4.0 BIRDS British Columbia has an extremely diverse and varied topography and climate, resulting in a great number of biogeoclimatic zones and an equally impressive number of birds that reflect that diversity. The province has the largest number of bird species (452) and breeding birds (297) of any province in Canada. The Columbia Basin is reflective of the province in that it contains a wide array of habitat types from wetlands to grasslands, and from to riparian woodlands to old-growth forests. Many of these habitats, however, are under pressure from human settlement, developments and/or resource extraction activities. As the basin's wetlands are drained or filled, birds dependent upon them inevitably decline. The dry intermontane grasslands have been under threat for many years from overgrazing, agriculture or human settlement. Riparian woodlands have been under disproportionate threat, since they are on prime terrain for development. Old-growth forests are still being reduced at a non-sustainable rate, with a direct associated impact on old-growth dependent species. At this time (March, 1999) there are 78 bird species on the provincial RED and BLUE lists. Of these, 19 are found in the Columbia Basin (see Table 5). Brief species accounts for the19 species are provided below. All bird images in this section by John A. Crosby from The Birds of Canada, used courtesy of the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa.

Table 5: Rare Birds of the Columbia Basin Common Name Scientific Name Status Provincial List White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatilis G5/S3,S4 Blue Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias G5/S3B,SZN Blue Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus G5/S2N,S3B Blue American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus G4/S3B,SZN Blue Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni G5/S2B,SZN Blue Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus G5/S3B,SZN Blue Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus G5/S2B,SZN Red Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus anatum G4T3/S2B,SZN Red Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis G5/S3B,SZN Blue Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus G5/S3 Blue Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis G5/S1B,S3N Red Lewis' Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis G5/S3B,SZN Blue Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus G5/S3B,SZN Blue Flammulated Owl Otus flammeolus G4/S3,S4B,SZN Blue Western Screech Owl Otus kennicottii macfarlanei G5TQ/S2 Blue Williamson's Sapsucker Sphyrapicus thyroideus nataliae G5TU/S1,S2B Red Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus G4T3/S3 Blue American Avocet Recurvirostra americana G5/S2,S3B,SZN Blue Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri G5/S1B,SZN Red