Colusa National Wildlife Refuge is one of six refuges in the

Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex is part of the United States system of National Wildlife Refuges (NWR). It is located in northern California, in the valley of the Sacramento River. The Sacramento NWR Complex was created in an att ...

located in the Sacramento Valley of north-central

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

.FWS.gov: Colusa National Wildlife Refuge Profile
/ref> The refuge is located in

Colusa County Colusa County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,839. The county seat is Colusa. It is in the North Valley of California, northwest of the state capital, Sacramento. History C ...

. It is around north of metropolitan Sacramento.

Geography

The refuge primarily consists of intensively managed

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

impoundments, with some

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

and

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

habitats.

Natural history

Colusa National Wildlife Refuge typically supports wintering populations of more than 200,000 ducks and 50,000 geese. Wetland impoundments are intensively managed to provide optimal habitat for the dense concentration of wintering

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

, as well as habitat for resident wildlife and spring/summer migrants. The grassland habitat supports several populations of

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

and sensitive species of plants. The refuge is a stronghold for populations of the endangered

palmate-bracted bird's beak ''Chloropyron palmatum'' (formerly ''Cordylanthus palmatus'') is an endangered species of salt-tolerant, flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae. It is a low, highly branched herbaceous annual with each flower enclosed by a single, characteris ...

and the

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

giant garter snake The giant garter snake (''Thamnophis gigas'') is the largest species of garter snake. Relatively rare, it is a semi-aquatic snake with a limited distribution in the wetlands of central California. Description The giant garter snake is the larges ...

. About 35,000 visitors come to the refuge each year for wildlife viewing and 4,000 come to hunt waterfowl and

pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera native range is restricted to Eurasia ...

Gallery

File:Falcated duck (6602072861).jpg, A rare falcated duck, a "vagrant" from Asia that arrived at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge (December 2011).

References

External links

Official Colusa National Wildlife Refuge website
{{authority control National Wildlife Refuges in California Wetlands of California Grasslands of California Protected areas of Colusa County, California Natural history of the Central Valley (California) Natural history of Colusa County, California Landforms of Colusa County, California