Bird Conservation Region 18

Shortgrass Prairie

An ecological region spanning Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New-mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, with 137 survey routes. BCRs are the natural unit for bird trends.

What Is Moving Here

long arc declinecomputed index

Bank Swallow has collapsed in Shortgrass Prairie: down 97% on the route-weighted index since 1969.

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Great-tailed Grackle has surged in Shortgrass Prairie: up 225× on the route-weighted index since 1974.

long arc declinecomputed index

Redhead has collapsed in Shortgrass Prairie: down 96% on the route-weighted index since 1977.

long arc increasecomputed index

Eurasian Collared-Dove has surged in Shortgrass Prairie: up 36× on the route-weighted index since 2004.

long arc declinecomputed index

Belted Kingfisher has collapsed in Shortgrass Prairie: down 95% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed index

Spotted Towhee has surged in Shortgrass Prairie: up 12× on the route-weighted index since 1979.

How Guilds Are Faring

Arid-land birds

Waterfowl

Game birds

Shorebirds

Grassland birds

Wetland birds

Forest birds

Generalists

Aerial insectivores

Birds of prey

Survey Routes

Species By Family

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle -27%Cooper's Hawk -3%Ferruginous Hawk +9%Golden Eagle -66%Harris's Hawk -67%Mississippi Kite -57%Northern Harrier -76%Red-tailed Hawk +157%Swainson's Hawk +166%

Bushtits Aegithalidae

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -11%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -95%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Wigeon -50%Blue-winged Teal +76%Canada Goose +32%Cinnamon Teal -58%Gadwall -55%Green-winged Teal -11%Mallard -58%Northern Pintail -94%Northern Shoveler +64%Redhead -96%Ruddy Duck -66%Wood Duck -73%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -50%White-throated Swift -52%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron +213%Great Blue Heron +12%Great Egret +5%Green Heron -88%Snowy Egret +67%Western Cattle-Egret -15%

Longspurs & Snow Buntings Calcariidae

Chestnut-collared Longspur -92%Thick-billed Longspur +209%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -1%Common Poorwill -81%Lesser Nighthawk +32%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Black-headed Grosbeak +159%Blue Grosbeak +305%Dickcissel -12%Hepatic Tanager +78%Indigo Bunting -74%Lazuli Bunting -46%Northern Cardinal -71%Painted Bunting -88%Pyrrhuloxia -80%Summer Tanager -19%Western Tanager -37%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture +100%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +2%Mountain Plover -92%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove 36×Inca Dove +34%Mourning Dove +41%Rock Pigeon +227%White-winged Dove 25×

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow -84%Black-billed Magpie -60%Blue Jay -51%Chihuahuan Raven +10%Common Raven +239%Pinyon Jay -68%Steller's Jay -48%Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay -29%

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Greater Roadrunner -42%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -84%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel +97%Prairie Falcon -25%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch +97%House Finch +234%Lesser Goldfinch +14%Pine Siskin -85%Red Crossbill -62%

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -97%Barn Swallow +146%Cave Swallow +85%Cliff Swallow -13%Northern Rough-winged Swallow -81%Purple Martin -80%Tree Swallow +855%Violet-green Swallow +176%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -84%Bobolink +104%Brewer's Blackbird -88%Bronzed Cowbird +228%Brown-headed Cowbird +29%Bullock's Oriole +83%Chihuahuan Meadowlark +175%Common Grackle +191%Eastern Meadowlark -59%Great-tailed Grackle 225×Orchard Oriole +36%Red-winged Blackbird +39%Scott's Oriole +98%Western Meadowlark -31%Yellow-headed Blackbird -43%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +371%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -61%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

California Gull 13×Ring-billed Gull -23%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -49%Curve-billed Thrasher +30%Gray Catbird -68%Northern Mockingbird -50%Sage Thrasher -74%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite +8%Scaled Quail -47%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +161%Juniper Titmouse -24%Mountain Chickadee -88%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

Common Yellowthroat -20%Yellow Warbler +74%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Black-throated Sparrow -90%Brewer's Sparrow -72%Canyon Towhee -58%Cassin's Sparrow +11%Chipping Sparrow -69%Field Sparrow -92%Grasshopper Sparrow -12%Green-tailed Towhee -47%Lark Bunting -73%Lark Sparrow +2%Rufous-crowned Sparrow -82%Savannah Sparrow -88%Song Sparrow -53%Spotted Towhee 12×Vesper Sparrow +526%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -63%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican -45%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +308%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Greater Prairie-Chicken +501%Lesser Prairie-Chicken +127%Ring-necked Pheasant -78%Sharp-tailed Grouse -42%Wild Turkey +251%

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker -35%Golden-fronted Woodpecker -45%Hairy Woodpecker +16%Ladder-backed Woodpecker -70%Lewis's Woodpecker -23%Red-headed Woodpecker -1%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Eared Grebe -71%Pied-billed Grebe -42%Western Grebe -37%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +3%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -72%

Avocets & Stilts Recurvirostridae

American Avocet +352%Black-necked Stilt +462%

Penduline Tits Remizidae

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

Long-billed Curlew -10%Spotted Sandpiper -29%Upland Sandpiper -69%Wilson's Phalarope +69%Wilson's Snipe +4%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Pygmy Nuthatch +360%Red-breasted Nuthatch -78%White-breasted Nuthatch +402%

Owls Strigidae

Burrowing Owl +47%Great Horned Owl -6%Short-eared Owl +25%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling +409%

Ibises & Spoonbills Threskiornithidae

White-faced Ibis -87%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Black-chinned Hummingbird -64%Broad-tailed Hummingbird +269%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren -28%Cactus Wren -91%Canyon Wren +2%Marsh Wren -15%Northern House Wren +127%Rock Wren -48%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +292%Eastern Bluebird -39%Mountain Bluebird -36%Western Bluebird -15%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Ash-throated Flycatcher +47%Black Phoebe -29%Cassin's Kingbird +103%Eastern Kingbird -34%Eastern Phoebe +23%Great Crested Flycatcher +42%Say's Phoebe +46%Scissor-tailed Flycatcher +24%Vermilion Flycatcher -77%Western Kingbird +181%Western Wood-Pewee +192%

Barn-Owls Tytonidae

American Barn Owl +82%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo -31%Plumbeous Vireo +1%Red-eyed Vireo -5%Warbling Vireo +82%

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