Bird Conservation Region 8

Boreal Softwood Shield

The Boreal Softwood Shield is a broad, U-shaped region comprised of seacoasts in the east and vast areas that are more than 80 percent forested by closed stands of conifers, largely white and black spruce, balsam fir, and tamarack. Toward the south, broadleaf trees, such as white birch, trembling aspen, and balsam poplar are more widely distributed, as are white, red, and jack pine. The region is a broadly rolling mosaic of uplands and associated wetlands, dotted with numerous small to medium-sized lakes. Peatlands are common in wetland areas. Representative birds include American Black Duck, Purple Sandpiper, Yellow Rail, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Owl, and Mourning, Palm, Bay-breasted, Connecticut, Cape May, Magnolia, and Tennessee Warblers. Coastlines and offshore areas in the east are important year-round for breeding and wintering seabirds.

Bird Conservation Plans

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