|
|
Rocky Mountain Forest
© 2002 Maurice J. Kaufmann
Along the great curve of the Rockies, several types of forests cover the rugged terrain. On the lower slopes of the central and southern Rockies, and the surrounding plateau, pines are the dominant trees. They grow tall on open stands, interrupted here and there by grassy meadowlands grazed by herds of deer—and in Yellowstone, by Bison as well.
Slopes higher up or farther to the north are cloaked with spruces and firs. But this subalpine forest is not exclusively evergreen Where moisture seeps through or where fire has opened clearings, the wide, somber sweep of conifers is broken by airier patches of aspen, also found lower on the mountains. At the tree line, twisted pines cling to life with tenacious roots. Precipitous crags may tower above, home to soaring eagles and surefooted wild sheep and goats.
Places to see this habitat includes:
Alberta: Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Lakes national parks; Kananaskis Provincial Park
Colorado: Rocky Mountain National Park; white River National Forest
Idaho: Boise, Challis, Payette, and Sawtooth national forests
Montana: Glacier National Park; Flathead and Lewis and Clark national forests
Wyoming: Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks; Shoshone National Forest
Animal life includes: Porcupine, Red Squirrel, Snowshoe Hare, Black Bear, Mountain Sheep, Mule Deer, Wapiti (Elk), Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Blue Grouse, Pygmy Owl, Gray Jay, Clark's Nutcracker, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Varied Thrush, Mountain Bluebird, Western Tanager, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, White-crowned Sparrow, Fox Sparrow
Plant life includes: Loddgepole Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Engelmann Spruce, Subalpine Fir, Douglas Fir, Quaking Aspen, Blue Columbine, Larkspurs, Pipsissewa, Bunchberry, Explorer's Gentian, Glacier Lily.
Animal Species That Can be Seen in Rocky Mountain Forest
| Common Name | Scientific Name | IUCN Red List Status * |
| Abert's Squirrel | Sciurus aberti | LR/lc |
| Acorn Woodpecker | Melanerpes formicivorus | LC |
| American Avocet | Recurvirostra americana | LC |
| American Badger | Taxidea taxus | LR/lc |
| American Beaver | Castor canadensis | LR/lc |
| American Bittern | Botaurus lentiginosus | LC |
| American Black Bear | Ursus americanus | LR/lc |
| American Coot | Fulica americana | LC |
| American Crow | Corvus brachyrhynchos | LC |
| American Dipper | Cinclus mexicanus | LC |
| American Goldfinch | Carduelis tristis | LC |
| American Kestrel | Falco sparverius | LC |
| American Marten | Martes americana | LR/lc |
| American Mink | Mustela vison | NA |
| American Pika | Ochotona princeps | LR/lc |
| American Pipit | Anthus rubescens | LC |
| American Robin | Turdus migratorius | LC |
| American Tree Sparrow | Spizella arborea | LC |
| American White Pelican | Pelecanus erythrorhynchos | LC |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher | Myiarchus cinerascens | LC |
| Asian Rosy-Finch | Leucosticte arctoa | LC |
| Baird's Spotted Toad | Bufo punctatus | LC |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | LC |
| Baltimore Oriole | Icterus galbula | LC |
| Band-tailed Pigeon | Columba fasciata | LC |
| Bank Swallow | Riparia riparia | LC |
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba | LC |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | LC |
| Belted Kingfisher | Ceryle alcyon | LC |
| Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | LC |
| Big Brown Bat | Eptesicus fuscus | LR/lc |
| Big Free-tailed Bat | Nyctinomops macrotis | LR/lc |
| Bighorn Sheep | Ovis canadensis | LR/cd |
| Black Swift | Cypseloides niger | LC |
| Black Tern | Chlidonias niger | LC |
| Black-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus erythropthalmus | LC |
| Black-chinned Hummingbird | Archilochus alexandri | LC |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | Nycticorax nycticorax | LC |
| Black-headed Grosbeak | Pheucticus melanocephalus | LC |
| Black-tailed Jackrabbit | Lepus californicus | LR/lc |
| Black-tailed Prairie Dog | Cynomys ludovicianus | LR/nt |
| Black-throated Gray Warbler | Dendroica nigrescens | LC |
| Blue Grosbeak | Passerina caerulea | LC |
| Blue Grouse | Dendragapus obscurus | LC |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | LC |
| Blue-headed Vireo | Vireo solitarius | LC |
| Blue-winged Teal | Anas discors | LC |
| Bobcat | Lynx rufus | LC |
| Bobolink | Dolichonyx oryzivorus | LC |
| Bohemian Waxwing | Bombycilla garrulus | LC |
| Boreal Owl | Aegolius funereus | LC |
| Botta's Pocket Gopher | Thomomys bottae | LR/lc |
| Brazilian Free-tailed Bat | Tadarida brasiliensis | LR/nt |
| Brewer's Blackbird | Euphagus cyanocephalus | LC |
| Brewer's Sparrow | Spizella breweri | NT |
| Broad-tailed Hummingbird | Selasphorus platycercus | LC |
| Brown Creeper | Certhia americana | LC |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | Molothrus ater | LC |
| Brush Mouse | Peromyscus boylii | LR/lc |
| Bufflehead | Bucephala albeola | LC |
| Burrowing Owl | Athene cunicularia | LC |
| Bushtit | Psaltriparus minimus | LC |
| Bushy-tailed Woodrat | Neotoma cinerea | LR/lc |
| California Gull | Larus californicus | LC |
| California Myotis | Myotis californicus | LR/lc |
| Calliope Hummingbird | Stellula calliope | LC |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis | LC |
| Canvasback | Aythya valisineria | LC |
| Canyon Towhee | Pipilo fuscus | LC |
| Canyon Wren | Catherpes mexicanus | LC |
| Cassin's Finch | Carpodacus cassinii | NT |
| Cassin's Kingbird | Tyrannus vociferans | LC |
| Cedar Waxwing | Bombycilla cedrorum | LC |
| Chestnut-collared Longspur | Calcarius ornatus | NT |
| Chestnut-sided Warbler | Dendroica pensylvanica | LC |
| Chipping Sparrow | Spizella passerina | LC |
| Cinereus Shrew | Sorex cinereus | LR/lc |
| Cinnamon Teal | Anas cyanoptera | LC |
| Clark's Grebe | Aechmophorus clarkii | LC |
| Clark's Nutcracker | Nucifraga columbiana | LC |
| Cliff Swallow | Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | LC |
| Colorado Chipmunk | Tamias quadrivittatus | LR/lc |
| Common Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | LC |
| Common Grackle | Quiscalus quiscula | LC |
| Common Merganser | Mergus merganser | LC |
| Common Nighthawk | Chordeiles minor | LC |
| Common Poorwill | Phalaenoptilus nuttallii | LC |
| Common Raven | Corvus corax | LC |
| Common Snipe | Gallinago gallinago | LC |
| Common Yellowthroat | Geothlypis trichas | LC |
| Cooper's Hawk | Accipiter cooperii | LC |
| Coyote | Canis latrans | LC |
| Dark-eyed Junco | Junco hyemalis | LC |
| Deer Mouse | Peromyscus maniculatus | LR/lc |
| Desert Cottontail | Sylvilagus audubonii | LR/lc |
| Desert Shrew | Notiosorex crawfordi | LR/lc |
| Downy Woodpecker | Picoides pubescens | LC |
| Dusky Flycatcher | Empidonax oberholseri | LC |
| Dwarf Shrew | Sorex nanus | LR/lc |
| Eared Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis | LC |
| Eastern Cottontail | Sylvilagus floridanus | LR/lc |
| Eastern Fence Lizard | Sceloporus undulatus | NA |
| Eastern Fox Squirrel | Sciurus niger | LR/lc |
| Eastern Hog-nosed Skunk | Conepatus leuconotus | LR/lc |
| Eastern Kingbird | Tyrannus tyrannus | LC |
| Eastern Spotted Skunk | Spilogale putorius | LR/lc |
| Eastern Towhee | Pipilo erythrophthalmus | LC |
| Elk | Cervus elaphus | LR/lc |
| Ermine | Mustela erminea | LR/lc |
| Evening Grosbeak | Coccothraustes vespertinus | LC |
| Ferruginous Hawk | Buteo regalis | NT |
| Flammulated Owl | Otus flammeolus | LC |
| Fox Sparrow | Passerella iliaca | LC |
| Fringed Myotis | Myotis thysanodes | LR/lc |
| Gadwall | Anas strepera | LC |
| Gambel's Quail | Callipepla gambelii | LC |
| Golden Eagle | Aquila chrysaetos | LC |
| Golden-crowned Kinglet | Regulus satrapa | LC |
| Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel | Spermophilus lateralis | LR/lc |
| Gray Catbird | Dumetella carolinensis | LC |
| Gray Flycatcher | Empidonax wrightii | LC |
| Gray Fox | Urocyon cinereoargenteus | LC |
| Gray Jay | Perisoreus canadensis | LC |
| Gray Vireo | Vireo vicinior | LC |
| Great Blue Heron | Ardea herodias | LC |
| Great Horned Owl | Bubo virginianus | LC |
| Great-tailed Grackle | Quiscalus mexicanus | LC |
| Green-tailed Towhee | Pipilo chlorurus | LC |
| Green-winged Teal | Anas crecca | LC |
| Gunnison's Prairie Dog | Cynomys gunnisoni | LR/lc |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Picoides villosus | LC |
| Hepatic Tanager | Piranga flava | LC |
| Hermit Thrush | Catharus guttatus | LC |
| Herring Gull | Larus argentatus | LC |
| Hispid Pocket Mouse | Chaetodipus hispidus | LR/lc |
| Hoary Bat | Lasiurus cinereus | LR/lc |
| Hooded Merganser | Lophodytes cucullatus | LC |
| Hopi Chipmunk | Tamias rufus | LR/lc |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris | LC |
| House Finch | Carpodacus mexicanus | LC |
| House Wren | Troglodytes aedon | LC |
| Indigo Bunting | Passerina cyanea | LC |
| Killdeer | Charadrius vociferus | LC |
| Lapland Longspur | Calcarius lapponicus | LC |
| Lark Bunting | Calamospiza melanocorys | LC |
| Lark Sparrow | Chondestes grammacus | LC |
| Lazuli Bunting | Passerina amoena | LC |
| Least Chipmunk | Tamias minimus | LR/lc |
| Least Shrew | Cryptotis parva | LR/lc |
| Lesser Goldfinch | Carduelis psaltria | LC |
| Lesser Scaup | Aythya affinis | LC |
| Lewis's Woodpecker | Melanerpes lewis | LC |
| Lincoln's Sparrow | Melospiza lincolnii | LC |
| Little Brown Bat | Myotis lucifugus | LR/lc |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | LC |
| Long-eared Myotis | Myotis evotis | LR/lc |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus | LC |
| Long-legged Myotis | Myotis volans | LR/lc |
| Long-tailed Vole | Microtus longicaudus | LR/lc |
| Long-tailed Weasel | Mustela frenata | LR/lc |
| MacGillivray's Warbler | Oporornis tolmiei | LC |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | LC |
| Many-lined Skink | Eumeces multivirgatus | NA |
| Marsh Wren | Cistothorus palustris | LC |
| Meadow Jumping Mouse | Zapus hudsonius | LR/lc |
| Meadow Vole | Microtus pennsylvanicus | LR/lc |
| Mearns's Grasshopper Mouse | Onychomys arenicola | LR/lc |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | LC |
| Merriam's Shrew | Sorex merriami | LR/lc |
| Mexican Woodrat | Neotoma mexicana | LR/lc |
| Mississippi Kite | Ictinia mississippiensis | LC |
| Montane Shrew | Sorex monticolus | LR/lc |
| Montane Vole | Microtus montanus | LR/lc |
| Mountain Bluebird | Sialia currucoides | LC |
| Mountain Chickadee | Poecile gambeli | NA |
| Mountain Cottontail | Sylvilagus nuttallii | LR/lc |
| Mourning Dove | Zenaida macroura | LC |
| Mule Deer | Odocoileus hemionus | LR/lc |
| Muskrat | Ondatra zibethicus | LR/lc |
| Nine-banded Armadillo | Dasypus novemcinctus | LR/lc |
| North American Porcupine | Erethizon dorsatum | LR/lc |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | LC |
| Northern Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | LC |
| Northern Grasshopper Mouse | Onychomys leucogaster | LR/lc |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus | LC |
| Northern Leopard Frog | Rana pipiens | LC |
| Northern Mockingbird | Mimus polyglottos | LC |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta | LC |
| Northern Pocket Gopher | Thomomys talpoides | LR/lc |
| Northern Pygmy-Owl | Glaucidium gnoma | LC |
| Northern Raccoon | Procyon lotor | LR/lc |
| Northern Rock Mouse | Peromyscus nasutus | LR/lc |
| Northern Rough-winged Swallow | Stelgidopteryx serripennis | LC |
| Northern Saw-whet Owl | Aegolius acadicus | LC |
| Northern Shoveler | Anas clypeata | LC |
| Northern Shrike | Lanius excubitor | LC |
| Oak Titmouse | Baeolophus inornatus | LC |
| Olive-backed Pocket Mouse | Perognathus fasciatus | LR/lc |
| Olive-sided Flycatcher | Contopus cooperi | NT |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | Vermivora celata | LC |
| Orchard Oriole | Icterus spurius | LC |
| Ord's Kangaroo Rat | Dipodomys ordii | LR/lc |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | LC |
| Ovenbird | Seiurus aurocapillus | NA |
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher | Empidonax difficilis | LC |
| Pallid Bat | Antrozous pallidus | LR/lc |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | LC |
| Pine Grosbeak | Pinicola enucleator | LC |
| Pine Siskin | Carduelis pinus | LC |
| Pinyon Jay | Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus | VU |
| Pinyon Mouse | Peromyscus truei | LR/lc |
| Plains Harvest Mouse | Reithrodontomys montanus | LR/lc |
| Plains Pocket Mouse | Perognathus flavescens | LR/lc |
| Plateau Striped Whiptail | Cnemidophorus velox | NA |
| Prairie Falcon | Falco mexicanus | LC |
| Prairie Vole | Microtus ochrogaster | LR/lc |
| Pronghorn | Antilocapra americana | LR/lc |
| Puma | Puma concolor | NT |
| Pygmy Nuthatch | Sitta pygmaea | LC |
| Pygmy Shrew | Sorex hoyi | LR/lc |
| Red Crossbill | Loxia curvirostra | LC |
| Red Fox | Vulpes vulpes | LC |
| Red Squirrel | Tamiasciurus hudsonicus | LR/lc |
| Red-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta canadensis | LC |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Melanerpes erythrocephalus | NT |
| Red-naped Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus nuchalis | LC |
| Red-tailed Hawk | Buteo jamaicensis | LC |
| Red-winged Blackbird | Agelaius phoeniceus | LC |
| Redhead | Aythya americana | LC |
| Ring-necked Duck | Aythya collaris | LC |
| Ringtail | Bassariscus astutus | LR/lc |
| Rock Squirrel | Spermophilus variegatus | LR/lc |
| Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus | LC |
| Rough-legged Hawk | Buteo lagopus | LC |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | Regulus calendula | LC |
| Ruddy Duck | Oxyura jamaicensis | LC |
| Sage Grouse | Centrocercus urophasianus | NT |
| Sage Thrasher | Oreoscoptes montanus | LC |
| Sagebrush Vole | Lemmiscus curtatus | LR/lc |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis | LC |
| Scott's Oriole | Icterus parisorum | LC |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | Accipiter striatus | LC |
| Sharp-tailed Grouse | Tympanuchus phasianellus | LC |
| Short-eared Owl | Asio flammeus | LC |
| Silky Pocket Mouse | Perognathus flavus | LR/lc |
| Silver-haired Bat | Lasionycteris noctivagans | LR/lc |
| Smooth Green Snake | Opheodrys vernalis | NA |
| Smooth Softshell | Apalone mutica | NA |
| Snow Bunting | Plectrophenax nivalis | LC |
| Snowshoe Hare | Lepus americanus | LR/lc |
| Song Sparrow | Melospiza melodia | LC |
| Sora | Porzana carolina | LC |
| Southern Red-backed Vole | Clethrionomys gapperi | LR/lc |
| Spotted Bat | Euderma maculatum | LR/lc |
| Spotted Ground Squirrel | Spermophilus spilosoma | LR/lc |
| Spotted Owl | Strix occidentalis | NT |
| Spotted Sandpiper | Actitis macularia | NA |
| Steller's Jay | Cyanocitta stelleri | LC |
| Striated Heron | Butorides striatus | LC |
| Striped Skunk | Mephitis mephitis | LR/lc |
| Swainson's Hawk | Buteo swainsoni | LC |
| Swainson's Thrush | Catharus ustulatus | LC |
| Swift Fox | Vulpes velox | LC |
| Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel | Spermophilus tridecemlineatus | LR/lc |
| Three-toed Woodpecker | Picoides tridactylus | LC |
| Tiger Salamander | Ambystoma tigrinum | LC |
| Townsend's Big-eared Bat | Plecotus townsendii | VU |
| Townsend's Solitaire | Myadestes townsendi | LC |
| Tree Swallow | Tachycineta bicolor | LC |
| Turkey Vulture | Cathartes aura | LC |
| Uinta Chipmunk | Tamias umbrinus | LR/lc |
| Veery | Catharus fuscescens | LC |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | LC |
| Violet-green Swallow | Tachycineta thalassina | LC |
| Virginia Rail | Rallus limicola | LC |
| Virginia's Warbler | Vermivora virginiae | LC |
| Warbling Vireo | Vireo gilvus | LC |
| Water Shrew | Sorex palustris | LR/lc |
| Western Bluebird | Sialia mexicana | LC |
| Western Grebe | Aechmophorus occidentalis | LC |
| Western Harvest Mouse | Reithrodontomys megalotis | LR/lc |
| Western Jumping Mouse | Zapus princeps | LR/lc |
| Western Kingbird | Tyrannus verticalis | LC |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | LC |
| Western Pipistrelle | Pipistrellus hesperus | LR/lc |
| Western Rattlesnake | Crotalus viridis | NA |
| Western Screech-Owl | Otus kennicottii | LC |
| Western Scrub-Jay | Aphelocoma californica | LC |
| Western Tanager | Piranga ludoviciana | LC |
| Western Terrestrial Garter Snake | Thamnophis elegans | |
| Western Toad | Bufo boreas | NT |
| Western Wood-Pewee | Contopus sordidulus | LC |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | Sitta carolinensis | LC |
| White-crowned Sparrow | Zonotrichia leucophrys | LC |
| White-faced Ibis | Plegadis chihi | LC |
| White-footed Mouse | Peromyscus leucopus | LR/lc |
| White-tailed Antelope Squirrel | Ammospermophilus leucurus | LR/lc |
| White-tailed Deer | Odocoileus virginianus | LR/lc |
| White-tailed Jackrabbit | Lepus townsendii | LR/lc |
| White-tailed Prairie Dog | Cynomys leucurus | LR/lc |
| White-tailed Ptarmigan | Lagopus leucurus | LC |
| White-throated Sparrow | Zonotrichia albicollis | LC |
| White-throated Swift | Aeronautes saxatalis | LC |
| White-throated Woodrat | Neotoma albigula | LR/lc |
| White-winged Crossbill | Loxia leucoptera | LC |
| Wild Turkey | Meleagris gallopavo | LC |
| Williamson's Sapsucker | Sphyrapicus thyroideus | LC |
| Willow Flycatcher | Empidonax traillii | LC |
| Wilson's Phalarope | Phalaropus tricolor | NA |
| Wilson's Warbler | Wilsonia pusilla | LC |
|