Managing Habitat for Grassland Birds
A Guide for Wisconsin
David W. Sample and Michael J. Mossman
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
1997
This resource is based on the following source:
Sample, David W., and Michael J. Mossman. 1997. Managing habitat for grassland birds - a guide for Wisconsin. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI, PUBL-SS-925-97. 154 pp.
This resource should be cited as:
Sample, David W., and Michael J. Mossman. 1997. Managing habitat for grassland birds - a guide for Wisconsin. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, WI, PUBL-SS-925-97. 154 pp. Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/wiscbird/index.htm (Version 03JUN2002).
Contents
- To the Reader
- Introduction
- Purpose and Use of This Guide
- Overview of Grassland and Grassland Birds Management
Issues
- Definitions of Grasslands and Grassland Birds
- Grassland Bird Habitat
- Grassland Bird Communities
- Grassland Bird Distribution and Abundance in Wisconsin
- Management Philosophy
- Managing for Statewide Diversity
- Managing for Population Viability
- Managing for Communities
- Scale Issues and Regional Differences
- Long-Term Monitoring
- Public and Agency Education
- Identifying Bird Species of Management Concern
and Priority Habitats for Wisconsin
- Species
- Habitats
- Wisconsin Grassland Bird Habitats
- Guidelines and Recommendations for Habitat Management
- Amount of Habitat
- Habitat Size and Shape
- Large-Scale Landscapes
- Medium-Scale Landscapes
- Small Blocks
- Habitat Distribution
- Surrounding Land Use
- Effective Habitat Size
- Suitable vs. Unsuitable Adjacent Habitats
- Woody Cover and Edge Issues
- Habitat Structure and Other Features
- Disturbance Patterns
- Land Management Practices
- Mowing
- Burning
- Grazing
- Herbicide
- Planting and Restoration
- Water-Level Manipulations
- Conventional Cropping Practices
- Alternative Cropping Practices
- Set-Asides
- Forestry Practices
- Management Priorities for Birds, Habitats, Landscapes, and Sites
- Statewide
- Birds
- Habitats, Landscapes, and Sites
- Southwestern Upland
- Birds
- Habitats, Landscapes, and Sites
- Southeastern Ridges and Lowlands
- Birds
- Habitats, Landscapes, and Sites
- Central Plains
- Birds
- Habitats, Landscapes, and Sites
- Lake Michigan Shoreland
- Birds
- Habitats, Landscapes, and Sites
- Northern Highland/Lake Superior Lowland
- Birds
- Habitats, Landscapes, and Sites
- Statewide
- Conclusion
- Appendices
- A. Complete List of Grassland Birds and Other Birds that Use Grassland Habitats in Wisconsin
- B. List of Plants Mentioned in the Text
- C. U.S. Forest Service National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units for Wisconsin
- D. Wisconsin DNR Geographic Management Units and Regions
- E. Definitions of Wisconsin Grassland Habitats and Lists of Associated Non-Grassland Bird Species
- F. General and Special Habitat Features Required or Preferred by Grassland Bird Species
- G. Statewide Ranking and Descriptions of Priority Landscapes for Grassland Bird Management
- Glossary
- Literature Cited
- Suggested Reading
- Acknowledgments
- About the Authors
Tables and Figures
- Table 1 -- The species composition of Wisconsin's grassland bird communities.
- Table 2 -- Breeding season abundance of Wisconsin's grassland birds.
- Table 3 -- Management priority of grassland birds in Wisconsin, ranked in order from highest management concern to lowest.
- Table 4 -- Ranking of all grassland communities according to management priority.
- Table 5 -- Habitat feature preferences of the
26 grassland bird species of management concern.
- Figure 1 -- Natural Divisions of Wisconsin, as described by Hole and Germain (1994).
- Figure 2 -- Population treads of grassland bird species of management concern in Wisconsin.
- Figure 3 -- When planning small blocks or strips of grassland habitat, keep in mind that some shapes and proportions are better for grassland birds than others.
- Figure 4 -- An example of an idealized arrangement of habitats on a Wisconsin farm.
- Figure 5 -- Idealized arrangement of habitats on part of a Wildlife Area managed for grassland birds.
- Figure 6 -- Some patterns of woody vegetation are better for grassland habitat and movement corridors for nest predators and perches for brown-headed cowbirds.
- Figure 7 -- Diagram of mowing a hayfield from the inside out. Lines and arrows indicate the path of the tractor; "S" indicates the starting point.
- Figure 8 -- Location of priority landscapes and sites for grassland bird management in Wisconsin.
- Figure 9 -- Priority landscapes and sites for grassland bird management in the Southwestern Upland Natural Division.
- Figure 10 -- Priority landscapes and sites for grassland bird management in the Southeastern Ridges and Lowlands Natural Division.
- Figure 11 -- Priority landscapes and sites for grassland bird management in the Central Plains Natural Division.
- Figure 12 -- Priority landscapes and sites for grassland bird management in the Lake Michigan Shoreland Natural Division.
- Figure 13 -- Priority landscapes and sites for grassland bird management in the Northern Highland/Lake Superior Lowland Natural Division.
Downloading Instructions
-- Instructions on downloading and extracting files from this site.
wiscbird.zip (3.6M) -- Managing Habitat for Grassland Birds A Guide for WisconsinInstallation: Extract all files and open index.htm in a web browser.