List of Sonoran Desert birds (Arizona)
Encyclopedia
The following bird
species are endemic
to the Sonoran Desert
, and related areas; (a few species listed are only 'native' and have a larger continental range). They are retrieved from the List of Arizona-SW birds (Yuma County, Arizona), though not exclusively.
Valley-LCRV, from Yuma County and La Paz County, to the Bill Williams River
, (and by extension to Needles
, California/Topock
, Arizona). The Colorado River borders the higher elevation Mojave Desert
to the northwest(Needles and Las Vegas), the Colorado Desert
–(extension of Sonoran Desert) on the southwest and west, and the deserts of the Sonoran Desert
to the east, the Yuma Desert
, Lechuguilla Desert
, and the Tule Desert (Arizona)
.
Bolded species are exclusive to the hottest deserts (SW Arizona, Baja, California, N Mexico, and the Carrizo Plain
, (Le Conte's Thrasher).
s defined by the NW–to–SE trending mountain ranges(formerly of the Basin and Range
geology), also called regionally the Madrean sky islands
; and 3–the northernmost extension of the western spine mountain range of Mexico, the Sierra Madre Occidental
(West). The result is a biome region particular to its: geographic locale, elevation, and proximity to flyways, namely for the mountains(of Mexico, the United States, and to Canada), and for the proximity to the Gulf of California
, Gulf of Mexico
, and the Pacific Ocean
.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species are endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
, and related areas; (a few species listed are only 'native' and have a larger continental range). They are retrieved from the List of Arizona-SW birds (Yuma County, Arizona), though not exclusively.
Southwest region
The listed birds are based on the southern section of the Lower Colorado RiverColorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
Valley-LCRV, from Yuma County and La Paz County, to the Bill Williams River
Bill Williams River
The Bill Williams River is a river in western-central Arizona in Mohave County; the river proper is the northern border of La Paz County which it drains in the north, as well as areas of far western Yavapai County...
, (and by extension to Needles
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
, California/Topock
Topock, Arizona
Topock is a small unincorporated community in Mohave County, Arizona. Topock has a ZIP Code of 86436; in 2000, the population of the 86436 ZCTA was 1,790....
, Arizona). The Colorado River borders the higher elevation Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
to the northwest(Needles and Las Vegas), the Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
–(extension of Sonoran Desert) on the southwest and west, and the deserts of the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
to the east, the Yuma Desert
Yuma Desert
The Yuma Desert is a lower-elevation section of the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States and the northwest of Mexico. It is in the Salton basin. The desert contains areas of sparse vegetation and has notable areas of sand dunes. With an average rainfall less than 8 inches each...
, Lechuguilla Desert
Lechuguilla Desert
thumb|250px|right|[[Agave lechuguilla]] the plant the desert is named afterThe Lechuguilla Desert is a small desert located in southwestern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border. It is considered to be part of the Lower Colorado Valley region of the Sonoran Desert...
, and the Tule Desert (Arizona)
Tule Desert (Arizona)
The Tule Desert is a small desert located in southwestern Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border. It is considered to be part of the Lower Colorado Valley region of the Sonoran Desert. It lies in a north-south direction to the east of the Cabeza Prieta Mountains and almost entirely in the Barry M....
.
Bolded species are exclusive to the hottest deserts (SW Arizona, Baja, California, N Mexico, and the Carrizo Plain
Carrizo Plain
The Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed plain, approximately 50 miles long and up to 15 miles across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California...
, (Le Conte's Thrasher).
- Gambel's QuailGambel's QuailThe Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California...
, Callipepla gambelii - Black RailBlack RailThe Black Rail is a mouse-sized member of the Rallidae family of birds. It is found in scattered parts of North America and the Pacific region of South America, usually in coastal salt marshes but also in some freshwater marshes. It is extinct or threatened in many locations due to habitat loss...
, Laterallus jamaicensis- SW Ariz Sonoran desert, but also other locales.
- Greater RoadrunnerGreater RoadrunnerThe Greater Roadrunner, taxonomically classified as Geococcyx californianus, meaning "Californian Earth-cuckoo," is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Along with the Lesser Roadrunner, it is one of two species in the roadrunner genus Geococcyx...
, Geococcyx californianus, (Extensive range beyond the Sonoran Desert) - Gila WoodpeckerGila WoodpeckerThe Gila Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker of the desert regions of the southwestern United States. They range through southeastern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.-Habitat:...
, Melanerpes uropygialis - Gilded FlickerGilded FlickerThe Gilded Flicker is a large-sized woodpecker of the Sonoran, Yuma, and eastern Colorado Desert regions of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico including all of the Baja Peninsula except the extreme northwestern region...
, Colaptes chrysoides - Vermilion FlycatcherVermilion FlycatcherThe Vermilion Flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the Tyrannidae, or tyrant flycatcher family. Most flycatchers are rather drab, but the Vermilion Flycatcher is a striking exception...
, Pyrocephalus rubinus - Brown-crested FlycatcherBrown-crested FlycatcherThe Brown-crested Flycatcher is a passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in open woodland from southern California, southern Nevada, central Arizona, and southern Texas southward to Argentina and Bolivia, and on Trinidad and Tobago...
, Myiarchus tyrannulus - Black-tailed GnatcatcherBlack-tailed GnatcatcherThe Black-tailed Gnatcatcher is a small, insectivorous bird which ranges throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is nonmigratory and found in arid desert areas year-round.-Taxonomy:The Black-tailed Gnatcatcher was described by...
, Polioptila melanura- Also ranges E and S into the Chihuahuan DesertChihuahuan DesertThe Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
, Texas and Mexico.
- Also ranges E and S into the Chihuahuan Desert
- Crissal ThrasherCrissal ThrasherThe Crissal Thrasher is a large thrasher found in the Southwestern United States to central Mexico....
, Toxostoma crissale, ranges S into Central Mexico - Le Conte's ThrasherLe Conte's ThrasherThe Le Conte's Thrasher is a pale bird found in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It prefers to live in deserts with very little vegetation, where it blends in with the sandy soils...
, Toxostoma lecontei, Sonoran, and ranges into S Nevada–(locally: the Carrizo PlainCarrizo PlainThe Carrizo Plain is a large enclosed plain, approximately 50 miles long and up to 15 miles across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California...
, N of Los Angeles) - PhainopeplaPhainopeplaThe Phainopepla is the most northerly representative of the mainly tropical Central American family Ptilogonatidae, the silky flycatchers.-Description:...
, Phainopepla nitens- Also ranges into California's San Joaquin ValleySan Joaquin ValleyThe San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
.
- Also ranges into California's San Joaquin Valley
- Lucy's WarblerLucy's WarblerLucy's Warbler, Oreothlypis luciae, is the smallest New World warbler found in North America, measuring a mere 4.25 inches in length....
, Vermivora luciae- Exclusive in Sonoran Desert, Summer Range, (includes the Colorado RiverColorado RiverThe Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
Valley, the Grand Canyon, and S Nevada).
- Exclusive in Sonoran Desert, Summer Range, (includes the Colorado River
- Abert's TowheeAbert's TowheeThe Abert's Towhee is a bird of the family Emberizidae, native to a small range in southwestern North America, generally the lower Colorado River and Gila River watersheds, nearly endemic to Arizona, but also present in small parts of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Sonora in Mexico.This...
, Pipilo aberti, (–Sonoran DesertSonoran DesertThe Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
–) - Black-throated SparrowBlack-throated SparrowThe Black-throated Sparrow is a small sparrow primarily found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the Desert Sparrow, due to its preferred habitat of arid desert hillsides and scrub...
, Amphispiza bilineata- Permanent breeding range, (but ranges E to Texas, and also Summer ranges to very S Oregon, very S Idaho).
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdYellow-headed BlackbirdThe Yellow-headed Blackbird is a medium-sized blackbird, and the only member of the genus Xanthocephalus....
, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus- Permanent in S Lower Colorado RiverColorado RiverThe Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
Valley–(LCRV).
- Permanent in S Lower Colorado River
Southeast region
The southeast Arizona region is defined by: 1–the mountains of eastern Arizona, extending into western and southwestern New Mexico; 2–the sky islandSky island
Sky islands are mountains that are isolated by surrounding lowlands of a dramatically different environment, a situation which, in combination with the altitudinal zonation of ecosystems, has significant implications for natural habitats. Endemism, vertical migration, and relict populations are...
s defined by the NW–to–SE trending mountain ranges(formerly of the Basin and Range
Basin and Range
The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region defined by a unique topographic expression. Basin and Range topography is characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins...
geology), also called regionally the Madrean sky islands
Madrean sky islands
The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine-oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are surrounded at lower elevations by the Sonoran and...
; and 3–the northernmost extension of the western spine mountain range of Mexico, the Sierra Madre Occidental
Sierra Madre Occidental
The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...
(West). The result is a biome region particular to its: geographic locale, elevation, and proximity to flyways, namely for the mountains(of Mexico, the United States, and to Canada), and for the proximity to the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
, Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.