BirdAnalyst
Bird Conservation Region 23

Prairie Hardwood Transition

An ecological region spanning Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, with 161 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 →

Western Meadowlark has collapsed in Prairie Hardwood Transition: down 100% 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 →

Canada Goose has surged in Prairie Hardwood Transition: up 206× on the route-weighted index since 1969.

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 →

Northern Bobwhite has collapsed in Prairie Hardwood Transition: down 98% 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 →

Sandhill Crane has surged in Prairie Hardwood Transition: up 43× 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 →

Upland Sandpiper has collapsed in Prairie Hardwood Transition: down 96% 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 Prairie Hardwood Transition: up 19× 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 →

-80%

Grassland birds

15 species
-54%

Generalists

12 species
-54%

Game birds

6 species
-30%

Wetland birds

25 species
+14%

Aerial insectivores

20 species
+24%

Forest birds

75 species
+44%

Shorebirds

4 species
+176%

Birds of prey

14 species
+239%

Waterfowl

16 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 44×Broad-winged Hawk +47%Cooper's Hawk +146%Northern Harrier -64%Red-shouldered Hawk +258%Red-tailed Hawk +106%Sharp-shinned Hawk +8%

Larks Alaudidae

Horned Lark +4%

Kingfishers Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher -41%

Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl Anatidae

American Black Duck -10%Blue-winged Teal -82%Canada Goose 206×Common Merganser +76%Green-winged Teal -10%Hooded Merganser +36%Lesser Scaup -76%Mallard -41%Mute Swan -8%Northern Pintail -47%Northern Shoveler -53%Redhead -67%Ring-necked Duck +19%Ruddy Duck -42%Trumpeter Swan 42×Wood Duck +146%

Swifts Apodidae

Chimney Swift -47%

Herons, Egrets & Bitterns Ardeidae

American Bittern -79%Black-crowned Night Heron -61%Great Blue Heron +3%Great Egret +34%Green Heron +38%Least Bittern -33%

Waxwings Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing +185%

Nightjars & Nighthawks Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk -64%Eastern Whip-poor-will -44%

Cardinals & Grosbeaks Cardinalidae

Dickcissel -64%Indigo Bunting +40%Northern Cardinal +216%Rose-breasted Grosbeak +22%Scarlet Tanager +11%

New World Vultures Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture 19×

Treecreepers Certhiidae

Brown Creeper +162%

Plovers & Lapwings Charadriidae

Killdeer +56%

Pigeons & Doves Columbidae

Eurasian Collared-Dove 32×Mourning Dove +48%Rock Pigeon -29%

Crows, Jays & Magpies Corvidae

American Crow +26%Blue Jay +6%Common Raven 24×

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis Cuculidae

Black-billed Cuckoo -68%Yellow-billed Cuckoo +2%

Falcons & Caracaras Falconidae

American Kestrel -20%Peregrine Falcon +3%

Finches Fringillidae

American Goldfinch -9%House Finch 348×Pine Siskin -27%Purple Finch -34%Red Crossbill -82%

Loons Gaviidae

Common Loon +74%

Cranes Gruidae

Sandhill Crane 43×

Swallows & Martins Hirundinidae

Bank Swallow -86%Barn Swallow +41%Cliff Swallow +170%Northern Rough-winged Swallow +25%Purple Martin -72%Tree Swallow +131%

Blackbirds & Orioles Icteridae

Baltimore Oriole -2%Bobolink -84%Brewer's Blackbird -79%Brown-headed Cowbird -24%Common Grackle -61%Eastern Meadowlark -73%Orchard Oriole 16×Red-winged Blackbird -31%Western Meadowlark -100%Yellow-headed Blackbird -91%

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat -49%

Shrikes Laniidae

Loggerhead Shrike -88%

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers Laridae

Black Tern -93%Caspian Tern -18%Common Tern -90%Forster's Tern +70%Herring Gull 13×Ring-billed Gull +154%

Mockingbirds & Thrashers Mimidae

Brown Thrasher -57%Gray Catbird +54%Northern Mockingbird +443%

New World Quail Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite -98%

Osprey Pandionidae

Osprey +616%

Chickadees & Titmice Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee +396%Carolina Chickadee +31%Tufted Titmouse +190%

Wood-Warblers Parulidae

American Redstart +315%Black-and-white Warbler +216%Black-throated Green Warbler +335%Blackburnian Warbler +2%Blue-winged Warbler +376%Canada Warbler -65%Cerulean Warbler -25%Chestnut-sided Warbler +87%Common Yellowthroat +64%Golden-winged Warbler -57%Hooded Warbler +114%Louisiana Waterthrush -43%Magnolia Warbler +0%Mourning Warbler -39%Nashville Warbler -43%Northern Parula +121%Northern Waterthrush +171%Ovenbird +87%Pine Warbler 14×Prairie Warbler +9%Prothonotary Warbler +24%Tennessee Warbler -44%Yellow Warbler +107%Yellow-throated Warbler -42%

New World Sparrows Passerellidae

Chipping Sparrow +178%Clay-colored Sparrow -32%Eastern Towhee +41%Field Sparrow -63%Grasshopper Sparrow -93%Henslow's Sparrow -92%Lark Sparrow +91%LeConte's Sparrow -24%Savannah Sparrow -85%Song Sparrow -16%Swamp Sparrow +59%Vesper Sparrow -91%White-throated Sparrow -23%

Old World Sparrows Passeridae

House Sparrow -70%

Pelicans Pelecanidae

American White Pelican +329%

Cormorants Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant +302%

Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys Phasianidae

Gray Partridge -71%Greater Prairie-Chicken -37%Ring-necked Pheasant -67%Ruffed Grouse -13%Wild Turkey 157×

Woodpeckers Picidae

Downy Woodpecker +194%Hairy Woodpecker +156%Pileated Woodpecker +239%Red-bellied Woodpecker +811%Red-headed Woodpecker -74%Yellow-bellied Sapsucker +726%

Grebes Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe -69%

Gnatcatchers Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 24×

Rails, Gallinules & Coots Rallidae

American Coot -92%Common Gallinule -75%Sora -79%Virginia Rail -54%

Sandpipers & Allies Scolopacidae

American Woodcock -20%Spotted Sandpiper -65%Upland Sandpiper -96%Wilson's Snipe -51%

Nuthatches Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch +272%White-breasted Nuthatch +124%

Owls Strigidae

Barred Owl +205%Eastern Screech-Owl -43%Great Horned Owl +76%

Starlings & Mynas Sturnidae

European Starling -37%

Hummingbirds Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird +197%

Wrens Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren 22×Marsh Wren +18%Northern House Wren +124%Sedge Wren -42%Winter Wren -17%

Thrushes Turdidae

American Robin +68%Eastern Bluebird +56%Hermit Thrush +274%Veery +17%Wood Thrush +61%

Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae

Acadian Flycatcher +259%Alder Flycatcher +35%Eastern Kingbird -11%Eastern Phoebe +5%Eastern Wood-Pewee +134%Great Crested Flycatcher +5%Least Flycatcher -27%Olive-sided Flycatcher -29%Western Kingbird -48%Willow Flycatcher +19%Yellow-bellied Flycatcher -57%

Vireos Vireonidae

Bell's Vireo -63%Blue-headed Vireo +231%Red-eyed Vireo +125%Warbling Vireo +15%White-eyed Vireo -4%Yellow-throated Vireo +209%

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