Description:
<p>One factor that may be contributing to declines of several grassland bird species is mowing of grassland fields. We compared the relative abundance of birds in idled and mowed portions of grassland fields to investigate the influence of mowing in the previous summer on the grassland bird community. The study occurred in central North Dakota in 12 reseeded cropland fields enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Sedge wrens (Cistothorus platensis) were more abundant in idled portions of grassland fields, whereas savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) were more abundant in portions of fields that were mowed the previous year. Our findings are similar to other studies indicating that several grassland bird species in the central United States and Canada respond consistently to mowing.</p>