Important Bird Areas: Sonoran & Mojave Deserts and Sierra Madre Occidental

The sites listed here come from The American Bird Conservancy Guide to the 500 Most Important Bird Areas in the United States (2003). The Mojave Desert of southeastern California and southern Nevada grades into the Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona and northwestern Mexico. Characteristic birds of this arid region include Le Conte's and Bendire's Thrashers, Lucy's Warbler, Abert's Towhee and Rufous-winged Sparrow, while Ridgway's (formerly Clapper) Rail and Willow Flycatcher inhabit riparian wetlands. The Salton Sea and Colorado River host large numbers of waterbirds throughout the year, particularly in migration and winter. The Sierra Madre Occidental (sites #12-17) of southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico, north to the Mongollon Rim, are home to many birds more typical of Mexico, the highest-priority of which are Montezuma Quail, Arizona Woodpecker and Red-faced Warbler. Lowland riparian areas have Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Willow Flycatchers and Thick-billed Kingbirds.

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