This checklist includes over 325 species of birds known to have occurred at Mono Lake and within the Mono Basin watershed, up to 8000 feet in elevation. The Mono Basin watershed has a variety of habitats, and each supports its own collection of bird species—as well as birds commonly seen throughout the Basin. The most prominent habitat is Mono Lake, a salty, alkaline inland sea home to brine shrimp, alkali flies, and the millions of birds that depend on them. Flowing down from the Sierra Nevada escarpment, freshwater streams create a different habitat where aspens, willows, and cottonwoods grow. And in other locations, one finds Mono Basin habitats such as Jeffrey Pine forests, Pinyon Pine woodlands, vast sagebrush steppe, and freshwater lakes.
Over 118 species are known to breed during the summer months in the Mono Basin. Of special interest are California Gulls, which raise their young on Mono Lake’s islands. Other species such as Sage Thrashers, Green-tailed Towhees, and Yellow Warblers can also be frequently found in the spring and summer. It is during the fall migration months of August and September, however, that the greatest number of species may be seen. Migratory shorebirds and other waterbirds, including Eared Grebes and Wilson’s and Red-necked Phalaropes, use Mono Lake as a feeding and resting stop on their southward journeys. Because of this, Mono Lake was designated as a site of international importance in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN).
A few of the better places to observe birds in the Mono Basin are: Mono Lake County Park, the Lee Vining Creek Trail, Lee Vining Canyon, the Mono Lake South Tufa Area, the Jeffrey Pine forest on Highway 120 east, and Grant Lake Reservoir near June Lake. For information about these areas, maps, and a list of recent bird sightings, visit the Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore on Highway 395 in Lee Vining. You may also get information by calling (760) 647-6595.
Data for this checklist was obtained from The Birds of Yosemite and the East Slope by David Gaines, and from other ornithologists familiar with the Mono Basin. For a thorough account of the Mono Basin avifauna The Birds of Yosemite is an indispensable and excellent guide worth investing in.
This list is not complete. Seasonal abundance has been omitted. To purchase a complete copy for $1 plus shipping and tax, please order it from our bookstore.
Loons
Grebes
Pelicans and Allies
Herons, Egrets, and Allies
Ibises
Swans, Geese, and Ducks
Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks
Falcons
Quail and Grouse
Rails and Coots
Plovers
Stilts and Avocets
Sandpipers and Phalaropes
Jaegers
Gulls and Terns
Murrelets
Pigeons and Doves
Cuckoos
Owls
Nightjars
Swifts
Hummingbirds
Kingfishers
Woodpeckers
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Flycatchers
Larks
Swallows
Jays and Crows
Chickadees, Titmice, and Bushtits
Nuthatches
Creepers
Wrens
Dippers
Kinglets and Gnatcatcher
Thrushes
Mockingbirds and Thrashers
Pipits
Waxwings
Silky Flycatchers
Shrikes
Starlings
Vireos
Wood Warblers
Tanagers
Grosbeaks and Buntings
Sparrows
Blackbirds and Orioles
Finches
Old World Sparrows
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