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Breeding Range. (Fig. 161). Locally common in the southern two-thirds of the Agassiz Lake Plain Region (extending north through the southern half of Grand Forks County), and in the southern portions of the Southern Drift Plain, Missouri Coteau, and Coteau Slope (an area extending northward through the southern halves of Barnes, Stutsman, Kidder, and Burleigh Counties and along the Missouri River valley through Morton County; fairly common (at least locally) in the northern half of Grand Forks County, in the northern portion of the Southern Drift Plain, southern portion of the Northeastern Drift Plain, and southeastern portion of the Northwestern Drift Plain (an area extending north through Nelson County, southern Ramsey County, southern Benson County, southern Pierce County, and McHenry County), in central portions of the Missouri Coteau and Coteau Slope (northern half of Kidder County, northwestern Burleigh County, southeastern McLean County and eastern Oliver County) and in the southeastern portion of the Missouri Slope (Sioux County); uncommon and local in the northern third of the Agassiz Lake Plain Region (Pembina and Walsh Counties), in the northeastern portion of the Northwestern Drift Plain (within Bottineau, Ward, and Renville Counties), in the northwestern half of the Coteau Slope, over the greater part of the Missouri Slope (north and west of Sioux County), and in extreme northeastern and southern portions of the Little Missouri Slope (northeastern McKenzie County and western Bowman County; rare in the northern portion of the Northeastern Drift Plain, northwestern portion of the Northwestern Drift Plain, northwestern half of the Missouri Coteau, and throughout the greater part of the Little Missouri Slope (other than extreme northeastern and southern portions).

This description of geographical variations in approximate relative abundance should be considered to represent average conditions only. Actually, breeding populations of this species are very unstable. Local fluctuations in numbers from year to year often are very pronounced. For example, in the vicinity of the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, breeding populations were considered as abundant during the summer of 1940 but were rare or absent during the period 1941-1947 (R. T. and A. M. Gammell).

Breeding Habitat. Especially characteristic of alfalfa hayfields; also frequent in sweetclover fields and in weedy cropland fields that have been temporarily retired from agriculture. Occasionally, breeding populations are found in ungrazed tracts of prairie grassland that contain scattered shrubs and small trees in association with a rank growth of perennial forbs and grasses.

Nesting. Probable breeding season: Early June to mid-August. A nest containing 5 eggs was found near Fort Union in Williams County on July 21, 1843 (Audubon 1897). On July 11, 1974, a nest containing two host eggs and three cowbird eggs was found in Stutsman County; this nest was situated about 12 inches above the ground in an alfalfa-intermediate wheatgrass field (L. M. Kirsch).

Figure 161. Breeding Range of Dickcissel.