North American grassland birds: An unfolding conservation crisis?

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management 2005, Vol.69 (1), p.1-13
• Main Authors: Brennan, L.A, Kuvlesky, W.P. Jr
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agricultural management; Aves; Aviculture; Bird populations; Birds; Breeding Bird Survey; Endangered & extinct species; Fowling; grass-shrub birds; Grasses; grassland birds; Grasslands; grouse; Habitat conservation; Habitats; Invited Paper; Joint Venture; Joint ventures; land use; Livestock; Livestock breeding; North American Bird Conservation Initiative; North American Waterfowl Management Plan; Partners in Flight; population decline; population size; prairie grouse; Prairies; quail; Quails; Rangelands; shrublands; Waterfowl; wild birds; Wildlife conservation; wildlife habitats; wildlife management
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.2193/0022-541X(2005)069<0001:NAGBAU>2.0.CO;2

The widespread and ongoing declines of North American bird populations that have affinites for grassland and grass-shrub habitats (hereafter referred to as grassland birds) are on track to become a prominent wildlife conservation crisis of the 21st century. There is no single cause responsible for the declines of grassland birds. Rather, a cumulative set of factors such as afforestation in the eastern United States, fragmentation and replacement of prairie vegetation with a modern agricultural landscape, and large-scale deterioration of western U.S. rangelands are the major causes for these declines. The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) is a set of comprehensive and coordinated strategic actions modeled on the Joint Venture initiatives that were used to successfully implement the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The NABCI is emerging as a potential broad-scale solution for conserving populations of grassland birds. Coordinating grassland bird conservation efforts with initiatives to stabilize and increase upland game birds that have strong affinities for grassland habitats-such as quail and prairie grouse-presents additional opportunities to leverage funding and resources that will positively impact virtually all species of North American grassland birds.