RECENT ADVANCES IN GRASSLAND BIRD RESEARCH: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Populations of many species of North American grassland birds are declining and have been declining for at least the last 30 years.According to the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), populations of 13 species of North American grassland birds declined significantly between 1966 and 1996, whereas populations of only 2 species increased during that period (Peterjohn and Sauer 1999).As a group, grassland birds have experienced ''steeper, more consistent, and more geographically widespread declines than any other behavioral or ecological guild'' (Knopf 1994:251).Those declines appear to be the result primarily of loss and degradation of grassland habitat (e.g.Noss et al. 1995).Not surprisingly, such widespread and consistent declines have stimulated a great deal of recent research attempting to determine the underlying reasons for the declines.Interest in that research has been high, particularly because of the general view that a better understanding of the ecological requirements of grassland birds is needed to help land managers and planners mitigate or reverse some of those declines.Until recently, however, nearly all research has focused on breeding-season events; studies have examined habitat selection and response to management such as prescribed fire and grazing (e.g.