Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Breeding Birds of North Dakota
Agricultural Communities
Croplands
These widespread disturbance communities created by man represent the most extensive
habitat type in North Dakota. Data based on random sampling indicate that croplands
occupied about 48 percent of the state in 1967. However, even excluding the
small, heavily forested Turtle Mountain Region, the proportional area occupied
by croplands varied greatly from one biotic area to another, ranging from a
low of 15 percent on the Little Missouri Slope to a high of 81 percent on the
Agassiz Lake Plain. Between these extremes the proportional cropland area varied
as follows: Missouri Slope, 31 percent; Missouri Coteau, 32 percent; Coteau
Slope, 45 percent; Northwestern Drift Plain, 58 percent; Northeastern Drift
Plain, 62 percent; and Southern Drift Plain, 63 percent.
Unfortunately, nearly all tracts of cropland have been established at the
expense of losing extensive areas of native prairie grasslands. In addition,
potholes or sloughs within cropland fields are frequently drained in order
to increase the acreage devoted to crops. Since croplands are relatively unattractive
to birds during the nesting season, these drastic changes in environment have
resulted in pronounced reductions in the total statewide breeding populations.
Various strains of wheat represent the preeminent cropland type throughout
the state. Other crops of importance include oats, barley, and flax. Rye is
occasionally grown, and corn is locally important. Within the Agassiz Lake
Plain Region, extensive acreage also is devoted to the growing of sugar beets,
potatoes, soy beans, and sunflowers. Cropland fields are commonly represented
by distinct developmental stages including bare fallow fields, fields of sprout
growth, fields of mature grain, and stubble fields. Many species of foreign
pest plants have been inadvertently introduced, and, locally, some of these
have become very troublesome weeds. Farming operations frequently include
the practice of summer fallowing every second or third year. This leaves much
cropland devoid of vegetation throughout each growing season.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species:
Secondary intraneous species:
Killdeer, Upland Plover, Bobolink, Western Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Lark Bunting, Savannah Sparrow, McCown's Longspur (local), Chestnut-collared
Longspur (local).
Extraneous species:
Gadwall, Mallard, Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Swainson's
Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Marsh Hawk, Greater Prairie Chicken (local), Sharp-tailed
Grouse, Sage Grouse (local), Ring-necked Pheasant, Gray Partridge, Mourning
Dove, Great Horned Owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Nighthawk, Eastern Kingbird,
Western Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Common Crow, American Robin, Starling, House
Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Common Grackle, Vesper
Sparrow.
Domestic Haylands
An occasional field on many farms is devoted to the growing of domestic
hay crops. The more common species of hay that are seeded on these fields
include two legumes--alfalfa and sweetclover--and one tall-grass species--smooth
brome.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species:
Bobolink, Western Meadowlark, Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species:
Ring-necked Pheasant, Gray Partridge, Upland Plover, Common Yellowthroat,
Lark Bunting, Savannah Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
American Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Pintail, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler,
Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Marsh Hawk, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Mourning
Dove, Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Common Crow, Common
Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird.
Retired Croplands
During recent years the federal government has instituted agricultural programs
that are designed to curb unwarranted increases in surplus crop production.
Many farmers have taken advantage of the monetary rewards offered by these programs
and have removed some of their fields from active crop production. These fields
are generally referred to as Soil Bank or Cropland Adjustment Program (CAP)
fields.
Usually fields of this type are seeded to a variety of domestic grasses
and legumes. These include smooth brome, crested wheatgrass, intermediate
wheatgrass, tall wheatgrass, alfalfa, and sweetclover (usually yellow sweetclover).
In addition, many pioneering coarse weed species often invade these fields.
These include quackgrass, kochia, Russian thistle, flixweed, prairie rose,
common evening primrose, horseweed, false ragweed, absinthe, Canada thistle,
and sowthistle.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species:
Ring-necked Pheasant, Gray Partridge, Marsh Hawk, Western Meadowlark, Lark
Bunting, Grasshopper Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species:
American Bittern, Greater Prairie Chicken, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Mourning Dove,
Short-eared Owl, Short-billed Marsh Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Bobolink, Red-winged
Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Dickcissel, Savannah Sparrow, Baird's Sparrow,
Le Conte's Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
American Wigeon, Gadwall, American Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Blue-winged
Teal, Northern Shoveler, Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl,
Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Common Crow, Loggerhead Shrike, American
Goldfinch.
Fencerows, Section Lines, Roadsides, and Right-of-ways
In agricultural areas, narrow strips of weedy habitat frequently border cropland
and hayland fields and tracts of grazed prairie. These usually occur along fencerows,
section lines, roadsides, and railroad right-of-ways. Vegetation in these situations
is often composed of native prairie grasses and forbs in combination with many
coarse, introduced weeds including species of grass and forbs that are characteristic
of sites with disturbed soils. Occasional native trees or shrubs also are present.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species:
Gray Partridge, Eastern Kingbird, Western Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird,
Lark Bunting, Vesper Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species:
Ring-necked Pheasant, Western Kingbird, Loggerhead Shrike, Common Yellowthroat,
Red-winged Blackbird, Dickcissel, American Goldfinch, Savannah Sparrow, Clay-colored
Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Extraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
American Wigeon, Gadwall, American Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Pintail, Blue-winged
Teal, Northern Shoveler, Swainson's Hawk, Redtailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk,
Marsh Hawk, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Red-headed
Woodpecker, Horned Lark, Common Crow, Eastern Bluebird, Starling, House Sparrow,
Bobolink, Common Grackle, Grasshopper Sparrow, Chestnut-collared Longspur.
Shelterbelts and Tree Claims
On many farms throughout the state, trees and shrubs are planted in long narrow
strips. These are commonly referred to as shelterbelts or wind breaks. They
are designed to protect farmsteads from the severe winds during the winter months
and to impede drifting snow so that large drifts will form, thus assuring more
moisture for cropland fields during the critical growing season. A considerable
variety of native and exotic trees and shrubs are characteristic of these plantings.
Some of the more common species include Black Hills spruce, ponderosa pine,
Rocky Mountain cedar, golden willow, American elm, Chinese elm, wild plum, caragana,
box elder, bullberry, Russian olive, lilac, and green ash.
In eastern North Dakota, particularly in the Agassiz Lake Plain Region and
in the eastern portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, small blocks of established
mature trees are fairly common. These, referred to as "tree claims", were
developed by the early farmers as part of a cooperative program for obtaining
free land from the Federal Government. In most tree claims, cottonwood and
box elder are the prevalent tree species.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species:
Swainson's Hawk, Redtailed Hawk, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Eastern
Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Willow Flycatcher, Common Crow, House Wren, Brown
Thrasher, American Robin, Yellow Warbler, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch,
Clay-colored Sparrow, Song Sparrow.
Secondary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
American Kestrel, Black-billed Cuckoo, Long-eared Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker,
Yellow-shafted Flicker, Least Flycatcher, Blue Jay (local), Black-billed Magpie
(local), Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Loggerhead Shrike, Starling, Warbling
Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore
Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Chipping Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant, Gray Partridge.
Farmsteads
Farmsteads can be considered to represent a community complex that is composed
of several distinct environmental niches that are interspersed within a relatively
small plot of ground. Typical farmsteads include a farmhouse residence, barns,
machine sheds and other out-buildings, grain bins, feed lots, a lawn with ornamental
trees and shrubs, and garden plots. Farmsteads vary greatly in size, usually
ranging from about 1 to approximately 10 acres.
Characteristic Breeding Birds
Primary intraneous species:
Mourning Dove, Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird, Barn Swallow, House Wren,
Brown Thrasher, American Robin, Starling (local), Yellow Warbler, House Sparrow,
Common Grackle, Song Sparrow. In addition, semi-wild populations of the Rock
Dove (barn pigeon) are often present.
Secondary intraneous species (including well-marked subspecies):
Black-billed Cuckoo, Red-headed Woodpecker (local), Yellow-shafted Flicker,
Red-shafted Flicker (local), Say's Phoebe (local), Cedar Waxwing, Warbling
Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orchard Oriole, American
Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow.
Extraneous species:
Includes many characteristic species of grassland, cropland, and woodland
habitats that occur adjacent to farmsteads.
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U.S. Geological Survey