Breeding Birds Monitoring
North American grasslands once covered vast areas of the continent. However, at present most have been altered or have ceased to exist as functioning prairie ecosystems with their full compliment of plant and animal species. Of all the North American grasslands, tall- and mid-grass prairies are among the most severely altered.
Over the past 25 years, data from the U.S. Geological Survey's North American Breeding Bird Survey indicate that almost 70% of the 29 grassland bird species adequately surveyed showed evidence of declining populations (Knopf 1994; U.S. Department of Interior 1996; Sauer et al. 2000), primarily the result of habitat loss.
Grassland bird inventories were conducted in Prairie Cluster Prototype Inventory and Monitoring parks in 1998 and 1999 as a preliminary step toward developing a long-term monitoring strategy for network parks. Bird monitoring was initiated at Agate Fossil Beds NM, and Tallgrass Prairie NP in 2001 as a measure for assessing the condition of their grasslands and the usefulness of breeding habitat for birds. In 2005, bird monitoring was expanded to other Heartland Network parks.
Reports
Monitoring questions and approach
- Identify significant temporal changes in composition and abundance of bird communities during the breeding season.
- Conduct annual censuses during the breeding season on variable circular plot to track the location, abundance, and trends of bird species through time.
- Improve our understanding of breeding bird – habitat relationships and the effects of management actions such as grazing and prescribed fire regimes on bird populations.
- Plant community composition and habitat structure and availability data are collected in conjunction with annual breeding bird surveys so that monitoring results can be tracked over time and correlated with habitat characteristics.
Protocol
-
Peitz, D.G., G.A. Rowell, J.L. Haack, K.M. James, L.W. Morrison, and M.D. DeBacker. 2008. Breeding Bird Monitoring Protocol for the Heartland Network Inventory and Monitoring Program. Natural Resource Report NPS/HTLN/NRR- 2008/044. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. (PDF)
-
Peitz, D.G, S.G. Fancy, L.P. Thomas, G.A. Rowell, and M.D. DeBacker. 2004. Bird monitoring protocol for Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas. Prairie Cluster Prototype Monitoring Program, National Park Service, Republic, MO. (ZIP)
Reports
-
Go to the Reports page
References
- Knopf, F.L. 1994. Avian assemblages on altered grasslands. Studies in Avian Biology 15: 247-257.
- Sauer, J.R., J.E. Hines, I. Thomas, J. Fallon, and G. Gough. 2000. The North American breeding bird survey, results and analysis 1966 – 1999. Version 98.1, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD. Available from: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/bbs.html
Presentations
- Assessment of Trends in Breeding Bird Communities in Four Midwestern National Park Service Units(PPT).
- Spatial Analysis of Grassland Bird Abundance and Associated Habitat Variables (PPT).
Links
Contact Information
-
David Peitz
Wildlife Ecologist (417-732-6438 ext. 276)