NatureMapping Habitat - Agricultural: Farm

Definition of "Agriculture" General Code 300: Intensively managed fields. Does not include un-maintained range used as pasture. It does include land set aside for Conservation Reserves.

Agriculture: Farm (300)


Descriptive Habitat Code: Agriculture (3) Farm with irrigated and non-irrigated fields (0) and many crop species (0).
Photo: Tim Knight

Barn Owl
Tyto alba
Code: TYAL
Photo: TFK

Distribution and Habitat:
These owls are local in western Washington, occurring in open areas including farms, non-forested parks, wetlands, and clear-cuts

Diet:
The barn owl preys on small mammals, including mice and rats.

Interesting fact:
The Barn Owl has excellent low-light vision, and can easily find prey at night by sight.

Barn owl Fact Sheet »

Black-billed magpie
Pica pica
Code: PIPI
Photo: RA

Distribution and Habitat:
It is found in shrub steppe, sparsely wooded, and treeless areas in the Columbia Basin.

Diet:
It is an omnivore and feeds on small birds, rodents, insects, seeds, carrion, and garbage.

Interesting fact:
If trees are planted near sagebrush, magpies will prey upon native shrub steppe birds in t hose patches of sagebrush, further reducing the sagebrush obligates (species that only live and breed in sagebrush).

California gull
Larus californius
Code: LACAL
Photo: RA

Distribution and Habitat:
It is found throughout parts of the western North Pacific Ocean. It breeds on gravel beds along the Columbia River and large lakes in the Columbia Basin.

Diet:
It is an opportunistic scavenger feeding on fish, crustaceans, bivalves and other invertebrates, as well as carrion and scavenging items from dumps and other areas of human habitation.

Interesting fact:
This gull is often found nesting together with the Ring- billed gull. It is Utah's state bird because it saved settlers from starvation when flocks of California gulls ate the locusts ruining their crops.

Coyote
Canis latrans
Code: CALAT

Distribution and Habitat:
It is found in mountainous areas, grasslands, deciduous and mixed coniferous forests and even urban areas.

Diet:
It feeds on whatever it can find, mostly mammals and carrion, although it also eats birds, fruit, and insects.

Interesting fact:
Efforts to exterminate coyotes have taken place during the 20th century. Their numbers are still increasing.

Coyote Fact Sheet »

Gopher snake
Pitouphis melanoleucas catenifer
Code: PIME
Photo: Chris Brown

Distribution and Habitat:
It is found in mountainous and rocky areas up to an altitude of at least 8000 feet.

Diet:
It feeds primarily on rodents and other small mammals. Only warm- blooded, living prey are eaten.

Interesting fact:
The gopher snake is not poisonous although its threatening posture sometimes gives the impression that it is.

Gopher Snake Fact Sheet »

Great horned owl
Bubo virginianus
Code: BUVI
Photo: TFK

Distribution and Habitat:
It is found across the state in cliff areas.

Diet:
If feeds largely on small mammals including squirrels, rabbits, gophers, prairie dogs, chipmunks, mice, rats and other small rodents, as well as domesticated poultry, other small birds, grasshoppers, beetles, crayfish and fish.

Interesting fact:
The great horned owl is large (the length of an adult's arm from the hand to the elbow). Screech owls have "horns" and are misidentified as baby great horned owls. Baby owls are the size of their parents when they leave the nest.

Great Horned Owl Fact Sheet »

Honey Bee
Apis mellifera
Photo: TFK

Distribution and Habitat:
Honey bees are not native to the Americas but were introduced by European settlers. It is found across the state in fields and gardens.

Diet:
Honey bees harvest nectar (carbohydrates) and pollen (protein) from flowering plants.

Interesting fact:
Worker bees do all the different tasks needed to operate and maintain the hive. They are all sterile females with a straight, barbed stinger.

Honey Bee Fact Sheet »

Red Fox
Vulpes vulpes
Code: VUVU
Photo: Natures Pics

Distribution and Habitat:
In Washington, the Red Fox is indigenous in forests of the central and east Cascades and has been introduced in other parts of the state.

Diet:
Their favorite foods are rodents, rabbits and small birds. They also prey on farm chickens.

Interesting fact:
Red Foxes stalk their prey just like cats.

Ring-necked pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
Code: PHCO
Photo: KMD

Distribution and Habitat:
It is found in grasslands, agricultural areas and woodlands.

Diet:
It is an omnivore and feeds on seeds, nuts, fruits, leaves, roots, insects, snails, worms, cultivated grains, and grass seeds.

Interesting fact:
The Ring-necked pheasant is an introduced game bird, whose numbers are dropping in Washington State.

Western Harvest Mouse
Reithrodontomys megalotis
Code: MEME
Photo: Bob Gress

Distribution and Habitat:
Western harvest mice range from southern Mexico through the western half of the United States. They are found in prairies and uncultivated croplands.

The Western Harvest Mouse prefers dense vegetation (grass, weeds), usually near water. Typical habitats are marshes, meadows, boundaries of irrigated fields, brushy borders of streams and lakes, shrubby borders of wheat fields, and fence rows.

Diet:
Western harvest mice feed on seeds of grasses and wildflowers, young plants and insect larvae.

Interesting fact:
They have a big appetite and consume up to one-third of their weight per day.

Western Harvest Mouse Fact Sheet »

Yellow-bellied marmot
Marmota flaviventris
Code: MAFL
Photo: Natures Pics

Distribution and Habitat:
It is found throughout parts of eastern Washington in semi-arid habitats.

Diet:
It is known to feed upon seeds and nuts.

Interesting fact:
Once marmots build their den, they do not venture far from it.<

Yellow-bellied Marmot Fact Sheet »