THE BIRDS OF THE CARIBOO PARKLANDS, BRITISH COLUMBIA

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Abstract
The interior plateau of British Columbia between the 51st and 53rd parallels of latitude and the 120th and 126th degrees of west longitude constitute a definite biotic area designated as the Cariboo Parklands. Composite forests of lodgepole pine and aspen, grasslands, and shallow valleys containing numerous lakes, ponds, and marshes of various types are the principal physiographical features. Ten vertebrate habitats, each with a characteristic biota, are recognized. The region is an important migration route for waterfowl and constitutes the principal, and for some species the most northerly, nesting ground in the province. Nesting grounds are in units that vary greatly in size, in type of cover, and in their food potentials. They are subject to contraction in space, and consequent reduction in productivity, because of periodic seasons of drought. The biota is in rapid process of modification as a result of various human activities. Agricultural developments permanently impaired waterfowl habitat in some places but in other places, where the outlets of ponds have been dammed in order to store water for irrigation purposes, nesting grounds have been improved. The summer land bird population is derived mainly from the south and it includes several species that here reach the northern periphery of their range. The population also contains species of eastern origin that are not known to nest further south in the province. A total of 212 species and subspecies of birds are recorded for the region. Observations of the life history and behaviour of certain species are presented in detail.

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