Priority bird species that use grass-shrublands occupy a continuum of habitats from more open grasslands with scattered shrubs (e.g., Bell’s Vireo and Northern Bobwhite) to those that inhabit a grassland matrix with shrubs in much greater densities (e.g. Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat). Native habitats that support these species include glades (grass-dominated ecosystems on shallow soils), barrens, savannas and open woodlands (habitats with a grass-forb and shrub-dominated understory and less than 50% canopy cover), and early-successional forests. The distribution of glades, barrens and savannas is largely a result of interactions among topography, aspect, soil types, and historical fire regimes.

These native communities can still be found throughout the Central Hardwoods, but often are overgrown and degraded as a result of decades of fire suppression. Many areas have been converted to fescue pastures or subjected to heavy grazing pressure. These ecosystems could be restored with the judicious application of prescribed fire and other management techniques. Stands of forest under even-aged management also provide breeding habitat for grass-shrubland bird species for up to 15 years after harvest as well as serving as feeding sites and providing refuge from predators for juvenile offspring of forest-breeding bird species.

Habitat improvements for priority grassland and grass-shrubland birds also can be accomplished through private lands programs, especially those associated with the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Bill, that target the conversion of non-native grasses to native warm-season grass and forb mixtures across large landscapes.

Grass-Shrubland Habitat Projects

Assessment of Savanna-Woodland Restorations
Grass-Shrubland Bird Assessment
Northern Bobwhite Conservation
St. Francois, Missouri Glade and Woodland Restoration