Great Plains Birds

Great Blue Heron. Photo: Kevin Rutherford.

Audubon Great Plains is committed to the conservation and protection of the birds of Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

The Great Plains is a shifting landscape made up of many interdependent ecosystems. Tallgrass prairie and large expanses of grasslands are intermixed with river valleys, wetlands, and woodlands. These diverse habitats are home to animals and plants found nowhere else in the world, making it a beautiful place to live and a rewarding birding destination.

There are more than 400 species of birds found in the Great Plains. Below is a list of a few of the region’s special habitats attracting rare and unusual species that are on the lists of passionate birders everywhere.

Prairie Pothole Region – This extensive area including much of South and North Dakota contains thousands of shallow wetlands and ponds. It is a vital area for migratory birds, and is one of North America’s most important regions for waterfowl breeding. (https://ppjv.org/prairie-pothole-region/.)
Black Hills – This portion of SW South Dakota is where to find a selection of western birds, like Black-billed Magpie, Western Tanager, Ruffed Grouse, and Baird’s Sparrow.
Sandhills – This wide expanse of prairie and shallow ponds and wetlands in northcentral and northwest Nebraska is home to many prairie specialist birds, like Long-billed Curlew, Burrowing Owl, Greater Prairie-Chicken, and Sharp-tailed Grouse.
Platte River – Late winter/early spring is the time to visit central Nebraska as hundreds of thousands of Sandhill Cranes and millions of Snow Geese and other waterfowl stop along the river and its associated habitats on their journey northward. (https://rowe.audubon.org/crane-season; https://visitnebraska.com/sandhill-crane-migration)
Missouri River – This long expanse of riverine woodlands making up the eastern border of Nebraska is a busy travel lane for a wide variety of migrating passerines, among them many species of warblers, flycatchers, and vireos.

Where to Find Birds

North Dakota: https://ndbirdingsociety.org/Birds/SiteGuide.aspx

South Dakota: https://sdou.org/Places/

Nebraska: https://noubirds.org/Birds/Areas.aspx

Grasslands

What one pictures with the very idea of the Great Plains is, of course, expansive areas of grasslands for which it was named. The Great Plains encompasses the world’s largest area of intact grasslands. The grasslands are subdivided by the type of grasses that flourish there: tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass species, corresponding with the amount of moisture in the soil. The soil that supports ‘America’s breadbasket’ – its bean and livestock baskets as well – nourishes the deep-rooted native grasses. These roots can be five times as deep as the grass is tall.

But climate change is having an impact. Soil degradation, moisture loss, erosion, and temperature changes have forced farmers and ranchers to change their methods to keep up with the shifting landscape. Audubon has several habitat conservation programs aimed at recovering the native plants and wildlife that keep our soil rich and fertile.

Grassland Birds

Bobolink

Latin: Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Western Meadowlark

Latin: Sturnella neglecta

Thick-billed Longspur

Latin: Rhynchophanes mccownii

American Woodcock

Latin: Scolopax minor

Birds

Wetlands

In addition to native species like the Northern Pintail and Piping Plover, the Central Platte Valley and Prairie Potholes are important migration stops for millions of birds every year.

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