Grassland birds require large, open areas of tallgrass prairie and sedge meadow. Most are fragmented into areas too small for birds and lack the primary forces that historically maintained grasslands: bison, prairie dogs, and fire. Meet our birds of prey. Grassland Birds The plants that we might think of as wildflowers or weeds on a walk through the Baldwin Hills are usually part of the grassland habitat. Grasslands are the world’s most altered ecosystem, frequently being converted for cropping, pastures or urbanisation. They need undisturbed areas to provide food, nesting habitat and protection from predators. When grasslands are transformed by humans, this often pushes out sensitive grassland birds, for example the Great Indian Bustard, now listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Most of these species nest on the ground. Grassland habitats on birds’ breeding and wintering grounds are highly altered and degraded. Fortunately some grassland birds, like the Eastern Meadowlark, are adaptive and […]

One-third of North America’s grassland bird species are on the 2016 State of the Birds Watch List, a list of species most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats. They prefer treeless areas because trees provide shelter for predators, such as hawks, skunks, raccoons, foxes and coyotes. Falco sparverius. Click on the photos below to … Further, many grassland habitats have been degraded due to mis-management of cattle grazing. Habitat: Kestrels hunt for large insects, mice, songbirds, voles, and snakes in meadows, parks, farm fields, grasslands.

American Kestrel. Grassland birds depend on large, open expanses of grassland to successfully breed, forage and raise their young. Story: He came to LSNC in 2011 from Brave Heart Raptor Center in Western Michigan with a right wing injury. Brown-headed cowbirds are also more common along the edges of wooded areas.