Larry Igl is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, North Dakota.
His research interests are avian ecology and conservation, with an emphasis on grassland, wetland, and agricultural ecosystems in the Midwest and Great Plains. Specific areas of interest include avian responses to habitat management and disturbances, Farm Bill and agriculture programs, grassland bird ecology, cowbird brood parasitism, and nesting ecology. He has conducted surveys of breeding, migrating, and wintering birds throughout the southern, central, and northern Great Plains. Recent investigations include a long-term evaluation of breeding bird communities in grasslands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana; an eco-immunology study of New World Blackbirds; a study relating wetland management to mercury in songbirds and ducks; an evaluation of the effects of livestock stocking rates on breeding birds in grasslands managed by the U.S. Forest Service; and an investigation of the response of grassland birds to adaptive management treatments that are being used to restore floristic composition of native grasslands owned by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.
Professional Experience
2010-present. Research Ecologist, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Jamestown, ND
1992–2010. Ecologist, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Jamestown, ND
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Zoology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
M.S., Animal Ecology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
B.S., Triple major (Biology, Wildlife Ecology, and Natural Resources Management), University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, WI
Science and Products
Decision support for restoration and management of Service-owned native prairies: Implications for grassland bird communities
Long-term changes in pollinator resources (alfalfa, sweetclover, milkweed) and monarch butterfly populations in CRP grasslands
Immune components in eggs of New World blackbirds
The effects of management practices on grassland birds
Response of grassland birds to habitat characteristics, oil wells, and roads in managed grasslands in the Little Missouri National Grassland in North Dakota
Developing techniques to census and monitor American white pelicans and other colonial waterbirds at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota
Breeding bird use of grasslands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in the northern Great Plains
Evaluation of Survey Methods for Colonial Waterbirds at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota, data release
Do life history traits influence patterns of maternal immune elements in New World blackbirds (Icteridae) data release
Wetland water-management may influence mercury bioaccumulation in songbirds and ducks at a mercury hotspot data release
Adaptive management in native grasslands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Implications for grassland birds, 2011-2013 data release
The influence of local- and landscape-level factors on wetland breeding birds in the Prairie Pothole Region of North and South Dakota dataset
Application of habitat association models across regions: Useful explanatory power retained in wetland bird case study
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)
Potential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Species of conservation concern
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
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)
Science and Products
- Science
Decision support for restoration and management of Service-owned native prairies: Implications for grassland bird communities
More than 100,000 ha of native tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in the northern Great Plains. Although prairies in this region evolved with grazing, fire, and climatic variability, management of FWS grasslands often has been passive and involved extended periods of rest. In 2008, the USGS and the FWS initiated a collaborative effort, the...Long-term changes in pollinator resources (alfalfa, sweetclover, milkweed) and monarch butterfly populations in CRP grasslands
Federal cropland retirement programs are increasingly being used to provide resources for pollinators (e.g., nectar, pollen, host plants). Pollinator-friendly plant species (e.g., alfalfa, sweetclover) were readily included in seed mixes in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands since its inception in the 1985 Farm Bill. Through time, some native plant species (e.g., milkweeds) also...Immune components in eggs of New World blackbirds
Interest in the immune systems of wild birds has increased as public health authorities have recognized that many emerging infectious diseases of wildlife can be transmitted to humans (i.e., zoonoses). Eco-immunology is an emerging field that characterizes how immune adaptations of wild species vary as a result of evolution in different habitats and niches. Present understanding of the influence...The effects of management practices on grassland birds
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...Response of grassland birds to habitat characteristics, oil wells, and roads in managed grasslands in the Little Missouri National Grassland in North Dakota
The U.S. Forest Service defines sensitive species as species that need special management to maintain and improve their status on National Forests and Grasslands, and prevent a need for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The Sprague’s pipit and Baird’s sparrow are listed as sensitive species in the Northern Region of the U.S. Forest Service. These species require large patches of native...Developing techniques to census and monitor American white pelicans and other colonial waterbirds at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota
Monitoring colonial waterbirds is essential to detect and to provide insights about changes in waterbird distribution and abundance. For colonial waterbirds, major population fluctuations often go undetected because surveys are not conducted regularly, inventory methods are inconsistent, or estimates have unknown reliability. The waterbird colony at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in North...Breeding bird use of grasslands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in the northern Great Plains
Agriculture is the dominant land use on privately owned lands in the northern Great Plains of the United States. Management decisions on agricultural lands are influenced by a variety of policies and programs established by the federal government in periodic Farm Bills. In 1985, Congress passed the Food Security Act. Title XII of the Act established the Conservation Reserve Program or CRP, a... - Data
Evaluation of Survey Methods for Colonial Waterbirds at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota, data release
We investigated methods to estimate the number of nests of waterbirds at a large, mixed-species colony at Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge in south-central North Dakota in 2012 and 2013. The data were summarized and used in the analyses for a publication in a U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report. The data consist of two data sets that were used to assess visible-nest counts for ciconiiform sDo life history traits influence patterns of maternal immune elements in New World blackbirds (Icteridae) data release
This metadata record represents passive immunity components of six songbird species (Passeriformes) in a single taxonomic family, the New World blackbirds (Icteridae). Six immune elements were compared among blackbird eggs collected in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Puerto Rico, including immunoglobulins (Ig) in both yolk and albumen, lipopolysaccharide-specific immunoglobulins in both yolk and aWetland water-management may influence mercury bioaccumulation in songbirds and ducks at a mercury hotspot data release
We examined the role of wetland water-management on mercury bioaccumulation in songbirds and ducks. This database contains records of mercury concentrations in blood of wetland-foraging songbirds (80 common yellowthroats [Geothlypis trichas] and 14 Nelson's sparrows [Ammospiza nelsoni]) and eggs of upland-nesting ducks (28 gadwall [Mareca strepera], 19 blue-winged teal [Spatula discors], and 13 noAdaptive management in native grasslands managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Implications for grassland birds, 2011-2013 data release
This database contains records of grassland bird abundance and vegetation structure on tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Specifically, under the adaptive-management decision framework (Native Prairie Adaptive Management [NPAM] intiative), we surveyed breeding birds and sampled vegetation on 89 native prairie NPAM units managed by the U.S. FisThe influence of local- and landscape-level factors on wetland breeding birds in the Prairie Pothole Region of North and South Dakota dataset
The data set consists of data collected in 1995, 1996, and 1997 in wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and South Dakota. The data were summarized and used in the analysis for a U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report entitled: The influence of local- and landscape-level factors on wetland breeding birds in the Prairie Pothole Region of North and South Dakota. The data consist of - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 113
Application of habitat association models across regions: Useful explanatory power retained in wetland bird case study
Species often exhibit regionally specific habitat associations, so habitat association models developed in one region might not be accurate or even appropriate for other regions. Three programs to survey wetland-breeding birds covering (respectively) Great Lakes coastal wetlands, inland Great Lakes wetlands, and the Prairie Pothole Region offer an opportunity to test whether regionally specific moAuthorsLisa H. Elliott, Annie M. Bracey, Gerald J. Niemi, Douglas H. Johnson, Thomas M. Gehring, Erin E. Gnass Giese, Giuseppe E. Fiorino, Robert W. Howe, Gregory J. Lawrence, Christopher J. Norment, Douglas C. Tozer, Lawrence IglThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Dickcissel (Spiza americana)
Keys to Dickcissel (Spiza americana) management include providing dense, moderate-to-tall vegetation, particularly with a well-developed forb component, and moderately deep litter. Dickcissels have been reported to use grassland habitats with 4–166 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 6–85 cm visual obstruction reading, 11–68 percent grass cover, 1–86 percent forb cover, less than or equalAuthorsJill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Amy L. Zimmerman, Betty R. EulissThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Keys to Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) management in western North America’s grasslands, particularly those of the Great Plains region, include maintaining open, mostly undeveloped landscapes that sustain at least modest population levels of suitable prey (most typically rabbits [Leporidae] and prairie dogs or ground squirrels [Sciuridae]); safeguarding nesting territories (that is, breeding areAuthorsRobert K. Murphy, John P. DeLong, Lawrence D. Igl, Jill A. ShafferThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)
Keys to Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida) management include providing grasslands with a shrub or forb component or shrub-dominated edge habitat, which includes dense grass and moderately high litter cover, and avoiding disturbances that completely eliminate woody vegetation. Clay-colored Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 20–186 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 3–50AuthorsJill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. EulissPotential effects of energy development on environmental resources of the Williston Basin in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota—Species of conservation concern
The ecosystems of the Williston Basin provide direct and indirect benefits to society. These benefits include carbon sequestration, flood control, nutrient rich soils for agricultural productivity, and habitat for wildlife. This chapter’s main focus is on the effects of energy development on species that occupy the ecosystems in the Williston Basin. We compiled a list of documented species of consAuthorsMax Post van der Burg, Amy J. Symstad, Lawrence D. Igl, David M. Mushet, Diane L. Larson, Glen A. Sargeant, David D. Harper, Aïda M. Farag, Brian A. Tangen, Michael J. AnteauThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea)
Keys to Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) management include providing areas of short, sparse vegetation and maintaining populations of prey species and of burrowing mammals to ensure availability of burrows as nest sites. In particular, the conservation of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) and Richardson’s ground squirrel (Urocitellus richardsonii) colonies is vital to theAuthorsJill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Paul A. Rabie, Jason P. Thiele, Betty R. EulissThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus)
The keys to Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) management are maintaining expansive grasslands; preventing populations of Greater Prairie-Chickens from becoming small and isolated; managing grasslands to maintain proper grassland height, density, and vigor; and reducing woody plant invasion and excessive litter buildup. Within these grasslands, areas should contain short herbaceAuthorsW. Daniel Svedarsky, John E. Toepfer, Ronald L. Westemeier, Robert J. Robel, Lawrence D. Igl, Jill A. ShafferThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
The key to Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) management is providing large grasslands and wetlands, particularly those that can support high densities of voles (Microtus species). Short-eared Owls have been reported to use habitats with 30–90 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 7–47 cm visual obstruction reading, 31–85 percent grass cover, 8–26 percent forb cover, less than 18 percent shrubAuthorsJill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. EulissThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)
The key to Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) management is providing large areas of contiguous grassland of intermediate height with moderately deep litter and low shrub density. Grasshopper Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 8–166 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 4–80 cm visual obstruction reading, 12–95 percent grass cover, 4–40 percent forb cover, less than 35AuthorsJill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Travis L. Wooten, Betty R. EulissThe effects of management practices on grassland birds—Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
Keys to Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) management include providing open grasslands with sparse-to-moderate herbaceous and litter cover and a woody component and allowing occasional burning or moderate grazing. Lark Sparrows have been reported to use habitats with 10–63 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 10–54 percent grass cover, 9–25 percent forb cover, 4–18 percent shrub cover, 16AuthorsJill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Barry D. Parkin, Betty R. EulissThe 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 seAuthorsBrett L. Walker, Lawrence D. Igl, Jill A. ShafferThe 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, andAuthorsJill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson, Marriah L. Sondreal, Christopher M. Goldade, Paul A. Rabie, Betty R. Euliss