Where the Bobolinks Roam: The Plight of North America's Grassland Birds

Abstract

Grassland birds, in this study defined as species that are wholly or mostly dependent upon upland grasslands for their survival, have experienced the most pronounced declines of any other group of birds on the North American continent, and the declines appear to be continuing unabated. Widespread declines of farmland birds are also occurring in Great Britain and western Europe, largely due to the intensification of agricultural operations. Habitat loss has been the major driving force for declines of grassland birds up until the last 50 years when the intensification of mechanized agricultural operations, along with increased habitat fragmentation that is associated with larger “industrial” farm sizes, became strong factors. Other threats to grassland birds come from invasive species and planting of exotic grasses, urbanization, residential development, oil and gas extraction, wind power development, excessive predation/parasitism, fire suppression that results in succession to shrubland, ground water depletion, development of transportation corridors, use of pesticides, and rodent eradication programs. No single management approach or conservation solution will benefit the entire suite of grassland bird species across large geographic regions. Just stabilizing populations of grassland birds at their present levels presents a huge conservation challenge.