Highlights

Abstract

The majority of native prairie has been lost throughout North America and much of the remaining prairie is used for livestock grazing. Sustainable grazing practices may contribute to the conservation of grassland species. We compared bird abundances on pastures grazed twice-over rotationally, pastures grazed season-long, and ungrazed fields. Season-long pastures supported a higher diversity and more species of grassland birds than twice-over pastures. Season-long grazing may actually benefit grassland birds by producing a stable but varied habitat that may support a larger diversity of species. We found little evidence that twice-over grazing contributed to the conservation of grassland songbirds in northern mixed-grass prairies.