Bird Community Monitoring at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, 2018

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

Birds at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve that are considered species of conservation concern in the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region. The American Ornithologists' Union Code (AOU Code) and the park residency status of each species are also shown.

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

Bird species at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve that are grassland obligates, species that require grassland habitat to survive. The American Ornithologists' Union Code (AOU Code) and the park residency status of each species are also shown.

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

Read the Full Report.

Check back later for updates. We will update this page each year as we gather more information.

Visit the Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network website.