Grassland Ecosystem Guide
National
State of the Birds 2025: Grassland Birds
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2025.
State of the Birds 2022: Grassland Birds
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 2022.
North American Grasslands and Birds Report
Wilsey et al., 2019. National Audubon.
Management Strategies for Reversing Declines in Landbirds of Conservation Concern on Military Installations
Nott and Gordon, 2006.
Grassland Birds: An Overview of Threats and Recommended Management Strategies
Vickery et al., 2000. U.S. Forest Service.
Northeast & Mid-Atlantic
Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative
The resources on this page provide an excellent place to start if you are a landowner looking to bring bird-friendly practices onto your landscape.
Delayed Mowing for Grassland Habitat Conservation
Suomi-Lecker, Ag Allies, n.d.
Create an Insect Buffet for Birds
Bailey et al., 2023. Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Field Management Guidelines for Virginia’s Grassland and Shrubland Birds
2021. Smithsonian’s Virginia Working Landscapes.
Grassland and Field Habitat Management
Vermont Fish and Wildlife, n.d.
Grassland Bird Conservation in New England
Vermont Center for Ecostudies, 2018.
Best Management Practices for Nesting Birds
Atwood et al., 2017. Massachusetts Audubon.
Managing Land in the Piedmont of Virginia for the Benefit of Birds and Other Wildlife
Wolter et al., 2016. The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Managing Working Lands for Northern Bobwhite: The USDA NRCS Bobwhite Restoration Project
Burger Jr. et al., 2009. U.S Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Management Considerations for Grassland Birds in Northeastern Haylands and Pasturelands
2010. U.S Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Managing Grasslands, Shrublands, and Young Forest Habitats for Wildlife: A Guide for the Northeast
The Northeast Upland Habitat Technical Committee and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, 2006.
Hayfield Management and Grassland Bird Conservation
Ochterski, 2006. Cornell University Cooperative Extension.
Enhancing Pastures for Grassland Bird Habitat
Ochterski, 2005. Cornell University Cooperative Extension.
Conserving Grassland Birds in the Northeast: A Landowners Guide
University of Vermont, n.d.
Southeast
Nests Under Fire: Does it Matter? Growing-season Burns and Ground-nesting Birds
Long, 2021. Southern Fire Exchange.
Improving Habitat for Grassland Birds
Upstate Forever, 2019.
Midwest & Central
The Central Grasslands Roadmap Initiative
This website provides biome-level guidance to increase the capacity for conservation of North America’s Central Grasslands, connecting different efforts across Canada, Mexico, the United States, and Indigenous/First Nations.
Southern Driftless Grasslands: Reference Guide for Farmers and Landowners in Southwest Wisconsin
Becker and Keagy, 2022.
Agricultural Practices that Conserve Grassland Birds
Michigan State University Extension, 2012.
Effects of Management Practices on Grassland Birds
Johnson et al., 2004.
These reports are a series of literature syntheses on North American grassland birds produced by USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. The focus of these reports is on management of breeding habitat, particularly in the northern Great Plains. By going to this website, you will see a list of grassland bird species for which accounts are available.
Grassland Bird Use of Conservation Reserve Program Fields in the Great Plains
Johnson, 2000, in Heard et al., A comprehensive review of farm bill contributions to wildlife conservation, 1985-2000.
Grassland Birds: Fostering Habitat Using Rotational Grazing
University of Wisconsin Extension, 2000.
West
The Grassland Bird Conservation Plan: A Strategy for Protecting and Managing Grassland Habitats and Associated Birds of Coastal and Valley Grasslands in California
California Partners in Flight, 2022.
Sharing Your Land with Prairie Wildlife
Gillihan et al., 2006.
Integrating Bird Conservation into Range Management
VerCauteren and Gillihan, 2004.
Growing Grassland Birds: Best Management Practices for Grasslands to Benefit Birds in Wyoming
Wyoming Partners in Flight, 2002.
Grasslands Beneficial Management Practices Tool
Herkert et al., 1993.
This tool has been created and launched by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) to provide resources to ranchers, conservation organizations, and government agencies in North America.
Best Management Practices for Shortgrass Prairie Birds
Gillihan and Hutchings, n.d. Colorado Bird Observatory.
Management of Western Forests and Grasslands for Nongame Birds
DeGraff and Tilghman, 1980.