BirdAnalyst
BBS Route · New Mexico · BCR 18

Caprock Bird Survey Route

A standard 50-stop Breeding Bird Survey route. 49 species recorded across 43 survey years, still active.

49Species RecordedSpecies recordedDistinct species detected on standard-protocol BBS runs here across all years on record — a measure of survey breadth, not a complete checklist.Full methodology →
43Years SurveyedYears surveyedNumber of years with at least one standard-protocol run in this geography. A longer record makes the trend more reliable.Full methodology →
1977–2025Span
4Observers

Bird Species Found on New Mexico Caprock

Top 40 of 49 species by most recent count. Each links to its species trend.

Species recorded on the Caprock route.
Recent countThe raw number of individuals recorded on this route in its most recent survey year. A single-route tally, not a trend.Full methodology →TrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →Baseline yearThe first year of the smoothed window the trend is measured from. An earlier baseline means a longer record stands behind the number.Full methodology →History
Western KingbirdTyrannidae282025+56%1980
Great-tailed GrackleIcteridae172025+106%2000
Swainson's HawkAccipitridae162025+246%1980
Chihuahuan RavenCorvidae152025-73%1980
Mourning DoveColumbidae122025+46%1980
Cassin's SparrowPasserellidae122025-89%1980
Western MeadowlarkIcteridae72025-73%1980
Lark SparrowPasserellidae72025+38%1980
Horned LarkAlaudidae62025-96%1980
Chihuahuan MeadowlarkIcteridae52025-89%1980
American AvocetRecurvirostridae52025+250%1997
Scaled QuailOdontophoridae42025-73%1980
Ash-throated FlycatcherTyrannidae42025+100%1980
Loggerhead ShrikeLaniidae42024-67%1980
KilldeerCharadriidae32024+36%1980
Burrowing OwlStrigidae32025-38%1980
Northern MockingbirdMimidae32025-76%1980
Grasshopper SparrowPasserellidae32010-82%1992
Lesser Prairie-ChickenPhasianidae31990-57%1988
Northern BobwhiteOdontophoridae22019-42%1988
Common NighthawkCaprimulgidae22025+92%1980
Say's PhoebeTyrannidae22023+20%1990
House SparrowPasseridae22024-29%1981
Brown-headed CowbirdIcteridae22019-43%1988
Rufous-crowned SparrowPasserellidae21980n/an/a
European StarlingSturnidae22004-33%1987
MallardAnatidae22021-46%2000
House FinchFringillidae22022+17%2006
Lark BuntingPasserellidae21997n/an/a
Eurasian Collared-DoveColumbidae22025-20%2009
Red-winged BlackbirdIcteridae12025-82%1992
Barn SwallowHirundinidae12025-43%1980
Cactus WrenTroglodytidae12009+100%1999
Turkey VultureCathartidae12023-25%1991
Red-tailed HawkAccipitridae12019-25%2003
Greater RoadrunnerCuculidae12019-25%1997
Ferruginous HawkAccipitridae11988n/an/a
Bullock's OrioleIcteridae12025-38%1991
Lesser GoldfinchFringillidae11993-50%1990
Blue GrosbeakCardinalidae12023+0%1994

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-08-14. A route is a sample, not a census.