Wildlife of Canyon County
The arid desert of Canyon County may look inhospitable to wildlife. In actuality the area is thriving with wildlife. The ecosystem of the region is a delicate balance which is impacted daily by natural phenomenon and human development. Keep a close look and watch for a variety of birds, mammals, and reptiles. A few that you might see are described below.
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Sage grouse |
The sage grouse is a brownish-grey ground dwelling bird. The male sage grouse has a white chest and black throat. Sage grouse live in sagebrush covered land, using the sagebrush for shelter and food. The sage grouse eats primarily stems, flowers, buds, and insects. They do not eat hard seeds. If the plant food contains enough moisture, the sage grouse does not need a separate water source. During mating season, from February to April, the male will court the female by filling the air sacks on his chest, puffing out his tail feathers, and dancing around. The females will visit the dancing grounds, known as leks, and select a mate. Nests are located on the ground covered by sagebrush. Chicks are born able to walk. The hen will walk them to a riparian area where the young eat beetles and insects for quick growth. The males have nothing to do with raising the young. The sage grouse was first recorded during the Lewis and Clark Expedition as a large chicken like bird weighing two to seven pounds. Lewis and Clark first saw the sage grouse along the Missouri River and recorded their sightings as they traveled west. Their diaries record the abundance of sage grouse throughout their journey. Today, the sage grouse is being considered for inclusion on the endangered species list. Sage grouse habitat is continuously being developed as people move further into desert land, consequently their once noted abundance is diminishing.
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Peregrin falcon |
The Snake River Birds of Prey Conservation Area lies to the West of the Snake River Canyon Byway. The Birds of Prey Conservation Area was founded in 1993 as part of the Bureau of Land Management National Landscape Conservation System. The birds soar through the skies above the byway looking for prey and nesting on the basaltic cliffs near the byway. There are over 800 pairs of hawks, falcons, owls, and eagles that return to Southern Idaho each year to breed and raise their young. While each species of raptors varies as to their nesting and eating preferences all Birds of Prey are meat eaters, rarely supplementing their diet with plants or fruits. Birds of Prey capture their food by using their talons, instead of their beaks. The beak is used to tear the meat from the carcass. Birds of Prey have a keen sense of sight, eyeballing their prey several feet in the air prior to swooping down for the kill. Any inedible part of the prey will be collected in the gizzard and regurgitated as a pellet. Pellets usually consist of feathers and hair. Peregrines do not build nests, whereas Eagles build rather large, heavy nests from twigs and sticks. Nests will often be reused year after year. Raptors who do not build nests lay their eggs on cliff edges. The number of eggs laid depends on the size of the raptor. Larger raptors, such as Eagles, lay fewer eggs than smaller raptors, such as kites. The female, which is the larger of the sexes, incubates the eggs and the male will hunt and bring her food while she is nesting. Hatchlings grow rather quickly doubling their body weight. Small raptors will fly for the first time three to four weeks after hatching and larger raptors will stay in the nest for two to three months.
The largest rodent in North America is the beaver and it can be found in the Snake River Plain. They weigh between 40-70 pounds. Beavers were trapped for their fur during the 1840s and 50s, almost to the point of extinction in the Snake and Boise Rivers. They live and make their homes in the water with raised sleeping quarters. They are herbivores, relying primarily on woody deciduous vegetation as a food source. They live in family colonies usually with a breeding pair, the newly born, and those born the previous year. Gestation is between 100–110 days and kits are born able to swim. Juveniles stay with the family for a couple of years before they venture out on their own. The biggest threat to the beaver is loss of habitat due to human developments and water projects which encroach on their homelands.
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Coyote |
Desert coyotes have an average range of 10–12 miles which they travel daily hunting for food. They mark their territory with urine. Coyotes resemble dogs and wolves but can be distinguished by the fact that they keep their tail straight out just below their back. Their tails are usually round and rather bushy. Coyotes are extremely adaptable animals and will work with what the environment provides. They often create their dens in abandoned badger holes or cliff caves. The den is used for sleeping and raising their young. Coyotes eat meat and are skilled hunters. They have an acute sense of smell, vision and hearing, which allows them to locate prey and maneuver away from predators. Coyotes can run up to 40 miles per hour. Their diet consists mainly of mice, ground squirrels, rodents, and rabbits. Rarely will they attack livestock. Gestation is similar to that of the domestic dog, 63-65 days. Litters consist of three to nine puppies usually born in April or May. The pups open their eyes at around two weeks. During the first six weeks the male brings food to the female as she stays with the pups. Around six weeks the mother will take the pups out to learn to hunt and by fall they are usually hunting on their own. The pups stay with the family for about a year and then leave to mark their own territory. The howl of the coyote is often heard at night on the desert and associated with being in the West. The howl is both a high pitched cry and a series of yelps. They use it to communicate with other coyotes in the area. Coyotes are not without controversy. Ranchers are concerned about the loss of livestock and environmentalists are concerned about the role the coyote plays in the ecosystem killing the destructive rodents who damage acres of land. As agricultural and grazing lands continue to expand further into coyote territory, the incidences of coyote/human interaction will undoubtedly increase.
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Western rattlesnake |
The Western Rattlesnake is Idaho’s only venomous snake. It lives in desert regions with little vegetation where it can prey upon rodents, mice, and rabbits. The Western Rattlesnake gives birth to live young between August and October once they reach maturity around 4-6 years of age. If a female gives birth is dependent upon her body fat and in some years she will not give birth. Western Rattlesnakes are most active in the cool days of spring or the fall. During the hot summer months they will confine their activity to the early morning or late evening hours when it is cooler. During the winter they hibernate in crevices, caves, or burrows of other animals. The western rattlesnake attacks its prey by sinking its sharp fangs into them and releasing a lethal poison. Then they will swallow the prey whole. The western rattlesnake grows a new rattle on its tail each time it sheds it skin, which can be up to several times a year. Often, but not always, they will rattle prior to striking. The western rattlesnake uses vibrations transmitted through the ground as their hearing mechanism. They are also able to detect heat variations through facial pits located between the nose and eyes. These pits allow them to actually visualize through a thermal picture what is near so they can distinguish between predator and prey.
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Sockeye salmon |
Salmon are perhaps the most notorious and controversial wildlife in the region. In 2007 only four Snake River Sockeye Salmon made it home to Red Fish Lake to spawn. The Snake River Salmon travel to the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River as smolts (around 2 years old). They will live in salt water anywhere from six months to five years. Then they will return back through the rivers swimming about 900 miles to their birthplace to spawn. The dams along the Lower Snake River and over fishing have wreaked havoc on Salmon populations. Policies are debated regularly on how to protect this fish that is so important to so many cultures.