Birds in Idaho

Birds in Idaho

Mountains, rivers, lakes and sagebrush all come together to allure of Idaho, a state that can boast of comprising natural areas that are still unspoiled to date, an impressive feat in the country.

What Is The State Bird Of Idaho?

Sharing a state bird with Nevada, Idaho’s official mascot is none other than the Mountain Bluebird, officially recognized in 1931. As the name would suggest, the species has a completely blue plumage with a black bill and legs and a clear preference for the open mountain area. It certainly feels more at ease in the colder season in the mountains.

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What Are the Top Bird Watching Spots In Idaho?

Camas National Wildlife Refuge is in the south-east of Idaho. The 10,500-acre land has raptors and waterfowl as its highlights but nesting birds and sagebrush birds do play a part in the attraction. Breeding birds here are the Greater Sage-Grouse, Yellow-headed Blackbird and Franklin’s Gull.

The Wyoming and Montana state lines are both at less than 20 mile distance from Harriman State Park. This 16000 acre land has been classified under Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In winter, bird watchers flock to see the Trumpeter Swan though the species tends to be in the area all year at times. Waterbirds such as Caspian Tern and Double-crested Cormorant and Red-necked Grebe nest in the area.

How Many Birds Can You See in Idaho?

Idaho has the courtesy of seeing at least 434 different bird species fly over the state. Ada can proudly display the 339 species found in the county in its guidebook. Jefferson, Blaine, Canyon and Fermont also have a good count with 326, 303, 302 and 294 species seen in these counties.

Camas NWR is a place you have to visit if you want to get the full birding experiences of the state. Birds in Idaho amount to 285 species here. Market Lake WMA and Blacks Creek Bird Reserve are the next natural options, having some rare species to offer of their own. The count for those two is also quite high, with 234 and 2323 to boast of.

Top Birds To See In Idaho

Can you talk about Idaho and not mention American Yellow Warbler? Why would you even want to do that? As you can tell, these are warblers, an extremely yellow one. They are small and adorable and a delight to see.

People of Idaho don’t see American Golden Plover often but as a bird watcher with certain locations in mind, you might have luck. It would be a shame to visit Idaho and not try to see the species at least once.

Common Birds To See In Idaho

Mourning Doves are all over Boise. You simply can’t afford to ignore their call when you are in the city.

Meridian is more used to Northern Flicker and juncos. Harris’ sparrow is also surprisingly a common bird in these cities.

Final Thoughts

Idaho’s birding trail covers 175 sites and spans a total of 2000 miles. It’s simply unadvisable to miss out on the birds in Idaho.

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