Non-game wildlife

   Most of Idaho’s wild creatures are classified as non-game – 419 species in all, including songbirds, waterbirds, raptors, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

   Many species of non-game wildlife can be found in Clearwater County. The Bald and Golden Eagle favor the Clearwater River and Dworshak Reservoir. Occasionally an osprey can be sighted fishing.

   A variety of song birds nest in trees, snags and bushes. Coyotes and bobcats, usually nocturnal, sometimes are seen in daylight.

   Small animals, such as porcupine, frequent forest and brush lands, and chipmunks and squirrels scavenge at picnic grounds. Yellow-bellied marmots can be seen near the Dworshak Visitor Center in spring and early summer. The elusive wolverine, boreal owl and Pileated woodpecker hide deep in the evergreen woods. Herons, salamanders, frogs and swans inhabit Idaho’s waters and wet areas.

   Wood ducks, Common Mergansers and Canada Geese nest in the wetlands and along the rivers. Other wetland inhabitants include the American Avocet, the Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, and the Common Snipe. Along the roadsides and in the meadows the Killdeer pipes its song.

   Common birds of prey include the Marsh Hawk, Red Tailed Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, Sparrow Hawk and many other species.