Abstract
Grasslands cover more than 40% of Earth’s land surface and are the most converted, yet least protected, biome worldwide (Hoekstra et al. 2005). As a guild, grassland birds have declined more rapidly than birds of any other habitat type in North America (Herkert 1995). These statistics might be expected to generate a lot of attention to conservation in this biome; however, just as ignorance about one of the most strident prairie birds gave rise to its scientific name, Sturnella neglecta (Audubon 1840), knowledge regarding the ecology and conservation of grasslands and grassland birds lags behind that of other ecosystems.
Highlights
Knowledge about the ecology and conservation of grassland birds is increasing
With data from the Breeding Bird Surveys, he demonstrated that, as a group, abundance of grassland birds declined across Midwestern North America more than birds associated with any other type of habitat; among species, similar trends were both large and pervasive, with more than 50% of grassland bird species declining by more than 50% in abundance between 1966 and 1993
The time seemed right for Avian Conservation and Ecology to focus on a collection of recent research about the ecology and conservation of grassland birds, with the hope that the benefits of these publications would extend beyond the knowledge gained from any one study
Summary
A search of ISI Web of Knowledge® research turned up less than one third the number of papers about grassland (1445) as forest (5200) birds. Knowledge about the ecology and conservation of grassland birds is increasing.
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