Summer 2006

Table of Contents

Dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) - Kelly McAllister photo

Juncos are number one

The dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) was the most numerous bird species documented at winter feeding stations across the state during the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) 1992 – 2002 Winter Backyard Wildlife Surveys.

That’s from the gross analysis of data that WDFW wildlife biologist Patricia Thompson is finalizing for the survey report due out this fall.

Here’s the rest of the Most Numerous Species List, in average rank over the ten years of the surveys when volunteers counted birds by species at their backyard feeding stations from November through March:

2. House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
3. Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus)
4. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
5. Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
6. European Starling (Sturnis vulgaris)
7. American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
8. American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
9. Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)
10. Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculates)
11. Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri)
12. California Quail (Callipepla californica)
13. Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus)
14. American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)

Eastern Washington species may be under-represented because of disproportional data biased towards the west side of the state, Thompson said, but in the final analysis, regions will be separated.

The dark-eyed junco was consistently the most numerous species. It was #1 from 1996 through 2000, #2 in 1994 and 1995, and #3 only in 1993. The house finch rank on the did not fluctuate greatly, always being #2 or #3. The pine siskin, highly variable in abundance, was on the list every year, most numerous in 1995, with a count three times higher than other years. The house sparrow fluctuated from most numerous in 1993 to #6 in 1999. The black-capped chickadee remained consistently in the middle, ranking #5 from 1997 to 2000. The European starling was most numerous only once in 1994.

The American robin ranked low, even dropping from the list in 1998. However, this migratory species is always seen throughout the winter in western Washington and sometimes in large concentrations. 1997 was the first year the chestnut-backed chickadee appeared as a most numerous bird, remaining on the list to the year 2000. The spotted towhee skips on and off the list, hovering around the bottom each year and not making the 1997, 1999 and 2000 lists. The Steller’s jay visited in numbers great enough to make the list in 1996, 97, 98 and 2000.

The California quail appeared on the most numerous list for the first time in 1999 (#7) and 2000 (#10). Data were examined to see if there was an increase in quail numbers over the years, but none was found. In fact, 2000-2001 was one of the lowest average counts for California quail in the surveys. In addition, there was no apparent increase in the percent of yards visited by quail. There may have been an increase in yards with favorable quail habitat, such those as east of the Cascades and a factor not yet examined.

The final report will also look at the Most Widespread Species, or those documented at the highest percentage of yards. There are several ways a species can be represented.

A species can be very widespread in large numbers (dark-eyed junco), very widespread but not as numerous (American robin), or very numerous but not as widespread (house sparrow). For example, in 1993 the most numerous species was the house sparrow, yet it visited only 46 percent of the yards. According to a summary of the 1994-1995 data, house sparrows inhabited mostly built-up suburban and urban environs.

Many species on the Most Numerous list are always on the Most Widespread list. However, some species, such as the northern flicker (Colaptes auratus), rank high on the Most Widespread list but never appear on the Most Numerous list. In other words, almost all survey participants saw northern flickers, but not many of them.

Dark-eyed junco and black-capped chickadee were consistently the number one and number two most widespread species, respectively, from 1993 through 2000. The dark-eyed junco was seen in almost every yard every year, ranging from 89 percent in 1994 to 98 percent in both 1998 and 1999. Black-capped chickadees were recorded in 79 percent of the yards in 1994 to 89 percent in 1996. Other widespread species, visiting many different yards, were the American robin, house finch and spotted towhee.

Downy woodpeckers (Picoides pubescens) visited over half the yards reporting in 1997 and 1998, but they are not one of the most numerous. The red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta Canadensis) appeared in over 50 percent of the yards from 1994 through 2000. In 1995 there was a pine siskin irruption everywhere that showed up throughout the data and was reflected in the Most Widespread list, ranking #5 instead of the usual #9 or #10.

The house sparrow was at the bottom of the Most Widespread list, and absent from the list in 1993.