Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition
Much of the remaining prairie in Canada is grazed by cattle and most grassland birds of conservation concern occupy such habitat. Identifying vegetation features related to grassland bird habitat selection that can be easily understood and measured by professional range managers and livestock produc...
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ftunivnebraskali:oai:digitalcommons.unl.edu:tpn-1016 2023-11-12T04:16:43+01:00 Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition Davis, Stephen K. Dale, Brenda C. Harrison, Tom Duncan, David C. 2014-08-01T07:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tpn/13 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/tpn/article/1016/viewcontent/pdf_davis_napc.pdf unknown DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tpn/13 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/tpn/article/1016/viewcontent/pdf_davis_napc.pdf The Prairie Naturalist Grassland passerines Grazing Mixed-grass prairie Range assessment Rangeland condition Rangeland health Saskatchewan Vegetation structure Biodiversity Botany Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Systems Biology Weed Science text 2014 ftunivnebraskali 2023-10-30T11:55:35Z Much of the remaining prairie in Canada is grazed by cattle and most grassland birds of conservation concern occupy such habitat. Identifying vegetation features related to grassland bird habitat selection that can be easily understood and measured by professional range managers and livestock producers on private lands is an important step towards conserving and restoring remaining grasslands. We conducted grassland bird surveys on 28 native mixed-grass prairie pastures in southern Saskatchewan to determine whether grazing system type (season-long vs. rotational) influenced avian abundance. Grazing system had no influence on abundance of grassland passerines. Conservation agencies that promote particular grazing systems without consideration of recommended stocking rates, season of use and duration and frequency of grazing will likely fall short of achieving their objectives. Our results also demonstrate that intensive and rapid assessments of rangeland vegetation (i.e. range condition and visual estimation of plant vigor and residual cover, respectively) commonly used by professional range managers and ranchers may be useful indicators of abundance for horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), Sprague’s pipit (Anthus spragueii), Baird’s sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), and Chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus). Range condition strongly influenced Baird’s sparrow and Sprague’s pipit abundance at the pasture level and therefore may be a useful tool for identifying important breeding habitat for these species. Text Eremophila alpestris University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL Canada |
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Open Polar |
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University of Nebraska-Lincoln: DigitalCommons@UNL |
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ftunivnebraskali |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Grassland passerines Grazing Mixed-grass prairie Range assessment Rangeland condition Rangeland health Saskatchewan Vegetation structure Biodiversity Botany Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Systems Biology Weed Science |
spellingShingle |
Grassland passerines Grazing Mixed-grass prairie Range assessment Rangeland condition Rangeland health Saskatchewan Vegetation structure Biodiversity Botany Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Systems Biology Weed Science Davis, Stephen K. Dale, Brenda C. Harrison, Tom Duncan, David C. Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition |
topic_facet |
Grassland passerines Grazing Mixed-grass prairie Range assessment Rangeland condition Rangeland health Saskatchewan Vegetation structure Biodiversity Botany Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Environmental Sciences Life Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation Systems Biology Weed Science |
description |
Much of the remaining prairie in Canada is grazed by cattle and most grassland birds of conservation concern occupy such habitat. Identifying vegetation features related to grassland bird habitat selection that can be easily understood and measured by professional range managers and livestock producers on private lands is an important step towards conserving and restoring remaining grasslands. We conducted grassland bird surveys on 28 native mixed-grass prairie pastures in southern Saskatchewan to determine whether grazing system type (season-long vs. rotational) influenced avian abundance. Grazing system had no influence on abundance of grassland passerines. Conservation agencies that promote particular grazing systems without consideration of recommended stocking rates, season of use and duration and frequency of grazing will likely fall short of achieving their objectives. Our results also demonstrate that intensive and rapid assessments of rangeland vegetation (i.e. range condition and visual estimation of plant vigor and residual cover, respectively) commonly used by professional range managers and ranchers may be useful indicators of abundance for horned lark (Eremophila alpestris), Sprague’s pipit (Anthus spragueii), Baird’s sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii), and Chestnut-collared longspur (Calcarius ornatus). Range condition strongly influenced Baird’s sparrow and Sprague’s pipit abundance at the pasture level and therefore may be a useful tool for identifying important breeding habitat for these species. |
format |
Text |
author |
Davis, Stephen K. Dale, Brenda C. Harrison, Tom Duncan, David C. |
author_facet |
Davis, Stephen K. Dale, Brenda C. Harrison, Tom Duncan, David C. |
author_sort |
Davis, Stephen K. |
title |
Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition |
title_short |
Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition |
title_full |
Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition |
title_fullStr |
Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition |
title_full_unstemmed |
Response of Grassland Songbirds to Grazing System Type and Range Condition |
title_sort |
response of grassland songbirds to grazing system type and range condition |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tpn/13 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/tpn/article/1016/viewcontent/pdf_davis_napc.pdf |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Eremophila alpestris |
genre_facet |
Eremophila alpestris |
op_source |
The Prairie Naturalist |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tpn/13 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/tpn/article/1016/viewcontent/pdf_davis_napc.pdf |
_version_ |
1782333804120113152 |