Bird Conservation Region 19

Central Mixed-grass Prairie

Description: The central mixed-grass prairie extends from the edge of shortgrass prairie on the west to the beginning of the tallgrass prairie and savanna-like habitat to the east. Large areas in the center of this region have been converted to agriculture, though extensive areas of high-quality grassland in the Nebraska Sandhills and excellent shrublands in Texas remain. The BCR includes some of the best habitat for priority species such as Greater Prairie-Chicken, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Grasshopper Sparrow.Dickcissel abundance is centered squarely over this BCR. In winter this BCR hosts large numbers of Harris’s Sparrow. Sandbars along the larger rivers host a large percentage of the continent’s breeding Interior Least Terns. Riparian woodland areas host Red-headed Woodpeckers and the continent’s highest Mississippi Kite population. The region is a continentally important migration area for shorebirds and is home to three recognized Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network sites for priority shorebirds, including American Avocet, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper.An estimated 90 percent of all the world’s White-rumped Sandpipers migrate through central Kansas in the spring. Between 10 and 14 million waterfowl migrate through Nebraska and utilize the staging habitat in the seasonal, depressional rainwater basins and other wetlands. The mid-continent population of Northern Pintail and White-fronted Goose are particularly dependent on these wetland resources. However, wetland drainage, modification and sediment accumulation have jeopardized the integrity of these important landscape features. Conservation efforts of these resources center on the conversion of agricultural lands back to healthy grasslands and wetlands. For further information on this region, visit the Playa Lakes Joint Venture website: www.pljv.org or the Nebraska Rainwater Basin Joint Venture website: www.rwbjv.org.

Bird Conservation Plans
Landbirds -
Shorebirds - Central Plains/Playa Lakes
Waterbirds - Central Prairies
Waterfowl -
All Birds - Playa Lakes Joint Venture Planning

Joint Venture area: In Nebraska: Rainwater Basin
Andy Bishop, Joint Venture Coordinator
2550 N Diers Ave, Suite L
Grand Island, NE 68803

Joint Venture area: Outside Nebraska: Playa Lakes
Mike Carter, JV Coordinator
103 E. Simpson St.
Lafayette, CO 80026

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Note: Hawaii (not shown) is BCR 67

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