Landscape Effects on Brown-Headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) Densities and Upland Bird Abundances in CRP Patche

Many grassland bird species have experienced significant population declines and are the focus of conservation efforts. Recovery of these species is slowed, in part, due to nest parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater). In combination with this the loss of habitat and farming practices have also decreased game bird numbers across the Midwest during the last half century. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has been successful in some areas of the United States in providing habitat for non-game birds and game birds alike. I hypothesized that the landscape around CRP may influence how both cowbirds and game birds used CRP. My results indicate that no landscape variables explained cowbird densities, but the presence of cattle did positively influence the density of cowbirds. The landscape did explain variation in both Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and Northern Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) abundances; lower pheasant abundances were associated with higher percentage of forest cover and quail abundances increased as grassland percentage increased. The results of this study indicate that strategically placing CRP in the landscape may benefit both non game birds and game birds alike.