Riparian (streamside) habitats provide essential breeding and wintering habitat and serve as travel corridors for a wide variety of songbirds and other wildlife. In western Oregon, most lowland riparian areas are dominated by deciduous trees and shrubs, such as cottonwood, bigleaf maple, alder, Oregon ash, and willows. These habitats are among the most biologically rich in Oregon.

• Riparian forests dominated by mature cottonwood support densities of breeding and migratory birds that are among the highest of all habitat types in North America. Big trees provide nesting habitat for bald eagles, great-horned owls and colonial nesters such as great blue heron. Priority species that depend on these habitats include red-eyed vireo, yellow warbler, yellow-breasted chat, yellow-billed cuckoo, veery, and Bullock’s oriole.
• Priority species using riparian shrub habitats include willow flycatcher, yellow-breasted chat, MacGillivray’s warbler, yellow warbler, lazuli bunting, and veery.

Present status: Riparian woodland and riparian shrub habitats, found along major river and stream systems, are among the most heavily impacted priority bird habitats in Oregon. Most riparian habitats in upland forest settings have been affected by timber harvest. Riparian woodlands in the bottomlands along the major rivers have been cleared for agriculture or urban uses or submerged by reservoirs. Losses of this habitat type exceed 90 percent in many areas. Significant remnants are found along the lower Columbia River, and in a few locations along the Willamette River. Remaining riparian habitats have been invaded by non-native plants in many areas, and degradation related to livestock grazing is common. Restoration of riparian habitats has been a top priority in Oregon in recent years, driven in large part by efforts to improve in-stream habitat values for at-risk salmon populations.

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