Grassland Birds

Western Meadowlark by Todd Klassy
Western Meadowlark by Todd Klassy.

Declining grassland birds, such as Eastern and Western Meadowlark, rely on habitat provided by Farm Bill conservation programs. Private lands support 97% of the breeding range of Eastern Meadowlarks, and 73% of the range of Western Meadowlarks.

Eastern and Western Meadowlarks are widespread and familiar birds of grasslands and agricultural landscapes across the U.S. Both species are suffering long-term population declines. To illustrate the potential benefits of Farm Bill programs to widespread grassland birds, we overlaid a map of meadowlark abundance, based on data from eBird with a map of recent grassland conservation practices applied by private landowners with Farm Bill assistance. For more details on these maps, see Methods.