Colorado Plateau shrublands
The Colorado Plateau shrublands is an ecoregion of deserts and xeric shrublands in the Western United States.
Geography
The Colorado Plateau shrublands occupy the Colorado Plateau. They lie mostly in the basin of the upper Colorado River, and reach into the upper basin of the Rio Grande.Flora
The main plant communities, or zones, are woodlands, mountain woodlands, and grassland and shrub.The woodland zone, or pinyon-juniper woodland, covers the largest area. It consists of open woodlands of short trees, mostly pinyon pine and species of juniper. The ground is covered by sparse grasses, including grama and other grasses, herbs, and shrubs such as big sagebrush and alder-leaf mountain mahogany.
Arid grasslands occupy lowland areas. Grasses, sagebrush, and shrubs predominate, with areas of bare soil, and including cacti and yucca in the warmest areas.
The mountain zone includes the high plateaus and mountains. It is made up of woodlands and forests, chiefly ponderosa pine in the south and lodgepole pine and quaking aspen to the north.
Fauna
Large mammals include mule deer, cougar, coyote, bobcat, and gray fox. Rocky Mountain elk are found in some areas. Pronghorn are the predominant large mammal of the arid grasslands. Smaller mammals include the North American porcupine, black-tailed jackrabbit, mountain cottontail, Colorado chipmunk, cliff chipmunk, rock squirrel, Bushy-tailed woodrat, and white-footed mouse. The ringtail and western spotted skunk are uncommonly found.The most common resident birds are the American bushtit, pinyon jay, Woodhouse's scrub jay, juniper titmouse, western red-shafted flicker, rock wren, black-chinned hummingbird, red-tailed hawk, and golden eagle. Summer-resident birds include the chipping sparrow, common nighthawk, black-throated gray warbler, American cliff swallow, lark sparrow, and mourning dove. Common winter-resident birds are the pink-sided junco, Shufeldt's junco, gray-headed junco, red-backed junco, Rocky Mountain nuthatch, mountain bluebird, American robin, and Steller's jay.
Reptiles include the greater short-horned lizard and western rattlesnake.