Riparian systems in the western United States provide important habitat for bird communities during all times of the year. In recent decades, invasive plants, such as Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), have achieved broad distribution and local dominance in many western riparian areas, raising concerns over the loss of ecological function within these systems. In 2005 and 2006 we conducted avian point counts and surveyed vegetation cover at 95 points along the Snake and Columbia Rivers in southeastern Washington to investigate the effects of total woody vegetation cover and the relative proportion of Russian olive cover on breeding and wintering riparian bird communities. Our results indicated that riparian habitats dominated by Russian olive can support diverse and abundant bird communities, though cavity nesting species were noticeably sparse. Bird density and species richness were best explained by a quadratic relationship to total woody vegetation cover in both seasons, as was breeding bird community composition, with greatest density and richness in intermediate cover levels. We found no indication that the proportion of the woody vegetation comprised of Russian olive strongly influenced any of these bird community metrics. Given that Russian olive comprised 81.6% of the riparian vegetation in our study area, it is unclear from our results how Russian olive would affect bird communities in regions where native vegetation is more abundant. Regardless, complete eradication of Russian olive from riparian systems where the plant is a major component will reduce the overall habitat value for birds by eliminating significant structural complexity.