Butte Sink
Map SatelliteButte Sink, lying to the west of the Sutter Buttes and formed by the drainage of Butte Creek as it approaches the Sacramento River, is a large complex of ponds and freshwater marsh.
Freshwater marsh vegetation, Typha spp., Scirpus spp., Heleocharis sp., is the dominant; however, on the higher eminences a riparian woodland vegetation is found including sycamore, Platanus racemosa, button-willow, Cephalanthus occidentalis, and several willows, Salix spp. The rare California hibiscus, Hibiscus californicus, occurs here.
The Sink is one of the prime wintering areas on the Pacific Flyway, with up to a million-plus waterfowl utilizing it at the peak of the season. Over 150 bird species have been reported in the area including the endangered tule goose, Anser albifrons gambeli, and peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus anatum, as well as the rare yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus occidentalis. Muskrats, Ondatra zibethica, and otter, Lutra canadensis, are among the mammals found here. All of the native Central Valley fish fauna are found in the lower reaches of Butte Creek except the game fish steelhead and salmon.
Integrity: Much of the marsh is natural but portions of the area are seasonally flooded to provide waterfowl habitat.
Use: Research, educational, observational, hunting, on public areas. Remainder private.
Ref: Anon. 1954. Butte Basin. California; A Report on Fish and Wildlife Resources. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon. Mimeo.
July 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman