Private Land is Critical Habitat for Birds

Private Land is Critical Habitat for Birds

A new report has mixed news on the state of bird populations on private working lands and farms. Of the 800 North American bird species, approximately 230 may be concern for declining populations and 80 percent of those in decline are on private working lands in the U.S., primarily agricultural lands.

Dr. Ken Rosenberg, Cornell University's Conservationist one of the authors of the report says many species of birds depend on private lands for habitat and most species provide positive benefit for agriculture.

Rosenberg: “Certainly birds are excellent at pest control. Where as certain species might be going after the crop itself, the majority of the birds out there are eating insects. So having bird populations in close proximity, has been shown to be extremely important and can reduce the need for pesticides if you have birds in there eating the insects.”

The Conservation reserve and wetland reserve programs have boosted certain bird populations especially grassland and water fowl populations over the last thirty years, however, within the last five years approximately 2 million acres of CRP land have been returned to ag production.

Rosenberg: “These were in some cases the very lands that were in CRP that were responsible for the grassland bird increases and so very rapidly we are seeing those acres being put back in to crop production -- that is where the largest concern is right now.”
 

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