Vill du förbättra sidans innehåll? Föreslå en ändring.
Greater Prairie-chickens live in remnant tallgrass prairie and are in decline because of habitat loss. They are famous for their unique mating dances and a booming call that is amplified by their inflatable neck sacs. Robert Bennetts
Why Do We Monitor Birds?
Birds are an important part of the world we live in. They eat pests, disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and feed us, and birdwatching is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Park interpretive programs often feature birds because of the enjoyment they provide. Birds are also great indicators of environmental change. They serve as the canary in the coal mine, so to speak, for an ecosystem. Agricultural, urban, and industrial development threaten bird habitat in the region around Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Unfortunately, 44% of the birds that breed at the preserve are in decline in the larger region. Some birds, like the Greater Prairie-chicken and Northern Bobwhite, are declining at alarming rates.
Scientists in the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network measure changes in birds and their habitat to determine the health of bird communities and park ecosystems. During the breeding season, we survey birds at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and gather information about the structure and composition of the park plant communities that birds live in. We also compare park bird trends to bird trends in the region. Together, these data help researchers determine how bird populations are faring and how birds respond to changes in their habitats. Knowing how birds are doing can help the park take effective steps to restore and maintain the park's beautiful landscapes.
The Common Nighthawk is a summer resident at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. NPS
Bird Communities at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (2001–2018)
We started surveying birds at the park in 2001. In 17 years of surveys we have found 119 different bird species. Ninety-six of these species have the potential to breed within the park. This is about 80% of the total species one would reasonably expect to be breeding here.
The number of bird species found during surveys and how they were distributed across the landscape was relatively unchanged over the years. On average, the annual totals were 37 species in the upland tallgrass prairie habitat and 31 species in the riparian (streamside or riverside) habitat at the park. Thirteen breeding species and four other species on the park are considered species of conservation concern for the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region, the region in which the preserve is located. Nine breeding species and four migrant species on the preserve are grassland obligates, species that require grassland habitat to survive.
Bird Species of Conservation Concern at the Park
| Common Name | Scientific Name | AOU Code | Park Resident? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acadian Flycatcher | Empidonax virescens | ACFL | migrant |
| Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus | BAEA | winter resident |
| Bell's Vireo | Vireo bellii | BEVI | summer resident |
| Bewick's Wren | Thryomanes bewickii | BEWR | summer resident |
| Black-billed Cuckoo | Coccyzus erythropthalmus | BBCU | summer resident |
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper | Tryngites subruficollis | BBSA | migrant |
| Dickcissel | Spiza americana | DICK | summer resident |
| Field Sparrow | Spizella pusilla | FISP | year-round resident |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum | GRSP | summer resident |
| Henslow's Sparrow | Ammodramus henslowii | HESP | summer resident |
| Kentucky Warbler | Geothlypis formosa | KEWA | summer resident |
| Loggerhead Shrike | Lanius ludovicianus | LOSH | year-round resident |
| Northern Flicker | Colaptes auratus | YSFL | year-round resident |
| Pied-billed Grebe | Podilymbus podiceps | PBGR | migrant |
| Prothonotary Warbler | Protonotaria citrea | PROW | summer resident |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Melanerpes erythrocephalus | RHWO | year-round resident |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | UPSA | summer resident |
Grassland Obligate Bird Species in the Park
| Common Name | Scientific Name | AOU Code | Park Resident? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobolink | Dolichonyx oryzivorus | BOBO | migrant |
| Dickcissel | Spiza americana | DICK | summer resident |
| Eastern Meadowlark | Sturnella magna | EAME | year-round resident |
| Grasshopper Sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum | GRSP | sumer resident |
| Greater Prairie-chicken | Tympanuchus cupido | GPCH | year-round resident |
| Henslow's Sparrow | Ammodramus henslowii | HESP | summer resident |
| Horned Lark | Eremophila alpestris | HOLA | year-round resident |
| Northern Harrier | Circus cyaneus | NOHA | year- round resident |
| Savannah Sparrow | Passerculus sandwichensis | SAVS | migrant |
| Sedge Wren | Cistothorus platensis | SEWR | migrant |
| Upland Sandpiper | Bartramia longicauda | UPSA | summer resident |
| Vesper Sparrow | Pooecetes gramineus | VESP | migrant |
| Western Meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | WEME | year-round resident |
Bird Habitat
The unchanging diversity of birds at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve suggests that the habitat on the park has remained similar or improved across the years. The park is located in the rocky, rolling terrain of the Flint Hills in Kansas. This area has been largely untouched by a plow, and the lush grasslands and riparian areas on the park support the rich array of birds that we find breeding there. We will continue to monitor birds and how they respond to changes in their environment to help the park manage habitat for birds. Conserving bird habitat preserves entire ecosystems for the benefit of all species.
The Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region is one of 67 regions identified in the North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located on the western edge of this region. NPS
Red-bellied Woodpeckers are year-round residents at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. They have increased in both the park and the region since 2001. NPS/Neal Lewis
Trends of Common Bird Species
Nine riparian species and 18 upland species had populations that were large enough for us to measure abundance (how many individuals there were). Abundance measures allow us to look at bird population trends in the park and compare them with trends in the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region. Overall, most of the populations of common birds in the park are faring as well as or slightly better than in the larger region.
- Five species had populations that significantly increased in the park since 2001: Dickcissel and Mourning Dove in the uplands and Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Tufted Titmouse in the riparian areas.
- Five species had populations that significantly decreased in the park since 2001: Killdeer, Lark Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Upland Sandpiper, and Western Meadowlark in the uplands. None of the common bird species in riparian areas showed significant declines.
- All other common bird species in upland and riparian habitats on the park had stable or undetectable population trends.
Western Meadowlark NPS
Did You Know?
Western Meadowlarks are declining at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve as Eastern Meadowlarks are increasing. Western meadowlarks prefer shorter vegetation and Eastern Meadowlarks favor taller and denser vegetation. A change in habitat over time at the park may be the explanation for these trends. From 2005 through 2018, the park set fewer prescribed burns each year and reduced the number of grazing cattle compared to the early years of our bird surveys (2001 through 2005). In the Windmill Pasture, bison replaced cattle in 2009. These changes have resulted in the taller and thicker vegetation that the Eastern Meadowlark prefers.
For More Information
Check back later for updates. We will update this page each year as we gather more information.
Visit the Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network website.
Where this belongs
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Where this page came from
This page was imported from National Park Service. Produced by the U.S. National Park Service and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain.
Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.
I dessa samlingarTallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Licens: CC0 1.0 (allmän egendom) · Bearbetat efter www.nps.gov
1
0
0
0
Kommentarer
Läs härnäst
