Comparison of grassland bird stopover and breeding habitat use in Illinois
Suckow, Nicole M.
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129784
Description
Title
Comparison of grassland bird stopover and breeding habitat use in Illinois
Author(s)
Suckow, Nicole M.
Issue Date
2025-05-08
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Ward, Michael P.
Committee Member(s)
Stodola, Kirk
Benson, Thomas J.
Department of Study
Natural Res & Env Sci
Discipline
Natural Res & Env Sciences
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Grassland Bird
Stopover
Language
eng
Abstract
Grassland birds are declining at an alarming rate, and there has been little research on the stopover behavior and habitat needs of migratory grassland species. Considering heightened mortality risk during migration, uncovering what attributes comprise good stopover habitat is necessary to best conserve these species. My thesis research is focused on the habitat use of grassland birds listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Illinois, especially during spring and fall migration. To find which grassland characteristics were most important to each species, I surveyed grassland birds from late-March/early-April through October in 2022 and 2023. During this period, I also collected data on vegetation and management activities. Logistic regression models were used to analyze and compare the impact of vegetation composition, type, and density, as well as site size, management activities, and surrounding landscape on the likelihood of each species’ presence. The habitat variables that best explained grassland bird detections at any given site were the surrounding landscape and vegetation composition. However, the variable(s) influencing the presence of grassland birds differed between species and season. Conservation efforts could target individual species by focusing on localized management to attain preferred vegetation structure, but the biggest impact for grassland SGCN as a whole would be to prioritize creating landscapes that contain more grasslands.
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