Bird Conservation Region 17

Badlands and Prairies

An ecological region spanning Montana, Nebraska, North-dakota, South-dakota, Wyoming, with 140 survey routes. BCRs are the natural unit for bird trends.

What Is Moving Here

long arc declinecomputed index

Franklin's Gull has collapsed in Badlands and Prairies: down 96% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed index

Canada Goose has surged in Badlands and Prairies: up 35× on the route-weighted index since 1975.

long arc declinecomputed index

Evening Grosbeak has collapsed in Badlands and Prairies: down 93% on the route-weighted index since 1981.

long arc increasecomputed index

Thick-billed Longspur has surged in Badlands and Prairies: up 27× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

long arc declinecomputed index

Eastern Meadowlark has collapsed in Badlands and Prairies: down 93% on the route-weighted index since 1996.

long arc increasecomputed index

Wilson's Snipe has surged in Badlands and Prairies: up 18× on the route-weighted index since 1971.

How Guilds Are Faring

Game birds

Grassland birds

Arid-land birds

Aerial insectivores

Waterfowl

Wetland birds

Shorebirds

Birds of prey

Generalists

Forest birds

Survey Routes

Species By Family

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

American Goshawk -39%Bald Eagle +366%Broad-winged Hawk +34%Cooper's Hawk -75%Ferruginous Hawk +60%Golden Eagle +99%Northern Harrier -44%Red-tailed Hawk +926%Sharp-shinned Hawk -74%Swainson's Hawk +47%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -56%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -42%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Wigeon +96%Blue-winged Teal -56%Canada Goose 35×Canvasback -3%Cinnamon Teal +119%Common Merganser +12%Gadwall +226%Green-winged Teal +12%Lesser Scaup +23%Mallard -52%Northern Pintail -63%Northern Shoveler +25%Redhead +471%Ring-necked Duck +51%Ruddy Duck +115%Wood Duck -22%

Swifts Apodidae

White-throated Swift +133%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern +66%Black-crowned Night Heron -78%Great Blue Heron -29%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +395%

Longspurs & Snow Buntings Calcariidae

Chestnut-collared Longspur -77%Thick-billed Longspur 27×

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk +109%Common Poorwill -77%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak +747%Blue Grosbeak -8%Dickcissel -77%Indigo Bunting -26%Lazuli Bunting +97%Western Tanager +44%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture +229%

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +46%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove 15×Mourning Dove +12%Rock Pigeon +384%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +41%Black-billed Magpie +17%Blue Jay -49%Canada Jay +42%Clark's Nutcracker -79%Common Raven 50×Pinyon Jay -63%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -86%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -62%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel +120%Merlin +21%Prairie Falcon -42%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +62%Cassin's Finch -61%Evening Grosbeak -93%House Finch +151%Pine Siskin -60%Red Crossbill -28%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 24×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow +1%Barn Swallow -9%Cliff Swallow -38%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +37%Tree Swallow +875%Violet-green Swallow -44%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -29%Bobolink +190%Brewer's Blackbird +24%Brown-headed Cowbird +82%Bullock's Oriole +461%Common Grackle +95%Eastern Meadowlark -93%Orchard Oriole +12%Red-winged Blackbird -10%Western Meadowlark -17%Yellow-headed Blackbird +7%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +81%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -32%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Tern -63%California Gull -49%Franklin's Gull -96%Ring-billed Gull +51%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -49%Gray Catbird +20%Northern Mockingbird +37%Sage Thrasher -31%

Wagtails & Pipits Motacillidae

Sprague's Pipit +117%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -81%

Osprey Pandionidae

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +1%Mountain Chickadee +565%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +125%Black-and-white Warbler -74%Common Yellowthroat -12%MacGillivray's Warbler +204%Ovenbird +6%Yellow Warbler +139%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Baird's Sparrow -61%Brewer's Sparrow -7%Chipping Sparrow -21%Clay-colored Sparrow -3%Field Sparrow +89%Grasshopper Sparrow -21%Green-tailed Towhee -58%Lark Bunting -79%Lark Sparrow +13%Sagebrush Sparrow +10%Savannah Sparrow +42%Song Sparrow +144%Spotted Towhee +150%Vesper Sparrow +135%White-crowned Sparrow +132%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -56%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican +795%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant 12×

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Gray Partridge +293%Greater Prairie-Chicken +273%Greater Sage-Grouse +34%Ring-necked Pheasant +30%Ruffed Grouse +82%Sharp-tailed Grouse +27%Wild Turkey +487%

Woodpeckers Picidae

American Three-toed Woodpecker -3%Black-backed Woodpecker -16%Downy Woodpecker +31%Hairy Woodpecker +19%Lewis's Woodpecker -57%Red-headed Woodpecker +146%Red-naped Sapsucker +951%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Eared Grebe +135%Pied-billed Grebe -85%Western Grebe +55%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -65%Sora +24%Virginia Rail -11%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet 12×

Kinglets Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet -60%Ruby-crowned Kinglet 11×

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Long-billed Curlew +260%Marbled Godwit +687%Spotted Sandpiper -79%Upland Sandpiper +35%Willet +75%Wilson's Phalarope -25%Wilson's Snipe 18×

Nuthatches Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch +392%White-breasted Nuthatch +205%

Owls Strigidae

Burrowing Owl +59%Eastern Screech-Owl -42%Great Horned Owl -86%Short-eared Owl +39%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +973%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Canyon Wren -7%Marsh Wren +59%Northern House Wren +318%Rock Wren -12%Sedge Wren -48%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +118%Eastern Bluebird -37%Mountain Bluebird +46%Swainson's Thrush +986%Townsend's Solitaire +461%Veery +57%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Cassin's Kingbird +80%Dusky Flycatcher 17×Eastern Kingbird -13%Eastern Phoebe -57%Great Crested Flycatcher +31%Least Flycatcher +380%Say's Phoebe +233%Western Kingbird +16%Western Wood-Pewee +168%Willow Flycatcher +279%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo -50%Plumbeous Vireo +11%Red-eyed Vireo -24%Warbling Vireo +55%

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.