BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 22 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Little Blue Heron In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

All regionsEastern Tallgrass PrairieWetland birds

Little Blue Heron in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie has collapsed: down 89% on the route-weighted index since 1971.

-89%Since 1971
18Routes In Region
50Years

Notable Signals

long arc declinecomputed index

Little Blue Heron has collapsed in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie: down 89% on the route-weighted index since 1971.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Little Blue Heron in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie is projected to stay roughly flat through 2028, near 0.07 (95% range 0.00–0.33). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±763.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

n/aChange by 2028
0.07Projected 2028 index
0.00–0.3395% range
±763.9%Backtest error
19672028
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
20240.080.000.34
20250.070.000.34
20260.070.000.33
20270.070.000.33
20280.070.000.33

Routes In Eastern Tallgrass Prairie

Routes recording Little Blue Heron in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie.
GalesburgKANSAS212006
RockinghamMISSOURI81996
WelchOKLAHOMA62015
PeoriaOKLAHOMA52007
ColumbiaILLINOIS32023
Mascoutah LkILLINOIS32015
GildehouseMISSOURI21986
KeetonvilleOKLAHOMA22005
BelleviewILLINOIS11985
JamestownILLINOIS12012
St MorganILLINOIS12022
Mt VernonILLINOIS12006
OlneyILLINOIS12000
MelroseKANSAS11993
NorborneMISSOURI12016
CollinsvilleOKLAHOMA12005
WainwrightOKLAHOMA12006
ForakerOKLAHOMA11992

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