Vermont grassland bird populations in decline

Grassland-nesting bird populations continue to decline in numbers in Vermont, according to recent surveys conducted by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bird species that nest in grasslands include vesper sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus), grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), among others. The history of grassland bird nesting over the past two centuries follows closely with changes in agricultural practices in North America. When eastern forests were converted into pasture for sheep and cows, grassland birds began nesting in these newly created grassland habitats. As natural prairies in the midwestern and western states and provinces were plowed under to make way for corn and soy crops in the twentieth century, nesting grounds for these bird species were lost.

Source: VTDigger, July 24, 2017
https://vtdigger.org/2017/07/27/vermont-grassland-bird-populations-decl…