BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 9

Great Basin

An ecological region spanning California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, with 268 survey routes. BCRs are the natural unit for bird trends.

What Is Moving Here

long arc declinecomputed index

Black Swift has collapsed in Great Basin: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed index

White-faced Ibis has surged in Great Basin: up 77× on the route-weighted index since 1973.

long arc declinecomputed index

Western Grebe has collapsed in Great Basin: down 92% on the route-weighted index since 1988.

long arc increasecomputed index

Canada Goose has surged in Great Basin: up 20× on the route-weighted index since 1971.

long arc declinecomputed index

Black Tern has collapsed in Great Basin: down 92% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed index

Common Yellowthroat has surged in Great Basin: up 17× on the route-weighted index since 1970.

How Guilds Are Faring

-55%

Arid-land birds

12 species
-27%

Game birds

12 species
-21%

Shorebirds

9 species
-15%

Grassland birds

9 species
-12%

Generalists

13 species
+7%

Forest birds

93 species
+13%

Aerial insectivores

25 species
+15%

Wetland birds

31 species
+37%

Birds of prey

23 species
+221%

Waterfowl

21 species

Survey Routes

Species By Family

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk -65%Bald Eagle +458%Cooper's Hawk -28%Ferruginous Hawk +315%Golden Eagle -14%Northern Harrier +10%Red-tailed Hawk +204%Sharp-shinned Hawk -78%Swainson's Hawk +369%

Bushtits Aegithalidae

Bushtit -32%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -6%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -24%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Wigeon +88%Barrow's Goldeneye +53%Blue-winged Teal -59%Bufflehead -77%Canada Goose 20×Canvasback +205%Cinnamon Teal +58%Common Goldeneye -81%Common Merganser +42%Gadwall +958%Green-winged Teal +69%Hooded Merganser -48%Lesser Scaup +183%Mallard +109%Northern Pintail -77%Northern Shoveler +88%Redhead +64%Ring-necked Duck -21%Ruddy Duck +134%Trumpeter Swan -84%Wood Duck +70%

Swifts Apodidae

Black Swift -94%Vaux's Swift +223%White-throated Swift +264%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -23%Black-crowned Night Heron +80%Great Blue Heron +9%Great Egret -59%Green Heron +87%Snowy Egret +59%Western Cattle-Egret -57%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +0%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk +14%Common Poorwill -3%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak +358%Blue Grosbeak -43%Lazuli Bunting +241%Summer Tanager +24%Western Tanager +134%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture +296%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +16%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer -46%Snowy Plover +355%

Dippers Cinclidae

American Dipper -30%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Band-tailed Pigeon -62%Eurasian Collared-Dove 134×Mourning Dove -46%Rock Pigeon +195%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +39%Black-billed Magpie -44%California Scrub-Jay +38%Canada Jay +26%Clark's Nutcracker -33%Common Raven +251%Pinyon Jay -72%Steller's Jay +63%Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay -31%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner -9%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel +1%Merlin -39%Peregrine Falcon +501%Prairie Falcon +103%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +39%Cassin's Finch +3%Evening Grosbeak -79%House Finch +2%Lesser Goldfinch +479%Pine Siskin -25%Purple Finch +41%Red Crossbill -25%

Loons Gaviidae

Common Loon -78%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane +133%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -42%Barn Swallow +13%Cliff Swallow +70%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +1%Purple Martin -45%Tree Swallow +45%Violet-green Swallow -14%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Bobolink +54%Brewer's Blackbird -28%Brown-headed Cowbird +19%Bullock's Oriole +16%Common Grackle -19%Great-tailed Grackle +217%Red-winged Blackbird +47%Scott's Oriole -73%Tricolored Blackbird -86%Western Meadowlark -7%Yellow-headed Blackbird -20%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +186%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -35%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Tern -92%California Gull +7%Caspian Tern -67%Forster's Tern +31%Franklin's Gull +153%Ring-billed Gull -11%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Bendire's Thrasher -85%California Thrasher -4%Gray Catbird +3%Northern Mockingbird +1%Sage Thrasher -29%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

California Quail +134%Gambel's Quail +46%Mountain Quail -72%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +789%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +22%Chestnut-backed Chickadee +450%Juniper Titmouse +47%Mountain Chickadee -17%Oak Titmouse +356%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart -28%Black-throated Gray Warbler -7%Common Yellowthroat 17×Hermit Warbler +14%Lucy's Warbler +500%MacGillivray's Warbler +33%Nashville Warbler +575%Orange-crowned Warbler -21%Townsend's Warbler +27%Virginia's Warbler +33%Wilson's Warbler +9%Yellow Warbler +17%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Black-chinned Sparrow -4%Black-throated Sparrow -65%Brewer's Sparrow +50%California Towhee +539%Chipping Sparrow +35%Fox Sparrow +9%Grasshopper Sparrow +12%Green-tailed Towhee +186%Lark Bunting -64%Lark Sparrow +163%Lincoln's Sparrow -90%Sagebrush Sparrow -68%Savannah Sparrow +92%Song Sparrow +34%Spotted Towhee +308%Vesper Sparrow +172%White-crowned Sparrow +105%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -13%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican +66%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +7%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Chukar -8%Dusky Grouse -67%Gray Partridge -58%Greater Sage-Grouse -53%Ring-necked Pheasant -43%Ruffed Grouse -42%Sharp-tailed Grouse -83%Sooty Grouse -49%Wild Turkey 18×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Acorn Woodpecker +566%American Three-toed Woodpecker -56%Black-backed Woodpecker +257%Downy Woodpecker -27%Hairy Woodpecker +18%Ladder-backed Woodpecker +9%Lewis's Woodpecker -72%Pileated Woodpecker +30%Red-breasted Sapsucker +442%Red-naped Sapsucker +44%White-headed Woodpecker -2%Williamson's Sapsucker +201%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Clark's Grebe -4%Eared Grebe +519%Pied-billed Grebe -5%Western Grebe -92%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +321%

Silky-flycatchers Ptiliogonatidae

Phainopepla -56%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot +55%Sora +122%Virginia Rail +31%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet +169%Black-necked Stilt +36%

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet +32%Ruby-crowned Kinglet +43%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Long-billed Curlew +92%Spotted Sandpiper -23%Willet -16%Wilson's Phalarope -55%Wilson's Snipe +39%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Pygmy Nuthatch +137%Red-breasted Nuthatch +22%White-breasted Nuthatch +20%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl -40%Burrowing Owl -66%Great Horned Owl +34%Long-eared Owl -84%Northern Pygmy-Owl -62%Short-eared Owl -8%Western Screech-Owl -48%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +30%

Sylviid Warblers Sylviidae

Wrentit -49%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

White-faced Ibis 77×

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Anna's Hummingbird +34%Black-chinned Hummingbird +202%Broad-tailed Hummingbird +666%Calliope Hummingbird -66%Rufous Hummingbird -12%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren +340%Cactus Wren -63%Canyon Wren +207%Marsh Wren +646%Northern House Wren +390%Pacific Wren +129%Rock Wren +236%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +37%Hermit Thrush -11%Mountain Bluebird -11%Swainson's Thrush -30%Townsend's Solitaire -10%Varied Thrush -47%Veery -62%Western Bluebird 11×

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Ash-throated Flycatcher +70%Black Phoebe -11%Cassin's Kingbird -21%Dusky Flycatcher +102%Eastern Kingbird -19%Gray Flycatcher +614%Hammond's Flycatcher +149%Least Flycatcher -55%Olive-sided Flycatcher -36%Say's Phoebe +30%Western Kingbird +30%Western Wood-Pewee +32%Willow Flycatcher -61%

Barn-Owls Tytonidae

American Barn Owl -31%

Vireos Vireonidae

Cassin's Vireo +100%Gray Vireo +192%Hutton's Vireo -24%Plumbeous Vireo -52%Red-eyed Vireo -91%Warbling Vireo +221%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.