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Breeding Bird Use Of Intensively Managed Rotational Grazing Pastures, Native Prairies And Savannas: A Comparison, Jennifer Marie Hurley O'Hara

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Intensively managed rotational grazing is a grazing method in which livestock are moved through a series of paddocks over a three to six week rotation. Vegetation in resting paddocks is allowed to regrow, renew energy reserves, and rebuild plant vigor to provide nutritious forage for livestock. Consequently, vegetation in the paddocks is in different stages of growth which creates a mosaic of vegetation heights across the pasture landscape. I hypothesized that the mosaic of vegetation heights resembles the native tallgrass prairie grazed by bison prior to European settlement. The mosaic may be attractive and beneficial to breeding grassland birds. Several …