Ecology of Avian Species: Prairie and Migratory Species

The Prairie Pothole Region of the Great Plains contains important grassland nesting habitat, as well as countless small, biologically rich wetlands that support a major proportion of North America's breeding waterfowl, grebes, white pelicans, bitterns, rails, and other wetland species. Vast amounts of habitat have been lost to agriculture or other land uses, or degraded by encroachment of woody vegetation and exotic species, and by other processes associated with human activities. Many wetland and grassland bird species in this region are of special interest because (1) they are restricted to habitats that are limited in availability or increasingly fragmented, (2) they have declining populations or geographically restricted ranges, and/or (3) they are considered nationally important game species. As the natural landscape continues to shrink, there also is a growing challenge to find ways to manage species and habitats more intensively.

This project is managed by the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, ND.

• Impact of West Nile virus on white pelican colonies in northern Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

• Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center website

For more information on any of the tasks listed above, please contact Gail Moede-Rogall at 608-270-2438 or via email at gamoede@usgs.gov