Bird Conservation Region 10

Northern Rockies

Description: Included in this area are the Northern Rocky Mountains and outlying ranges in both the United States and Canada, and also the intermontane Wyoming Basin and Fraser Basin. The Rockies are dominated by a variety of coniferous forest habitats. Drier areas are dominated by ponderosa pine, with Douglas fir and lodgepole pine at higher elevations and Engelman spruce and subalpine fir even higher. More mesic forests to the north and west are dominated by western larch, grand fir, western red cedar, and western hemlock. High priority forest birds include the Flammulated Owl, Lewis’ and Black-backed Woodpecker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Townsend’s Warbler, Rufous Hummingbird, Black Swift, and Blue Grouse. Barrow’s Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck, and Trumpeter Swan breed in high-elevation lakes and streams. The Wyoming Basin and other lower-lying valleys are characterized by sagebrush shrubland and shrubsteppe habitat, much of which has been degraded by conversion to other uses or invasion of non-native plants. High priority birds include Sage Grouse, Ferruginous Hawk, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Sage Thrasher.

Bird Conservation Plans

Click here to view the NABCI US page for this BCR.