Idaho's Birds and Birding
Birds have
feathers. That fact alone separates birds from other creatures that roam our planet. Of course, birds also:
- lay eggs (but so do reptiles, such as snakes)
- fly (but so do some mammals, such as bats),
- and are warm-blooded vertebrates (also like mammals, including humans).
Birds belong to the class Aves - an extremely
distinctive and successful group - consisting of
9,703 species worldwide. Believed by most scientists
to be descendents of the dinosaurs (although this is
still a highly controversial topic), birds have evolved
remarkable specializations for flight:
- a unique "one-way" breathing system
- light yet strong hollow bones
- a skeleton in which many bones are fused or lost
- powerful flight muscles, and of course, most important of all - feathers!
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Of more than 800 species of birds that occur regularly in North America, approximately 270 can be found in Idaho at one time or another throughout the year. Most of Idaho's birds are regular breeders (243 species), whereas a handful occur in the state only in the winter or during migration. Approximately half of Idaho's breeding bird species are considered migrants - that is, they come to Idaho only to nest and raise a family. These species may spend their winters in states to the south (e.g., California, Arizona, Texas) or may travel thousands of miles to countries in Central and South America, such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Brazil. Species traveling south of the U.S.-Mexico border are called Neotropical migratory birds and are of particular interest to ornithologists because so many of them are experiencing significant population declines. Due in part to these declines, a number of Idaho's birds have been classified as priority species by Idaho Partners in Flight. Species are also ranked as Species of Greatest Conservation need by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's new Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy.
Birding in Idaho
There are excellent opportunities for watching birds (known as "birding") in Idaho because of the great variety of habitats found within our state - from desert to alpine and everything in-between. To help inform you about the best viewing opportunities to see some of Idaho's rich avifauna, the Nongame Wildlife Program has teamed up with Idaho Chapters of the Audubon Society to create the Idaho Birding Trail (IBT). The IBT is an exciting new project intended to guide people to the best sites for viewing birds along self-designed, auto-driven routes.
If you want to know current hotspots to see rare birds, or to inform others of such a hotspot in Southwest Idaho, please call this birding hotline:
- Southwestern Idaho Birding Hotline - 208 / 368-6096
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