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==Wildlife== The region has an extremely diverse bird population, with hundreds of species being found in the American Southwest. In the [[Chiricahua Mountains]] alone, in southeastern Arizona, there can be found more than 400 species. Species include [[Canada goose|Canadian]] (''Branta canadensis'') and [[Snow goose|snow geese]], [[sandhill crane]]s (''Grus canadensis''),<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.desertusa.com/mag08/jun08/birds-in-the-southwest.html | publisher=DesertUSA | title=Looking for Birds in the Southwest | last=Sharp | first=Jay W. | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> and the [[Greater roadrunner|roadrunner]], the state bird of New Mexico and most famous bird in the region, is found in all states of the Southwest.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_roadrunner_new.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Greater Roadrunner | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> Birds of prey include the [[red-tailed hawk]] (''Buteo jamaicensis''), [[Cooper's hawk]] (''Accipiter cooperii''), the [[osprey]] (''Pandion haliaetus''), [[golden eagle]]s (''Aquila chrysaetos''), [[Harris's hawk]] (''Parabuteo unicinctus''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_hawks_eagles.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Hawks & Eagles | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> American kestrel (''Falco sparverius''), peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_caracaras_falcons.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Caracaras & Falcons | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the gray hawk (''Buteo plagiatus''),<ref>{{cite web | url=http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/652/articles/introduction | publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | title=Gray Hawk | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the [[American barn owl]] (''Tyto furcata''), the [[western screech owl]] (''Megascops kennicottii''), the [[great horned owl]] (''Bubo virginianus''), the [[elf owl]] (''Micrathene whitneyi''), and the [[burrowing owl]] (''Athene cunicularia'')<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_owls.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Owls | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> Other bird species include the [[turkey vulture]] (''Cathartes aura''), the [[black vulture]] (''Coragyps atratus''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_vultures.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Vultures | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the [[northern cardinal]] (''Cardinalis cardinalis''), the [[blue grosbeak]] (''Passerina caerulea''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_cardinals_grosbeaks.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Cardinals & Grosbeaks | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the [[house finch]] (''Haemorhous mexicanus''), the [[lesser goldfinch]] (''Spinus psaltria''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_finches.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Finches | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the [[broad-billed hummingbird]] (''Cynanthus latirostris''), the [[black-chinned hummingbird]] (''Archilochus alexandri''), [[Costa's hummingbird]] (''Calypte costae''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_hummingbirds.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Hummingbirds | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> [[Gambel's quail]] (''Callipepla gambelii''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_quail.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Quail | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the [[common raven]] (''Corvus corax''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_raven.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Common Raven | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the [[Gila woodpecker]] (''Melanerpes uropygialis''), the [[gilded flicker]] (''Colaptes chrysoides''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_woodpeckers.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Woodpeckers | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> the [[cactus wren]] (''Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus''), the [[rock wren]] (''Salpinctes obsoletus''),<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_wrens.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Wrens | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> and the federally endangered [[Southwest willow flycatcher]] (''Empidonax traillii extimus'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/southwestern-willow-flycatcher.htm |website=www.nps.gov |access-date=May 17, 2024 |language=en}}</ref> Four types of doves call the Southwest home: the [[white-winged dove]] (''Zenaida asiatica''), the [[mourning dove]] (''Zenaida macroura''), the [[common ground dove]] (''Columbina passerina''), and the [[Inca dove]] (''Columbina inca'').<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_doves.php | publisher=Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum | title=Doves | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> [[File:Desert Bighorn Sheep Joshua Tree cropped.JPG|thumb|[[Desert bighorn sheep]]]] Mammal species include the [[bobcat]], [[coyote]], [[American black bear|black bear]], [[black-tailed jackrabbit]], [[desert cottontail]], [[desert bighorn sheep]], [[mule deer]], [[white-tailed deer]], [[gray fox]], [[Cougar|mountain lion]], [[North American river otter|river otter]], [[long-tailed weasel]], [[western spotted skunk]], [[pronghorn]], [[raccoon]], [[cactus mouse]], and [[Ord's kangaroo rat]], all of which can be found in parts of every southwestern state. [[Elk]] are found in parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona. [[White-nosed coati]] and [[collared peccary]]{{emdash}}or ''javelina''{{emdash}}in the Southwest are normally found in southern areas of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas near the Mexican border. [[Jaguar]]s can be found in the [[New Mexico Bootheel|bootheel region]] of [[Southwestern New Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://infohost.nmt.edu/~klathrop/FGmammals.htm | publisher=New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | title=Mammals Index Page | access-date=July 13, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715064838/http://infohost.nmt.edu/~klathrop/FGmammals.htm | archive-date=July 15, 2015 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> The [[Mexican wolf]] (''Canis lupus baileyi'') was reintroduced to Arizona and New Mexico in 1998.<ref name="paquet2003">Paquet, P. & Carbyn, L. W. (2003). Gray wolf ''Canis lupus'' and allies", in Feldhamer, George A. et al. ''Wild Mammals of North America: Biology, Management, and Conservation'', JHU Press, pp. 482β510, {{ISBN|0801874165}}</ref> A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study reported a minimum population of 241 Mexican wolves in southwest New Mexico and southeast Arizona at the beginning of 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-27 |title=Mexican Wolf Numbers Soar Past 200 {{!}} U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service |url=https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-02/mexican-wolf-numbers-soar-past-200 |access-date=2023-08-26 |website=FWS.gov |language=en}}</ref> There is a large contingent of snakes native to the region. Among them include the [[rosy boa]] (''Lichanura trivirgata''); several sub-species of the [[glossy snake]] (''Arizona elegans''); the [[Bogertophis subocularis|Trans-Pecos ratsnake]] (''Bogertophis subocularis''); several sub-species of shovel-nosed snakes; several sub-species of kingsnake, including the [[desert kingsnake]] (''Lampropeltis getula splendida'') and the [[Lampropeltis pyromelana|Arizona mountain kingsnake]] (''Lampropeltis pyromelana''); the [[Micruroides|Arizona coral snake]] (''Micruroides euryxanthus''); the [[Crotalus atrox|western diamondback rattlesnake]] (''Crotalus atrox''); the [[Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster|Trans-Pecos copperhead]] (''Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster''); the [[Crotalus cerastes cercobombus|Sonoran sidewinder]] (''Crotalus cerastes cercobombus''); the [[Crotalus cerberus|Arizona black rattlesnake]] (''Crotalus oreganus cerberus''); the [[Crotalus viridis|western rattlesnake]] (''Crotalus viridis''); the [[Crotalus oreganus abyssus|Grand Canyon rattlesnake]] (''Crotalus oreganus abyssus''), found only in Arizona; several sub-species of the [[Crotalus willardi|ridge-nosed rattlesnake]] (''Crotalus willardi''), the most recent rattlesnake species to be discovered in the United States, including the [[Crotalus willardi obscurus|New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake]] (''Crotalus willardi obscurus''), and the Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake, the state reptile of Arizona; and the [[Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii|desert massasauga]] (''Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii'').<ref>{{cite web | url=http://southwesternherp.com/snakes/index.html | publisher=Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research | title=Snakes of the American Southwest | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> Other reptiles in the region include lizards and turtles. Lizards are highly represented in the region, the most distinctive denizen being the [[Gila monster]], native only to the American Southwest and the state of Sonora in Mexico. The [[New Mexico whiptail]] is the [[List of state symbols of New Mexico|state reptile]] of New Mexico. Other lizards include: [[Sonoran collared lizard]] (''Crotaphytus nebrius''); several types of geckos, including [[western banded gecko]] (''Coleonyx variegatus''), the [[common house gecko]] (''Hemidactylus frenatus''), and the [[Mediterranean house gecko]] (''Hemidactylus turcicus''), the last two species being non-native to the region but have been introduced; the [[desert iguana]] (''Dipsosaurus dorsalis''); the [[chuckwalla]] (''Sauromalus ater''); the [[greater earless lizard]] (''Cophosaurus texanus scitulus''); several sub-species of [[horned lizard]]s (''Phrynosoma''); numerous species of [[spiny lizard]]s (''Sceloporus''); [[Gilbert's skink]] (''Plestiodon gilberti''); the [[western skink]] (''Plestiodon skiltonianus''); [[Trans-Pecos striped whiptail]] (''Aspidoscelis inornata heptagrammus''); and the [[Arizona night lizard]] (''Xantusia arizonae'').<ref>{{cite web | url=http://southwesternherp.com/lizards/index.html | publisher=Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research | title=Lizards of the American Southwest | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> Turtles are less numerous than their other reptilian counterparts, but several are found in the region, including: the [[Painted turtle#Western painted turtle|western painted turtle]] (''Chrysemys picta bellii''); the [[Rio Grande cooter]] (''Pseudemys gorzugi''); the [[desert box turtle]] (''Terrapene ornata luteola''); the [[Big Bend slider]] (''Trachemys gaigeae gaigeae''); the [[Sonora mud turtle]] (''Kinosternon sonoriense''); and the [[desert tortoise]] (''Gopherus agassizii'').<ref>{{cite web | url=http://southwesternherp.com/turtles/index.html | publisher=Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research | title=Turtles of the American Southwest | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> Amphibians include numerous toads and frogs in the American Southwest. Toads which can be found in the region include the [[Great Plains toad]] (''Anaxyrus cognatus''); the [[Anaxyrus debilis|green toad]] (''Anaxyrus debilis''); the [[Arizona toad]] (''Anaxyrus microscaphus''); the [[New Mexico spadefoot toad|New Mexico spadefoot]] (''Spea multiplicata stagnalis''); and the [[Colorado River toad]] (''Incilius alvarius''), also known as the Sonoran Desert toad. Frog representation includes: [[Craugastor augusti|western barking frog]] (''Craugastor augusti''); the [[canyon tree frog]] (''Hyla arenicolor''); the [[Wright's mountain tree frog|Arizona treefrog]] (''Hyla wrightorum''); the [[western chorus frog]] (''Pseudacris triseriata''); [[Chiricahua leopard frog]] (''Lithobates chiricahuensis''); and the [[relict leopard frog]] (''Lithobates onca''). There are quite a few salamanders throughout the region, including: the [[barred tiger salamander#Subspecies|Arizona tiger salamander]] (''Ambystoma mavortium nebulosum'') and the [[Ensatina#Subspecies|painted ensatina]] (''Ensatina eschscholtzii picta'').<ref>{{cite web | url=http://southwesternherp.com/amphibians/index.html | publisher=Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research | title=Amphibians of the American Southwest | access-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref> Despite the Southwest being mostly arid, various fishes are found where water is available, including various species unique to the region. [[Apache trout]] and [[Gila trout]] are two [[Salmonidae|salmonids]] endemic to the area, with the former found only in Arizona and the latter only in Arizona and New Mexico.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/freshwater-fish-of-america/apache_trout.html|title=Apache trout|website=Fish and Aquatic Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211130010712/https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/freshwater-fish-of-america/apache_trout.html |archive-date= Nov 30, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://westernnativetrout.org/gila-trout/|title=Gila Trout β Western Native Trout|website=westernnativetrout.org}}</ref> Desert [[pupfish]]es are several closely related species of fish in the genus Cyprinodon, many of which are found in isolated spring-fed ponds hundreds of miles from each other, ranging from far West Texas to [[Death Valley]] in California. These pupfishes often thrive in water considerably higher in temperature and dissolved solids than most fish can tolerate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.desertusa.com/fish/pupfish.html|title=Desert Pupfish DesertUSA|website=desertusa.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/balmorhea/endangered-species-san-solomon-springs|title=Balmorhea State Park Endangered Species and San Solomon Springs β Texas Parks & Wildlife Department|website=tpwd.texas.gov}}</ref> Many of these desert fish species are endangered due to their limited and tenuous habitat, as well as loss of habitat due to human consumption of groundwater and diversion of surface water, as well as the introduction of species such as sportfish for recreation (see: [[Rio Grande Silvery Minnow v. Bureau of Reclamation]]).
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