CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF THE LAKE ALMANOR AREA,
Plumas County, California
Helen Green, 2001 Yolo Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707
Daniel A. Airola, Jones & Stokes Associates, 2600 V. St.
Sacramento, CA 95818
July 1998
Introduction
Lake Almanor and surrounding lands in northern Plumas County support a varied mix of habitats and a tremendous abundance of bird life. A total of 231 bird species have been recorded in this area. The checklist is designed to help birders identify the species that occur in the Almanor area, and their seasonal occurrence, relative abundance, breeding, and habitats.
Uplands surrounding Lake Almanor support a diverse mosaic of forest, scrub, meadow, lake, and marsh habitats. These areas also support a diversity of native birds and other wildlife.
Checklist Area
This checklist includes Lake Almanor and surrounding lands within the northern portion of Plumas County. The north, east, and west boundaries of the checklist area are formed by the Plumas County line. The southern boundary includes the town of Canyon Dam, Butt Lake, Humbug Valley, and Humbug Summit.
Breeding Status
CO = Breeding confirmed (by observation of nests, adults carrying food to young, or recently fledged young)
PR = Probably breeds, but not confirmed (observed regularly in suitable habitat during nesting season)
PO = Possibly breeds
Abundance Codes
Abundance categories reflect each species' relative abundance and observability in occupied habitats during each season. For owls, rails, and other species difficult to detect, codes reflect likelihood of observation using specialized census techniques.
c =Common - many individuals always or usually encountered
f =Fairly Common - small numbers usually encountered; sometimes abundant
u =Uncommon - a few individuals usually observed
r =Rare - seldom observed; often highly localized or markedly seasonal
x =Extremely Rare - 5 or fewer records for the checklist area during the designated season
Seasons
Sp =Spring: March-May
Su =Summer: June-August
F =Fall: September-November
W = Winter: December-February
Habitats
Habitats are listed for each species in order of general preference in the following categories:
A =Aerial: most often seen in flight
O =Open water of lakes, rivers, ponds
M =Marsh
S = Shoreline, mudflats, and adjacent shallow water areas
G = Grasslands, meadows
R = Riparian woodland and scrub
F = Conifer forest
C = Chaparral and other upland shrub habitats, and recently logged or burned forest
B = Bluffs, cliffs, other rocky areas, and earthen banks
D = Developed human habitats
| Species | Breeding Status | Sp | Su | F | W | Habitat |
| Red-throated Loon | x | O | ||||
| Pacific Loon | r | O | ||||
| Common Loon | c | r | c | f | O | |
| Pied-billed Grebe | PR | f | f | f | c | O |
| Horned Grebe | f | f | f | O | ||
| Red-necked Grebe | x | x | O | |||
| Eared Grebe | PO | f | f | f | c | O,M |
| Western Grebe | CO | c | c | c | c | O |
| Clark's Grebe | CO | u | f | f | r | O |
| American White Pelican | u | c | f | O | ||
| Double-crested Cormorant | CO | u | f | u | r | O |
| Great Blue Heron | CO | c | c | c | c | S,M,G |
| Great Egret | r | r | f | r | S,M | |
| Snowy Egret | r | r | S | |||
| Cattle Egret | x | S | ||||
| Green Heron | PO | x | S | |||
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | x | S | ||||
| White-faced Ibis | x | S | ||||
| Tundra Swan | c | x | c | c | S,O,M | |
| Trumpeter Swan | x | S,O,M | ||||
| Greater White-fronted Goose | r | x | r | r | G,S,O,M | |
| Snow Goose | r | r | r | G,S,O,M | ||
| Ross' Goose | x | x | x | G,S,O,M | ||
| Canada Goose | CO | c | c | c | c | G,S,O,M |
| Wood Duck | CO | u | f | u | x | S,O |
| Green-winged Teal | PO | f | r | f | f | O,S,M |
| Mallard | CO | c | c | c | c | O,S,M |
| Northern Pintail | PO | c | f | c | f | O,S |
| Blue-Winged Teal | r | r | O,S | |||
| Cinnamon Teal | CO | f | f | f | x | O,S,M |
| Northern Shoveler | f | u | f | f | O,S | |
| Gadwall | CO | f | f | f | c | O,S,M |
| Eurasian Wigeon | r | x | O,S | |||
| American Wigeon | f | r | f | c | O,S | |
| Canvasback | f | f | f | O,S | ||
| Redhead | PO | f | r | f | c | O,S |
| Ring-necked Duck | CO | f | u | f | f | O,S,M |
| Greater Scaup | r | f | O,S | |||
| Lesser Scaup | PO | u | r | u | c | O,S,M |
| Oldsquaw | x | O | ||||
| Surf Scoter | x | x | ||||
| White-winged Scoter | x | O | ||||
| Common Goldeneye | u | u | c | O,S | ||
| Barrow's Goldeneye | r | r | O,S | |||
| Bufflehead | CO | f | u | f | c | O,M,F |
| Hooded Merganser | u | u | f | O,S | ||
| Common Merganser | CO | f | f | c | c | O,F |
| Red-breasted Merganser | x | r | O | |||
| Ruddy Duck | PO | u | u | f | c | O,M |
| Turkey Vulture | PR | u | f | f | A,B | |
| Osprey | CO | u | c | u | x | O,F |
| Bald Eagle | CO | u | u | f | f | O,F |
| Northern Harrier | r | r | r | u | G,M | |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | r | r | u | F,R | ||
| Cooper's Hawk | PR | u | r | u | u | R,F |
| Northern Goshawk | CO | r | r | r | r | F |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | x | x | r | r | R | |
| Red-tailed Hawk | CO | f | f | f | f | F,R,G |
| Rough-legged Hawk | u | G,R | ||||
| Golden Eagle | PO | r | r | r | x | F,G |
| American Kestrel | PR | r | r | r | G,R,F,C | |
| Merlin | r | x | r | x | F,G,S | |
| Peregrine Falcon | x | x | S,G | |||
| Prairie Falcon | r | r | r | G,S | ||
| Ring-necked Pheasant | x | G | ||||
| Blue Grouse | PR | u | u | u | r | F,G,C |
| California Quail | CO | u | u | u | u | C,R,F |
| Mountain Quail | CO | u | u | u | u | F,C,R |
| Virginia Rail | r | x | M | |||
| Sora | PO | r | M | |||
| American Coot | CO | c | c | c | c | O,M |
| Sandhill Crane | CO | u | u | u | G,M | |
| Black-bellied Plover | x | x | S | |||
| Snowy Plover | x | x | S | |||
| Semipalmated Plover | r | r | S | |||
| Killdeer | CO | c | c | c | c | S,G,M,D |
| Black-necked Stilt | r | u | r | S | ||
| American Avocet | u | u | S | |||
| Greater Yellowlegs | u | u | f | x | S | |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | x | S | ||||
| Willet | u | u | u | S,M | ||
| Spotted Sandpiper | CO | f | f | f | x | S |
| Long-billed Curlew | r | S,G | ||||
| Marbled Godwit | r | r | S,G | |||
| Western Sandpiper | r | r | u | x | S | |
| Least Sandpiper | u | u | r | S | ||
| Baird's Sandpiper | u | S | ||||
| Pectoral Sandpiper | r | S | ||||
| Dunlin | x | x | S | |||
| Long-billed Dowitcher | u | u | x | S | ||
| Common Snipe | PR | u | f | f | f | G,M |
| Wilson's Phalarope | PR | f | f | f | M,O,S | |
| Red-necked Phalarope | x | x | O,M | |||
| Franklin's Gull | x | O | ||||
| Bonaparte's Gull | u | r | f | f | O | |
| Mew Gull | x | O,S | ||||
| Ring-billed Gull | f | f | c | c | O,S | |
| California Gull | CO | r | f | c | c | O,S |
| Herring Gull | u | f | O,S | |||
| Thayer's Gull | x | O,S | ||||
| Glaucous-winged Gull | x | O,S | ||||
| Caspian Tern | r | r | O,A,S | |||
| Forster's Tern | CO | u | f | u | x | O,A,M,S |
| Black Tern | PR | r | r | A,M,S,O | ||
| Rock Dove | PO | f | f | f | f | D |
| Band-tailed Pigeon | CO | u | u | u | x | F,R |
| Mourning Dove | CO | u | f | u | r | C |
| Great Horned Owl | PR | f | f | f | f | All |
| Northern Pygmy-Owl | PR | f | f | f | f | F,R |
| Spotted Owl | CO | r | r | r | r | F |
| Long-eared Owl | x | R | ||||
| Short-eared Owl | x | G | ||||
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | PR | r | r | r | r | F |
| Common Nighthawk | CO | u | c | u | A,F | |
| Common Poorwill | PR | r | r | r | C,A,F | |
| Vaux's Swift | PR | r | u | r | F | |
| Anna's Hummingbird | PR | f | f | f | C,D,F | |
| Calliope Hummingbird | CO | f | f | C,R,D | ||
| Rufous Hummingbird | u | f | x | C,D | ||
| Belted Kingfisher | PR | f | f | f | f | O,A,B |
| Lewis' Woodpecker | x | C,R,F,G | ||||
| Red-breasted Sapsucker | CO | u | f | u | u | F,R |
| Williamson's Sapsucker | CO | u | u | u | f | F |
| Nuttall's Woodpecker | x | R | ||||
| Downy Woodpecker | CO | u | u | f | f | R,F |
| Hairy Woodpecker | CO | c | c | c | c | F,R |
| White-headed Woodpecker | CO | c | c | c | c | F,R |
| Black-backed Woodpecker | CO | r | r | r | r | F |
| Northern Flicker | CO | c | c | c | c | C,F,R,G |
| Pileated Woodpecker | CO | u | u | u | u | F,R |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | CO | f | f | F,R | ||
| Western Wood-Pewee | CO | c | c | F,R | ||
| Willow Flycatcher | CO | f | f | R | ||
| Hammond's Flycatcher | CO | f | f | F | ||
| Dusky Flycatcher | CO | c | c | C,F | ||
| Gray Flycatcher | x | x | C | |||
| Black Phoebe | x | x | G,D | |||
| Say's Phoebe | x | x | G | |||
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | x | G | ||||
| Western Kingbird | r | r | G | |||
| Horned Lark | CO | f | f | f | u | G,S |
| Tree Swallow | CO | c | c | f | A,F,R | |
| Violet-green Swallow | f | f | AF,R,B | |||
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | CO | u | u | R,G,D | ||
| Cliff Swallow | CO | c | c | D,R,A,B | ||
| Barn Swallow | CO | f | f | f | D,R,A,B | |
| Gray Jay | CO | u | u | u | u | F |
| Steller's Jay | CO | c | c | c | c | F |
| Western Scrub-Jay | r | r | x | C,F | ||
| Pinyon Jay | x | x | F | |||
| Clark's Nutcracker | PR | u | u | u | f | F |
| Black-billed Magpie | r | r | G,R,D | |||
| American Crow | x | G | ||||
| Common Raven | PR | f | f | f | c | S,G,D |
| Mountain Chickadee | CO | c | c | c | c | F,R,C |
| Bushtit | CO | u | u | u | u | C |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | CO | c | c | c | c | F,R |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | CO | f | f | f | f | F,R |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | CO | f | u | f | f | F,R |
| Brown Creeper | CO | f | f | f | f | F,R |
| Rock Wren | PR | r | r | r | r | B |
| Bewick's Wren | CO | u | u | u | u | C,R |
| House Wren | CO | f | c | f | C,R,D | |
| Winter Wren | CO | f | r | f | u | F,R,C |
| Marsh Wren | PO | r | c | r | x | M |
| American Dipper | CO | f | f | f | f | S,B |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | CO | c | c | c | c | F,R |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | PR | u | u | f | f | R,F,C |
| Western Bluebird | PO | f | u | f | r | G,R,F,C |
| Mountain Bluebird | CO | f | f | f | x | G,C,S |
| Townsend's Solitaire | CO | f | f | f | u | F,B,D |
| Swainson’s Thrush | x | R | ||||
| Hermit Thrush | CO | f | f | f | x | F,R |
| American Robin | CO | c | c | c | f | F,R,G |
| Varied Thrush | r | r | r | F,R | ||
| Wrentit | x | C,R | ||||
| American Pipit | r | r | f | G,S | ||
| Bohemian Waxwing | x | C,R | ||||
| Cedar Waxwing | x | x | C,R,F,D | |||
| Northern Shrike | r | G,R | ||||
| Loggerhead Shrike | x | G,R | ||||
| European Starling | CO | f | f | f | f | D,G,S |
| Solitary Vireo | CO | f | f | r | F,R | |
| Hutton's Vireo | x | R | ||||
| Warbling Vireo | CO | c | c | r | R,F | |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | PO | f | f | c | x | R,C,F |
| Nashville Warbler | CO | u | u | u | F,R,C | |
| Yellow Warbler | CO | c | c | f | C,R | |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | CO | c | c | c | r | F,R,C |
| Black-throated Gray Warbler | u | r | u | C,R,F | ||
| Townsend's Warbler | r | r | F | |||
| Hermit Warbler | CO | f | c | u | F | |
| MacGillivray's Warbler | CO | f | c | u | R,C | |
| Common Yellowthroat | x | M,S | ||||
| Wilson's Warbler | CO | f | c | u | R,C | |
| Western Tanager | CO | f | c | u | F,R | |
| Rose-breasted Grosbeak | x | x | D,R | |||
| Black-headed Grosbeak | CO | f | f | u | F,R,C | |
| Blue Grosbeak | x | R,G | ||||
| Lazuli Bunting | PR | u | u | C,R | ||
| Indigo Bunting | x | D | ||||
| Green-tailed Towhee | PR | f | f | f | r | C |
| Spotted Towhee | CO | f | f | f | u | R,C |
| American Tree Sparrow | x | R,G | ||||
| Chipping Sparrow | CO | u | c | u | F | |
| Sage Sparrow | x | C | ||||
| Savannah Sparrow | PR | f | f | f | G,M | |
| Fox Sparrow | CO | f | c | r | r | C,R,F |
| Song Sparrow | CO | f | f | f | f | R |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | CO | r | r | r | G,F | |
| White-throated Sparrow | x | |||||
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | f | r | R,C,D | |||
| White-crowned Sparrow | PR | f | u | f | r | R,C,D |
| Dark-eyed Junco | CO | c | c | c | c | F,R,G,C,D |
| Lapland Longspur | x | G,S | ||||
| Red-winged Blackbird | CO | u | c | u | x | M,G,S |
| Western Meadowlark | PR | u | u | u | r | G |
| Yellow-headed Blackbird | PO | u | u | M,G,S | ||
| Brewer's Blackbird | CO | f | c | c | f | G,S,R,D,C |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | CO | c | c | u | x | R,C,F,D,G |
| Bullock's Oriole | x | R | ||||
| Pine Grosbeak | x | |||||
| Purple Finch | PR | u | f | u | u | F,R |
| Cassin's Finch | CO | c | c | c | c | F,R |
| House Finch | r | D,R | ||||
| Red Crossbill | CO | f | f | f | f | F |
| Pine Siskin | CO | f | f | f | f | F,R |
| Lesser Goldfinch | r | f | r | x | R,G | |
| American Goldfinch | x | x | x | G,R | ||
| Evening Grosbeak | CO | f | f | f | f | F,R |
| House Sparrow | CO | f | f | f | f | D |
Reporting of Rare Species
Please report sightings from the checklist area of species not included on the checklist or those with abundance code X to one of the authors (see addresses above, and email: hgreenbird@aol.com) or to the Almanor Ranger District wildlife biologist (916/258-2141).