, lichens, ferns
Characteristics

Eastern forests: Dry,

mostly Ponderosa pine
widely spaced with a
rich layer of shrubs,
grass
Oaks: Oregon white
oak in mixed wood-
lands or open savannas
south of Puget Sound,
Columbia Gorge, on
eastern slopes of
Cascades

Critical to globally sig- More than 125 species – Used by more than half Needed by more than Mosaic of plants relied Vital for resident birds
nificant populations particularly migratory – 68 species – of one third – 132 species upon by 60+ species for and neotropical mi-
of waterfowl, seabirds, birds – need wetlands’ neotropical migrant – of Washington’s resi- nesting and feeding grants for feeding and
Importance to Birds

and shorebirds for high biological produc- songbirds and other dent and migrant birds nesting
breeding, wintering, tivity of food rich in resident birds for food, for foraging, shelter,
and migration protein and fat; shelter, and nesting and nesting
habitat’s limited geo-
graphic distribution far
outweighed by wet-
lands’ critical impor-
tance to birds

In Puget Sound, be- Overall more than 33% From 50% to 90% 97% of western and More than 60% lost, 70% of grassland lost
tween 70% and 100% of lost, with far more gone of riparian habitat 85% of eastern old- with remainder se- with fragmented rem-
estuarine wetlands and in some areas lost or extensively growth forest lost. verely fragmented and nants invaded by non-
30% of shoreline (800+ altered. Loss in low- Western old-growth overwhelmed by highly native grasses and
miles) altered or de- lands 70%, while ripar- now mostly in higher flammable nonnative located mostly on steep
stroyed by urban and ian habitat in urban ar- elevations with less cheatgrass; only 3 large slopes with rocky soil.
rural development. eas nearly eradicated. productivity. State- tracts of native shrub Nation’s most endan-
Productivity of many Along Columbia River, wide, most forest lands steppe remain on gered ecosystem:
intertidal areas threat- 90% loss due to inunda- lost to suburban Yakima Training Palouse grassland with
ened by invasive non- tion by water from sprawl; most lowland Center, Yakama Indian only 1% remaining but
native animals and dams or conversion to forest converted to in- Reservation, and fragmented.
Status

plants. agriculture. dustrial tree farms un- Hanford Reservation

suitable for many birds.
Pine, oak forests frag-
mented by logging,
overrun by nonnative
plants, vulnerable to
fire due to invasion of
dense fir undergrowth.

Chart continued
on next page

4
 Our Vulnerable Birds
While the level of risk and the immediacy of threats vary, all birds listed here need serious conservation action.
Birds of Immediate Concern These most-threatened species have low populations, have steep population declines over all or part of their ranges,
or face rapid habitat loss.
Birds of High Concern While not facing imminent threats and generally still common, these species have experienced population declines or
habitat losses.
Early Warning Birds These birds are potentially at risk due to their rarity, downward population trends, limited distribution, or limited habitat
on both global and regional scales. While secure today, these species face an increasingly uncertain future.

COASTAL WETLANDS RIPARIAN FORESTS SHRUB STEPPE GRASSLANDS

Washington Habitat

Red Knot American Bittern Yellow-breasted Chat Pileated Woodpecker Sharp-tailed Grouse Burrowing Owl

Birds of Immediate Birds of Immediate Birds of Immediate Birds of Immediate Birds of Immediate Birds of Immediate
Concern Concern Concern Concern Concern Concern
Snowy Plover American Bittern (none) Northern Goshawk Ferruginous Hawk Ferruginous Hawk
Long-billed Curlew Marbled Murrelet Greater Sage-Grouse Long-billed Curlew
Red Knot Birds of High Birds of High Spotted Owl Sharp-tailed Grouse Streaked Horned
Marbled Murrelet Concern Concern Black Swift Long-billed Curlew Lark (subspecies)
Western Grebe Lewis’s Woodpecker White-headed Loggerhead Shrike Oregon Vesper
Birds of High Trumpeter Swan Woodpecker Sparrow (subspecies)
Concern Purple Martin Early Warning Birds Olive-sided Birds of High Concern
Western Grebe American White Flycatcher Prairie Falcon Birds of High Concern
Trumpeter Swan Early Warning Birds Pelican Burrowing Owl Prairie Falcon
Caspian Tern Common Loon Harlequin Duck Birds of High Short-eared Owl Burrowing Owl
Purple Martin Clark’s Grebe Black-chinned Concern Sage Thrasher Short-eared Owl
American White Hummingbird Golden Eagle Brewer’s Sparrow
Early Warning Birds Pelican Red-naped Sapsucker Band-tailed Pigeon Sage Sparrow Early Warning Birds
Common Loon Canvasback Willow Flycatcher Flammulated Owl Swainson’s Hawk
Black-footed Redhead Gray Catbird Lewis’s Woodpecker Early Warning Birds Mountain Quail
Albatross Barrow’s Goldeneye Yellow Warbler Swainson’s Hawk White-throated Swift
Pink-footed Hooded Merganser MacGillivray’s Early Warning Birds White-throated Swift
Shearwater Sandhill Crane Warbler Harlequin Duck Lazuli Bunting
Brown Pelican Whimbrel Yellow-breasted Chat Barrow’s Goldeneye
Brant’s Cormorant Short-billed Lazuli Bunting Hooded Merganser
Pelagic Cormorant Dowitcher Bald Eagle
Aleutian Canada Wilson’s Phalarope Cooper’s Hawk
Goose (subspecies) Black Tern Merlin
Brant Willow Flycatcher Blue Grouse
Vulnerable Birds

Harlequin Duck Mountain Quail

Barrow’s Goldeneye Great Gray Owl
Hooded Merganser Vaux’s Swift
Bald Eagle Calliope
Merlin Hummingbird
Peregrine Falcon Rufous
Black Oystercatcher Hummingbird
Whimbrel Williamson’s
Marbled Godwit Sapsucker
Ruddy Turnstone Red-naped Sapsucker
Black Turnstone Red-breasted
Surfbird Sapsucker
Sanderling American Black-
Rock Sandpiper backed Woodpecker
Short-billed Pileated Woodpecker
Dowitcher Hammond’s
Wilson’s Phalarope Flycatcher
Heerman’s Gull Dusky Flycatcher
Western Gull Pacific Slope
Arctic Tern Flycatcher
Common Murre Cassin’s Vireo
Cassin’s Auklet Slender-billed
Tufted Puffin White-breasted
Nuthatch (subspecies)
Pygmy Nuthatch
Western Bluebird
Black-throated
Gray Warbler
Hermit Warbler
Chipping Sparrow

5
Why Birds Matter
Ultimately, what happens to birds happens to us.
We need to know about our birds because they
reflect the health and trends of the environment
upon which we ourselves depend.
We need birds, wildlife, and nature on many
levels. The web of all life on Earth – through
mechanisms we are far from understanding –
creates, cleanses, and replenishes the air, water,
soil, and energy that we need to survive. An inte-
gral part of the web of life, birds are also a daily
part of our lives. Whether we see hummingbirds
and chickadees in our gardens, robins and crows
in our cities, or eagles and hawks in the country-
side, birds provide a constant active connection
with the natural world.
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Our planet is home to nearly 10,000 species of
birds, about 1,400 of which inhabit the North
American landscape from southern Mexico to the
Canadian Arctic. Mexico has about 1,000 species,
the United States about 800, and Canada about
600, with many species present in two or three
countries either as residents or migrants.
Washington lies squarely on the Pacific Flyway
migration route between South America and the
Arctic. Our bird habitat ranges from deep
marine waters off the continental shelf to high
alpine meadows, from soggy coastal rainforests
to arid interior deserts. Our climate and soils;
geological history of lava flows, glaciers, and
erosion; and the resulting native plant commu-
nities have built a wealth of vibrant environments
for our birds – 62 percent of which are found on
both sides of the Cascade Mountains.
Many of us take note of Washington’s resident
birdlife and seasonal change in avian visitors:
• In spring and fall, waterfowl and shorebirds
stop here to feed during their migrations.
• In summer, neotropical songbirds nest here
and raise the next generation.
• In winter, we see eagles foraging along
rivers, geese and swans in farm fields, and
seabirds in inland waterways.
Experiencing these winged migrations – like
Walt Whitman’s “midnight flight of birds
passing through the air and darkness overhead,
in countless armies” – is an unforgettable
reminder that without a personal connection to
the wonders of nature, we are only half alive.
6
Ecological Importance of Birds
“Spring would not be spring without bird songs.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Wild birds are essential components of healthy,
functioning natural systems. They pollinate
flowers, disseminate seeds, and help keep insect
populations under control.
Like the proverbial canaries in a coal mine, birds
also serve as indicators of the ecological health of
our planet. Because of their rapid metabolism and
wide geographic distribution, birds provide early
warning to us of changes in the environment and
potentially harmful biological conditions.
Robust, diverse bird populations reflect the
underlying health of the ecosystem in which they
– and we – live. When a wetland begins to lose its
ducks, herons, and swallows, it’s a signal that
water quantity and quality are declining, which
bodes ill for other species such as salmon and
people. Since we share our planet with all other
species, what happens to birds will happen to us.
Aesthetic Importance of Birds
“Keep a green bough in your heart and the
singing bird will come.”
– Chinese proverb
Birds populate our fields and forests and waters as
well as our books and plays and paintings. They
awaken the poet and artist and philosopher in each
of us, and we celebrate their beauty and power of
flight. They help our spirits soar, our visions
broaden – and they renew our natural sense of joy
and wonder.
Economic Importance of Birds
“Kill not the goose that lays the golden egg.”
— English proverb
Birds save money. Without the environmental
assistance we get from birds, we would have to
spend far more money on pest control and
keeping natural systems in balance. Insect-eating
birds on farms, in woodlands, and in cities reduce
the need for chemical pest control. Birds are also
voracious eaters of weed plants and nuisance
rodents. They provide us with “free ecological
services” and are unheralded assistants to
farmers, foresters, and gardeners.
Birds make money. Bird watching is the fastest-
growing form of outdoor recreation in the United
States, up 155 percent in the last ten years. In 2001
more than 46 million Americans watched birds
and spent more than $32 billion on the pastime.
People travel to see birds, buy backyard bird
feeders, plant gardens for birds, and spend money
to support bird research and protect bird habitat.
Birders attract money to Washington. The eco-
nomic impact from birders and watchable wild-
life enthusiasts is astounding. The latest report
from the Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife shows that wildlife watching provides
more than 22,000 jobs and brings in $980 million
to the state annually, compared to $350 million
from hunting and $854 million from recreational
fishing. Most birders are well educated, have
annual incomes greater than $30,000, and are will-
ing to spend money to watch birds. When birders
go on overnight bird-watching trips, they typically
spend $100 to $130 per day.
7
 Individually
• Go outdoors and enjoy nature!
• Replace your grass with bird-friendly native plants
and stop using pesticides.*
What You Can Do • Watch birds: put up feeders (clean them regularly)
and nest boxes. P.S. Keep your cat indoors.

With Your Neighbors

• Attract birds: create shared backyard wildlife sanctuaries.
• Count birds: join Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count (a bird
census held annually since 1900) and the Great Backyard
Bird Count (a “snapshot” of birds in mid-winter).*
• Take a walk – a bird walk, that is – with your local
Audubon chapter. P.S. Take a kid along.

In Your Community
• Protect birds: urge your city to adopt chemical-free
maintenance for public parks, roads, lands, and waters.
• Volunteer outdoors: help take care of local parks, refuges,
Audubon Important Bird Areas, and nearby birding
trail sites.*
• Vote to safeguard open space and limit sprawl.

Statewide
• Explore parks, Audubon Nature Centers, and the
Great Washington State Birding Trail and discover the
many bird festivals.*
• When you travel, tell people that you’re visiting their area
because of their birds, wildlife, and natural areas.
• Get active: urge your legislators to support habitat
protection, nature tourism, and environmental safeguards.

Nationally
• Join Audubon and read the widely acclaimed Audubon
magazine.*
• Get active: urge your Congressional delegation to support
habitat protection, environmental safeguards, and national
conservation programs.
• Go adventuring in parks, natural areas, and Audubon
Nature Centers and sanctuaries in other states.*

Internationally
• Buy shade-grown, organic coffee, which helps protect bird habitat.*
• Take nature tours in other countries to enjoy their birds, wildlife,
and wildlands.
• Support nature research, and conservation activities in other
countries, like Audubon’s Latin America program.*
* See wa.audubon.org for more information
About this Report
To understand the status of our bird populations, Audubon Washington interviewed experts
and analyzed information from all over the world. The majority of information was obtained
from peer-reviewed scientific publications and databases from state and federal wildlife
agencies, scientific organizations, and nonprofit organizations, including:

• State and federal lists of threatened and endangered species, and candidates for listing
• Government GAP analysis and biodiversity assessments
• Nongovernmental science compilations such as Audubon WatchList species, and
comprehensive species and habitat assessments from national conservation plans
This report is actually an executive summary of a much longer, more detailed article, which
has been submitted to a peer-reviewed scientific journal for publication.

The mission of Audubon is to conserve and restore

natural ecosystems – focusing on birds, other wildlife,
and their habitat – for the benefit of humanity and the
earth’s biological diversity.
Washington has 25 local Audubon chapters. Get in
touch with the one nearest you to discover, enjoy, and
protect our indispensable birds.

WA S H I N G TO N

Main office:
1411 Fourth Avenue, Suite 920
Seattle, WA 98101
206-652-2444
Policy office:
P.O. Box 462
Olympia, WA 98507
360-786-8020
wa.audubon.org www. audubon.org

American Goldfinch,
Washington State Bird

Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks.

Please recycle this brochure.
Bird illustrations by John James Audubon; photos page 8: Woody Wheeler, Barb Boekelheide,
William Stickney; coffee logo courtesy of Seattle Audubon; graphic design by Suzanne Helms
Creative Services.