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If wind in the grass is the music of the prairie, grassland birds give voice to its song.

Yet every year, that song grows ever fainter as the populations of these grassland-dependent species continue to drop. In Illinois, where less than 1 percent of the original prairie remains, once common species such as meadowlark and bobolink have declined 70 to 90 percent in the past 40 years.

And across the Great Plains—where more than 40 percent of all bird species in North America breed—grassland birds are showing steeper, more consistent and more geographically widespread declines than any other comparable group of species in North America. The culprit: destruction and fragmentation of grassland habitats.

Habitat destruction takes many forms including conversion of grasslands to cropland, urbanization, overgrazing and invasive species.

Fragmentation due to roads, fences, fields and other development has negative effects not only on birds, but on other plants and animals as well. It generally leads to isolated populations—of birds, native grasses, insects and small mammals—that gradually die out over time.

What The Nature Conservancy is Doing.

The Nature Conservancy has more than 40 years of grasslands conservation experience in the United States. We have honed an array of strategies to effectively abate threats to grasslands and the numerous bird species and other animals and plants that depend on healthy grasslands for their survival.

• The Conservancy’s Prairie Wings takes a borderless, range-wide approach to reverse declines in grassland birds. In Mexico, the acquisition of the 48,500-acre Rancho El Uno in the Chihuahuan Desert and the protection of 60,000 acres in the La Soledad region protects critical wintering habitat for grassland birds.
• We use a variety of tools proven to be successful in working landscapes where farms and ranches dominate. These include land acquisition, conservation easements, grass banking and beginning rancher programs, among other innovative efforts. Our aim is to achieve conservation success while respecting local traditions and land use.
• We employ a number of strategies to preserve and restore grasslands. For example, we work with private landowners to implement grazing practices to reverse the alarming decline of North American grassland birds. We also work with a variety of partners to introduce and manage programs that help ensure early detection and control of invasive species.
• At the Conservancy’s Nachusa Grasslands preserve in northwest Illinois, a dedicated group of volunteers and staff are working to protect and restore more than 2,000 acres of grasslands, woodlands and wetlands. Their arsenal of restoration tools includes prescribed burns and replanting prairies by hand.

Action starts when people talk.

In the midst of dire scenarios about declining bird populations, there are reasons for hope and things we can do as individuals. First, start a conversation about the issue with friends, family and colleagues. Take a look at our Conversation Starters related to habitat preservation for relevant and compelling facts. And, learn more about our work by visiting the Conservancy’s web site, nature.org.

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