Habitat Use by Birds in the Northern Shortgrass Prairie of North America: a Local and Landscape Approach

Abstract

My research examines habitat use by birds breeding in the northern shortgrass prairie of North America. Results indicate that bird communities differ among shortgrass prairie, CRP, and dryland agriculture. Three species were more abundant on CRP than shortgrass prairie, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel, and Mourning Dove, and all three were more abundant on dryland agriculture than CRP. CRP had taller grass and less shrub cover than shortgrass prairie. CRP and shortgrass prairie had similar conservation values (CVs) and both had greater CVs than dryland agriculture; however, different species constituted the CVs of CRP and shortgrass prairie. Local vegetation characteristics and landscape features influenced bird use of shortgrass prairie and influence varied by species and spatial scale. I suggest that CRP can provide habitat for a wider variety of shortgrass prairie birds if management activities are prescribed and designed based on requirements of multiple species, including the influence of surrounding landscape features.