Managing Habitat for Grassland Birds
A Guide for Wisconsin
Table 4. Ranking of all grassland communities according to management priority. a |
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| Rank | Category | Habitat Type b | |||
| 1 | Important to birds c, uncommon, vulnerable | Open barrens Diverse barrens Northern sedge meadow Southern sedge meadow Dry or sand prairie (most sites are small and will benefit from expansion, restoration, and buffering by idle grassland) Idle warm season grass/forb - medium Idle warm season grass/forb - tall Idle cool season grass/forb - short Idle cool season grass/forb - medium Upland shrub See comments under Rank #9 |
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| 2 | Important to birds, common, vulnerable | Pastures (light to moderately grazed) Dry old field |
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| 3 | Important to birds, uncommon, secure | No habitats in this category | |||
| 4 | Somewhat important to birds, uncommon, vulnerable | Wet-mesic or wet prairie (large sites only;
many sites are too small and isolated to be of high value unless buffered
by idle grasslands or established in large restorations) Brush prairie barrens Open bog Oak or river barrens Northern sedge marsh Southern sedge marsh Oak savanna Wet old field Mossed bog (see text) See comments under Rank #9 |
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| 5 | Important to birds, common, secure | No habitats in this category. See comments under rank #12 | |||
| 6 | Somewhat important to birds, common, vulnerable | Fallow fields Shrubby wet old field Shrub swamp Small grains |
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| 7 | Somewhat important to birds, uncommon, secure | No habitats in this category | |||
| 8 | Somewhat important to birds, common, secure | Cut- or burned-over Young conifer plantation Idle cool season grass/forb - tall |
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| 9 | Not important to birds uncommon, vulnerable | Dry-mesic prairie (most sites are too small
and isolated; could move to rank #1 when buffered by idle grassland habitats,
embedded in large open grassland landscapes, or established in large restorations) Conifer barrens (typically small sites; management for large sites through expansion and restoration would move this to rank #4) |
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| 10 | Not important to birds, common, vulnerable | No habitats in this category | |||
| 11 | Not important to birds, uncommon, secure | Orchard Park or golf course |
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| 12 | Not important to birds, common, secure | Alfalfa or legume hay |
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move to rank #5 if haying is delayed past 15 July. | |
| Grass or grass/legume hay | |||||
| Row crops | |||||
a Priority ranking system based on the rarity matrix developed by Rabinowitz (1981).
b Habitats are not ranked within each category. Habitat types are the same as in Table 1 and Appendix E.
c "Birds" refers to grassland species only, particularly species of management concern.
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