The dominant vegetation in grasslands should come as no surprise: grasses cover these stretches of relatively flat, open land where few, if any, trees grow. Grassland biomes take different forms, shaped by the vegetation and the cycles of warming and cooling in a given area. North America’s prairies in particular welcome millions of migratory birds each year. The cerrado, a tropical savanna spanning much of Brazil, is the most biodiverse savanna in the world.
Meadow, prairie, plains — no matter what they’re called, grasslands are the most endangered habitats on the planet. They are also invaluable habitat for birds.
Grasslands are open, generally flat habitats often occurring in shallow soils that are loamy or lime-rich, with their namesake grasses growing alongside other herbaceous and broad-leaved plants. Grasslands exist thanks to rainfall, or the lack of it. They normally receive too little precipitation to support the growth of large, woody plants like trees, but too much to create the arid conditions of a desert.
In many grasslands, the line between bird habitat and human activity is blurred, with farmers using pasturelands to cultivate hay and graze cattle. Overgrazing is a major problem, but the same techniques that farmers use to improve their land, like rotational cattle grazing, can also benefit birds.
Grasslands in the temperate zone, like forests, experience seasonal changes in temperature and precipitation. Soils in temperate grasslands are nutrient-rich, making them attractive for agriculture. Among the most well-known temperate grasslands are the Great Plains (called the Prairie Provinces in Canada) of North America and the lowland Pampas of Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.
In the tropics, where temperatures remain relatively stable year-round, precipitation is key. Tropical grasslands like those in the cerrado in Brazil have predictable wet and dry seasons. Like other tropical habitats, grasslands in this zone are bursting with biodiversity. Perhaps the most widely known tropical grasslands are the savannas of Africa.
Grasslands are considered the most endangered of any biome. Today, only 38 percent of North America’s historic grasslands remain, having undergone conversion for agriculture, energy, and development. Across South America, nearly half of all grasslands are degraded or have been converted. A majority of the world’s grasslands lack protection.
The biggest challenge facing grasslands across the world is their outright loss due to agricultural conversion or development. The rich soils in grasslands make the land ideal for farming crops and grazing cattle. With agriculture comes pesticides, nutrient runoff, and soil erosion, all of which can impact birds.
The planet’s rising temperatures and changing weather patterns can put grasslands at a disadvantage as they undergo unexpected periods of drought that bring on nearly desert-like conditions. On the flip side, unusually heavy rains can cause flooding. This unpredictability can impede the growth of plants and along with it, their ability to capture and store carbon dioxide.
The effects of non-native species, both plant and animal, can be devastating for delicate ecosystems like grasslands. They can outcompete native species for nutrients, sunlight, and space. The success of non-native plants often comes at the expense of natives and can have a cascading effect on the birds, insects, and other wildlife that have evolved to rely on native plants.
There is a direct connection between declining grassland bird populations and shrinking grassland habitats. We advocate for strong funding for grasslands restoration, partner with farmers to implement bird-friendly agricultural practices, conserve and improve habitat, and more.
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According to research published by ABC and other partners in 2019, grassland bird populations declined by 53 percent (more than 720 million birds) in the U.S. and Canada since 1970. These declines were steeper than those of boreal forest birds, eastern forest birds, coastal shorebirds, and aerial...
