THE STEPHEN BECHTEL FUND
IMPRINT IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The Stephen Bechtel Fund has established this imprint to promote understanding and conservation of our natural environment.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous contribution to this book provided by the Stephen Bechtel Fund.
BIRDS OF THE SIERRA NEVADA
BIRDS of the SIERRA NEVADA
Their Natural History, Status, and Distribution
Edward C. Beedy and Edward R. Pandolfino
Illustrated by Keith Hansen
Foreword by Rich Stallcup
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2013 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beedy, Edward C.
Birds of the Sierra Nevada : their natural history, status, and distribution / Edward C. Beedy and Edward R. Pandolfino ; illustrated by Keith Hansen.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-520-27493-8 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-520-27494-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
eISBN 9780520954472
1. Birds—Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.) 2. Birds—Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)—Identification. I. Pandolfino, Edward R. II. Title.
QL683.S54B444 2013
598.09794’4—dc23
2012043369
Manufactured in China
19 18 17 16 15 14 13
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 2002) (Permanence of Paper).
Cover illustration: Flock of “Sierra Nevada” Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches (Leucosticte tephrocotis dawsoni) in an Alpine setting. Painting by Keith Hansen.
FOREWORD
Defining avifaunal boundaries for the Sierra Nevada is not an easy task. The long, rolling hills west of the crest and the steep eastern escarpment are obvious features in the center of the range, but as the mountainous highlands dwindle in southern California and vaguely become the Cascades in the north, drawing appropriate lines becomes more difficult. The authors of this book have done a masterful job in this regard by including nearby Great Basin habitats at the base of the Sierra on the East Side.
The species accounts are thorough and scholarly. Each contains etymology (the origin of the bird’s common and scientific names), and expansive, very informative sections on natural history, status, and distribution. Population dynamics and changes in distribution are clearly presented. This was made possible by the authors’ careful scrutiny of Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Survey, and eBird data. I have birded frequently in all the Sierra special habitats for more than forty years and still learn something new from each account. Although this entirely new book is not a field guide that rehashes identification clues, the splendid, color paintings of each species (presented on-page with each species account) by Keith Hansen should leave no one wondering what kind of bird he or she has seen. The abundance of illustrations and precision of every detail is simply amazing. How does he do that?
John Muir, following an eloquent but spirited discussion of the Water Ouzel (American Dipper), said: “And so I might go on, writing words, words, words; but to what purpose? Go see him [the ouzel] and love him, and through him as through a window look into Nature’s warm heart.” So get out there and up there, but go with this book in your pack or car. If you are already a birder, you will see in new light, but if you are new to the magic and wonder of birds, beware—your life may change in amazing ways. Sharper long-distance vision, unthinkable intellectual challenges, and the urge to leave work and go bird the mountains are but some of the more common maladies.
RICH STALLCUP (1944–2012),
PRBO CONSERVATION SCIENCE
TO STEVEN P. MEDLEY (1949–2006),
A FRIEND OF SIERRA BIRDS,
WHO INSPIRED AND SUPPORTED
OUR EFFORTS TO CREATE THIS BOOK
CONTENTS
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
INTRODUCTION
ECOLOGICAL ZONES AND BIRD HABITATS
RECENT TRENDS IN SIERRA BIRD POPULATIONS AND RANGES
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ABOUT SIERRA BIRDS
BIRD CONSERVATION IN THE SIERRA
Family and Species Accounts
CORMORANTS • Phalacrocoracidae
HERONS AND RELATIVES • Ardeidae
NEW WORLD VULTURES • Cathartidae
HAWKS AND RELATIVES • Accipitridae
FALCONS • Falconidae
RAILS AND