Bird community monitoring at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas: Status report 2001–2023

Peitz, David

doi:10.36967/2306460

In 2001, the Heartland Inventory and Monitoring Network (Heartland Network) initiated breeding bird surveys on Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas, to assess the ecological integrity of the park habitat. Birds are an important component of ecosystems and can serve as valuable indicators of habitat change. In the 23 years of bird surveys at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (2001 to 2023, excluding 2003), there were 2,599 plot visits. A total of 146 different bird species were detected, 104 of which have the potential to breed within the park. These 104 species represent approximately 87% of the total species one would reasonably expect to have breeding populations on Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Fourteen breeding species and five other species are considered species of conservation concern for the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region where the park is located. Nine breeding species and four migrant species on Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve are grassland obligates. Twenty-one bird species in upland tallgrass prairie habitat and 16 bird species in riparian habitat were recorded in sufficient numbers to estimate annual abundances and population trends. The populations of three upland species (Dickcissel [Spiza americana], Mourning Dove [Zenaida macroura], and Northern Bobwhite [Colinus virginianus]) and three riparian species (Blue-gray Gnatcatcher [Polioptila caerulea], Northern Cardinal [Cardinalis cardinalis], and Tufted Titmouse [Baeolophus bicolor]) increased significantly since 2001, the year when monitoring began. Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), and Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) populations declined significantly in the upland habitat. All other species in both habitats had stable or uncertain population trends. A comparison of population trends on Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve with trends for the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Bird Conservation Region suggests that the bird community at the park is faring similarly to that of the region. One notable exception is the Northern Bobwhite, which is faring significantly better on the park than in the region. Stable park populations of Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) and Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) also differ, but not significantly, from the region where populations are in decline.

Bird community monitoring at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Kansas: Status report 2001–2023

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