Birds
All 100,000+ species of birds are warm-blooded, lay eggs, and have feathers and wings — though not all can fly. In general, birds are highly social and communicative creatures, and are widely considered to be among the more intelligent animal species. Birds feature prominently in Endangered Species Act success stories — iconic species like the bald eagle and California condor have rebounded significantly while protected under the Act.
Black Hills Dipper
The Black Hills Dipper is a small songbird uniquely adapted to feeding under water in fast moving mountain streams and cascades. The isolated population of the American dipper in the Black Hills faces a variety of threats.
Burrowing Owl
The burrowing owl is a remarkable and unusual little prairie owl. It is the only owl to inhabit underground burrows, living in the abandoned homes of prairie dogs, badgers, and foxes. Like prairie dogs, burrowing owls are declining across their range, mostly as a result of habitat loss and degradation.
Greater Sage-Grouse
The Greater sage-grouse is a striking bird with pointed tail feathers and elaborate courting rituals. Loss of habitat from oil and gas drilling, overgrazing, and increased development of sagebrush ecosystems continue to threaten the habitat of this iconic western species.
Gunnison Sage-Grouse
The Gunnison sage-grouse is found only in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah. It is distinct from the greater sage-grouse, and survives in only eight populations, all isolated from each other by mountain ranges and other geographic features. This species currently has no federal protection.
Mexican Spotted Owl
Mexican spotted owls inhabit remote canyons and old-growth Douglas fir forests of the four corners states. This secretive species with distinctive brown eyes has greatly declined because of habitat loss as a result of logging. In 1993 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Mexican spotted owl as Threatened, it was estimated that only around 2,100 owls remained.
Mountain Plover
Although mountain plovers resemble shorebirds like sandpipers, they are found only in the interior of the western U.S. and Mexico. These ground-nesting birds historically were closely associated with prairie dog colonies, where the bare soil of the burrow mounds provided excellent nest sites. As prairie dog species have declined throughout the west, so have populations of mountain plovers.