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Winter Bird Use Of Conservation Reserve Program Fields Harvested For Biomass, Les D. Murray, Louis B. Best
Winter Bird Use Of Conservation Reserve Program Fields Harvested For Biomass, Les D. Murray, Louis B. Best
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
As Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts expire, many fields may be returned to agricultural production. Growing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as a biomass fuel is an alternative to returning fields to rowcrops. CRP fields provide winter cover for birds, but the harvest of biomass would remove most of the cover and affect bird use of the fields. We estimated winter bird abundances in nonharvested, total-harvested, and partially (strip) harvested switchgrass fields in southern Iowa. Song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) were observed only in strip-harvested fields and ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) were observed only in nonharvested fields and uncut areas of strip-harvested fields. …
Invasive Birds In Iowa: Status, Problems, And Threats, James J. Dinsmore
Invasive Birds In Iowa: Status, Problems, And Threats, James J. Dinsmore
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
A total of 18 invasive bird species has been introduced into or have expanded their range to include Iowa. These include ten non-North American species, one North American species that has been displaced and now is established in Iowa, and seven native species that have been released to reestablish Iowa populations. Twelve of those are regularly occurring species in Iowa, and they comprise 3.0% (12 of 404) of the species known from Iowa and 5% (10 of 199) of Iowa's nesting avifauna. These percentages are similar to those found in neighboring states. Several more species are likely to become established …
Iowa's Avifauna: Recent Changes And Prospects For The Future, James J. Dinsmore
Iowa's Avifauna: Recent Changes And Prospects For The Future, James J. Dinsmore
Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS
Iowa's avifauna has changed dramatically since 1980. The state list now has 40 additional species and totals 398 species, the most of any vertebrate group. Four species that had not previously nested in Iowa (Ring-billed Gull, Great-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Eurasian Tree Sparrow) and four whose nesting populations had disappeared (Double-crested Cormorant, Sandhill Crane, Piping Plover, Least Tern) now breed regularly here. Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, White-faced Ibis, Mississippi Kite, Prairie Warbler, and Red Crossbill nested for the first time but do not have established nesting populations. Trumpeter Swan, Peregrine Falcon, Greater Prairie Chicken, and Sharp-tailed Grouse have been …