Lawrence Igl, PhD
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
Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Clay-colored Sparrow
Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Chestnut-collared Longspur
North Dakota bird life: tracking changes over a quarter century
Changes in breeding bird populations in North Dakota: 1967 to 1992-93
Second record of white ibis in North Dakota
Le Conte's, sharp-tailed, and Henslow's sparrows in Grant County, Minnesota
A noteworthy record and the breeding distribution of the blue grosbeak in North Dakota
Migratory bird population changes in North Dakota
Contributions of the Conservation Reserve Program to populations of breeding birds in North Dakota
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 118
Effects of management practices on grassland birds: Clay-colored Sparrow
Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the relative densities of the species in North America, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps aAuthorsJill A. Dechant, Marriah L. Sondreal, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. EulissEffects of management practices on grassland birds: Chestnut-collared Longspur
Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the relative densities of the species in North America, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps aAuthorsJill A. Dechant, Marriah L. Sondreal, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. EulissNorth Dakota bird life: tracking changes over a quarter century
No abstract available.AuthorsD. H. Johnson, L.D. Igl, C.J. JohnsonChanges in breeding bird populations in North Dakota: 1967 to 1992-93
We compared breeding bird populations in North Dakota using surveys conducted in 1967 and 1992-93. In decreasing order, the five most frequently occurring species were Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). The five most abundant speciesAuthorsL.D. Igl, D. H. JohnsonSecond record of white ibis in North Dakota
Abstract has not been submittedAuthorsJ.W. Marlow, L.D. Igl, M.R. HartmanLe Conte's, sharp-tailed, and Henslow's sparrows in Grant County, Minnesota
Abstract has not been submittedAuthorsL.D. IglA noteworthy record and the breeding distribution of the blue grosbeak in North Dakota
The northern limit of the blue grosbeak's (Guiraca caerulea) breeding distribution occurs in southern North Dakota. Records of the blue grosbeak in North Dakota are uncommon. Here, I report my observation of a blue grosbeak at a site where the species was recorded 25 years earlier. A summary of the species' distribution and records in North Dakota are provided.AuthorsL.D. IglMigratory bird population changes in North Dakota
The status of migratory bird populations in North America has received increased attention in recent years. Much of this consideration has been on Neotropical migrants, especially those associated with eastern forests. The status of migratory bird populations in the Great Plains has received far less attention. During the past quarter-century, populations of many species of birds that breed in theAuthorsLawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. JohnsonContributions of the Conservation Reserve Program to populations of breeding birds in North Dakota
Previous studies have shown that habitat provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a feature of the 1985 farm bill, is used by many birds. The present study quantitatively assesses the importance of the CRP by estimating changes in breeding-bird populations of North Dakota projected if CRP land would revert to cultivation. Of 18 species that were common in CRP or crop fields or both, 12AuthorsD. H. Johnson, L.D. Igl