Willamette Valley Habitats

The place where a bird is normally found is termed its “habitat.”

In the Willamette Valley Region, there are 11 major habitat categories.

· Grasslands.
Extensive grasslands occur over much of the central valley, with a scattering of isolated oak trees. Flocks of Trumpeter and Tundra Swans, American Pipits, and Horned Larks are found here in winter, along with Northern Harriers and Rough-legged Hawks. Horned Lark, Savannah Sparrow, and Western Meadowlark are regular nesting species.

· Farmlands.
Much of the Willamette Valley and surrounding foothills has been converted to agricultural uses, including orchards, nurseries, and grass-seed production. Many fields are regularly plowed, some are burned, and others are left fallow. This provides a rich variety of habitats for wintering ducks, geese, starlings, and blackbirds. Large flocks of Killdeer winter in the fields, while Mourning Doves, California Quail, Ring-necked Pheasants, and Vesper Sparrows nest here.

· Hedgerows and Brushlands.
Long rows of brushy hedges line many roadways and farm-field edges. Fallow fields often turn into extensive brush and berry tangles. Clearcuts and open areas at higher elevations are often covered with dense stands of Ceanothus and other shrubby plants. House Finches, White-crowned and Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Lazuli Buntings, and Orange-crowned Warblers nest here. Large flocks of Golden crowned and other sparrows occur in winter. At higher elevations, Nashville and MacGillivray’s Warblers and Fox Sparrows are found in summer.

· Deciduous Woodlands.
Low buttes and ridges, as well as other dry, less productive terrain in the valleys and foothills, are covered with stands of oaks, maples, and other deciduous trees, usually with a thick understory of brush and blackberry tangles. This habitat hosts a great number of nesting species, including Western Bluebird, House Wren, Hutton’s, Warbling, and Red-eyed Vireos, Black-throated Gray and Wilson’s Warblers, and many hawks and owls. Streamsides in the Cascade and Coast Ranges — much dryer than valley bottomlands — have species similar to those of the deciduous woodland habitat.

· Wooded Wet Bootomlands.
The Willamette Valley floor has numerous sluggish streams and extensive bottomlands that are often flooded. Stands of cottonwood, ash, willow, and alder grow to large size here; many areas are quite boggy and can correctly be called swampy. Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Song Sparrow, Yellow Warbler, Bewick’s Wren, Black capped Chickadee, and Downy Woodpecker are some of the expected species.

· Wetlands.
Many of the numerous ponds, lakes, reservoirs, and streambeds in the Willamette Valley Region are edged with cattails and other marsh plants. Marshlands are valued; the most extensive are on state and federal refuges, carefully maintained to favor wildlife. Here can be found Virginia Rail, Sora, Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Double-crested Cormorant, waterfowl, and many other waterbird species. If left unmanaged, however, marshlands usually convert to dense, unproductive stands of invasive reed canary grass. Bogs and wet meadows in the Cascades provide nesting sites for Sandhill Cranes and Lincoln’s Sparrows.

· Mudflats.
Late summer drawdown of most lakes and reservoirs provides mudflats and shallow water for migrating shorebirds and large waders. The Columbia and lower Willamette Rivers are tidal, with large flats often exposed at low tide. Ducks, geese, Sandhill Cranes, and American Pipits take advantage of this ephemeral habitat, as do great swarms of shorebirds.

· Large Water Bodies.
Loons, diving ducks, and coots frequent deep, open waters of lakes, reservoirs, and wide rivers, along with Ospreys and Caspian Terns. Belted Kingfishers, Bald Eagles, gulls, and Great Blue Herons forage in the shallows or along shorelines. Swallows and Black Terns skim the open waters, plucking food from the surface or flying insects from the air.

· Coniferous Forests.
Some 70 percent of the Willamette Valley Region is covered by conifer forests. At low and middle elevations, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and western redcedar are the dominant species. These woods are home to Band-tailed Pigeon, a few owls, Hairy Woodpecker, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Steller’s Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush, Western Tanager, Yellow rumped Warbler, and Pine Siskin. At higher elevations, forests of silver fir, mountain hemlock, and subalpine fir host Blue Grouse, Gray Jay, Hermit Thrush, and Townsend’s Warbler.

· Subalpine Parkland and Alpine Meadows.
This high-elevation, open habitat of the Cascades consists of meadows with alpine wildflowers and scattered stands of trees, up to the edge of mountain snowfields. Look here for Mountain Bluebird, American Pipit, Mountain Chickadee, Gray Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Townsend’s Solitaire, and Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch.

· Cities and Suburbs.
Residential neighborhoods and city parks provide habitat for numerous species well-known to city dwellers. Rufous and Anna’s Hummingbirds, House Finch, Pine Siskin, goldfinches, woodpeckers, chickadees, Red breasted Nuthatch, and grosbeaks often come to backyard feeders. Rock Pigeon, American Crow, American Robin, European Starling, and House Sparrow are more at home in cities and suburbs than elsewhere. During the winter months Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks and Merlins patrol the streets and bird feeders. Several pairs of Peregrine Falcons call mid-town Portland home.

To learn more about Willamette Valley habitats, order the book,
Birds of the Willamette Valley Region.