With support from the U.S. Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV), the U.S. Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy, Northern Prairie is synthesizing literature on the effects of management practices on grassland bird species. The need for these syntheses was identified by the PPJV, a part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, in support of its objective to stabilize or increase populations of declining grassland‑ and wetland‑associated wildlife species in the Prairie Pothole Region. More than 6,000 published and unpublished articles in the literature have been incorporated, and syntheses are near completion for 40 North American grassland bird species. Each species account includes information on species range, suitable habitat, area requirements, breeding season phenology, species’ response to management, and management recommendations. The final product will provide land managers with a summary of information on the effects of specific management practices on grassland birds, and identify for researchers the most critical research gaps in our understanding of grassland bird ecology, habitat needs, and responses to management practices.
Below are publications associated with this project.
The effects of management practices on grassland birds
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni nelsoni)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Baird’s Sparrow (Centronyx bairdii)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Merlin (Falco columbarius)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii)
- Overview
With support from the U.S. Prairie Pothole Joint Venture (PPJV), the U.S. Forest Service, and The Nature Conservancy, Northern Prairie is synthesizing literature on the effects of management practices on grassland bird species. The need for these syntheses was identified by the PPJV, a part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, in support of its objective to stabilize or increase populations of declining grassland‑ and wetland‑associated wildlife species in the Prairie Pothole Region. More than 6,000 published and unpublished articles in the literature have been incorporated, and syntheses are near completion for 40 North American grassland bird species. Each species account includes information on species range, suitable habitat, area requirements, breeding season phenology, species’ response to management, and management recommendations. The final product will provide land managers with a summary of information on the effects of specific management practices on grassland birds, and identify for researchers the most critical research gaps in our understanding of grassland bird ecology, habitat needs, and responses to management practices.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
The effects of management practices on grassland birds
Since the mid-1960s, populations of grassland birds have been declining more precipitously than any other group of birds in North America. These long-term declines highlight the need to better understand the habitat requirements of grassland birds and how management practices affect individual species and their habitats. Although resource managers have long recognized that every management approacFilter Total Items: 29The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri)
Keys to Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri breweri) management include maintaining extensive, unfragmented patches of suitable breeding habitat; reducing conifer cover and height; preventing the invasion of conifers and nonnative plants, especially cheatgrass (downy brome [Bromus tectorum]); minimizing disturbance to soil; and restricting the use of pesticides and herbicides during the breeding seThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni nelsoni)
The key to Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammospiza nelsoni nelsoni) management is providing dense grasses or emergent vegetation near damp areas or freshwater wetlands. Nelson’s Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 20–122 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 41 cm visual obstruction reading, 40–58 percent grass cover, 24 percent forb cover, 5 percent shrub cover, 13 percent bare ground, andThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus)
Keys to Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) management include maintaining cliffs with suitable recesses for use as nest sites (that is, the substrate that supports the nest or the specific location of the nest on the landscape), protecting nest sites from human disturbance by designating buffer zones, and maintaining open landscapes and habitats that support populations of ground squirrels (UrocitelThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis)
Keys to Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) management include providing tall, dense grasslands with moderate forb coverage and minimizing disturbances during the breeding season. Sedge Wrens have been reported to use habitats with 30–166 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 8–80 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–75 percent grass cover, 3–78 percent forb cover, less than or equal to (≤) 15 pThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus)
The key to Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) management is maintaining expansive sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) or sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) grasslands. Within these grasslands, areas should contain short herbaceous cover for lek sites (that is, an area where male prairie-chickens gather to engage in courtship displays to attract mates); shrubs or tall residual gThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)
Keys to Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) management are providing extensive grasslands of intermediate height and density with a well-developed litter layer, controlling succession, and protecting nesting habitat from disturbance during the breeding season. Savannah Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 11–190 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 4–50 cm visual obstruThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii)
Keys to LeConte’s Sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) management include controlling succession and providing uplands and lowlands with tall, thick herbaceous vegetation and thick litter. LeConte’s Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 30–90 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 19–41 cm visual obstruction reading, 35–43 percent grass cover, 16–27 percent forb cover, less than (The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Baird’s Sparrow (Centronyx bairdii)
Keys to Baird’s Sparrow (Centronyx bairdii) management are providing native or tame grasslands with moderately deep litter, controlling excessive grazing, and curtailing shrub encroachment. Baird’s Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with less than or equal to (≤) 101 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 3–46 cm visual obstruction reading (VOR), 15–71 percent grass cover, 5–25 perceThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)
Keys to Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus) management are providing and maintaining native pastures with fairly short overall vegetation and sparse litter accumulation but with areas of taller and denser vegetation and accumulated litter for nesting, and tailoring grazing intensity to local conditions. Chestnut-collared Longspurs have been reported to use habitats with 10–77 centimeterThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys)
Keys to Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) management include providing short vegetation with protective nest cover and tailoring grazing systems to the type of grassland. Lark Buntings have been reported to use habitats with 6–72 centimeter (cm) average vegetation height, 2–11 cm visual obstruction reading, 13–71 percent grass cover, less than or equal to (≤) 48 percent forb cover, ≤17 percenThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Merlin (Falco columbarius)
The key to Merlin (Falco columbarius) management is maintaining an interspersion of groves of deciduous or coniferous trees for nesting and open grasslands for hunting. Merlins do not build their own nests but rather use former nests of other bird species, including those of corvids (crows, ravens, and magpies) and accipitrids (hawks). In recent decades, Merlins have established breeding populatioThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii)
Keys to Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii) management include providing suitable grassland habitat, especially native prairie, with intermediate vegetation height and low visual obstruction, and controlling succession therein. Sprague’s Pipits have been reported to use habitats with no more than 49 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 4–14 cm visual obstruction reading, 15–53 percent grass