Importance
By occupying various levels in the food web, birds play an important role in the flow of energy through ecosystems. They consume insects as nestlings, rely on insects and plants for food as adults, and also serve as food resources for higher-trophic bird and mammal species. Because they can be sensitive to habitat change, birds are good indicators of ecosystem integrity. They also have strong public appeal; unlike many other animal taxa in the xeric Colorado Plateau, birds are diurnal and, thus, more visible to park visitors. Data from the relatively natural habitats of NCPN parks will provide status and trend information useful in comparisons with more impacted areas.

Long-term Monitoring
The Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN) is partnering with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) to assess breeding-bird species trends in three different habitats: riparian, pinyon-juniper, and sage-shrubland. During a five-minute count on park transects, a field crew records (1) the distance to the bird, (2) how the bird was detected (visually, aurally), (3) the sex of the bird, (4) the bearing of the bird from the recorder, and (5) habitat information. Ecologists then examine population trends relative to habitat, density, and diversity of species. NCPN survey plots will contribute to the RMBO's broader, landscape-scale breeding-bird monitoring program, which includes more than 1,000 plots in 11 states in the Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau.

For more detailed information, see the In-depth Information box below.