1. What is SCU Gone Wild?
SCU Gone Wild (SGW) is a community
science and natural history initiative with
a mission to characterize, record and
preserve biodiversity on campus and
encourage wildlife observations on
campus and on SCU sponsored field
trips or field courses. SGW has the broad
goal of engaging the SCU community in
the “rhythms of landscapes” as
individuals and as a collective both on
campus and on field excursions. We aim
to combine citizen science, long-term
research and community involvement in
order to highlight our unique campus.
You can help! Campus Observations via
iNaturalist
What’s next?
• Vegetation analysis. Species density &
diversity.
• Squirrels!
• Bioblitzes!
We thank Willem P. Roelandts and Maria Constantino-Roelandts, The
Center for Science, Technology, and Society, and the SCU Provost’s
office for support for SCU Gone Wild.
SCU Campus Bird Project
Our project has grown into a more
systematic on-going study that involves
recording bird species in each of eight
fixed sites across campus. The sites
differ in vegetation composition and
cover, which affects the number of bird
species that utilize the sites. We hope
that this project will continue and
ultimately influence landscaping
decisions on campus, as well as
contribute to further bird and biodiversity
Methods
• General bird walks began in Sept. 2014
• Systematic species identification began in Jan. 2015
• Spend 15 minutes in each of 8 sites (Firgure 1,
map)
• Systematic species count at each site
Fig 1. Bird Biodiversity Study Sites
Discussion
• Site 4 has the greatest number of species observed.
• Sites with a low number and diversity of trees (such
as site 8), seemed to contain mostly generalist
species, ie: American crows, California gulls, and
rock pigeons.
• Results implicate that specialist bird species are
drawn to sites with greater tree richness and
diversity.
Family/ Common name Scientific Name
Laridae - Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
California Gull Larus californicus
Herring Gull Larus argentatus
Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
Pelecanidae – Pelicans
American White Pelican Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos
Columbidae - Pigeons and Doves
Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Trochilidae - Hummingbirds
Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
Picidae - Woodpeckers and Allies
Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides
nuttallii
Northern Flicker Colaptes
auratus
Tyrannidae - Tyrant Flycatchers
Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
Black Phoebe Sayornis
nigricans
Say’s Phoebe Sayornis
saya
Vireonidae - Vireos
Hutton's Vireo Vireo
huttoni
Corvidae - Crows and Jays
American Crow Corvus
brachyrhynchos
Western Scrub-Jay Aphelocoma
californica
Cathartidae - New World Vultures
Turkey Vulture Cathartes
aura
Accipitridae - Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies
Cooper’s Hawk Accipiter
cooperii
Red-tailed Hawk Buteo
jamaicensis
Golden Eagle Aquila
chrysaetos
Falconidae – Falcons
Peregrine Falcon Falco Peregrinus
Strigidae – Typical Owls
Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
Western Screech Owl Megascops kennicottii
Family/ Common name Scientific Name
Emberizidae – Buntings and Sparrows
Dark-eyed Junco Junco
hyemalis
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Song Sparrow Melospiza
melodia
White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia
leucophrys
Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
Mimidae-Mockingbirds, thrashers, and allies
Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
Bombycillidae – Waxwings
Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla
cedrorum
Paridae - Chickadees and Titmice
Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
Oak Titmouse Baeolophus inornatus
Aegithalidae - Long-tailed Tits and Bushtits
Bushtit Psaltriparus
minimus
Fringillidae - Fringilline and Cardueline Finches and Allies
House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
Parulidae - Wood-Warblers
Townsend's Warbler Setophaga
townsendi
Yellow Warbler Setophaga
petechia
Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga
coronata
Troglodytidae - Wrens
Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
Regulidae – Kinglets
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus
calendula
Turdidae - Thrushes
Western Bluebird Sialia
Mexicana
American Robin Turdus migratorius
Photo by John S. Farnsworth
Campus Birds 2014-2015