BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 22

Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

An ecological region spanning Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, with 278 survey routes. BCRs are the natural unit for bird trends.

What Is Moving HereNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Snowy Egret has collapsed in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: down 99% on the route-weighted index since 1993.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Cliff Swallow has surged in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: up 126× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

American Coot has collapsed in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Canada Goose has surged in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: up 33× on the route-weighted index since 1974.

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Western Meadowlark has collapsed in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: down 94% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

long arc increasecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Turkey Vulture has surged in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: up 20× on the route-weighted index since 1968.

How Guilds Are FaringGuild trendA mean-index aggregate across the species in this group — the structural direction of the guild, with individual-species noise smoothed out.Full methodology →

-74%

Game birds

5 species
-71%

Generalists

13 species
-69%

Wetland birds

23 species
-57%

Grassland birds

14 species
+21%

Aerial insectivores

20 species
+25%

Forest birds

63 species
+266%

Shorebirds

4 species
+269%

Birds of prey

15 species
+637%

Waterfowl

7 species

Survey Routes

Species By FamilyTrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →

Hawks, Eagles & Kites Accipitridae

Bald Eagle 28×Broad-winged Hawk +73%Cooper's Hawk +541%Mississippi Kite +414%Northern Harrier -82%Red-shouldered Hawk 16×Red-tailed Hawk +185%Sharp-shinned Hawk -65%Swainson's Hawk -83%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark -56%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -16%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

Blue-winged Teal -63%Canada Goose 33×Hooded Merganser -75%Mallard +213%Mute Swan +19%Northern Shoveler -51%Wood Duck +78%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -77%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -28%Black-crowned Night Heron -60%Great Blue Heron +223%Great Egret +117%Green Heron -55%Little Blue Heron -89%Snowy Egret -99%Western Cattle-Egret -33%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +643%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Chuck-will's-widow -88%Common Nighthawk +32%Eastern Whip-poor-will -75%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Blue Grosbeak 13×Dickcissel -12%Indigo Bunting +66%Northern Cardinal +82%Painted Bunting +28%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +126%Scarlet Tanager +73%Summer Tanager +736%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Black Vulture +365%Turkey Vulture 20×

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +379%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove 60×Mourning Dove -7%Rock Pigeon -68%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +18%Blue Jay -2%Fish Crow 24×

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -89%Yellow-billed Cuckoo -25%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel +4%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -16%House Finch 174×

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 12×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -90%Barn Swallow +27%Cliff Swallow 126×Northern Rough-winged Swallow +194%Purple Martin -27%Tree Swallow +940%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -6%Bobolink -91%Brewer's Blackbird -78%Brown-headed Cowbird +72%Common Grackle -71%Eastern Meadowlark -63%Great-tailed Grackle -49%Orchard Oriole +41%Red-winged Blackbird -51%Western Meadowlark -94%Yellow-headed Blackbird -86%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat +22%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -88%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Tern -37%Herring Gull -7%Least Tern +8%Ring-billed Gull +487%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -54%Gray Catbird +110%Northern Mockingbird -50%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -75%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +85%Carolina Chickadee +154%Tufted Titmouse +29%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +173%Black-and-white Warbler -64%Blue-winged Warbler -24%Cerulean Warbler -80%Chestnut-sided Warbler -16%Common Yellowthroat +39%Hooded Warbler -39%Kentucky Warbler +386%Louisiana Waterthrush +300%Northern Parula 13×Ovenbird +143%Pine Warbler +153%Prairie Warbler +287%Prothonotary Warbler +116%Worm-eating Warbler -1%Yellow Warbler +113%Yellow-throated Warbler 14×

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +581%Clay-colored Sparrow -15%Eastern Towhee +60%Field Sparrow -48%Grasshopper Sparrow -83%Henslow's Sparrow +71%Lark Sparrow +77%Savannah Sparrow -79%Song Sparrow -40%Swamp Sparrow -15%Vesper Sparrow -73%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

Eurasian Tree Sparrow +707%House Sparrow -83%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +859%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Gray Partridge -92%Greater Prairie-Chicken -89%Ring-necked Pheasant -64%Wild Turkey 35×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +107%Hairy Woodpecker +29%Pileated Woodpecker 20×Red-bellied Woodpecker +251%Red-headed Woodpecker -43%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker +52%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -61%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher +294%

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -94%Common Gallinule -85%Sora -59%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock +38%Spotted Sandpiper -19%Upland Sandpiper -50%Wilson's Snipe -38%

Nuthatches Sittidae

White-breasted Nuthatch +407%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +468%Eastern Screech-Owl -31%Great Horned Owl -37%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -46%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +419%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Bewick's Wren -55%Carolina Wren +129%Marsh Wren +93%Northern House Wren +80%Sedge Wren -41%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +81%Eastern Bluebird +66%Veery -75%Wood Thrush +160%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +149%Alder Flycatcher +63%Eastern Kingbird -14%Eastern Phoebe +163%Eastern Wood-Pewee +150%Great Crested Flycatcher +65%Least Flycatcher -71%Scissor-tailed Flycatcher -47%Western Kingbird -65%Willow Flycatcher -29%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo +74%Red-eyed Vireo +75%Warbling Vireo +153%White-eyed Vireo +84%Yellow-throated Vireo +186%

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