Wildlife Tsankawi Guided Hike Stop 18

a horned lizard at Tsankawi

NPS

Quick Facts

Amenities

2 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot

The Piñon-Juniper Woodland supports a great diversity of wildlife that can sustain itself in the driest of the life zones in Bandelier National Monument.  Lizards, including short-horned lizards and eastern fence lizards are common on warm days.  As cold-blooded creatures, these lizards hibernate in colder seasons.  On warm spring days watch for these scaly beasts as the warming air entices them from their protective refuges to lounge upon a sunbaked rock.  Some birds, such as the Juniper Titmouse and Townsend’s solitaire, also find the smaller vegetation of the Piñon-Juniper Woodland to their liking.  In summer, turkey vultures enjoy the thermal updrafts near the mesas of Tsankawi.  Watch for their large dark wings with trailing white held in a V as they soar over you.  Do not worry.  Vultures like their meat old and fetid.  They are not considering you as a possible snack.