|
Yellow-billed Cuckoo held safely in the "bander's grip"
Project Leader, Mark Dettling, does a Yellow-billed Cuckoo survey by boat
Riparian, or streamside, habitat-- a Yellow-billed Cuckoo's preferred home
|
Status of the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
The Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo is a state endangered neotropical migrant that breeds in riparian (river side) forests. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the western population of cuckoos as a distinct population segment (dps) and as a candidate for federal listing.
Historically common in riparian areas of the Central Valley and southern California, it now breeds primarily in three locations in California:
- Sacramento Valley,
- Kern River, and
- Lower Colorado River).
Within the Central Valley, today they are only found in the Sacramento Valley. Loss of riparian habitat throughout the state has likely contributed to the decline in cuckoo population size.
How We Study Cuckoos
Yellow-billed Cuckoos are an elusive species that require special survey techniques to monitor, which include broadcasting a recording of a cuckoo call (please note that a permit and MOU with the state are required to perform playback surveys).
The Problem
In 2010 we surveyed areas adjacent to the Sacramento River from Red Bluff to Colusa (~100 river miles) in collaboration with USFWS and the California Department of Fish and Game. We detected 18 individual cuckoos of which 6 were found in restored riparian habitat.
Our data suggest that the Yellow-billed Cuckoo population has declined in the Sacramento Valley since the last survey in 2000 which is a cause for conservation concern for this important breeding area.
Part of the Solution
Restoration of riparian habitat and further monitoring and research are needed to assist the recovery of the Sacramento Valley breeding population.
|
