Redside shiner (Richardsonius balteatus)

The redside shiner is a western minnow found from northern British Columbia to southern OR and eastward to the Rocky Mountains. It prefers ponds, lakes, ditches, springs, sloughs, and rivers where the current is slow or absent. Spawning usually occurs in early summer, when females move into shallow waters and broadcast eggs that sink to the bottom and adhere to the substrate. Females produce from 800 to 3,600 eggs each year. Shiners feed on small planktonic organisms, then switch to insects, mainly terrestrial, later in their life. Redside shiners attain 4 - 5 inches in length, although they can reach 6 to 7 inches in some localities. They are fed upon by a variety of fishes, especially the spiny-ray species, and fish-eating birds.