Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Breeding Birds of North Dakota
Forest Communities
Forest habitats in North Dakota can be grouped for general descriptive purposes
into two major categories designated as floodplain deciduous forests and upland
deciduous forests. A third minor type referred to as upland evergreen forest
also occurs on very limited areas in western North Dakota. Forest habitats in
1967 were found to occupy about 2 percent of the total state area. Excluding
the small, heavily forested Turtle Mountain Region, the proportion of forest
habitat varied from less than 1 percent on the Southern Drift Plain, Northwestern
Drift Plain, Missouri Coteau, and Missouri Slope to a high of 9 percent on the
Little Missouri Slope.
Eastern River Floodplain Forest
This rich woodland community occurs on the floodplain of the Red River and its
various tributaries within the Agassiz Lake Plain Region and also extends into
the Prairie Pothole Region along the Sheyenne River, upstream as far as central
Eddy County. Probably the finest examples of this community are found along
the Sheyenne River in northwestern Richland County and northeastern Ransom County.
The mature stands of this forest are dominated by a variety of trees. These
include bur oak, hackberry, American elm, basswood, and green ash. Ordinarily
a well developed understory, usually present, is composed of small trees and
tall shrubs including hop-hornbeam and prickly ash. The herbaceous vegetation
of the forest floor is especially luxuriant and is composed of a great variety
of species. The more common plants are nodding fescue, Virginia wild rye,
nodding muhly, charming sedge, Sprengel's sedge, jack-in-the-pulpit, wood
leek, large bellwort, false Solomon's seal, Solomon's seal, nodding trillium,
carrion flower, wood nettle, wild ginger, columbine, kidneyleaf buttercup,
tall meadowrue, bloodroot, yellow wood violet, pink wood violet, wild sarsaparilla,
honewort, and waterleaf.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Cooper's Hawk Red-tailed Hawk, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Downy
Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-shafted Flicker,
Great Crested Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Blue Jay,
Common Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin,
Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American
Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo
Bunting.
Secondary intraneous species:
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Mourning Dove, Screech Owl, Barred Owl, Chimney Swift,
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Willow
Flycatcher, House Wren, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Veery, Eastern Bluebird,
Cedar Waxwing, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Brown-headed Cowbird, American
Goldfinch, Clay-colored Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Mallard, Wood Duck, Ring-necked Pheasant, Common Nighthawk, Common Grackle.
James River Floodplain Forest
Along the James River, floodplain forest is largely restricted to the portion
of the valley that extends between Jamestown and Grand Rapids. This forest is
dominated by American elm, box elder, and green ash, with occasional peachleaf
willow along the river banks. In undisturbed areas a shrub understory is usually
present that is composed of such species as Missouri gooseberry, black currant,
buckthorn, and nannyberry.
The more common herbaceous plants include the following: Virginia wild rye,
nodding muhly, Sprengel's sedge, false Solomon's seal, Solomon's seal, carrion
flower, tall nettle, wild four-o-clock, baneberry, kidneyleaf buttercup, wormseed
mustard, tall meadowrue, white evens, pink wood violet, sweet cicely, yellow
wood parsnip, fringed loosestrife, wood stickseed, wild cucumber, giant goldenrod,
lowland white aster, Jerusalem artichoke, and tall coneflower.
Plate 11. James River Floodplain Forest. Stutsman County,
August 1975 (photo by John T. Lokemoen). The predominant overstory trees at
this location include the American elm, box elder, and green ash, and the
shrub understory is composed chiefly of Missouri gooseberry, black currant,
buckthorn, and nannyberry. Breeding birds of frequent occurrence are represented
by the Mallard, Wood Duck, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove,
Black-billed Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker,
Yellow-shafted Flicker, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Blue Jay, Common
Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Gray Catbird,
American Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, American Goldfinch, and Song Sparrow.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great
Horned Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Least
flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee, Common Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted
Nuthatch, House Wren, American Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Baltimore
Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Goldfinch, Clay-colored Sparrow,
Song Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species:
Screech Owl, Great Crested Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Blue Jay, Brown
Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Starling, Yellow-throated
Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, Brown-headed Cowbird, Indigo Bunting,
Lark Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Wood Duck, Mallard, Common Grackle.
Mouse River Floodplain Forest
On the Northwestern Drift Plain, a narrow band of floodplain forest occurs along
the Mouse and Des Lacs rivers within McHenry, Ward, and Renville Counties. This
forest is largely dominated by American elm, box elder, and green ash. In general,
this community closely resembles the James River floodplain forest insofar as
species composition of the vegetation is concerned.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species:
Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great
Horned Owl, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Willow Flycatcher, Least
Flycatcher, Common Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, House Wren, American Robin,
Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, American Goldfinch, Lazuli
Bunting, Clay-colored Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-billed Magpie, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown
Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Cedar Waxwing, Warbling Vireo, American Redstart,
Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Spotted Rufous-sided Towhee.
Extraneous species:
Mallard, Hooded Merganser, Common Grackle.
Western River Floodplain Forest
Floodplain forests occur as bands along undisturbed portions of the Missouri
River and its tributaries. Most of the mature stands, dominated by cottonwood,
are representative of early successional stages. Locally, stands representing
later successional stages are present and are dominated by American elm, box
elder, and green ash. In general, the vegetation of the western floodplain forest
is less variable and less luxuriant than the vegetation of the eastern floodplain
forest.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Red-tailed Hawk, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Downy Woodpecker,
Hairy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Red-shafted
Flicker (local), Least Flycatcher, Black-billed Magpie, Common Crow, Black-capped
Chickadee, American Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler,
American Redstart, Ovenbird, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Spotted
Rufous-sided Towhee.
Secondary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, American Kestrel, Turkey,
Mourning Dove, Screech Owl, Great Crested Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern
Wood Pewee (local), Western Wood Pewee (local), Blue Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch,
House Wren, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Veery, Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing,
Bell's Vireo (local), Yellow-throated Vireo (local), Black-and-White Warbler,
Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore
Oriole (local), Bullock's Oriole (local), Scarlet Tanager (local), American
Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Wood Duck, Mallard, Ring-necked Pheasant, Common Nighthawk.
Turtle Mountain Deciduous Forest
The forests on the Turtle Mountains are generally dominated by quaking aspen.
Other deciduous trees are common associates including balsam poplar, paper birch,
bur oak, and green ash. A well-developed shrub understory composed chiefly of
beaked hazelnut is characteristic of most of these stands. Other shrubs or small
trees that are locally common include willows, red raspberry, prickly rose,
pin cherry, and highbush cranberry. Some of the more common herbaceous species
on the forest floor include false lily-of-the-valley, early meadowrue, yellow
evens, pink wood violet, wild sarsaparilla, dwarf cornel, pink wintergreen,
and arrowleaf aster.
Plate 12. Turtle Mountain Deciduous Forest. Bottineau County,
August 1975 (photo by John T. Lokemoen). Quaking aspen is the predominant
overstory tree in this stand and it is associated with bur oak and green ash.
The shrub understory is composed chiefly of beaked hazelnut. Breeding birds
of frequent occurrence include the Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ruffed
Grouse, Great Horned Owl, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker,
Yellow-shafted Flicker, Least Flycatcher, Common Crow, Veery, Red-eyed Vireo,
Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak, and Clay-colored Sparrow.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ruffed Grouse, Great Horned Owl, Ruby-throated
Hummingbird, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Least Flycatcher,
Common Crow, Veery, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American
Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Clay-colored Sparrow.
Secondary inrraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Mourning Dove, Black-billed Cuckoo, Downy Woodpecker,
Hairy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Wood
Pewee, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren,
Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing,
Yellow-throated Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Chestnut-sided
Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Mourning Warbler,
Brown-headed Cowbird, Eastern Rufous-sided Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song
Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Sharp-tailed Grouse, Common Nighthawk, Purple Martin, Common Grackle.
Northeastern Upland Deciduous Forest
This woodland community is best represented in the Pembina Hills of eastern
Cavalier County, western Pembina County, and western Walsh County, and on the
deltaic sand area of western Pembina County. Similar communities with a more
limited fauna and flora also occur in the hills near the south shore of Devils
Lake and along the shores of other permanent lakes within Benson, Ramsey, Nelson,
Eddy, and Griggs Counties.
The forests are usually dominated by a mixture of deciduous trees including
quaking aspen, balsam poplar, paper birch, bur oak, American elm, box elder,
basswood, and green ash. An understory is frequently present and is composed
of shrubs and small trees including American hazelnut, beaked hazelnut, black
currant, Missouri gooseberry, red raspberry, Saskatoon serviceberry, hawthorn,
pin cherry, choke cherry, smooth sumac, downy arrowwood, and highbush cranberry.
Numerous herbaceous species are characteristic of the forest floor. Some of
the more common species include rattlesnake fern, nodding fescue, bottlebrush
grass, Virginia wild rye, slender wedgegrass, nodding muhly, false Solomon's
seal, false lily-of-the-valley, carrion flower, broad-leaved stitchwort, baneberry,
wild strawberry, yellow evens, common blue violet, yellow wood violet, sweet
cicely, yellow wood parsnip, cow parsnip, wood stickseed, and smooth blue
aster.
Plate 13. Northeastern Deciduous Forest. Cavalier County,
August 1975 (photo by John T. Lokemoen). Bur oak is the predominant overstory
tree in this area and it is associated with quaking aspen, balsam poplar,
paper birch, American elm, basswood, and green ash. Woody understory plants
include beaked hazelnut, Saskatoon serviceberry, choke cherry, smooth sumac,
downy arrowwood, and highbush cranberry. Breeding birds of frequent occurrence
include the Red-tailed Hawk, Ruffed Grouse, Least Flycatcher, Eastern Wood
Pewee, Common Crow, Veery, Yellow-throated Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling
Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Scarlet Tanager,
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Eastern Rufous-sided Towhee, and Clay-colored Sparrow.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Red-tailed Hawk, Ruffed Grouse (local), Least Flycatcher, Eastern Wood Pewee,
Common Crow, Veery, Red-eyed Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, American
Redstart, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Eastern Rufous-sided Towhee,
Clay-colored Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Mourning Dove, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great
Horned Owl, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker,
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Great Crested Flycatcher,
Willow Flycatcher, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch,
House Wren, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird,
Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-throated Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Black-and-white
Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Mourning Warbler,
Brown-headed Cowbird, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Chipping Sparrow, Song
Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Common Nighthawk, Purple Martin.
Southeastern Upland Deciduous Forest
Small tracts of this forest community are largely restricted to bluffs along
the Sheyenne River in Richland, Ransom, Barnes, Griggs, Nelson, and Eddy Counties
and also occur locally along the shores of permanent lakes in southwestern Richland
County. Similar communities with a somewhat diluted biota occupy small local
areas along bluffs of the James River in Stutsman County and LaMoure County;
on north- or east-facing escarpments of the Missouri Coteau in Wells, Stutsman,
LaMoure, and Dickey Counties; and along shores of a few permanent lakes in eastern
Stutsman County and Barnes County.
A mixture of deciduous trees characterizes most of these stands. The principal
species are quaking aspen, bur oak, hackberry, and green ash, and along the
Sheyenne River bluffs, American elm, basswood and hop-hornbeam are common
associates. Understory shrubs and herbaceous vegetation in general are composed
of species similar to those occurring in the northeastern upland deciduous
forest.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Red-tailed Hawk, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Eastern Wood Pewee, Common Crow,
Red-eyed Vireo, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Secondary intraneous species:
Cooper's Hawk, Mourning Dove, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Downy
Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher,
Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Brown
Thrasher, Gray Catbird, American Robin, Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-throated
Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow Warbler, American Redstart,
Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Brown-headed Cowbird, Scarlet Tanager, Indigo
Bunting, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Field
Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Ring-necked Pheasant, Purple Martin.
Western Upland Deciduous Forest
Small tracts of upland deciduous forest occur in the Southwestern Slope Region.
These are situated on north- and east-facing escarpments or slopes of badlands
and buttes in Dunn and McKenzie Counties and also occur locally on a few buttes
and along river bluffs elsewhere in the region. The largest tract of this community,
covering several hundred acres, is located on the Killdeer Mountains in northwestern
Dunn County.
Bur oak and green ash are usually the chief dominant species of trees in
these isolated western stands of deciduous forest. Locally, quaking aspen,
paper birch, western black birch, and American elm are common associates.
Characteristic plant species of the understory shrub layer and of the herbaceous
vegetation of the forest floor correspond to those of the more eastern upland
deciduous forests although generally they are less varied in terms of number
of species represented.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Black-billed Magpie, American Robin, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Lazuli
Bunting, Spotted Rufous-sided Towhee.
Secondary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ruffed Grouse (introduced in Killdeer Mountains),
Mourning Dove, Black-billed Cuckoo, Great Horned Owl, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy
Woodpecker, Yellow-shafted Flicker, Red-shafted Flicker, Least Flycatcher,
Blue Jay, Common Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, House Wren, Brown Thrasher,
Gray Catbird, Veery, Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Warbling Vireo, Black-and-white
Warbler, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Brown-headed
Cowbird, American Goldfinch, Black-headed Grosbeak, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored
Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Turkey Vulture, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Common Nighthawk.
Western Evergreen Forest
Scattered stands of western evergreen forest, usually quite restricted in area,
are found in the southern portion of the Little Missouri Slope, particularly
in the badlands of Billings, Golden Valley, Slope, and Bowman Counties. The
largest tract of this forest community, occupying several hundred acres, is
located in north-central Slope County in the badlands along the Little Missouri
River. Elsewhere in the Southwestern Slope Region a few small somewhat atypical
stands occur locally on north- or east-facing escarpments of badlands, buttes,
and river bluffs. These are more limited in variety of species than the typical
stands in the southern portion of the Little Missouri Slope.
The overstory of the more typical stands on the southern Little Missouri
Slope are dominated by ponderosa pine or Rocky Mountain cedar or by a mixture
of the two. In western Slope County, one very unique open stand is dominated
by limber pine. Elsewhere, the small, isolated tracts of this community are
composed chiefly of Rocky Mountain cedar. Deciduous species including bur
oak and green ash are frequently associated with the evergreens in many evergreen
forest communities. Species composition of the understory shrub layer differs
from the understory of upland deciduous forests in that two evergreen species
-- dwarf juniper and creeping juniper -- are generally more frequent. The
herbaceous vegetation of the forest floor is often dominated by a dense growth
of little ricegrass, and locally by bluebunch wheatgrass.
Plate 14. Western Evergreen Forest. Slope County, August
1975 (photo by John T. Lokemoen). Ponderosa pine is the predominant overstory
tree in this areea and it is associated with scattered Rocky Mountain cedar,
bur oak, and green ash. Dwarf juniper, creeping juniper, and skunk sumac are
common in the shrub understory. Breeding birds of frequent occurrence include
the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Poor-will, Black-billed Magpie, House Wren, Audubon's
Warbler, Brown-headed Cowbird, Spotted Rufous-sided Towhee, and Chipping Sparrow.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Poor-will, Black-billed Magpie, House Wren, Audubon's
Warbler, Brown-headed Cowbird, Spotted Rufous-sided Towhee, Chipping Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Merlin, Turkey, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Red-shafted Flicker, Common
Crow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Thrasher, American Robin, Brewer's Blackbird,
Lark Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant.
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