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The Colorado PIF Bird Conservation Plan
(Colorado Partners in Flight 2000) outlines six research
priorities for the central shortgrass prairie:
(1) the interplay of precipitation, habitat
condition, and population distributions at the
landscape level
(2) the effects of prescribed burning on bird
populations
(3) the effects of different grazing regimes
(4) identification of key migratory stopover and
wintering areas
(5) effects of prairie dog hunting and sport
hunting on bird populations
(6) patch-size effects and area sensitivity of
shortgrass prairie birds.
Additionally, the impacts of new construction for
gas and oil exploration, wind-power development, and
water well drilling should be investigated.
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D
EFINITIONS
Bird Conservation Region – ecologically distinct regions in North America with similar bird communities, habitats,
and resource management issues within which bird conservation efforts are planned and evaluated, as endorsed by the
North American Bird Conservation Committee. See Figure 13.
Permanent Cover Program (PCP) – A Canadian program that paid farmers to seed highly erodible land to perennial
cover; it differed from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in that haying and grazing were allowed annually.
Physiographic Stratum – Breeding Bird Survey regional areas defined on the basis of similar vegetation, soil, and
physiographic features and used in the analysis of bird species’ population trends and relative abundance (Robbins et
al. 1986). Based on Bailey’s ecoregions (Bailey 1993). See Figure 14.
Physiographic Area – Partners in Flight planning units defined on the basis of biotic communities and bird
distribution; used in bird conservation planning. See Figure 15.
USDA Forest Service Region 2 (Rocky Mountain Region) – Includes parts of Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota,
Nebraska, and Kansas. See Figure1.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 (Mountain-Prairie Region) – Includes parts of Wyoming, Colorado, South
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Montana, Idaho, and Utah.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 (Southwest Region) – Includes parts of Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico,
and Texas.
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Figure 13. Map of Bird Conservation Regions of the United States. Breeding long-billed curlews occur chiefly in
regions 9 (Great Basin), 10 (Northern Rockies), 11 (Prairie Potholes), 17 (Badlands and Prairies), and 18 (Shortgrass
Prairie).
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Figure 14. Map of Breeding Bird Survey strata. Breeding long-billed curlews primarily occur in strata 36 (High
Plains), 38 (Glaciated Missouri Plateau), 39 (Great Plains Roughlands), 65 (Dissected Rockies), 89 (Columbia
Plateau), and 86 (Wyoming Basin).
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Figure 15. Map of Physiographic Areas as defined by Partners in Flight. Breeding long-billed curlews occur chiefly
in areas 34 (Central Mixed-Grass Prairie), 36 (Central Shortgrass Prairie), 38 (West River), 39 (Northern Shortgrass
Prairie), 64, (Central Rocky Mountains), 80 (Basin and Range), 86 (Wyoming Basin), and 89 (Columbia Plateau).
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R
EFERENCES
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grass pastures. Ecological Monographs 14:1-29.
Alcorn, J.R. 1988. Birds of Nevada. Fairview West Publications, Fallon, NV.
Allen, J.N. 1980. The ecology and behavior of the Long-billed Curlew in southeastern Washington. Wildlife
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Arnold, T.W. and K.F. Higgins. 1986. Effects of shrub coverages on birds of North Dakota mixed-grass prairies.
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Bailey, R.G. 1993. Description of the ecoregions of the United States. USDA Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication
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