Open Coniferous Forest: Birds

Mammals

Amphibians/Reptiles

Arthropods

Plants

Bryophytes/Lichens

Common Poorwill

The intricate brown, black and gray colouring of the Common Poorwill helps it blend in with its surroundings on the ground. A nocturnal goatsucker, the "poor-will" sound is more likely to be heard than seen. It has a huge gaping mouth that it uses to catch insects on the wing, and to scoop water to drink. The nest is no more than a small hollow on the ground and may be returned to year after year.

Lewis’s Woodpecker

The greenish-black back and head with a pink face and breast and a gray collar set the Lewis’s Woodpecker apart from all other local woodpeckers. It feeds mostly on insects that it catches on the wing, but also eats fruit and sap. Unlike other woodpeckers, it is usually silent. Nest holes are often made in dead snags of otherwise live trees and up to five young are reared.  Lewis's Woodpecker is most commonly found in the South Okanagan in cottonwood and ponderosa pine forests, but it also occurs north to the Thompson Valley.

Want to find out about species at risk in open coniferous forest?
Go to Species at Risk

Here are some other representative species in open coniferous forests:

Black-capped Chickadee
Calliope Hummingbird
Chipping Sparrow
Hairy Woodpecker
Mountain Bluebird
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Northern Saw-Whet Owl
Pileated Woodpecker
Pygmy Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Townsend's Solitaire
Western Wood Peewee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blue:
Flammulated Owl
Gray Flycatcher
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Red:
White-headed Woodpecker

Photos:
Jared Hobbs (Common poorwill, Lewis' Woodpecker)

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