The Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) of Minnesota: Population status and breeding habitat analysis

Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) is a species of special concern in Minnesota. Landscape conversion to agriculture has resulted in a precipitous decline of this grassland species. This investigation focused on the status of Henslow's Sparrows in Minnesota and its breeding habitat requirements. The population of Henslow's Sparrows in Minnesota has never been large, but an extensive survey of recent breeding records (1968-1988) revealed this sparrow's plight as more precarious than previously thought. From 1987 to 1989, there were only a few scattered observations of Henslow's Sparrows in Minnesota outside of O. L. Kipp State Park in Winona County. During the same period, there was an average of only ten breeding pairs per year at O. L. Kipp State Park. Intensive and extensive habitat evaluation suggests that Henslow's Sparrows prefer grassland areas with abundant uncompressed litter layer and standing tall forbs.